Yay!

Alright, so before I start bragging, let me tell you folks a little story:

Earlier on this year (or maybe even last year) someone posted on the forum asking what would be best for a staff; a Libby V3 or a Dominix V3.

Since I'm the helpful guy that I am (try to be at least), I said that, since I had one of each, I'd try them together and let him/her (don't remember which now) know what my preference was.

So, down I went to the basement where I had my two empty hilts (I was planning to upgrade them to sound), took off the pommels, and taped them together. Now, if I had a coupler, everything would have been fine.

I didn't put any electronics in them, or blades and I thought I was fine. I did a little bit of twisting and putting the make-shift staff thought its motions, and then started taking the tape off. Well, when the tape got partway off, it tore and my Libby landed threads down on the concrete floor.

Keeping in mind that I'm 6'6, and it had a long way to fall, and it landed just right (or wrong), it bent the threads and made my Libby useless.

For months on end, it has sat on my work bench, mocking me. After all, my Libby was my first real saber, and I loved it. Every now and then I would try to get the pommel on, and it still wouldn't work...it would stop part way on because the threads were bent.

I tried it again and again, and eventually my pommel got stuck part way on, and even setting it in my vise wouldn't make it turn. Gah!

Long story short, I'm doing another flash gun build, and this particular flash gun has quite a large ID. I decided that I would, at long last, hack up my Libby and use her to bring the project to life. That way, she wouldn't just be sitting there, useless.

So, I took my hacksaw and after a few minutes, I got the top third cut off. Guess what? Too wide for my flash gun. Gah again!

So, in my frustration, I grabbed hold of the 2/3 of Libby still clamped in my vise, and started twisting. Lo and behold, she started twisting!

Long story shorter, I got the pommel off and thought, "let me try one last time with WD-40 on the threads." And on she went!

So, after a very long time of being without my Libby, I now have her back, albeit shorter than before.

She's down in the basement now, a coat of paint drying so I can do a custom weathering job on her. Tomorrow I'll get out my dremel's grinder and smooth down the new emitter end, and then I'll have to find someplace local that sells tap sets (since mine broke).

I'm considering, once I've got the 2/3 of Libby geared up and ready to go, maybe using Saint's method of emitter swapping on non-MHS sabers to get the top 1/3 attached.

After months, Libby will be reborn!

Now, I know there may be some of you out there who might say, "Ben, come on, you've got a bunch of sweet sabers. Why spend so much effort on a Liberator?"

To you people, I say, "Shuddapa your face!" Seriously though, I wasn't going to give up on Libby. You never forget our first saber, and for me, I was never going to get rid of her.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you folks. I'll definitely include pics when I have them.