Saber Forum

Going along with the blade plugs that I've made (THREAD HERE) (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=3750.0), I've also started working on my first mods to any of my UltraSabers. All pictures open up bigger if you click on 'em.

All three of these started life as grab bag sabers. An Aeon (AS) v2, Dominix (BR) v2, and a Dark Initiate (VA) v2
(http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1297/mod001.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/522/mod001.jpg/)

My plan is to have the Aeon and Dominix be opposites of one another (they already look the part, I just wanna fancy 'em up), and to have the DI as a partner to the Dominix. To that end, I plan on painting the grooves of the Aeon black and polishing the grooves on the Dominix and DI (similar to the LE versions). Additionally, I'll be painting a portion of the Aeon's emitter black, and polishing part of the Dominix and DI emitters silver.

Step one: Mask the daylights out of the sabers (by far the most tedious step). Masking the inside of the emitters was a pain.
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/7286/mod002d.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/43/mod002d.jpg/)(http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/640/mod003b.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/10/mod003b.jpg/)

Here's the Aeon ready for paint. I'm using Rust-oleum oil based gloss black paint. I've used the stuff on metal before, and it comes out pretty nicely and is relatively durable. ( I will admit to having pondered black nail polish as well )
(http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1390/mod004.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/88/mod004.jpg/)

A short while later, painted. This is why masking is important.
(http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/7836/mod005.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/mod005.jpg/)

You have to unmask before the paint dries, or you risk one of two problems: 1) Peeling the paint off (if it's "dry" but not set) -or- 2) The tape gets stuck (paint has cured). On the plus side, you get pretty instant gratification.
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8087/mod006.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/696/mod006.jpg/)(http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/7250/mod007.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/560/mod007.jpg/)

I need to touch up / clean up a few of the stripes, as well as the emitter (it's /ever/ so slightly uneven, and it'll just end up driving me bonkers if I don't).

I've started testing polishing on the inside of the pommel cap before I go nuts on the ridges. As that progress happens, I'll post updates.

Incidentally, it'll likely be a few days before I get anything up for the Dominix or the DI. Having a four month old (and a darling wife who works her ass off so I can stay home with the baby and go to school at night) means strategically planning workshop time. Painting with the baby in the garage is easy. Using the dremel tool for an extended period? Not so much. Just cause I know sign language doesn't mean I want a Deaf apprentice :P, and I haven't found four-month-old-friendly hearing protection (that is so say, something that won't drive him batty).

Very Impressive Work ;)!!!

This Has Inspired Me To Go See What Some High Quality Metallic Tape Can Pull Off ;)!!!  (In Regards To Mod's To My Sabers)

I pondered going the metallic tape route, as it would be a lot less work, but I worry about the durability of it on a saber that will be used to duel with.

After I'm done painting and polishing, I suspect there will be other tweaks, but I haven't decided on what, just yet. Leather, baubles, a way to carry on a belt, most likely.

Well, Hey When I Get Around To It ;)!!! I'll Post A Video and Let Everybody See How Well... or How Terribly It All Worked Out ;)!!!

At Some Point, I'm Going To Get The New Prophecy V3 With Sound (and If They Don't Release A Dark Version, or LE Version of The New Prophecy V3, I'll Use Metallic Tape and Give It Some Custom Work ;)!!!)

Stage one is done. The Aeon is painted:
(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/78/mod010.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/684/mod010.jpg/)

And the Dominix and Dark Initiate are polished:
(http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/8039/mod009.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/mod009.jpg/)(http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/4567/mod008.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/703/mod008.jpg/)

They aren't quite to a mirror finish, but I'm planning on something a little... different for these. Incidentally, anyone who wonders why UltraSabers anodizes their hilts should know that the stuff resilient as hell. I killed several dremel bits polishing these stripes up.

Nice Job My Dark Brother ;)!!!

Coming From Someone That Has Done This Kind of Work Before, I Can Appreciate How Much Patience and Skill That Is Required To Get The Job Done ;)!!!

I like the Aeon with the black stripes!  I feel for your masking efforts, I have never had any good luck getting the painters tape to stick long enough to even spray paint something.

Thanks!

Earlier this year (prior to the birth of my son) I completed a 2.5 year restoration project on a Neo Geo arcade cabinet. I got a lot of masking practice with it, hehe. Also, for spray, I don't recommend the Blue tape, there's a removable Gorilla tape that works better, but it's notable more expensive.

And thank you for the tip on the gorilla tape, haven't seen it before.  I really like their glue products over the other brands.

Home Depot seems to reliably carry it, over in the paint section. I don't know that I've actually seen it anyplace else. The other trick with masking seems to be timing. There's a sweet spot. Too soon, and it won't have stuck well, and too long, and it may have unstuck (or worse yet, stuck too well and torn up whatever it was covering).

I really like the black grooves on the Aeon , I will have to do that on my BR Aeon!! Vrey nice!

Tried something out on the Dark Initiate that I'm really digging.

(http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4821/mod011.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/mod011.jpg/)

Thoughts?

It's nail polish, by the by. The stuff's durable, cheap, readily available in a MOUNTAIN of colors, and if you don't like it, super easy to clean up, since the nail polish remover won't harm the anodizing one bit.

I'm debating whether I want to do the same to the Dominix or not. I'm also pondering how much of a pain in the tuckus it would be to give the entire Aeon a coat in the stuff. Now, unfortunately, I need to crank out a paper for tonight, so no more tinkering for the day.

The red and black are a cool combo.

Nice!  Really like the Aeon.  Black/silver combo at the neck is a nice 'homage' to the Archonv2/ROTJ type neck.
Hmmm, I'm thinking Obi/Luke themed colors like copper/black/gold on just the upper 'neck' parts of my(& the wife's) GB & CG Initiate v2's... arrggghhhh I miss having photoshop!

Really nice mods!  I hope our other members see this and realize they too can modify their sabers in ways like this.

They turned out really nice, I'm impressed!

I can't believe I'm asking for make-up advice on a saber forum :D :D :D     Was that one or two coats of nail polish?

Thanks, means a lot coming from ya, Deep. I don't know that I'm done, either. The nice thing about UltraSabers is that they're built well enough that you can abuse them quite a lot with trial and error, and still have a solid saber.


Just one coat, applied semi-heavily (like you would if using the nail polish on, yanno, nails). I suspect that it will vary from color to color and brand to brand.

Very nice. I've been wanting to do some painting, but sadly I have never had any luck painting a saber. (I ruined my old PVC Grab Bag earlier this year.)

Practice on a peice of PVC until you can figure it out, was you spraying it or brush painting?  Maybe you can re-do it after you get better.

Yeah, the problem is I don't have a proper place to paint. All I got is my deck, which means I can't do any painting until the end of March/April at the earliest.

A) that looks great and B) Nail Polish!  What a great idea... especially if the remover won't damage the aluminum or annodized aluminum one bit.  Plus they make that stuff in all sorts of shades and colours -- you could make your own custom LE shades with that and not worry as much if it didn't go on quite right (strip it off and do it again).  Did you still mask for applying the polish?  (with it being thicker I wonder if you could brush it into the grooves more easily w/o worry of it going where you don't want it...)

point for the idea... and all the ideas I now have in my head.  :P

peace,

Kannik

I've been using a spare hilt part with groves.  My first attempt with the nail polish, I just brushed it in the grove with the applicator it came with.  I waited for it to dry before removing the tape.  When I removed the tape the nail polish came with it.  I also tried the dip it product (non-spray can), and it basically did the same thing.

@ TJ:  yea, I've been using the garage for spray painting earlier this year, but now it's in the cold.  Today it was 14.

For the nail polish, no, I didn't bother masking. It's designed to flow in a certain way, to make painting nails easy, which lends itself pretty well to painting these grooves. It was also a spur of the moment "Hey, I wonder if this will work" idea. That said, I've worked with other enamels and lacquers before, and you /HAVE/ to remove masking while they're wet, or they will come (in part of in whole) off with the mask (as poor Qui-Tom found out).

I'm fiddling with other colors and testing them on the inside of the pommel plug. I've painted, removed, painted, removed about... half a dozen colors (I've got a friend with a large nail polish collection so I don't have to buy a pile to guinea pig) or so. The aluminum when cleaned looks like it did the day I got the saber.

Rock on, thanks for that info.  That it is easy to put on and equally easy to remove is golden... now I know what to use in my future projects.  :D

peace,

Kannik

I like the nail polish idea. Plus it's the perfect time of year to stock up on it(if anyone gives you a funny look, just say it's stocking stuffers.)

I've been hunting around for a RED red, and nail polish has been a bust, since most of them rely on the color of the nail beneath them to achieve their final color, most reds turn out very pink when put on top of silver aluminum. So I made a trip to ye olde Pep Boys and had a looksee at the car paint touch up. They carry a pretty big selection of this stuff: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/scratchFix/ (http://www.duplicolor.com/products/scratchFix/) So I found a red that I quite like, and had at the Dominix:

(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1501/mod012.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/696/mod012.jpg/)

The touch up paint doesn't have a super glossy finish to it (there is a clear coat that will give it one), but on the aluminum, it looks a heck of a lot like the finish on the anodized portions.

For comparison, here's the Dominix next to the Dark Inititate, as you can see, the DI is rather more purple than the Dominix.
(http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4909/mod013.th.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/411/mod013.jpg/)

I'm pondering doing up the Aeon completely with this red (save, of course, the black accent stripes), but I worry about how streak free I'd get it. I'll post once I've tinkered.