Saber Forum

Hi everyone, so as you can tell from the title, I'm going to be starting a project. I just won a flash handle off of ebay so I wanted to make my first custom saber. I will be updating this as I progress; now just to keep my fiancée from killing me for spending $163 in parts and such.

Anyway, I'm already getting help from Master Nero, but any and all help/advice is appreciated. Here's my checklist of parts: LED Module, Buckpuck, Guarded latching switch, 2 AA battery holder, Dual 24-gauge wire, heatshrink, 8-32 tap and drill set, tap handle, soldering gun.

I have extra batteries here at home though I'll probably get some more later on. Does anyone see anything that I'm missing?

Here are pics of the handle to whet our collective appetites.

(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/photo-1.png)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/photo-2.png)

I'm really excited to get started!

I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses!  Congrats on winning the auction.

Thanks Master, and thanks again for the help!

That is why she is a fiancee.  Your wife has a right to kill you, she doesn't.  That saber is going to be something else when finished.  Any plans to add sound in the future?

lol she was actually okay with it...as long as I keep as I keep saving too. I DO want to add sound eventually but it'll  just be a stunt to start.

That flash is gonna be a little tough to pack the electronics into (especially with sound), but it's doable.  Just gotta make sure your wires are the right lengths (so you don't have too much crammed in) and get creative!

Oh yeah, it definitely looks like it's going to be a bit of cram-fu. That's why I still ordered the foot of wire. For everyone else who wasn't part of the conversation, Master Nero said that I should have (or just about have) enough wire on the parts (i.e. LED, battery pack etc.) that I wouldn't need extra wiring. I'm hoping to use the foot of wire to get as proficient as I can with soldering before attacking costly parts. That way, it should be a little easier to cram in there with just stock wiring.

Small update, the flash handle shipped and should be here by the 22nd. Both electronics orders are still processing. I also got my soldering gun today and I'll post pics later on. I want to document every stage of this.

Here are the pics of the stuff I got today.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1548.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1547.jpg)

My LED is going to be Guardian Blue. I wanted something different than what I had already, but still a more traditional look; especially since it's going to be a flash handle build. I really am nervous and excited about this whole thing. I'm sure I'm going to have to get someone with a drill press to drill the hole for the switch. Any ideas? Or alternate places for the switch?

Another update, my LED, Buckpuck and switch shipped out. Oh how I love Ultrasabers!!!

*nods sagely* Their Shipping Department makes the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs! XD

Nice choice of Flash for this, I think that is going to sort of bridge the gap between the looks of a lot of the US hilts and the Flash Conversions out there. You have the fluted grooves on a Flashgun saber which has to be unique. I also love that you have matching styles on the pommel and emitter. The Vader style pommel is one of my faves, and I always thought it would look good with a matching emitter. (I am still a fan of the dark angled shroud though lol) This will turn out interesting! :)

Point for that lol! Interesting is the word for it :P it'll be interesting to see if I manage to bungle it or not haha

Do, or do not. There is no Bungle. Remember, it's your one of a kind saber. If you make a mistake, it simply becomes part of the build. A unique quirk to your personal weapon. Heck, mine's blade holder wobbles! XD

Ahh good point there! I love the idea of completing my own personal saber...sort of like my own Jedi trial.

Part of every jedi's trining is building a saber. Lucky for me, ultra saber did that for me. But i nod to your determination and dedication. And my wife would have killed me for what you are doing. Good luck, and i cant wait to see the results.

That really is a great point. There is nothing like having done your own gear. Anything I've done any work on myself is just awesome despite the loads of imperfections, because it's MINE. Squiggle in the paint? Scratch on the hilt? Crooked piece? Who cares? When you did it yourself, it's legit. Period. Trust me, this is gonna be your favorite, at least till you build another one. lol

Good point Manroon about the mistakes making it your own. And Spidey, I think I'll be fine unless I burn down the house with the soldering gun or hurt myself...then she'll kill me lol.

Mini update: As of 4:51AM, my flash handle was in LA from Phoenix. One US shipment has shipped and the second one is still processing though it's been paid. It's only been a couple of days so I'm not worried. In other news, my second US order rendered my other electronics shipment unnecessary, but I couldn't cancel it. So I'll be getting a couple extra parts to experiment with. That order has shipped too.

Another little update: my flash handle has cleared customs! Should be here on time or a little early. My first US shipment of parts should be here on Friday, though Purolator will probably get it here on Thursday. I'm still waiting for my second US order to ship which is strange for me; normally my stuff would be shipped by now but I'm not worried. Just anxious about getting started.

On a side note, I won an auction on ebay for a Luke ROTJ saber. I'm trying to get in contact with Ultra to look into converting it like he did to Master Nero's. Lots of fun, and lots of paying on the credit card going on. I've got to get debt free again and save up this time lol. Welcome to Saber Addicts Anonymous.

Remember: Fish are friends, not food! Wait, sorry.... wrong support group. :D But seriously, that's pretty cool about everything being on time or better for the most part, and scoring a Luke ROTJ. Good luck getting it converted!

That's hilarious! Yeah, I'm getting more and more excited as the days go by. I'm really hoping I can get in contact with Ultra about converting the Luke ROTJ saber. What I'd like to do is get it, turn it on and feel it while still in the post office, pack it back up and slap on a shipping label to US :)

Update for today: in just over an hour I had my first successful soldered connection!

(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/IMG_00000056.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/IMG_00000057.jpg)

I took two audio cables and cut them up a little bit at a time. Once I figured it out and got the soldering turning out alright on a semi-regular basis, I took both of them and soldered the middle. I then plugged it in to the old vcr because hey, if it blows up, no great loss. It actually worked! So I did my first electronic solder, it held and it worked! I'm still going to practice more before I try wiring up a saber, but I'm happy! Now, more veteran solderers, how does it look? Any hints for me? Anything I can do better?

It's a little messy, but that's totally normal for amateur soldering - I do it too!  One question, are those two separate wires?

I think its some random cabling he decided to use to practice on. Rather than wrecking any decent equipment.

Yeah, I'm still messy with it right now lol, but it's good to know I'm not the only one! Those actually are two separate wires. I got one of the dual audio cords, separated the two sides and soldered the middle. The reason I did it that way is because I had been experimenting on one end (both white and red sides) and it turned out terribly so when I finally got it going alright I used the other end for the jacks and soldered red to white.

Second update of the day: my second US order shipped finally! Not that it's been a looong time or anything but it seems that way when you're waiting. ETA is the 22nd...The day that my flash handle is supposed to arrive!

EDIT - @Veldryne yup, it was just a cheap-o dollar store audio cable. $1.99 I think.

Yeah it's looking ok, just be sure to minimize the amount of solder you use.  You're learning!  Keep practicing, that's all the advice I can give you...

And be sure to let me know if you have any questions, I'll be happy to help.

Good advice! I'll have to keep an eye on my amount of solder. I'm also going to pick up a pencil tip for the soldering gun. That should make it easier to be precise. Thanks for the help and advice!

Update for today: I got my first shipment today. This was the one that contained the drill and tap set, heat shrink and extra wire. I had also ordered a battery pack before I realized it wasn’t a Li-Ion pack. So, one shipment down, three to go.

My first US shipment was 6 hours away from here as of 11:30 this morning and should be here tomorrow. My flash handle is completely through customs and should be here next week, and my second US order arrives next week too. I'll be getting the new soldering tip next Wednesday as I'm not driving an hour away just for the tip and my local hardware store doesn't have any. Theoretically, I could get started by next weekend. I'm going to have to get everything in and get a little better with soldering before I attack good electronics though.

Great news! My flash handle arrived today! Over a week early!!!! I'll post some pics later but let me tell you about it quickly. First, it DOES have the spring in the bottom like Manroon hoped. Its upper diameter is just a tad too big for my Liberator's blade so a little bit of work and I have my blade holder already included. Both top and bottom parts screw in so that's great for accessing my parts. What else....it's nice and shiny! I'm really impressed and can't wait to get started on the build! I'd post pics now, but our church is planning on having a Star Wars kid's camp this summer and I've got a bunch of work to do on that. I'll update this a bit later on today!

SWEET! Lucky break for you on the blade holder. ;) Can't wait to see how it looks. Also, your church has got to be awesome. Cardboard X-Wings FTW. 8)

cardboard xwings? PICS!!!!

Oh I know! I think I'm going to have to take the bottom of the "blade holder" off with a hack-saw so that the blade will sit in further. Also, I think I'm going to have to drill my retention screw hole into the blade holder and not the emitter. When the pics are finished uploading you'll see why but with the ability to unscrew the emitter, it won't be too inconvenient. I've got a TON of pics loading to photobucket right now so be on the lookout in the next few minutes. Without getting too far into the church topic, we're just a small country church of 20ish people, and since I'm the pastor and my fiancee takes care of the kids, we have a bit of leeway.


I don't think I'm good enough to make cardboard X-Wings unfortunately :( but I DO think I'll be able to pick up some of the Lego Star Wars ships for decoration. In case you all are wondering about the snacks, I'll post my rough ideas (nothing is confirmed yet).


Day One – Jar Jar Links in a Blanket (Pigs in a Blanket) Or Qui-Gon Jinn-ger Snaps

Day Two – Droid Cupcakes Topped with Droid Batteries (Rolos)

Day Three – Lightsaber Pretzel Sticks (Pretzel Sticks Wrapped with Green and Red Licorice Vines)

Day Four – Princess Leia’s Cinnamon Buns

Day Five – Hoth Snowballs (Snowball Cookies) and Chewie Wookiee Cookies (Chewy, Gooey Cookies) Served with Blue Milk

Day Six – Pizza the Hutt and Yoda Soda (Pizza Party with Lime Pop and Lime Sherbet)

On a note more related to the topic at hand, my US shipment didn't come today. Apparently the Purolator truck broke down or there was some other mechanical error. Hopefully it'll come tomorrow! I picked up a soldering iron today instead of trying to use the big ol' gun. And only $10!!!

(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1566.jpg)

Here are some pics of the flash handle. WARNING, there are a bunch of pics!!

Here's the entire thing as it arrived.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1549.jpg)

Here's looking down the "emitter"
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1550.jpg)

Here's the bottom of the "pommel". It reads, "Smendolsohn Photoflash Speedgun MADE IN USA 202 E 44th St N.Y.C"
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1553.jpg)

Here's the spring inside!
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1554.jpg)

View from the bottom.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1555.jpg)

View from the top.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1559.jpg)

A couple of pics of the "emitter" and "blade holder".
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1556.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1557.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1558.jpg)

This black thing is where wires used to go out. It unscrews too. I think that's where I'll be able to access the retention screw.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1560.jpg)

These two parts are located around and underneath the "blade holder".
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1561.jpg)

Inside.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1562.jpg)

Everything apart.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1564.jpg)

And here is where you would activate it. Too bad my LED will need to sit up there :(
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1563.jpg)

I'm really excited to get started! And what a great day, I got promoted to RP Game Master and had this baby arrive early :) the Force was with me for sure!

EDIT - The reason for the soldering iron is for a finer and more precise tip. Also, for those who were wondering, I WILL be getting my Luke ROTJ converted! Thanks Ultra!!!!!

Coming along quite nicely, looking forward to seeing how it progresses, as for Spidey088, this is just another opstical you must overcome

Thank you muchly!

So everyone, I got my blade holder created this morning! I had to cut off the bottom of it, drill and tap a hole, and get everything fitted. Here's the final product.

(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1577.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1579.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1580.jpg)

Here's the bottom that I cut off.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1581.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1582.jpg)

And here's the leftover parts. Any thoughts with what I should do with them?
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1583.jpg)

Heat Sink for the leftover parts.

How would I go about doing that?

Mount an Seoul P4 LED on the Copper disk furtherest right on your picture.  Use some thermal adhesive to get it to stick.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures concerning what I am talking about but when I get the parts for a friend's son's PVC lightsaber, I will post a picture then.  Might be August before I can get it posted as I am short on cash right now. 

I get what you're talking about now thanks. Any idea where to get the thermal tape though? My hardware store has never heard of it.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_thermal_adhesive.htm (http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_thermal_adhesive.htm) something like this. I have some arctic sliver CPU compound that works great, but this stuff is more of a glue as it states. Just do a google search for Thermal Adhesive and you'll find some stuff.

Thanks a lot :)

Hey all, I'm having a tough time figuring our my buckpuck. Anyone have a diagram of how the LED, switch, battery pack and buckpuck go together?

That looks sick, you got SO lucky with your blade holder! Man, I want one now... XD

Thanks so much Manroon! Hahaha, I think Twin Roses actually has some (in-box) flash handles of the same kind. Everyone, disregard my last question about the buckpuck. I had it wired up right but I didn't realize that I would need the Trustfires to get enough juice. I was using regular AAs and nothing was working. As you can probably guess by my wording, I have completed the saber!!!!! I'm really pleased with it and really proud of myself. The only things that I'm disappointed in are: 1 - I received a momentary switch rather than a latching switch. Since I'm going to add sound eventually, it's not that huge of a deal, but I was surprised. 2 - The other thing is that I wanted to take the big black screw and glue it to the switch to make it look more like the flash handle, but contact cement didn't work, nor did marine glue. Oh well.

I'm loading a bunch of pics to photobucket now so stay tuned for a bunch of pics of my first build!!!! Oh and by the way, this was only my second time soldering and my joints were PERFECT!

Here are the pics!!!!!

My circuit.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1584.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1585.jpg)

The heat-shrink covered wires.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1586.jpg)

The switch.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1587.jpg)

The battery pack and innards.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1588.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1589.jpg)

The LED. It sits on a piece of metal and cardboard that had the original wires running through it (can be seen in the first two pics), and has the extra metal circle to keep it from moving/extra heat sink.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1591.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1593.jpg)

The handle with the blade and switch in.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1590.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1600.jpg)

If you look at the lower hole, light shines through it. The pics didn't turn out so great to pick up the light on camera, but here's where it comes out.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1601.jpg)

Here are the pics with the LED lit up!
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1594.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1596.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1598.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1599.jpg)

And here's where the black screw was. I took it out and had a built in crystal chamber type thing.
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1595.jpg)
(http://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii558/BenPass/DSCF1597.jpg)

Thanks for looking everyone and thanks to everyone for the help!!! If anyone has any questions, just ask and I'll do what I can to help. If you have any questions about the saber itself, I'll gladly and proudly answer!

Flash handles at Twin Roses? Hmm..... intriguing. ;)

Ben, this turned out fantastic! It really looks great, a saber to be proud of. As for the switch, I rather like how it looks. I didn't think I would, but I do. And it being momentary instead of latching just means you can ad 'dead man's switch' to your list of features. lol Seriously, it looks great. Have to wonder how it would look in SY. DVA might make it a good stand in for Mara Jade's hilt too.

I just did some searching for it and can't find it anymore. It must not have been there, or it's gone. I thought for sure it was Twin Roses because I thought, "hrrmmmmm, I thought they just sold the costume stuff..."

Thanks so much! I really am proud of it! I think by now I'm frustrating everyone here at home because I keep talking about it and how proud I am that I got it together. Ah, I never thought of it as a dead man's switch lol. Good thought! I wondered about a whole bunch of colors to be honest. My first idea was to go CG because I love the color of course. Then I thought I'd go for something I don't have and considered PO or FO. Then I thought, "No, it's a flash handle, I'm going to make it blue". No, it's not a Graflex, but I thought I'd go for the more classic look.

I've got to say though, I think the GB might be the brightest LED I've seen yet! Ow, it hurts to look at the blade at night!

Great Ben, nice build!!

Thankee, thankee. I'm really pleased with it :D

Nice custom, I keep looking at different flash-lights with whole different eye these days, very nice, looks like an authentic prop built for the original series. Point!

lol I had the same problem building mine, I kept yaking about it till kingdom come. I do that whenever I get a new saber though... rofl Yeah, I like the DM Switch myself, though it can get annoying at times, it's a cool feature. It's actually in some of the books too, I just don't remember which ones. And yeah, that GB burns a little. lol I prefer CG to it for just that reason, both are SUPER bright, but CG doesn't burn like GB.

Looks amazing, Ben! I envy you guys with the technical skills to put stuff like this together.

Thanks, that means a lot from someone with all your skills!


LOL yeah, don't I know it :P the switch will definitely take getting used to, but I'm liking it and how I can make my own flicker effects with it...just need to be quick lol. As to the burning, you're right. CG is incredibly bright but it doesn't scare my retinas into hiding.


Thanks so much RF! To be honest, I have almost no technical skills...or at least I didn't until I tried to do this. This was my first ever electronic build. Master Nero and Manroon helped me a LOT with getting started and what to do. Anyone with a bit of patience and encouragement can do a build like this :) of course it helps to have quality parts from Ultra Sabers!

I'm advertising US on my Facebook by naming them and the site in my album of the build, and I plan to link them in an upcoming blog post.

Dude it looks great!  I go away for a weekend and suddenly you turn into a master sabersmith...

Seriously though, it's a very nice looking saber.  You did a very good job with it.  How is it for handling?

That is fantastic! Now that I've ordered my second saber (this time with everything) I think I may try to make my own. Looks like I have some planning to do. Really great work Ben!

So damn cool, good work my friend! Classic and authentic  ;D

point

Thanks Master! It all came together in one day lol. Once I figured out why I couldn't get it to turn on, it was a snap. I'd love to do some more builds but my fiancée has been VERY patient with me and as it is, I'm going to spend another $100 on getting Ultra to convert my Luke ROTJ saber so I've got to pay off the credit card and get saving again. It's actually really nice for handling. Having the dead man's switch is limiting for swinging it but it's a great feel. Definitely a single hand saber though you can use hand and a half. I've got to say though, it's sturdy!!


I think that's a good idea! After seeing how easy it was for a total beginner to make this, I think everyone in the hobby should do at least one build of their own. And hey, US supplies all the parts you need and has hilts to use too if you want to go that route. (I will always advertise US when talking about sabers lol). Thanks again!


Thanks you! Definitely the look I was hoping for!