Saber Forum

Hey guys!

I'm new to the forum and UltraSabers :) Tried searching around and poking through the forum but I haven't quite seen anything similar to my topic. Hopefully this is the right section to post in!

I am wanting to make a Tenel Ka costume for Halloween and would love to actually have a working lightsaber with a blade... I've made lightsaber hilts in the past but it's not quite the same!

I figured I could just buy a Grab Bag Saber and then add Sculpey or modeling clay on top to create the tooth hilt, but I don't really know much about the construction and electronics involved in the sabers, so I'm worried that adding layers to the hilt will cause it to overheat or something like that.

Does anyone know if that's something I should be concerned about? Or would it be fine? And do you think the Grab Bag idea the way to go?

Thanks in advance!

There is a member here who used what I think was some sort of epoxy to create a faux bone handle over the lower part of his Bellicose. The result was PHENOMENAL. I wish I could remember his exact technique, as it would be perfect for you. I'm not sure how a fully covered hilt would be affected by heat though....

As far as going Grab Bag for this.... I wouldn't. Depending if you want sound or not, I would say go for an Aeon V2 (no sound) or perhaps..... (if you want sound) an Aeon V3 with a Catalyst Pommel. Either of those would provide you with a nice profile for building up, hopefully without having to end out with an overly thick hilt once you do the tooth covering. Then go with a CG Led, and if sound, a red or non illuminated AV switch.

I would lean towards the Aeon V3, as the emitter will match and the Cat pommel will give you a way to mimic the tooth shape. Bare in mind also that you will have to leave a small seam around the pommel so you can get it off and get to the batteries. ;) A bit of leather might be a good cover up for that though.


Lastly, major props for setting out on a Tenel Ka build. Tenel Ka is awesome. This is a fact.  ;D

You also get major props from me - being a big Jacen Solo fan, I'm also a fan of Tenel Ka.  Not to mention her lightsaber hilt is both awesome and unique, so this is a good pick.

My suggestion is to get an Initiate V2 in Sunriders Destiny.  The small hilt gives you room to build outwards, possibly with some modeling clay like you said.  The hilts themselves don't really radiate heat, so you should be fine doing that (people wrap their hilts with stuff all the time and it seems to work just fine).

Manroon & Nero Attoru:

Thanks guys!

I'm going to take a look at the Initiate vs Aeon models, they both look fairly similar. The Initiate's size might be easier to work with but the Catalyst Pommel does look like it would help support the point of the tooth pretty well. And of course now I want a saber with sound... man! Not entirely in the tentative budget I had set, but... early Christmas present to myself, maybe? Haha!

I think I'll try out some carvings or something on the hilt for the area where the pommel comes off, could be neat :D

And thanks guys! I'm a fan of Tenel Ka and I've always wanted her lightsaber haha, so I'm pretty excited about this! I'll definitely post pictures :)

Excellent, we're looking forward to seeing them!

What's cool is that Sunriders Destiny is such a perfect pick for her saber.  It basically fits this perfectly:

(http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/f/fe/Tenel_Ka_Djo_lightsaber_EGF.jpg)

That even kinda looks like an Initiate or Aeon emitter under there...

magic sculpt i know alot of people use cause it can be sculpted, sanded, drill and tapped and is supposed to be damage resistant but
I have not used so i couldnt say for sure

Looking at Nero's pic, I would say an Initiate V3 would be great, with the Cat Pommel of course ;), and then shoot the guys an email and see if perhaps they could sell you (or even install as well if you're real lucky) a Bronze Button and bezzel like the one available on the Bellicose. It would be a near perfect match for that upper button.

No advice to add - just wanna say that I'm very much looking forward to seeing the finished product.  That is going to look bad ass!

Totally, Nero! That's the picture I'm using as inspiration for mine :) I'm glad it's going to work! Now, the costume... that might be more complicated haha!


Ooh thank you for the suggestion, Ninja-Jedi. I've used Green Stuff in the past but not really in large quantities so I may need to find some other kind of sculpting clay and experiment. Magic Sculp looks like it could work! Looks like there's a store near me that carries it, will need to check it out.


Manroon, I agree, I think the Initiate may be the way to go. I also just pulled out my ruler and while a massive 14" tooth saber would be pretty awesome, my hands are more on the dainty size and I think the smaller Initiate will work better haha! I'll definitely get the Cat Pommel though, and probably get it with the Li-Ion set up because while I don't think I'm going to be able to get it with sound (sad!), I would like to it prepped for whenever I can send it back in to get the sound added ;) I do think I'll probably just run out to Home Depot (or even Michael's, if I want something pretty) for the button, should be fine. They have random little pieces that almost look like they belong on a saber. Here's an old non-functional lightsaber I made back in the day using random plumbing pieces and a bit o' Green Stuff (yeahhh, I maybe got too lazy to paint it metallic):

(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo-2-e1347414583195.jpg)(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo3-e1347414951425.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo-1.jpg)

So we'll see what I can come up with.


Thanks, CrazyJoeMalloy! I hope so! :D Just gotta make sure the rest of my outfit is equally badass hahaha.


Thanks for your help everyone! I'm looking forward to making this! Quick question, does anyone have any preferences regarding Sun Rider's Destiny in either regular midgrade or UltraEdge? Don't really need Heavy Grade but not sure if I should go with regular or Ultra for the blade :)

I would personally go with the regular over the Ultra.

My sig shows SRD in a Mid Grade Regular Blade, which is what I'd recommend for the color, or a Regular Heavy Grade if you should decide you want to duel heavily with it. On that note, the color is actually a little greener than what's in my sig. lol It's really a perfect match for the reference photo Nero posted.

Dang, you are gonna have such a sick saber when you finish this!

This is the best pic of SRD that I have.

(http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h440/bluespike74/055.jpg)

Ooooh they look awesome Manroon & bluespike! I'll stick with regular for the blade! :) Thanks!

Aaaand... ordered! Whee!

This will be awesome. Maybe you could try using some Sculpey. It's a polymer clay thats sold at most craft stores/hobby shops. You could easily mold it around a saber hilt,sculpt it to your liking, then use a heat gun to set it.  Sculpey is very strong, can be easliy sanded and very paint friendly.  Whatever you end up using, i'd suggest sculpting it in at least two parts so you can still unscrew the pommel and get to the guts.

Please for the love of the gods to not use Sculpey; you will melt your wiring inside even with just a heat gun and it would take forever to set. Sculpey has to be baked at 275 for 15 minutes and that's pieaces only 1/2 thick at points your are going to have an 1 and a half or more to set and the backing draws out the water in the clay. And with a heat gun you'll be there for days, and metal conducts hot and cold VERY well. (I would know I set my saber hilt by the AC outlet and damn near froze my figures to it when I picked it up)

Honestly fiberglass is your best option but if you have no experience working with it its not going to be a good idea to try on a $200+ lightsaber.

The problem I see with Crayola Air Dry Clay is that the last time I used it (was over 10 years ago) But if I remember right it was kinda foamy even when dry. Though you could use that as the base (I know it takes paint really good, though acrylic not spray paint) and then put a resin sealer over the top of it to seal it and make it hard.

Though if I wear you I wouldn't duel with it. I think you would end up breaking or cracking whatever you use to make the bone handle. Which would be a sad day.

There is my two cents on the subject. Good Luck

Ah good advice.  If that's the process you need to use then the only option I can think of is to wedge the switch out and remove the electronics... but to do so you need to unsolder the leads to the switch itself.  All in all, I'd avoid this if I were you.

Maybe something that doesn't require such extreme conditions for drying...

You might perhaps email US and see about buying an empty hilt and pommel, doing your sculpting and firing, being sure of course to leave a little gap around the switch mount, and then mailing the toothified hilt back in to have the electronics added. It might be more pricey, but it would get the job done, and most of the extra cost would probably just be in shipping I'd imagine, so it might not be as bad as you'd think.

No need to email them...
http://www.ultrasabers.com/DominixV2-p/zdiy-aeon.htm (http://www.ultrasabers.com/DominixV2-p/zdiy-aeon.htm)
http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/parts%20-%203aa%20battery%20holder.htm (http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/parts%20-%203aa%20battery%20holder.htm)
http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/z-electronics-guardedlatching.htm (http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/z-electronics-guardedlatching.htm)
http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/led%20module.htm (http://www.ultrasabers.com/product-p/led%20module.htm)

No, you'd have to email them if you want to send it back in to have the stuff installed. If you just buy the parts, you'll have to put it together yourself.

Thanks for the input everyone! I don't think Sculpey's the way to go, but I do like the look of the Magic Sculpt that Ninja-Jedi suggested. I've worked with two part epoxy before and it's pretty sturdy after it air dries (no kiln/oven necessary!). Here's a tutorial someone posted about Magic Sculpt: http://kitkraft.biz/blog/?p=443 (http://kitkraft.biz/blog/?p=443)

I don't have any experience with fiberglass, alas, but I think I should be fine with epoxy :) Plus, I already ordered the saber! Cross my fingers?

MOD EDITED FOR CONTENT: Link to what is technically a competitor's site, which is prohibited by the rules. Please remember to review them. ;) Thanks! =/\=Moderator Manroon

I have used magic sculpt on several sabers (fully custom built) and it works great. Definitely the way to go

Here is a link to one of them  http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8455.msg121664#msg121664. (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=8455.msg121664#msg121664.) You can sculpt it to what you want to, smooth it with water. Once set you can sand, carve, drill, whatever you like with standard woodworking tools.

Great choice of hilt by the way, I can't wait to see it

Looks great, Darth Vapour!! Can't wait to start working on it :) The saber should arrive on Monday, and then I can get to work...!

Got the saber!! :)

The color's perfect! Love that it's more blue than in the pictures. And the silvery sheen of the blade when it's off is cool too.

Now, on to fix up the hilt!

(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo-8-e1347945804628.jpg)

Gonna look siiiiiiiick when it's done! Can't wait to see! :)

Agreed, I love it already and you haven't even modded it haha

I actually just got done making a tooth styled saber just a few hours ago, hah. Well, I can give you some hints and ideas of what to use. I did a lot of scraps for the parts, and it really depends on what you want to do. Of course, the tricky part is the electronic install, but, if well planned, you can do it.

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/225938_4119441421563_510321609_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/551880_4119443261609_211694261_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/388874_4119448261734_838809355_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/417191_4119449501765_622640382_n.jpg)


Now, its not exactly Tenel's, but, I was going more for a dino bone. The saber itself is PVC piping, oven bake polymer clay, and some fiberglass resin bondo. The tooth part comes off from the bottom so I can switch out the batteries when need be. I didnt use a saber, persay, but you could easily do the same to another saber if you like, well, except bake the thing. The electronics are simple, LED module for a 1" diameter pipe, battery pack, and switch. I like that switch just because it snaps and is a little more solid and rigid than other activation switches.

ooh! missed your post @thejedimasternick ! but that's pretty awesome! the resin looks neat. i actually like how it looks prior to being painted, it looks like some mysterious crystal or something.

howeverrrr i did just finish my saber, hooray! well, i'm still in debate about the switch, i think i want to round off the button with some epoxy but it doesn't look too bad with the original one :) maybe i'll just paint it gold...

i had all of my pictures to base the saber off of... and then decided to wing it haha. i went for creepy and stabbity, shaping it to look like a dagger. i used a shark tooth as inspiration, with the little teeth growing in off the sides. i also carved into the tooth to personalize it a bit ;)

pic spam below, hope you all like it! i'm finishing up the rest of my costume, i'll post pics of the whole outfit once completed.

(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-2.jpg)(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-3.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-5.jpg)(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-6.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-7.jpg)(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-9.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-10.jpg)(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TenelKaLightsaber-11.jpg)

Holy sith that's amazing! I missed it, what did you use to sculpt that? I love this saber! Point!

As Eiyame has already mentioned, if you use sculpey with a heat gun, you're at a very high risk of melting the electronics of the saber.

I see there are artists amongst us. Fantastic work on those! Dang...

I'll take ten. lol That seriously looks amazing, I've seen a few of these around the web but they almost always look sort of fake, yours seems very real. The emitter and switch look fantastic, as does the little hand guard those two side teeth make. Absolutely awesome work. Bravo!

That really does look fantastic! That's something to be very proud of!
I see the writing on it, does it say/mean anything? Or is it just for looks?

It's Aurebesh for "Baiko" if I read it correctly...

thanks guys!  ;D ;D

@srams i made it out of magic sculpt, which @ninja-jedi suggested i check out. it was interesting to work with, it was a little more putty-like than clay-like, a bit softer than i had hoped for so it tended to droop while drying and i had to keep adjusting it every once in a while over the few hours it took to harden. i did have to go back and add a bit more to the point of the tooth at the bottom because it kept caving in and wouldn't hold the point (i had originally wanted to poke holes into the point so that if i ever wanted to add sound it could come out the bottom, but it wouldn't hold up so i just filled it all in!), but i think it worked out pretty well in the end :) and in the magic sculpt's defense, it was a billion degrees in my apartment (no a/c) while i was trying to sculpt it so maybe it was just too warm.. but at least no oven was required, hooray!

@longdong i carved "maiko" in aurebesh into it hahaha... smudged it up a bit so it wouldn't look so perfect, so you were close @eerockk! i was going to carve "tenel ka" but then i didn't think she'd do that or if she would, wasn't sure if it'd be in aurebesh... tried to see if there was a hapan alphabet out there but couldn't find anything. so i used my name instead!

Maiko!! Of course. I misread the first character!  ;D

You get a point, of course!

Thanks!

What's aurebush? Sorry, new to this stuff!

@longdong it's the alphabet for basic in star wars :) http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aurebesh (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Aurebesh)

Sweet! Thanks!

Dont feel bad Im not new to this stuff and I had no idea! I learned something today too

alright... here we go! might try to take some cooler pics (like.. outside haha) at some point but here's the full costume :)

i took all of the images i found of tenel ka and used them as inspiration. i was kind of going for the young jedi knights style, but with my own spin. a little darker than usual, with black leather and reptilian style print everywhere. even my tights were snakeskin print haha! it was a fun outfit to make, and pretty comfy even with the corset.

(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IMG_0597-e1351484407562.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IMG_0603-e1351484491900.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IMG_0606-e1351484525760.jpg)
(http://www.flurrsprite.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/IMG_0604-e1351484560216.jpg)

You look great! I'm seriously digging that hilt! Awesome combo!

Wow. Not only the hilt, you too look great as Tenel Ka.

Oh, wow. That looks great! I assume that for most photos, you'll be having your half-arm inside the cloak so that you can't see the lower half? I think that looks brilliant!

Great job! That hilt is awesome!!

thanks guys! ;D

@jjpprob it may depend on the photos, when i wore the costume the other night my black opera glove seemed to help my arm blend in pretty well haha. just a matter of turning my body i think! and some darkness... maybe no sunshiney photos  ;)

EXCELLENT Tenal Ka cosplay, and the saber completely cinches it. Very awesome. This is a fact.  :D

I know you said it was for Halloween, but are you intending to wear that costume to any conventions or anything? It's too good to just wear the once!

haha thanks! i do think i may end up wearing it to comic-con next year, should be fun! ;)

although i just realized the tip of my saber was broken off, i noticed one of the guys who was playing around with it this past weekend had dropped it but i missed the chip :( sadness! i should be able to sand it down fine though.

How did I miss all these updates?  Awesome cosplay, flurrsprite!  Not to mention you did a really nice job on the hilt.  Coming from the biggest Jacen Solo fan I know, you won the Tenel Ka prize of the year ;)

In fact, it makes me really want to dress my gf up as Tenel Ka someday... to match my Jacen Solo costume lol

"Hey, so uh....can I chop your arm off for a costume?" that'll go down well...

Hey, if I could con my GF into doing a Star Trek miniskirt uniform, Nero has a shot at the amputation thing. lol

Exactly!  It's a good point though, that one arm thing is the toughest part about pulling off a Tenel Ka costume.  I think flurrsprite did it well here, I might have to take a page out of her book and hide it with a black sleeve and a cape or something.

I'd always thought that if I were to make a Tenel Ka costume (unlikely, the facial hair would wreck it somewhat...) I'd probably just have ane xtra wide sleeve and have my arm bent at the elbow and going back up the sleeve, with only the end exposed. However, I'd not considered the approach that flurrsprite has taken, which does look a lot more practical. The only issue I'd have now (other than gender etc) would be the fact that I hate wielding my saber one-handed. I think we can all concur that Tenel Ka is never happening for me, and that this is a good thing  :)

haha it's true, it was hard posing with one hand! especially because the hilt is now pretty heavy with all of the epoxy stuck on it! the thing is a weapon unto itself ha. but i suppose you could do pre-arm chop tenel ka if you really wanted to ;)

Except she didn't have that saber until post-arm chop :P

I know, it's a catch 22!  Either you get the awesome saber and one arm, or both arms and no saber (or maybe her first, faulty saber if you really wanna go deep with it).

Your costume and saber are spectacular! Great job!

Ahhh, I had to register to say how awesome this is! Sorry for bumping the topic but I'm super excited to see another Tenel Ka fan, TK costumer AND TK hilt designer (Tenel Ka doesn't get enough love)! I did the same thing a few years back when making a Jedi Strike Team Tenel Ka costume for Dragon*Con 2010. I used paperclay on an UltraSaber base with a removable bottom piece for battery replacement. It's kind of delicate to bring to cons but I've been using it since I made it and brought it to D*C 2012 too!

(http://gallery.zhobot.net/albums/userpics/10002/jacen-solo-tenel-ka-dc12-01.jpg)

(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/255/c/1/tenel_ka_djo_lightsaber_by_holler_you_home-d2ylray.jpg) (http://browse.deviantart.com/art/lightsaber-Tenel-Ka-Djo-179054458)

Your saber looks amazing and I love you costume looks! I love the reptile prints and the shoulder-piece. Like I said, I'm really happy to see TK getting more love in costuming! <3 Could I put some of your photos up on the Tenel Ka site (http://echuta.net/tk/) I run in the cosplay section? :D

Did you go Initiate or Aeon V2 or V3? Can't wait to see the hilt done. =]

....... thanks for the mild concusion... i just walked into the wall looking at the outfit and how well you pulled it off... if i may give one piece of costume advise?... might you possibly find a way to add some foam to the back of the corset on the inse=ide.. then cut out a spot for your other arm to bend and fold up along your spin.... i am a fairly flexible guy, and can almost hide my arm .. simply by trying to reach for the back of my neck, from an under arm position.. like a cop would hold your one arm... like this ...
(http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj544/simpledan429/ultra%20saber%20pics%20and%20videos/IMG_1109_zps74d69ce7.jpg) (http://s1267.photobucket.com/user/simpledan429/media/ultra%20saber%20pics%20and%20videos/IMG_1109_zps74d69ce7.jpg.html)







 ill post more later if you need better views.. and with a shirt on to show how it looks almost gone..  ps.. the foam padding would help to hide the curve of your arm inside the corset.

also.. POINT!!!!!!

lol big time forum geek alert!!!...


i just have alot of good ideas that pop into my head when looking at all the awesome work our members put into thier sabers.. it is truely the age of the force.. lmao!!! 

just wanted to put my 2 cents in... ill bet, with a little bit of fabrication... you could possibly even get some sound and leds into your old non functional lightsabers.. i am in the process of modding my old Luke RotJ force fx into a smaller version.. and will be getting some sound/led/av switches to try to make it work.. of course ill have pics when im done

also, lol, my friend and i beat the hell out of the led strings inside our force fx sabers, so i was not really worried about tearing it apart, i have all the boards from inside it, so i could possibly still use them .. however.. being able to change the sounds on the fly is a huge bonus, so i might just snag a new set up all together..

ps i know this is not the place but, i have no clue when it comes to electronic boards, so unless there is a wiring guide for the force fx board to be added to a buck puck and led and av switch, ill just have to go with a obsidian board and li-ion/speaker set-up

i will repost this particular question in the correct location unless you guys have seen it already..

again flurrsprite.. very! good work on the outfit and the saber... if you ever get around to detailing it further, with some grooves and such, it would still only make it that much better.. speaking of the detail in the first pic that nero posted with talen ka , her lightsaber and the rancor head... simple grooves with a curved sculpting tool.. would make it even more amazing... again, just ideas to make it that much more... this is a very good piece of work!

oh shoot, i thought i was getting email notifications for these but they seemed to have dropped off! i happened to pull up this thread (2 years later ahem) because i'm planning on going to the star wars celebration event this weekend and was showing some friends this lightsaber because i want to do this costume there!  ;D

thanks @hexterah! love the hilt you designed, the little jewels are so pretty!! and totally, feel free to post on your site :) if i get more pics this weekend, i can post them here!

ahhh, interesting idea @Genkaku Sho`shyk! or for a simpler version, i wonder if i could even attach a little stretchy band to the back just to hold my arm there, since it's kind of covered by my leather cloak-thingy? i'll take a look today, although anything more complicated may not make it for this weekend!

thanks everyone for your kind words and enthusiasm! sorry for the delay in response!

Excellent work done here, flurrsprite.  The saber and costume are very true to the source material.  Points!

If youre wanting to do a bone design but maintain general integrity, I'd recommend plumbers epoxy (Comes in a tube and looks like a cylinder of blue and white putty). That stuff is hard as a rock when it dries, sturdy as all get, and very easy to mold. You have to be patient though, and do a little at a time, because it dries solid in 5 minutes. From there, its just a matter of sanding down and doing a layer paint (Start with a base coat of black, dropped down to a leather brown, followed with a thin layer of aged bone white with a final light drybrushing of pure white.) and a matte clear coat sealant. Its how I did the bone hilt on my Bellicose