Why, hello there.

[Ashla]

I hope this isn't the incorrect way to go about this, I didn't see an thread for new member introductions and would hate to make a poor first impression!
Also this is a multi topic thread/post so if I should break it up please let me know and direct me as to where each piece should go!

Anyway, hello!
I've been a long time lurker and finally decided that it was time to go ahead and make an account of my own. My hope it's to show off my work and to pick the brains of saber smiths much more talented than myself! I started down the road of lightsabers building about a year ago after watching a video about a saber smith that did custom builds and was sucked in. My professional trade is metal fabrication and machining, that mixed with my love of SW made the idea of building my own saber too enticing to pass up!

Here are some pictures of my take on the series classic  Graflex saber







Of course the well researched among you will notice that it's a little off and that would be because I didn't use a camera flash from a Graflex or any recreation saber, but made the entire hilt by hand from raw stainless steel tubing. Through this build I learned many new skills and how to make the tools to do the job I needed and I look forward to using those skills on future builds and learning more along the way!

At the moment I have two (well technically three) builds going on, sadly I don't have pictures that I can share at the moment. But they are a Luke ROTJ saber and Ahsoka's "Fulcrum" sabers these ones are being make the same way, with raw materials and source information!

With the Fulcrum sabers I do need some help with ideas on how to get the curve for the hilts without distorting the shape of the tubing. At work I have a tubing roller that allows me to put an arc in a piece of tube, but it's meant for round tubing, not flat sided oval tube. As a result and due to the soft nature of the aluminum tube, once I got the correct arc in the tube it was no longer flat and the inside edge of the tube was smushed down. It's very noticeable but it makes putting anything of the correct shape inside near impossible. If anyone knows who I should talk to or can offer methods of getting the bend I need without distorting the tubing that would be a huge help!

ANYWAY, thanks for taking the time to stroll on in here and giving this a read!

[K-2SO]

Welcome to the Forums. You’ve done extremely well for your first build.

[Yoda]

Yes nicely done did you bend your own clamp as well? Looks well proportioned

[Ashla]

Thank you! The clamp along with a couple other small things I purchased, because they were too cheap and would take too much time to try and make myself.

[djmehs]

Excellent work! If you hadn't just told us, I'd never guess that was a first build! The fact that so much of it is hand-crafted is simply amazing. Granted, I don't have the most discerning eye, but I had assumed it was kit-built until I read that you had made it by hand.

I'll also be anxiously awaiting your Fulcrum katanas. No way I'd ever even consider attempting those without a pre-machined kit, but at the same time, there's no way I'll be able to sell my wife on the idea of dropping 1k on a couple of empties for me to spend more money on filling with electronics. Regardless of how beautiful they are. I had just sorta resigned myself to making them when I win the lottery or pay off the mortgage in 20 years or so ;)

That being said, I'm clearly not you and I would have never been able to make a Graflex from scratch either sooo I'm sure it's in your wheelhouse. Unfortunately that also means I've got no ideas on how you could get those curves in there. That being said, I'll be watching for the completed build!

Completely unrelated to your thread, I noticed that we seem to have a common favorite character based on your signature and username and felt the need to comment on it. Looking forward to the final season of Clone Wars and felt like Rebels could've used more 'Soka. "Late 2019" Can't come soon enough!

[Onli-Won Kanomi]

Welcome and Well Done on your first saber! Looking forward to your future work...yes 'Soka is a great character and the Fulcrum sabers are awesome; very best of luck with those!