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Author Topic: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker  (Read 16500 times)

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Offline I am a Skywalker

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #30 on: September 13, 2017, 10:42:55 AM »
Looking good, I'm sure the clamp will look amazing as usual. Not looking like you're too far off finishing now either. May I ask what size you're making the clamp? Sorry about all the questions.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2017, 10:52:36 AM by I am a Skywalker »

Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #31 on: September 13, 2017, 05:10:55 PM »
No prob sky- happy to share dimensions.

Here ya go Thex- "How To Make A Graflex Clamp in 48 easy steps!"  (haha...)

I started with a piece of 304 Stainless, 20 Gauge, 2" x 6".  All edges cleaned up on a belt sander.
I decided that the 8 lines on the clamp were important to the look, so decided to give them a shot.
I laid them out in pencil, and carefully whacked them in using this sharp chisel:


There were a few scratches where the chisel jumped after striking.  But the lines look parallel, which was my biggest worry.  It takes CAREFUL chisel placement to get 4 lines evenly spaced 1/16" apart. . .



Notice how the chiseled lines buckle the piece.  They also stretch the piece so that the sides are no longer straight.  I did some flattening from the backside, and trued up the sides on the belt sander.



I sanded out the worst of the scratches and then gave it a trip on the buffing wheel.  Some scratches still there, but good 'nuff.  (it's a weapon, after all!)


That was the easy part.  To bend the ends, I clamped the piece tightly between pieces of bar that had nice sharp edges.
I worked the edges over using a combination of pushing and hammering.
This part will drive you mad.  The vise held my "test pieces" pretty well, since they were small strips.  The full 2" wide piece was another story, and did NOT like to stay put.  I ended up doing some straight hammering over anvils and stakes to get some of the edges right. (something I do a lot of in another hobby...)  Also note the carefully organized work space, which is a key to success.




Once the ends were satisfactory, I bent the whole thing around a 1.5" rod.  This took some muscle, some light hammering (wooden mallet) and some vise.


A nice metalworking trick:  If you get the steel nice an hot, it will 'relax' to a shape you've forced it to.  Not "forging hot"; just enough to get the metal to yeild and stay.  That's what I did here with a MAPP torch:


Finally, you'll end up with something like this:



I still need to make the bits that hold it together, but I'm glad that part's done!

Honestly- making this clamp is a bit silly, with very good reproductions available.  But I wanted it in stainless, and the bragging rights are fun I suppose...

-Jeremy

Offline Thexter

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #32 on: September 13, 2017, 06:14:44 PM »
Impressive! I can't believe you made those lines with a chisel. Well done. Well done.

Offline darthgrant

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #33 on: September 14, 2017, 06:25:02 AM »
holy smokes man- talk about commitment.............

Offline I am a Skywalker

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #34 on: September 15, 2017, 11:27:04 AM »
Thank you Jeremy, very informative as always.

Offline Sethski

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #35 on: September 17, 2017, 02:12:39 AM »
Impressed and inspired by this build in so many ways - and appreciative of sharing the process, which demystifies some stuff that I'd just regard as way beyond possibility for someone like myself without seeing 'how it got there', esp making the bumps for the button/glass eye and the clamp and bulb holder/bunny ears.

Looking amazing and really shows what can be done with care and focus and work.

Thanks for sharing  :wink:

Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #36 on: September 17, 2017, 04:10:23 PM »
Thanks guys!  I appreciate the kind words, Seth.  I've learned a lot working on this project, and happy to share that with anyone interested.

It's been slow going, but a lot of fun.  If you break the saber into logical chunks, it goes from a "really difficult project" to "a series of challenging steps".   :wink:

I need to tool up a bit for the next steps.  I'm waiting on some Ebay shipments for stainless bar, taps, and dies, etc.  I'm going to try using a 'counterbore' bit for the flat-bottomed holes where the brass pins go.  That should be interesting. . .

-Jeremy


Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #37 on: September 19, 2017, 01:48:03 PM »
Small update.  I tapped the blade holder for an 8-32 'oval head' screw that seemed to match the look of the original.
And I countersunk the hole in the tube:


My counterbore bits chattered a bit, but worked out fairly well.  A sharp new end mill would probably have worked better.
I'll sand the bottom of the holes to get them smooth.
I'm *almost* wishing I built this for a 7/8" blade.  A 1" blade makes the walls of the blade holder VERY thin (about 3/16"), which leaves VERY little room for the brass pins.  Even the short-model reproduction pins are too tall.
So the sockets and pins will be a LOT shorter than the original.
Once the sockets are blackened, I'm hoping the overall 'look' will be preserved. . .


Offline Whosle

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #38 on: September 20, 2017, 09:20:03 AM »
Wow!

Best scratchmade graflex ever!

Can you show a better picture of the form you used to make the glass eye bump?

The clamp looks awesome, the chiseling is very well done, I tried salt etching . Now you need to make the rectangle clamp parts and drill a perfectly straight hole through them all!

I can't believe you got the flange on the bunny ears to bend properly!

I will be using some,of these techniques in the future.

Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #39 on: September 21, 2017, 03:59:37 AM »
Thanks Whosle!

I don't think I can get a clearer picture of the tooling I used to form the bump/shoulder, but I'll post the picture again with some clarifications.
Remember, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

The bolt and nuts are 1/2".  The hole in the pipe (green circle) is also drilled 1/2".
The tooling to form the inside of the shoulder/bump is a steel disk, which I turned to a slight taper (red arrow)
To form the outside of the shoulder/bump, you'll need an iron pipe that fits tightly around your saber.  Cut the pipe in half.  This half-pipe gets a 15/16" hole in it (yellow circle) and needs to be TIGHTLY held in a strong vise.  The vise will hold the pipe tightly to the outside diameter of your saber as you crank the wrenches.  This takes LOTS of force, so you need the vise or the half-pipe will simply flatten out.  I also used a piece of 1/2" thick steel plate (blue arrow) to help spread the forces.


The whole mess gets assembled like this, and the wrenches cranked until the shoulder is where you need it to be.


Forming the shoulder stretches the metal, and you'll find the 1/2" hole you drilled is now an oval.
You'll want to drill that oval back to round with a 9/16" drill bit, which will be about the right size for your 5/8-24 tap.

Hope that helps!

-Jeremy

Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #40 on: September 21, 2017, 01:37:15 PM »
I test-fit the pins today.  Tight squeeze, but I like how they look.
It's a shame they need to be removed anytime I need to remove the blade plug, since they don't clear the pipe.  But I don't want to cut them down any shorter.
So, they'll just have to be the last thing I install at final assembly.


Offline Fabian 71

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #41 on: September 21, 2017, 09:26:40 PM »
Hi. Jeremy, amazing job you are doing there. I want to ask you about the tube size, did you have to reduce the outer diameter of the tube or you use it as it comes stock? I bought some tubing in SS 304  with 1.5 mm thickness but it is rolled welded tubing. I want to do the bottom tap as I did some time ago with brass tubing. reducing the internal diameter a little bit , insert a circular piece of SS 1mm sheet, and then fold the lips over the metal "coin". But this is Stainless Steel so I know that is not going to result as easy as with brass.

Offline Whosle

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #42 on: September 22, 2017, 09:46:15 AM »
Thanks for the clarification

I did something similiar on my brass sink tube, it didn't turn out nearly as nice.

The explanation shows where I went wrong.

Good luck with the pins.

If they are a major pain, look into the propane jet on a BIC lighter. You will need 4 drained BIC lighters.

Offline jeremy.g

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #43 on: September 22, 2017, 12:48:44 PM »
Whosle- Nice call on the BIC lighter!  I'm going to file that idea away for later. . .

Fabian- Thanks!  I didn't modify the OD of my pipe.  I did 'true up' the inside where I needed to cut threads.  My pipe is welded also, so there is a slight seam on the inside to file down.  I think your plan to thin down and roll the end over a 'coin' of SS would totally work if you take it nice and slow. (maybe heat it up and forge it over?)  But I don't have a ton of experience forming Stainless.  I've done a lot of similar stuff in 'mild' steel though. . .

-Jeremy

Offline Fabian 71

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Re: Jeremy.G's scratch-built Skywalker
« Reply #44 on: September 22, 2017, 08:01:16 PM »
this is how it looked back in the days...

« Last Edit: September 22, 2017, 08:05:19 PM by Fabian 71 »

 

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