New custom build TOR-ish saber WIP

[Sethski]

So, I wanted to share progress of new saber build I've been working on...

The aim was to get back into saber building and make a reasonably straightforward companion piece to a more complex, challenging saber I started but didn't finish some time ago ('Stonecutter' - think I'll be ready to pick back up on the reveal/interior build for that when this is done - and also need to update that thread with a little progress I did make since then and edit with some viewable images as Photobucket can do one since they inconveniently decided hold millions of shared images on forums to ransom... bah! ).

I wanted to get back some confidence, momentum and joy in the process of making stuff, so I set myself a goal to complete it within a month, not stall with getting precious about it or making it too complicated.

I'm still aiming for that (started 3 weeks ago), but since decided to make it a neopixel install, so giving myself a little leeway there if needed, but sticking to the deadline for the finished empty.

Anyways, it takes some cues from the Stonecutter build with the leather and brass and also was a bit inspired by Anakin's AOTC saber.

I'd originally thought of it as a shoto/offhand 2nd saber that would be heavily weathered, but seems more apt as a padawan/apprentice saber with the clean and shiny direction it's taken.

Will share more when empty's finished and again when install is done. Hope you like it so far, good and bad constructive feedback welcome. cheers!

A glam snapshot of current progress...



...and a few build/parts pics...

[Greebles]

Nice!

Really good to see custom builds popping up on the boards again.

-Denzil

[Gorpig]

Huge bud! Really original, definitly a saber that can be used on screen!

Did you made the end cap yourself?

[Sethski]

Hey! Cheers for positive words.
Denzil - much as it's awesome to have so many quality runs and stuff going on these days and so maybe fewer customs, there always seems to be a good number of folks timkering away on one offs. Inspired by your work and many others to get on it myself. Looks like this will overtake it's predecessor as first from scratch and actually finished custom for me 

Gorpig - the end cap as in the pommel? Yes, that (and all the parts) are mde from scratch - or in process of - I still need to add sound vents to the pommel - slight shame, as looks 'right' as is, but it's gotta sound good  I'm thinking to mill 2 concetric circles with gaps at 12, 4 and 8 o'clock so it stays as one piece.

Made a small amount of progress since initial post - small brass rentention thumb screw and aux button/switch cap. Also a pic with it's unfinished bigger brother (as Photobucket magicked the pics away from the thread for the other saber. Hopefully shows how they're 'related' from some of the shared design cues but each has its own quite different character, too. I will be getting back to the other one when done, it'd just ground to a halt for a while with life and work and the challenges of a reveal interior...

[Sethski]

Made some progress ...and had a couple of setbacks.

I borfed up the pommel - somehow I manged to miss something and the sound vents weren't quite lined up with the pommel cubes and you could see it, which was a bit gutting. I decided to make one big hole and an insert with sound holes, which probably looks a bit better in the end as it adds a bit of brass accent at the pommel in line with the look of the rest of the saber, so something good from it.

I still need to fine sand, buff and polish all the parts so they're proper smooth, make a nice kill key, blade plug and covertec, add a couple of discrete tapped holes and set screw and assemble all the parts, which are loose and mocked up for pics at the mo.

Unfortunately, I also injured my hand just before this weekend (not saber related), which I had free to finish things up, so staying away from manual work while the stitches do their thing. Still itching to work on it as it's so close to done and I'd set my deadline for end of July, but better to be sensible, of course...

Anyways, a few update pics of the pommel after botching and fixing:

[Thexter]

Looks good. I really like that aluminum part in the center of the pommel. Sorry to hear about your hand. I hope it's not too serious.

[Sethski]

Cheers dude! I think the unvented pommel looked nicest, but it was going to have sound holes/vents and these probably look better than the original plan. I cut a circular piece of perforated sheet before, but that looked a bit crappy and didn't fit with the rest of the design. The hand's nothing too bad, thanks - just a nasty little gash to little finger, but no damage to nerves or tendons, sojust have to keep it clean and dry for a few days or so and not catch it on anything.

[Obi_1]

This one is beautiful, following it with great interest! It's really very refreshing to see custom sabers again, it's been such a long time! I love the movie themed sabers a lot, extremely good quality too, but I missed personalized sabers. Great!!!

[Sethski]

Cheers Obi_1 - there's definitely some good satisfaction for me in making from scratch. I'll be on to electronics when it's done soon and am pleased to have gotten the empty so close to done in spare time in a month (which is quick for me at the mo), so planning to keep up that pace and to use Neopixels for installs - currently have DIYino Prime  , Teensysaber and Prizm 5.1 to put to use, so really looking forward to playing with them and seeing what I like about each and giving them all the best and pretiest homes I can in the coming weeks/months.

[Sethski]

Minor update  - parts mostly secured together. Pommels a bit loose with single discrete set screw, so will need to work out a solution for that.

Added a cap for the recharge port, which adds a touch of brass to the centre. Also need to make a kill key.

Worked on the leather wrap to give it a bit more of a worn-but-cared-for look.

Also made a brass piece for the blade plug that I'm quite pleased with, which will be inset in the (aluminium) face of it, possibly with a little brass circular protrusion in the middle.

Onto simple delrin chassis and electronics after that 

[EXAR KUN]

Beautiful. Love the details

[Sethski]

Cheers, Space  Looking forward to getting it lit up!

[Thexter]

That blade plug piece is awesome! Is that milled out of one piece?

[JC Denton]

Very nice saber,I really dig it.
Do you plan to do some etching on some part of the saber ?

[Sethski]

That blade plug piece is awesome! Is that milled out of one piece?

Cheers Thexter - yes - it was milled from a thick brass washer. Basically did the 'segmnents' with rotary table + chuck top down milling across with a 2mm bit at 30 degree increments and the holes with a 1.5mm bit and then flipped it to mill inside and outside down to the bottom of segments, leaving a (just under) 2.5mm circle to set into a corresponding circle to be milled into the face of the emitter plug. The washer also had the softness/slight curve to the inner and outer edges on one side already, which was handy as it saved an additional job 

Very nice saber,I really dig it.
Do you plan to do some etching on some part of the saber ?

Thanks JC! I won't be etching on this one - I'm pretty happy with it having some detailed touches but mostly straightforward. More to the point, I've only done a little playing with etching, so I'm not really confident I wouldn't borf it up! I also set myself a firm target to make a (empty) hilt in a month, as previous saber is a bit more complex has ended up dragging on for ever (still to do a reveal interior, which has proven to be really challenging for me). I've ended up going slightly over (started at beginning of July), but nearly done, so will be pretty close. Etching, esp as an etching newbie, would have added quite a lot to the time, I think!  Defo up for getting the etching process down and making a very etched saber in future, and I can see how this one might work well with a well designed and implemented etch job polished up afterwards.