an elegant weapon for a more civilized age

"Scrapyard" Saber

2010-04-02T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a Jedi hilt I built a while back out of scraps... I want to put a green LED in it now even though it is a solid hilt. Currently finding out a way to hollow it.

Neither Jedi nor Sith

2010-04-02T23:22:00.000-07:00

... but Renegade

Red-Orange Luxeon Star/o direct drive with 4.5V and 2.2Ohm resistor. Still working on completing the hilt...

Miniature Machined Aluminum Sabers

2008-03-07T15:40:00.000-08:00

01

02

03

04

Two New Frostbyte Sabers

2007-11-11T23:27:00.000-08:00

Info:

Blade length: 11"
Blade thickness: 1/16"
Blade diameter: 1"
Hilt length: 4"
Hilt diameter: 1.5"
LED: Blue 8000 mcd
Green 9000 mcd
Battery: 9v
Diffuser: Single Wrap
Other notes: BRS thread-locked, Blade non-removable for safety.

"Validus"

2007-01-08T19:02:00.001-08:00

sound module

switch wiring

secondary switch wiring

speaker mounted

sound resonation holes and tap-screws (for soundboard/speaker mount)

secondary activation switch cover (control box)

emitter with primary switch

under-glow cut outs

luxeon 1-watt star/o blasting full power

with vader helmet

Acerbus and Validus

VIDEO of the hasbro sound-board plus Corbinscomponents force resonation motor in action:

More progress...

2007-01-01T01:48:00.001-08:00

emitter area: mounted a momentary sub-micro switch.

control box: one slide switch pictured with the momentary.

testing blade-holder

testing under-glow

Vader Saber: Work In Progress!

2006-12-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

"Proprius"

2006-08-23T00:54:00.000-07:00

this is my second frostbyte saber

compared with Acerbus and Aureus

compared to Anakin ROTS FX saber

it has a slightly longer blade than other frostbytes--3 to 4 inches longer i think. everything else is the same.

"Consilium"

2006-08-19T00:09:00.002-07:00

this is my third completed frostbyte saber (pictures of the second saber will be coming soon... yeah sorry for being out of order).

i haven't been keeping up on my building status lately, so here is a whole mess of pictures.

the design is basically yoda's hilt--but in no way am i calling this an accurate replica. this was the fastest saber i have ever put together. from step 1 to finished photos, this frostbyte saber took me two days!

"Aureus"

2006-07-30T22:10:00.001-07:00

cheers! i've just finishd my 5th luxeon saber! again, this saber has a 37" blade, luxeon 1-watt star/o (green), polycarbonate 1/16" wall 1" diameter blade, 1" acrylic half ball tip, 4.5 volts + 2.2ohm resistor, and a single wrap of corbin's custom blade film.

Aureus and Acerbus

rotary switch

blade retention screw

PVC grip

push nut and finishing washer

knurled nut / belt clip

knurled nut half

LST has gone graflex!

2006-07-26T00:23:00.001-07:00

i recently purchased four vintage camera flashes off of an online seller. it's the next step in my saberevolution. i've got:

(1) 2-cell graflex synchronizer (graflite)
(1) 3-cell graflex synchronizer (graflite)
(2) 3-cell peak flashes

these probably won't be for sale, but they are going to be the nicest batch of sabers yet.

peak flash

graflex end cap!

i'm starting to convert the graflex 2-cell synchronizer into a luxeon 1-watt star/o saber with force resonator. the others will probably use something bigger--3watt stars or even luxeon K2s (maybe even a sound board and LED driver). check back for updates!

also, leaving comments is a good thing.. if you've got time, drop one for me so i know there are people who actually look at this site--it keeps me posting more knowing that people care 'bout it. thanks.

"Tantillus"

2006-07-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

here are updated pictures of the first frostbyte saber!

LED mount

blade holder

testing

guts

assembled

classic mirror shot

fully lit room

completely dark

fully lit room

MR stand

$35 for frostbyte saber

$100-115 for fullsize L.S.T. saber

EDIT: SOLD to Steven C. thanks a ton steven for buying (AND leaving me a $5 tip to boot)! he is now the new proud owner of the FIRST ever frostbyte saber.

NEW frost byte-sized sabers!

2006-07-06T13:40:00.001-07:00

introducing:

bladeholder and led

LED and switch assembly

LED test fire

LED connected to blade holder

i apologize for the poor quality pictures, but i'm stuck using a webcam because i no longer own a digital camera at this moment.

the camera also would not pick up a decent representation of the lighting capabilities of this saber (it kept turning out orange or yellow or something :x). it is about the brightness of the tip of a luxeon saber, though.

i will get better pictures as soon as possible. i made this for people who cannot afford a full-sized luxeon saber.

5-6" hilt (with 1.5" diameter)
10" blade (with 1" diameter)
9v battery
12mm high brightness LED (not a luxeon)

so pricing starts at $35. =]

Master Replicas FX versus Luxeon 1-watt LST Sabers!

2006-06-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

this is a fully lit room. the FX saber is on top while the LST saber is on bottom. the red is the ESB Vader and the blue is the ROTS Anakin. here we go:

now a full dark room:

and just for kicks i threw my cyan saber in the mix:

as you can see my luxeon sabers are just as bright as the FX at the base and very tip, but about 3/4 the way up the blade the FX saber is much brighter. however, the luxeon sabers have a very defined core in the saber with a color plume around it while the FX saber is a single type of light. also, while the FX sports full sound and many other electronic advantages, the luxeon is extremely durable and completely duel-able. hopefully sound will soon be incorporated into my LST sabers.

"Novus"

2006-05-17T01:44:00.002-07:00

fully lit room:

"Pertorqueo"

2006-05-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

blade holder parts

a saber rebuilt

2006-05-04T23:23:00.000-07:00

pommel and emitter

"Adversus"

2006-04-24T22:42:00.001-07:00

blade holder insert... i had to melt PVC at 650 degrees so it'd shrink around the 1" polycarbonate.

2006-04-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

luxeon mount

heatsinking

electrical components

test fire

packed into the hilt

true blue

2006-04-15T02:23:00.000-07:00

obi-wan TPM

the phantom [menace] saber

2006-04-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

obi wan tpm inspired saber

emitter shroud

emitter shroud on 1.5" tailpiece

"Acerbus"

2006-03-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

more power

2006-03-21T01:04:00.000-08:00

so i decided to test out capabilities of the sabers again... this was in a fully lit room.

then i tested in complete darkness...

and then the batteries came...

and in darkness...

here i tested out some improvised green filters... uh, i'll get better material for the real thing of course.

that's it... lesson of the day: change your batteries when needed.

now i understand. i didn't notice any heating issues before, but after this i noticed the temperature rising. so, i cut out my heatsink from a CPU heatsink. i also trimmed the plate the star/o rests on to fit into a 1.25" tailpiece.

test ignition

2006-03-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

film and polyc

sliding film in

film inside... notice the texture of the film--that's almost artwork.

temporary set up...

white

blue

red

tip

well, they lit up! i suspect i'm losing some brightness to the length of the blade--it's about 3 inches longer than what it should be. another problem is the temporary wiring: the alligator clips are probably adding quite a bit of resistance that i could do away with when i solder connections. it was a great test that got me pumped. by the way, none of the images were altered in any way, and they were taken at around 5 pm when the sun begins to dip under the horizon--oh yeah, i also have the television on with episode I playing (about 3 feet from the test site).

shipment received

2006-03-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

so on tuesday, earlier this week, i received my shipment of electric components. i now have almost all i need to create a luxeon saber.

luxeon package. these are luxeon star/o 1 watt emitters with a 10 degree optics built in.

luxeons with a quarter for reference

force resonator, a small vibrating motor.

blade film rolls--custom made plastic, textured sheets to absorb light and creat a glow.

acrylic half balls--one shown with reflective tape.

here are the images of testing the luxeons. note, i'm only testing them, so they are running well below peak voltage and current. these pictures do not represent the actual brightness of luxeon-powered led's. once i pick up some resistors and battery packs i'll be able to utilize the full power of these emitters (and i wouldn't be turning them on until i have them pointed into the blade tube either--i'm not risking my eyesight).

first post of blog-like saber updates

2006-03-05T13:06:00.000-08:00

500 mA slide switches from ebay.

i finished shaping the activator box today. i stilll need to paint it and figure out how to attach it to the saber. while i was threading the sink tailpiece, i punched through the hole so i have to find a way to secure a nut to the tube since my threading is gone. this is a little delayed for a post, i actually did this work on thursday.

another test fit. the very bottom pvc grip is missing because i didn't want to go through the trouble of sliding it on and risk scratching the sink tailpiece. i have to find a way to secure the blade adjustment knob similar to the activator box.

something came in the mail on friday... here is forty feet of polycarbonate tubing. now i have to work on the blade holder that will secure the polycarbonate to my saber hilt. it has to be tight, but removable. also needs to minimize any blade flex.

2006-02-28T23:43:00.000-08:00

another glimpse of the silvery goodness

2006-02-28T23:42:00.000-08:00

all together test fit

2006-02-28T23:40:00.002-08:00

spacers

2006-02-28T23:40:00.001-08:00

front

2006-02-28T23:40:00.000-08:00

test fit without pvc

2006-02-28T23:39:00.001-08:00

detail holes

2006-02-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

pvc cut out for another custom saber

2006-02-28T23:38:00.001-08:00

adjustment knob and emitter tip

2006-02-28T23:38:00.000-08:00

detail pieces

2006-02-28T23:37:00.002-08:00

back

2006-02-28T23:37:00.001-08:00

test fit

2006-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

parts set aside for an obi-wan styled saber

2005-08-20T00:07:00.001-07:00

2005-08-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

2005-08-20T00:06:00.002-07:00

2005-08-20T00:06:00.001-07:00

2005-08-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

2005-08-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

2005-08-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

this is actually gail's lightsaber that we co-manufactured.

2005-08-19T04:51:00.001-07:00

2005-08-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

2005-08-19T04:50:00.002-07:00

repainting part of the shroud while attached to the saber

2005-08-19T04:50:00.001-07:00

another view

2005-08-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

emitter shroud

2005-08-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

saber interior

2005-08-18T00:25:00.000-07:00

2005-08-18T00:24:00.002-07:00

2005-08-18T00:24:00.001-07:00

drill holes completed, most of the hard work was done today

2005-08-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

chrome tube with grips

2005-08-18T00:23:00.002-07:00

emitter shroud

2005-08-18T00:23:00.001-07:00

larger parts

2005-08-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

fine details

LIGHTSABER IV

2005-08-18T00:22:00.001-07:00

finally i get to take pictures of gail's saber

2005-08-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

demolished table

2005-08-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

2005-08-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

2005-08-17T14:09:00.003-07:00

2005-08-17T14:09:00.002-07:00

2005-08-17T14:09:00.001-07:00

darkness

2005-08-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

gold and silver

2005-08-17T14:08:00.003-07:00

2005-08-17T14:08:00.002-07:00

2005-08-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

two

2005-08-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

photoshoot

LIGHTSABER III

2005-08-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

closer view of tip

2005-08-16T23:50:00.001-07:00

tip of saber, golden polywasher fills gap between 1.25" and 1.5" tubes

2005-08-16T23:50:00.000-07:00

top view front

2005-08-16T23:49:00.004-07:00

top view other side

2005-08-16T23:49:00.003-07:00

top view of back

2005-08-16T23:49:00.002-07:00

top view rotate

2005-08-16T23:49:00.001-07:00

top view, side

2005-08-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

more golden colour scheme

2005-08-16T23:48:00.003-07:00

completed

2005-08-16T23:48:00.002-07:00

grips attached

2005-08-16T23:48:00.001-07:00

finished grip

2005-08-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

riveting grips

2005-08-16T23:47:00.003-07:00

holes drilled for knurled nuts

2005-08-16T23:47:00.002-07:00

stage 2 paint for grips with clearcoat

2005-08-16T23:47:00.001-07:00

stage 1 paint for grips

2005-08-16T23:47:00.000-07:00

holes drilled for grips

2005-08-16T23:46:00.002-07:00

rigid PVC grips shown with finishing screws

2005-08-16T23:46:00.001-07:00

different grip types

2005-08-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

base of lightsaber--same essential design as the previous

2005-08-16T23:45:00.001-07:00

PVC cut lengthwise

2005-08-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

polywasher painted gold for my next saber

LIGHTSABER II

2005-08-16T23:44:00.003-07:00

before i gave this away

LIGHTSABER III

2005-08-16T23:44:00.002-07:00

1.25" slipjoint and polywashers

2005-08-16T23:44:00.001-07:00

stack of polywashers and a 1.25" threaded that i decided using over the 1.25" slipjoint

2005-08-16T23:44:00.000-07:00

paintshop

2005-08-16T23:43:00.002-07:00

with blade

2005-08-16T23:43:00.001-07:00

cover placed back on

2005-08-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

blade attached to saber

2005-08-16T23:42:00.002-07:00

blade end

2005-08-16T23:42:00.001-07:00

attaching screws