Luke ESB Lightsaber – Can you build a 2004 MR Force FX Hilt into a quality display piece?
- Thread starter Neon Nautilus
- Start date
I'd noticed that the bunny ear pieces on a real Graflex have 2 cut outs on the inner surfaces in the shape of an i. A circular hole and a slot.
To replicate these I first marked the positions on masking tape and with a centre punch.
I then drilled out the circular hole with a 3mm drill bit and started the slot off with a row of 2mm drill holes.
The slot was then refined with a rotary tool grinding disk and hand files to be the same width as the circular hole.
I then moved onto attaching the ring I made from the previous post. First I positioned the band over the bunny ear piece and marked the position of the circular hole I'd drilled.
The band was then drilled with a 3mm hole at the marked position.
To secure it I cut a tiny 2mm long pin from a 3mm dia steel rod.
The band and bunny ear were then lined up, epoxied together and the pin inserted. You can see the finished assembly in the second image below.
I then cut the hole and slot in the second bunny ear.
To replicate these I first marked the positions on masking tape and with a centre punch.
I then drilled out the circular hole with a 3mm drill bit and started the slot off with a row of 2mm drill holes.
The slot was then refined with a rotary tool grinding disk and hand files to be the same width as the circular hole.
I then moved onto attaching the ring I made from the previous post. First I positioned the band over the bunny ear piece and marked the position of the circular hole I'd drilled.
The band was then drilled with a 3mm hole at the marked position.
To secure it I cut a tiny 2mm long pin from a 3mm dia steel rod.
The band and bunny ear were then lined up, epoxied together and the pin inserted. You can see the finished assembly in the second image below.
I then cut the hole and slot in the second bunny ear.
The final job on the saber conversion was to make the pivot that attaches the bunny ears to the saber body. In the image below you can see the stock pin. It's pushed through and flared out on the red button side to secure it. Originally I just replaced the pin again.
The mechanism worked great when the bunny ears were squeezed together but I found it to be far too loose. The emitter ring would rattle around when handling the saber as it flapped back and forth. Also, on a real Graflex the pin appears much thicker than this.
To replicate the look and make it much more solid I cut a length of 3mm, 4mm and 5mm dia aluminium tube. Each was the same size as the gap between the bunny ears pivot points.
I also got some M2.5 x 8mm button head socket screws. The 3mm tube was then hand tapped at both ends for the M2.5 thread.
This piece was then nested into the 4mm tube and that into the 5mm tube. I did it this way as the alternative would have been to find a 5mm OD x 2mm ID tube or drill a solid rod out instead. Nesting tubes in this way just seemed like the easiest option.
I also cut some thinner pieces of the 5mm dia tube and filed them down to make shims. These were CA glued to the outer faces of the bunny ear pivot brackets. There was a bit too much play back and forth initially so these helped to tighten everything up.
Then it was just the very fiddly job of screwing in the M2.5 button heads from either side of the mounting brackets on the saber body.
Once the screws were in, I clamped the bunny ears in the position I wanted and further tightened the screws down with 11.5mm hex keys.
Everything was now much more secure, no rattle, everything was held in place beautifully. The bunny ear mechanism was now completed and looked so much better than the original solid one piece part of the stock FX saber.
With the bunny ears completed so were all of my modifications.
The mechanism worked great when the bunny ears were squeezed together but I found it to be far too loose. The emitter ring would rattle around when handling the saber as it flapped back and forth. Also, on a real Graflex the pin appears much thicker than this.
To replicate the look and make it much more solid I cut a length of 3mm, 4mm and 5mm dia aluminium tube. Each was the same size as the gap between the bunny ears pivot points.
I also got some M2.5 x 8mm button head socket screws. The 3mm tube was then hand tapped at both ends for the M2.5 thread.
This piece was then nested into the 4mm tube and that into the 5mm tube. I did it this way as the alternative would have been to find a 5mm OD x 2mm ID tube or drill a solid rod out instead. Nesting tubes in this way just seemed like the easiest option.
I also cut some thinner pieces of the 5mm dia tube and filed them down to make shims. These were CA glued to the outer faces of the bunny ear pivot brackets. There was a bit too much play back and forth initially so these helped to tighten everything up.
Then it was just the very fiddly job of screwing in the M2.5 button heads from either side of the mounting brackets on the saber body.
Once the screws were in, I clamped the bunny ears in the position I wanted and further tightened the screws down with 11.5mm hex keys.
Everything was now much more secure, no rattle, everything was held in place beautifully. The bunny ear mechanism was now completed and looked so much better than the original solid one piece part of the stock FX saber.
With the bunny ears completed so were all of my modifications.
This is some real nice work.
When do we get multiple full-body beauty shots of the completed build?
"Impressive ... Most Impressive"
Thanks so much to you all for your kind comments! It took quite a while to put together the content for this thread so it means a lot to hear that you guys have enjoyed it. Also, my apologies for taking so long to acknowledge them, for whatever reason I'd missed any notifications and just saw them today.
I've been intending to get some pics taken of the finished piece to finish off the thread. This has given me the push I needed, so keep an eye out for some soon!
Hi All! So, I finally got around to making an acrylic stand to show off the Lightsaber nicely and get a few photos taken.
Unfortunately the body of the saber has a bit of pitting in the coating which is pretty apparent in the shots. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this I'd really appreciate some input.
Anyway, here you go, hope you like them...
Unfortunately the body of the saber has a bit of pitting in the coating which is pretty apparent in the shots. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this I'd really appreciate some input.
Anyway, here you go, hope you like them...
This looks amazing job very well done.
Tan Djarka
Sr Member
Pitting? It's called weathering, and it wouldn't be a proper lightsaber without it! Awesome job on the saber and the stand. Display it proudly.
MustangMando
New Member
I agree, the pitting gives it a nice vintage look! Amazing work on the build
You'll love my 'AMT Klingon Bird of Prey of Theseus'!
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