Converting an OT Stunt Lightsaber blade
- Thread starter thd9791
- Start date
So, just like my ski pole, I started to screw with the AC Antenna. I had leftover tube from making a collar (Like Brandon said) so I used that. I needed to buzz off some material from the antenna which ended up being the UV coating, to bring it to just under 18 mm. I buzzed the inside of the collar with a dremel too.
the other antenna which might be more accurate is lost somewhere in the mail...
i was going to make the inner spacer... but without a lathe I didn’t have a size that would work. Looking at ordering some... 9/16 OD and 3/8 ID
so I stopped at the collar. I put my 3M costed ski pole on the Graflex as a model. The 3M ski pole has both inner and outer aluminum spacers I made a while ago if y’all remember
fun pics are with the ski pole and my first Graflex Core with just a threaded rod. Truthfully I’m going to swap it out for a steel tang soon.. just gotta figure out how to keep the smooth tang in the core
the other antenna which might be more accurate is lost somewhere in the mail...
i was going to make the inner spacer... but without a lathe I didn’t have a size that would work. Looking at ordering some... 9/16 OD and 3/8 ID
so I stopped at the collar. I put my 3M costed ski pole on the Graflex as a model. The 3M ski pole has both inner and outer aluminum spacers I made a while ago if y’all remember
fun pics are with the ski pole and my first Graflex Core with just a threaded rod. Truthfully I’m going to swap it out for a steel tang soon.. just gotta figure out how to keep the smooth tang in the core
This Glomex actually gets fatter a few inches up from the socket, and then reduces. 16.2 mm is the widest, just above the logo.
Here is some detail
And it has great flexibility. These are from burst shots with an iphone, against my arm
i bet the normal 4 footers are like this too?
Here is some detail
And it has great flexibility. These are from burst shots with an iphone, against my arm
i bet the normal 4 footers are like this too?
Neither of those really tapered to my liking. Something was off - Halliwax is the Glomex 4 footer a good match to the HMP taper?
This is actually something I found in my city. This company went out of business and these 8 footers are old stock in a local marine shop
I cut a good amount off the bottom and eyeballed the tip to the diameter i think is accurate, and cut a whole hunk off the top too. Its still too long so now i can balance out the taper, taking bits off the top and bottom. It is very flexible, and will wiggle and vibrate well after you hit something. I actually pushed on them in the store on the rack to test their pliability
They still dont seem to bend as much as we see BTS but theyre not locked onto anything yet - 8 footers seem to be more flexible than my 5 footer cut down and my 4 foot CX-4 new model
Oh yea dark reddish brown fiberglass and no filler. The freaking element was wrapped in masking tape and sloppily epoxied into the base.
This is actually something I found in my city. This company went out of business and these 8 footers are old stock in a local marine shop
I cut a good amount off the bottom and eyeballed the tip to the diameter i think is accurate, and cut a whole hunk off the top too. Its still too long so now i can balance out the taper, taking bits off the top and bottom. It is very flexible, and will wiggle and vibrate well after you hit something. I actually pushed on them in the store on the rack to test their pliability
They still dont seem to bend as much as we see BTS but theyre not locked onto anything yet - 8 footers seem to be more flexible than my 5 footer cut down and my 4 foot CX-4 new model
Oh yea dark reddish brown fiberglass and no filler. The freaking element was wrapped in masking tape and sloppily epoxied into the base.
I have to photoshop that photo that vadermania posted
There is zero room on my hard drive, I have amazon dropping off a external drive this week so I can moving stuff around to make room
Photoshop won’t open because there isn’t enough space on my drive
The second I free up some space I’ll attempt to photo shop
Okay I need to type this out. I put a collar on the new CX-4, right? So I got metal for the inside, closest I could get was 1mm too big OD and 1 mm too small ID. (inside of the fiberglass and tang) The thick walled aluminum tube was much more shiny than I've seen from metal suppliers and it was VERY hard to machine, took hours on a drill press with metal files and sandpaper. Literally ended up buzzing some of the inside of the fiberglass too.... THEN I had to rub it on a metal file at an angle to taper the inside collar. Once I got it to slide in, friction fit, I metal filed the end, to get all the layers smooth. It looked like that candy thats a roll with multiple layers...I used an 8/32 set screw set I had lying around. Tang is 5/16" I believe, because either that matched the graflex socket diameter OR this might be that piece of steel I got for free, so screw it I'll work with something a little smaller for that price
before the Scotchlite vadermania used - white UV gloss paint of the antenna next to other antenna
Now, this is not 380 graphic film. It's the 5170 (?) or the literal scotchlite adhesive, it stretches like vinyl and is VERY EASY TO WRINKLE. I rippled the first coating off bit-by-small-bit because it doesn't react well to an x-acto knife... sends the knife waving all over the place because of the flexibility and toughness of the material.. I was almost in tears. I did a second coat, poked holes in all the wrinkles and bubbles and tried to flatten as many as I could. I guess you can't see it from far away, but if this was my job this would not pass. The 380 was film acted like a thick sticker, and I could just lay it down without it bending or stretching. The adhesive is so good it ripped off in pieces, so this isn't going anywhere
The cool thing about an antenna screwed to a core (or as my dad says, a slug) is that it's PERFECTLY balanced. I guess I eyeballed the length correctly by accident (it's longer than all my ski poles) and the center of balance is just past the hilt.
I'm going to use this and swordfight a little. Get some of that UV paint to re-appear. It is rather stiff still. It vibrates when hit. Most of the other antenna are like this too.... they're flexible but nothing like what we see in BTS footage. You have to really WHIP them to bend and I'm scared of detaching anything.
before the Scotchlite vadermania used - white UV gloss paint of the antenna next to other antenna
Now, this is not 380 graphic film. It's the 5170 (?) or the literal scotchlite adhesive, it stretches like vinyl and is VERY EASY TO WRINKLE. I rippled the first coating off bit-by-small-bit because it doesn't react well to an x-acto knife... sends the knife waving all over the place because of the flexibility and toughness of the material.. I was almost in tears. I did a second coat, poked holes in all the wrinkles and bubbles and tried to flatten as many as I could. I guess you can't see it from far away, but if this was my job this would not pass. The 380 was film acted like a thick sticker, and I could just lay it down without it bending or stretching. The adhesive is so good it ripped off in pieces, so this isn't going anywhere
The cool thing about an antenna screwed to a core (or as my dad says, a slug) is that it's PERFECTLY balanced. I guess I eyeballed the length correctly by accident (it's longer than all my ski poles) and the center of balance is just past the hilt.
I'm going to use this and swordfight a little. Get some of that UV paint to re-appear. It is rather stiff still. It vibrates when hit. Most of the other antenna are like this too.... they're flexible but nothing like what we see in BTS footage. You have to really WHIP them to bend and I'm scared of detaching anything.
Propdude113
Active Member
Here is my AC Antennas cx-4 and my dilemma.
Do i keep the 19mm thick base of the Valor antenna and cut the tip to a shorter thicker tip...
Or keep the skinny tip and cut the base down to 17 / barely 18mm?
The CX-4 as it comes (12.8-18mm) is already a bit long and not as tapered, and the trimmed 8 foot Valor (10-19mm) is longer.
Excuse the potato photos, this is my android. Ill borrow the gfs iphone in a bit
Do i keep the 19mm thick base of the Valor antenna and cut the tip to a shorter thicker tip...
Or keep the skinny tip and cut the base down to 17 / barely 18mm?
The CX-4 as it comes (12.8-18mm) is already a bit long and not as tapered, and the trimmed 8 foot Valor (10-19mm) is longer.
Excuse the potato photos, this is my android. Ill borrow the gfs iphone in a bit
Propdude113
Active Member
I'd say cut the base down to 17 almost 18mm. You would keep the nice taper to tip profile and take in to account the reflective material layer add a little in photos that pretty darn close to me!
keep the
Attachments
I got my first Glomex antennas. I prefer their shape and their flexibility. Still stuff but I bet if they were properly locked down, they would flex more like what we see on screen.
I could not unscrew the socket, and I know Halliwax chopped the socket and unscrewed the stump from inside. I went more prop maker about it. I knocked on the tube to find the general area where the socket stopped. I wanted to cut it at the 20mm mark because some blades look fatter than 18mm. I even sectioned the blade to make sure it was clear
This is 19.8mm right at the G and I still have some wiggle room
I also sliced a bit off the top, there was a 2mm crack at the tip so I cut it off before it spread. This was probably from pulling the rubber tip off and using a lighter to melt the hot glue to pull out the element.
black fiberglass
And placing the antenna next to a graflex. It could still be shortened.
next to make an internal spacer and collar again...
I could not unscrew the socket, and I know Halliwax chopped the socket and unscrewed the stump from inside. I went more prop maker about it. I knocked on the tube to find the general area where the socket stopped. I wanted to cut it at the 20mm mark because some blades look fatter than 18mm. I even sectioned the blade to make sure it was clear
This is 19.8mm right at the G and I still have some wiggle room
I also sliced a bit off the top, there was a 2mm crack at the tip so I cut it off before it spread. This was probably from pulling the rubber tip off and using a lighter to melt the hot glue to pull out the element.
black fiberglass
And placing the antenna next to a graflex. It could still be shortened.
next to make an internal spacer and collar again...
Save for some extras stashed away, this is what I have at the moment.
Valor 8ft
2 cut down to 19mm base and left a bit long like the Graflex stunts and to keep some taper...and 1 cut down to match the bearing dia. and an estimate if Obi Wans stunt length
AC Antennas CX-4 4'
On my pipe stunt, cut to 18 mm base. Rather long as reported from the archives but also to retain some sort of taper. Not much
Glomex 4'
1 Cut to 19.8 mm base
1 Fresh antenna
1 still in box at redbuttons house
I still have to make inner spacers for all the ones not mounted. Im thinking of shortening the length I have been doing because I taper these by hand, which is awful but I can get them pressure fit which is rewarding.
The collars are thin wall aluminum tube that I slice and press fit them on, remember, too. I frequently buzz off some antenna paint too.
Glomex are the most flexible and the best looking taper to my eyes. The Valor are a really good and close option too. Many of the higher end antennas (and the cheap shakespere ones) are just too hard and not tapered enough
Valor 8ft
2 cut down to 19mm base and left a bit long like the Graflex stunts and to keep some taper...and 1 cut down to match the bearing dia. and an estimate if Obi Wans stunt length
AC Antennas CX-4 4'
On my pipe stunt, cut to 18 mm base. Rather long as reported from the archives but also to retain some sort of taper. Not much
Glomex 4'
1 Cut to 19.8 mm base
1 Fresh antenna
1 still in box at redbuttons house
I still have to make inner spacers for all the ones not mounted. Im thinking of shortening the length I have been doing because I taper these by hand, which is awful but I can get them pressure fit which is rewarding.
The collars are thin wall aluminum tube that I slice and press fit them on, remember, too. I frequently buzz off some antenna paint too.
Glomex are the most flexible and the best looking taper to my eyes. The Valor are a really good and close option too. Many of the higher end antennas (and the cheap shakespere ones) are just too hard and not tapered enough
Since I linked this thread in my consolidated one, I figured it would be good to post an update. It would be one thing to skim material off to press fit something inside a tube... but these darned things are tapered... augh
Here is an infographic on the blades I've made thus far including base diameter for modifying
Valor Antennas
Glomex Antennas
AC Antennas CX-4
The foam experiment worked out, the tang hole is a little aggravating still... I believe being such a tight fit, it creates a vacuum without a place for air to escape. Seen here with a blade that has some reflective stuff at the tip like Obi Wan's. I'll do the same to the foam!
Here is an infographic on the blades I've made thus far including base diameter for modifying
Valor Antennas
Glomex Antennas
AC Antennas CX-4
The foam experiment worked out, the tang hole is a little aggravating still... I believe being such a tight fit, it creates a vacuum without a place for air to escape. Seen here with a blade that has some reflective stuff at the tip like Obi Wan's. I'll do the same to the foam!
