Made by Chris H


Greetings, As a new member ofthis geek cult, I figured it was finally time (now that I finally got some photos and scanned them) to make myself known. I got started about six months ago, mostly out of a desire for some sort of tactile project, somethingthat wasn't drawing or computer based. My first hilt was done completely in a vacumn. I just wandered the stores, the Recycling Centre, (a great nearby place that's sort've like a giant community garage sale, with everything!) and the maintenance guys office at work. And with a huge pileof bits I built my first hilt.

Then I got online and started looking to see what others were doing. WOW.

I had o interest in building replicas, i figured, what would I be doing with Luke's saber? I much prefer the customs. Though all the tutorials on replicas were helpful. Anyway, I've built three now, and learned from each one.

1. this was my first, and it's built around a wooden dowel core, from: -lamp topper ring, washer, bmx bike peg, film cannister and metal key, drain tube extension (which replced the earlier painted wood and crappy looking metal wiring coupler, you know, those tubes with the screw holes for electrical...) then a regulator with added o-rings and some sort of crome covering plate. It's not bad, though it tends to get a bent look to it.



2. I really liked the piles of washers look, but also wanted something in the graflex vein, so i merged the two. The lower half is built around a 3/8 threaded rod, and secured with table leg fittings I found at the recycling centre. Between those is a lot of washers etc. The belt-clip/ativatoris a flash mounting for a camera (the other half is on a belt, works nice) a piece of vacumn cleanor hose (from the recycling centre, cheap as hell, abundant, and comes with holes, notches, etc... which are great for character.) Added to that are a small stud from the flash assembly, light bulb and mounting from an electronics supply place, fuse clamp and the guts of a computer plug from same. The emmitter is the same type of water flow regulator from the first hilt with o-rings. Nice and heavy, the washers make a nice grip. The only real problem I had was drilling holes into the pipe and the emmiter piece. Did I mention a power drill is about my only real tool?



3. Oh I like this one. It's completly made from copper pipe and fittings. I really haven;t seen anything on the webin a gold colour, and just had to rectify that. the pipe and fittings are all from Home Despot, with knurled knob for a belt clip, cut down wood fittings for activator and lock and a couple of finishing washers for decoration. The emiter is a flow reglator like the others, only in copper. (don't know what I'll do when these run out, the came from work as old discards) The really cool thing about this hilt is... IT GOT A LASER INSIDE!!! Yup, i found a broken laser pointer, fixed it and rigged it up inside. Makes a hell of a cat toy. the only problem with copper is that it does tarnish easily. It basically means I can have a display piece, as in the photo, or a prop that looks like it gets regular use :)



My next project is a main guace saber the go with the copper, and another I stared from the vacumn tube that got stalled.