Lightsaber Craft

As a Student i have just had a bit of a question come up within the halls of my mind, its not the most important subject to touch on rather a search for different opinions.

Lightsaber craft to me, although you can buy some pretty cool kits, is more about the process of using my mind and think outside the box to perfect a certain craft. So obviously a hilt has no actual martial or defensive use, it is to me a visual expression on how dedicated i am with every aspect of my life. My first hilt would most probably be rough and made of the wrong materials, wrong weight and not exactly a piece to enjoy looking at.
But that said to me it would be a step in the progress of perfecting the process and skill of creating my own hilt.

what are your views on this?

I haven't actually built a saber myself. The ones I own are movie replicas. I can say that I have seen some pretty cool pictures of sabers built using pieces designed for saber builds and from plumbing parts and a flashlight.

In the fiction a saber was an expression of the Jedi who built it. To that end, do whatever feels right. Maybe a walk down the isles of your local hardware store will spark a neat saber hilt idea, maybe you buy modular parts from one of the many saber shops online. Either way, make it yours.

WarrenDeLevi wrote: what are your views on this?

Yep, I'm the same. Mine is going to built from special bits I've collected for aesthetic or sentimental reasons, or applicable gifted bits... which themselves are metaphorical 'crystals'. I have a decent quality plastic training one as well to throw around and hit myself in the head with
:blush:
Is it exercising attachment, yes, but that attachment is mindful in its nature to represent the synergy of past curiosity & decisiveness. I am at the point now where approaching half a decade of summers behind me I am increasingly looking at new bits for their value to manifest the hilt as a hilt, rather then just a box full of things. Which is also the way I'm currently defining the concept of 'aging' but because I cannot wait to get to the point where I can finish it off with a blade & associated electronics - it unfortunately associates the eagerness for its completion to being like a hunger for the end of aging. This leaves 2 options, death or continued existence in the Force, so I'll go with the later - and indeed that could be what the blade might mean to represent for me
:S :lol:

i've built several from scratch, it's fun and relaxing...i think everyone should try it at least once...

I honestly wouldn't know where to begin making one from scratch. No experience with power tools or any of that.

mhs parts from tcss make it pretty simple...they even have modular wiring which really makes it simple...

saberforge's adaptive saber parts is the same way...modular parts, modular internals...just mix and match, assemble and done....i was playing with their 3d rendering builder app earlier...it's actually better than the builder app at tcss....i can't wait for the parts to become available for purchase.....

this is where their virtual saber builder is located....
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/adaptive-saber-parts-build-your-dream-saber-today#/

RyuJin wrote: mhs parts from tcss make it pretty simple...they even have modular wiring which really makes it simple...

saberforge's adaptive saber parts is the same way...modular parts, modular internals...just mix and match, assemble and done....i was playing with their 3d rendering builder app earlier...it's actually better than the builder app at tcss....i can't wait for the parts to become available for purchase.....

Oh ok, you meant from prefabricated parts, usually when people say "from scratch" they mean REALLY from scratch.

when i say it, i mean from a pile of objects...whether it's mhs/asp parts or a pile of parts from the hardware store makes little difference...i've done both...my nephew's saber was made from a pile of parts from the plumbing aisles from lowe's and a few items from radio shack before their demise....

for the electronics all that is needed is a battery holder, a switch, and a light....plus the wiring...sound can be added and the boards usually come with wiring diagrams showing what goes where....most of the internals can even be sourced from cheap lightsaber toys from the local toy store...

it really does seem more complicated than it really is....

I'm playing with the CSS creator tool and have a really cool design, but I don't really have any place convenient to add a covertec wheel without drilling through some hilt threads. I'm assuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that drilling and tapping a hole through the threads on hilt parts is a bad idea right? I ask because I'd really have to make major modifications to the design just to get a covertec on there if the hilt piece threads are a no drill zone. :dry:

As I said in another thread, given the right tools and skills, anything is possible. You could sand down the threads in the appropriate spot, if that makes you feel any safer and go ahead drilling a hole through both parts. Just try and think in advance of everything that entails and everything that can go wrong, an if you overlook nothing, you'll have yourself a fine saber eventually. If you are worried about the resources to your avail, be it your own skills and knowledge, or your tools, or a partner to help you with the project, maybe try and improvise, thinking of alternatives first. Is there really no way you could move the wheel a quarter inch up? Why use Covertec in the first place? Why not an old-fashioned D-ring instead? Do you need the saber to be symmetrical or might it actually be visually improved by a deliberate oddity? Does it have to hang on your belt with the pommel up, or might it not be also interesting if instead the emitter did?
Your limits are what you set them to be. Also keep in mind that the TCSS saber builder is a rather primitive tool and you should always look for other means to conceptualize finer details of your saber, specifically when it comes to custom parts. It's good to start out with, but it only gets you so far before you have to switch to some sort of drawing board of your own.