Star Wars Ignited Lightsaber PART II (6 pics)

[Duckgoo]

Since my first attempt with EL wire was a failure (too dim), I went with cold cathode technology this time.

Vader and Dooku were my models since this lightsaber is red in color.

ABSOLUTELY NO PHOTOSHOP USED IN THESE PICS!!

What do you think?

 

[TOE]

this is as good as the first attemp, but totally brighter. Thumbs up for moi.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

nice job man!!! my first try turned out pretty good.... except for the fact that i dont have any extra lightsaber hilts so i just put the bulb in their hand.

 

[nash]

get some sculpty and make your own hilt.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Ohh, pretty! Mace wants his purple saber back though!

 

[hairlesswookiee]

get some sculpty and make your own hilt.

i hope you dont think i have any artistic skills??? whoever told you that was lying.

 

[Duckgoo]

nice job man!!! my first try turned out pretty good.... except for the fact that i dont have any extra lightsaber hilts so i just put the bulb in their hand.

Thanks! Just buy a Hasbro Grevious, I think he has 4 lightsabers. I have a bunch of Hasbro lightsabers that I brought long ago which were collecting dust. I am glad I didn't throw them out. They are perfect for this mod.

Yeah, sculpting your own saber hilt is too hard. Ebay has tons of Hasbro figures for cheap.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

so did you just hollow the lightsaber out by drilling it???

 

[DarkArtist81]

Very nice work Duck..... Dooku especially works for some reason. Now if you can only get the saber to be a little thinner it would be perfecto!!

Still looks great like this though... excellent job :chew

 

[foolkiller]

They look great. Can you make a tutorial that includes what parts to buy?

 

[Duckgoo]

Very nice work Duck..... Dooku especially works for some reason. Now if you can only get the saber to be a little thinner it would be perfecto!!

Still looks great like this though... excellent job :chew

The cold cathode tube has the same diameter of the Sideshow sabers, but when lit, they are so bright that they look "fat".

In person, the cold cathode sabers look great, not "fat" at all.

I think the reason that Dooku look better is because the Hasbro hilts are better suited for 1/6 figures. The Medicom Vader is too small so it looks off.
When I put these sabers with the Sideshow SW figures, it should look better.

I will post a tutorial soon, when I can put more together.

 

[netboy]

Im trying to chase down some 6" cathodes, but they are pretty rare in the UK. Ive done some work with a maul sabre and LE wire in the past, but like you say its not bright enough.

Is it possible to sand the end of the tube down to the minmum before the chamber, as I assume the excess glass on the end is where the tube has been pinched?

 

[Wor-Gar]

The cold cathode tube has the same diameter of the Sideshow sabers, but when lit, they are so bright that they look "fat".

In person, the cold cathode sabers look great, not "fat" at all.

I think the reason that Dooku look better is because the Hasbro hilts are better suited for 1/6 figures. The Medicom Vader is too small so it looks off.
When I put these sabers with the Sideshow SW figures, it should look better.

I will post a tutorial soon, when I can put more together.

Do you have any pictures of Dooku holding the unlit "cathode" saber? I'd like to see what the figure would look like most of the time.

 

[Alice Adrenochrome]

Great! Love it all the way. I'm still having trouble finding 6" cold cathode tubes. They are not very popular here. Before I order some, I'd like to buy them in a shop (no shipping costs, and since I haven't got a clue about those things ,I'd like to see what I buy before I get it...). Better safe then sorry they say, right?

 

[Duckgoo]

Wor-Gar - I will post some pics with of the unlit saber and the guts when I get a chance.

Netboy - I wouldn't recommend sanding the cathode tube itself. It is very fagile. I have broken many tubes before I was successful.

Fool Killer - You would need a 6" Cathode Tube, an inverter, and a 12V battery unit plus some Hasbro lightsaber hilts. This is delicate business and I have ruin many tubes before I have this first successful one. I will post some pics of the unit when I get a chance.

Hairlesswookie - I didn't have to drill the hilts at all. I do have to cut into the sides to slide the wires out. I am sure there are more elegant ways to do this, but I haven't discovered it yet.

 

[LordAzrael]

Any suggestions for finding small enough diameter tubes for the EL wire style sabers ? I managed to find a local EL Wire supplier (cheap too) - no luck with the cathode tubes - but I figured I'd try the EL Wire thing first anyway.

BTW if anyone is looking apparently the EL Wire is popular to mod computer cases - so some PC stores may carry it - that's where I found mine.

 

[JustinLuck]

The only disadvantage I see with EL wire is that the battery packs might a slight high pitched whine. Do cathode tubes make any noise? I haven't had a chance to see any in person.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

The only disadvantage I see with EL wire is that the battery packs might a slight high pitched whine. Do cathode tubes make any noise? I haven't had a chance to see any in person.

nope, no noise at all.

 

[LordAzrael]

Im trying to chase down some 6" cathodes, but they are pretty rare in the UK. Ive done some work with a maul sabre and LE wire in the past, but like you say its not bright enough.

Is it possible to sand the end of the tube down to the minmum before the chamber, as I assume the excess glass on the end is where the tube has been pinched?

Try speciality computer shops - they are generally sold as a case mod item. That's where I found some in Australia.

 

[stickman]

Absolutely awesome! The way it was supposed to be. :maul