The Galactic Sweatshop

Eirene

2012-01-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

Eirene was the goddess of peace (eirênê) and of the season of spring (eiar, eiarinos). Late spring was the usual campaign season in Greece when peace was most at risk. Eirene was one of three Horai, goddesses of the seasons and the keepers of the gates of heaven.

Eirene was part of contest on the FX-Sabers forum, known as the Alliance saber. The winning design was voted on and was to to brought to life by Acerocket of Orbital Machining.

It was sold as a bare metal hilt to be assembled by a sabersmith of your choice. I chose to do it my self. I powdercoated the main shroud in a glossy Black as well as the accent rings. The crystal is a color treated quartz crystal illuminated by a 5mm white led. The accent strip was done by a member of the FX-Sabers Forum and is back lit by a 5mm white led as well. Eirene is powered by the Novasound 3.0. It's an ok board. There are a couple things I'd like to see fixed on it. It overheats when using a Luxeon 3 led with 7.2 volts and there is a click in the hum cycle. For the price it's not bad but these issues need to be addressed. I do like the fact that it doesn't require an auxiliary switch for the blaster blocks. The main led is an RGB P5 mixed to a shade of Blurple. Here are some pics. Enjoy:

Youtube

Nāga

2011-11-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

Nāga is the Sanskrit and Pāli word for a deity or class of entity or being, taking the form of a very great snake, specifically the King Cobra.

This saber started off as an empty hilt I bought from Saberforge. I've always thought he had a great eye for design but his execution and insides left more to be desired. But, with a little TLC and turd polish I thought I could make this into a great stunt hilt.

Nāga features 3 AAA batteries, a Lux III Green LED, and a momentary Green AV switch with a Pololu board to convert it to a latching switch. I powdercoated it in Black Chrome and Glossy Black. I custom machined the pommel and milled the windows into the blade holder. It also features a "Bone" style grip, which was made by my wife Aurora. The saber is a stunt saber with no sound.

Pics:

New Stuffs

2011-11-16T17:58:00.001-08:00

So, I lost my job recently. Sucks. The upside is I have a bunch of projects and plenty of time now. I got on a couple of saber runs last year that I haven't really had the time or the energy to complete. Now that I have the time, I'm trying to light a fire under my ass to be productive and finally sit down and knock some shit out.

The Alliance saber:

This saber was designed by a member of the lightsaber forums I belong to and machined by AceRocket.
It came bare. So far it's been powdercoated and prepped for electronics. It'll soon rock a purple blade and crystal and be powered by the Asajj Ventress MR soundboard.

The "Bling Strip" was designed by me and made by Hon Rev of the FX-Saber Forums

The Viper:
This saber was made by Saberforge. He's got a great eye for design. I ordered this saber as an empty. I powdercoated in in chrome, milled the slots in the blade holder, and lathed the pommel. I also bored out the switch hole to house a lighted av switch. I plan on simulating a bone type grip for the body of the saber. It'll have no sound.

Hopefully they'll both be finished with lights and sound soon.

Orthrus

2011-08-06T19:33:00.002-07:00

In Greek mythology, Orthrus was a two-headed dog and a doublet ("brother") of Cerberus.

Orthrus, is a double bladed saber in the fashion of Darth Maul and Savage Opress. It features a Lemon quartz crystal illuminated by 2 white leds. The blades are 3W RGB LEDS,which have been color mixed to Yellow and both powerd by a 3.7v li-ion battery. It is made from standard MHS parts from TCSS which I slightly altered on my lathe. The shrouds were designed by Aurora and are powdercoated in Black Chrome. The main bodies, crystal chamber and blade holders are powdercoated in a flat black. It is also rechargeable so you don't have to take it apart to swap out the batteries. The whole saber is about 20 inches long. It's a big ass saber! But, enough jibba' jabba'! You wanna see the pictures. Here ya go:

Thanks for lookin'!

Akhlys

2011-02-27T18:46:00.001-08:00

Akhlys was the female spirit of the death-mist, the clouding over of the eyes preceding death. She was the personification of misery and sadness and may also have been the goddess of poisons.

Akhlys is the first saber I tried out my new lathe on. I knurled the grip and cut the accents into the hilt. The emitter was purchased from a dude on ebay. It was polished and powdercoated with a Low Gloss Black. There is a Crystal Chassis set up with Halon Chassis Disks, and a Citrine Crystal illuminated by a 5 mmRed led. Akhlys is powered by the Petit Crouton 1.2 with Novastar's EP. V sound font and 7.4v Li-ion batteries with a Red Lux III LED. It also features an illuminated Blue Ring AV switch and a recharge port in the control box.

First Cut on the New Lathe

2011-02-22T23:18:00.001-08:00

Three day weekends rule! Finally had a chance to fire up the lathe and take my first step into a bigger world. After spending some time on some scrap pieces of metal, I finally got my lathe dialed in to making some decent cuts. It's made from parts from The Custom Saber Shop that I modified. The emitter is MHS compatible and was purchased from ebay. I put the grooves into the body of the saber and knurled the grip. I also powder coated it with a low gloss black, re-grooved it and polished it. All that's left is to wire it up and give it a name.

Custom emitter from ebay:

Control Box:

Knurled grips:

Happy New Gear II

2011-02-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!
Yea, I know I haven't posted in a long time. I have my reasons and yes laziness is one of them. Good news is I got a job, which hasn't given me a lot of free time to go out into the shop and be creative. But, it has put some money in my pocket to get some new additions to the tool arsenal.....well, Christmas helped too. My family bought me a lathe and a mill! I've also been taking machining classes so I can make even more badass sabers.
I spent a good part of today cleaning off the grease and aligning the lathe and mill, assembling tool boxes, tool stands and an overall shop cleanup. I can't wait to actually start using this stuff!
Stay Tuned......

The Shop:

The Lathe:

The Mill:

The Bench:

Váli

2010-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

Váli is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Rindr. He was birthed for the sole purpose of killing Höðr as revenge for Höðr's accidental murder of his half-brother, Baldr.
So I finally found some time to start making sabers again. This one has been sitting on the bench for quite some time now. I bought the parts for the saber about a year ago while I was unemployed., but was afraid to finish it out of fear of having nothing to do. Now that I'm employed again and am attending school, I have too much to do and not much free time for lightsaber makin'. Kind of a double edged sword......
Váli is made of MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and powdercoated in Flat Black and Gold Plate. It has a Luxeon III bin 3 Cyan for a minty Green/Blue blade and a Master Replica Jedi board powered by a 3.7v Li-ion battery with a re-charge port in the pommel.

Mandalorian Gauntlets

2010-09-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

I finished up my Gauntlets for my Mandalorian costume today. I had some pieces of Sintra leftover from my armor build, so I popped those in the oven and shaped them to fit my arms. Using Amazing Sculpt I made a housing for the "flamethrower" and control box for the electronics. The "flamethrower" is a toy lightsaber I gutted for the soundboard to use for an upcoming build. I added Red, Orange and Yellow 5mm leds to the "flamethrower" that are activated by a momentary switch in the control box. I also used a sinkdrain screen as well as a hose to capture the appearance of a real flamethrower. For the left gauntlet, I used a scrap piece of Sintra to make the blade and a pencil box to house it, as well as the 15 led chaser kit from bakatronics.com I then painted them in Revelin Zar's traditional Purple and Black colors.

Lightsaber Tonfa: Baku

2010-08-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Baku are Japanese supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.

In this case Baku is a Lightsaber Tonfa I made. Using parts from The Custom Saber Shop, Baku measures in at 6.5". I powdercoated Baku in Stop Sign Red and a Low Gloss Black. The Blade is a LuxIII Amber and is powered by a Master Replica Sith soundcard and a 3.7v Li-Ion battery. I also installed 3 5mm LEDs in the hilt, a blinky Red/Blue, a Blue and a Green. There is also a re-charge port in the pommel.

As always, the video:

Modified NERF Blaster

2010-08-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

Every Bounty Hunter needs a dependable Blaster right? Unhappy with just my static NERF Recon blaster, I decided to put electronics in it to make it light up and make a blaster sound. I found a Digital Voice Recorder at Radio Shack that is able to hold 20 seconds of audio. I captured a Star Wars blaster sound onto it and hooked up a 5mm Blue led to the switch. Now when the trigger is pulled it makes the blaster sound and lights up. Pew Pew Pew!

Check out the pew pews:

Revelin Zar @ Comic Con 2010

2010-07-25T23:32:00.001-07:00

Just got home from San Diego Comic -Con. I gotta say my Revelin Zar costume was a hit. I took a lot of pictures with random people and was even attacked my a tiny Jedi who proceeded to hit my un-armored legs with his lightsaber. His dad said he'd been attacking all the bad guys. It was hilarious.

Enjoy the pictures:

Many thanks to my bud Mario for helping with the crowds and takin' the kick ass pics!

**UPDATE**
7-28-10

This picture was sent to me on the Facebooks by Boba Phat (Intergalactic Booty Hunter)

New Weapons

2010-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Went out to the shop today. It was too windy to powdercoat, so I cut some shrouds for a saber and a Light Tonfa and worked on my Mandalorian weapons. I made a communicator and a mini pistol, and also added a small blade to my rifle. Amazing what a few nerf guns can turn into! Pew pew pew!!

Introducing Revelin Zar

2010-04-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mandalorian Warrior:

95% done

2010-04-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest pics from my upcoming Mandalorian costume. Everything is pretty much done, all that's left is to add the cape to the armor. Expect to see it finished soon!

New Tattoo

2010-04-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a visit to the Las Vegas System and won enough credits to get another tattoo. This particular drawing was done by an artist in the "Off the Page" sector of Disneyland and tattooed on me by Bumper in the Vince Neil Ink sector of the Las Vegas System on planet Earth. Here are some pictures of my new marking:

More Bucket work

2010-04-04T19:37:00.001-07:00

I spent the afternoon in the Galactic Sweatshop today working some more on my Mando Bucket. I installed the fans to keep my noggin cool and an LED sequencer from Bakatronics. I also added some foam to keep it from slippin' off my head! It aint pretty but it works....

Video of the blinkies in action:

Mandalorian 65% Done

2010-03-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

I figured since I couldn't make the Skirata/Manda'galaar Armor party I should at least spend the weekend working on my Mando. While Aurora was sewing up the Vest, Kama, Neck Cover, and Cape, I was out in the garage cuttin' and a paintin'. Here's what I got done:

Still got to add the visor, fans and padding on the inside of the helmet, then attach the armor to the vest and flight suit. I am also planning on adding a 16 led chaser kit in the left ear piece.
Then I can get started on my guns!

OYA!!!!!

A little more paint!

2010-03-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Purple goes on tomorrow!

M-DSB Mandalorian helmet update

2010-03-25T23:08:00.000-07:00

Got the visor and key holes cut out from my M-DSB Mercenary Helmet and gave it a couple layers of primer. I'll be adding a layer of metallic silver when the primer sets. I'll also be getting a red visor from Halon Customs in a few days and I'll be tinting it in a mirror silver. Stay tuned......

Nyx: Goddess of the Night

2010-03-16T17:46:00.000-07:00

Nyx was the primeval goddess of the night. Nyx was the daughter of Chaos and was the sister of Erebus. Nyx embodied the dark silence and had fifteen dark children, among them Hypnos (the sleep) and Thanatos (the death). She is depicted as riding in a chariot, trailing stars and bringing the night, and accompanied by Her sons Hypnos and Thanatos. She could be helpful or harmful to mankind, bringing either sleep or death.

Nyx is made entirely of MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and is powdercoated in Blue Explosion and Trans Gold, with a little bit of Black around the emitter. I wanted to give the emitter the illusion of a Carbon burn that would likely happen if the lightsaber was real. The shroud cut out was designed by Aurora. It is a sink tube that has been sanded down to the brass and polished. I used a Rose Quartz in the crystal chamber illuminated by a Red 5mm led matched by a Red illuminated A/V switch. The main led is a P4 Red powered by a Master Replica Jedi soundcard and 4AAA rechargeable NiMH batteries with the charge port in the pommel.

Nyx also uses a "Death Blade". It is a Black polycarbonate tube lined with about 6 feet of polypropylene and a Bullet Tip. Seems to compliment the meaning behind the Goddess' name.

Mandalorian Helmet

2010-03-13T13:02:00.001-08:00

Looky what I picked up from my new buddy DeltaSquadBoss:

I can't wait to get started on it.....OYA!

Indra: Hindu God of Rain and Storms

2010-03-06T17:22:00.001-08:00

Indra: Hindu God of Rain and Storms

Rather than being cooped up inside the house on another rainy day weekend I decided to venture out into the Sweatshop and finish up a saber I have been putting off for far too long.

Since it was pouring rain when I finished up this saber I thought naming after a rain God would be appropriate.

Indra is made up of MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and is powdercoated in Black Stardust and Trans Gold. I cut some grips out of some ribbed brass I had lying around and mounted them on an adhesive foam. This provides just enough grip as well as cushion for maximum comfort. It is running a Master Replica Force FX Jedi soundboard, a Luxeon III Green LED with a Green Illuminated switch to match. Indra is powered by 4 AAA NIMH batteries with a recharge port in the pommel.

Here are the pics:

And the Video:

Mandalorian Armor

2010-02-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

I'm adding onto my already growing list of shit I want to do while I gots the time, so I've decided to try my hand at a Mandalorian costume. I started the armor earlier this week. It's made from 3mm Sintra (poster foam board). I downloaded some templates from the Mandalorian Mercenary Costuming Group's forum and stenciled them onto the Sintra. Cut them out with a razor and baked them in the oven to soften them up so I can shape them to fit my body. Looks pretty damn cool. I also ordered a custom helmet. That should be ready in about a month, so I have time to save up. I taped the armor to my shirt for a test fit. Check it out:

Here are a couple renders of the color scheme I'll be going with:

Should be a lot of fun!

2010 to do list

2010-01-16T00:01:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I didn't get all the sabers I got parts for finished in '09 but that's fine. Being unemployed I still have plenty of time right now to finish the sabers I started back when I first lost my job, with the addition of 2 more. I think I've finally decided on the color schemes I want to go with and am ready to crank them out. I have the soundboards ready to go and I just got a batch of illuminated switches and some scrolling bargraphs for extra coolness. I am also going to try to light a Black blade with a Red led. The results should be interesting. I grabbed a handful of new types of crystals from Quartzsite, Arizona. Rose Quartz, Citrine, Aquamarine and Green Agate. They should look pretty cool in a crystal chamber. So, stay tuned for some new stuff from The Galactic Sweatshop coming your way.
May the Force be with ya......

Happy New Gear!!!

2010-01-09T18:56:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!!
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday.

I just wanted to share a new family member to The Sweatshop with you. Here she is........

My new Drill Press:

If you looks closely at the next two pictures you can see the new sabers I'll be working on this year:

Aquavenger

2009-12-19T17:44:00.001-08:00

Here is the latest Lightsaber to come out of the Galactic Sweatshop: Aquavenger

Awhile back Aurora's mom had expressed interest in having a Lightsaber built for herself. Aurora and I both thought it would make a great Christmas present since parents are always so hard to buy for. Aurora had mentioned how much her mom really enjoyed the ocean and nautical themes, we figured we'd take the ball and run with that.....

Aquavenger uses MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and is powdercoated in Blue Ice Explosion with Sliver accented grips. The pommel, emitter, and shroud are powdercoated in Silver Explosion. The shroud was designed by Aurora. It was designed after the Nautilus cephalopod. Quite the pain in the ass to cut, but I think it turned out really nice! The blade is a Luxeon III Cyan led. There is a real Quartz crystal in the slotted middle section illuminated by a Green LED and a blinky Blue LED. It is powered by 4 rechargeable NiMH AAA batteries and a Yoda soundboard. There is a killswitch/recharge port in the pommel for in hilt charging.

Merry Christmas Cissy, and May the Force Be With You.........

Sneak Peak! Shhhhhhh......don't tell Aurora's Mom!

2009-12-18T22:26:00.000-08:00

Got some work done on Aurora's mom's lightsaber today. I cut out the shroud and powdercoated the parts. I'll be installing the electronics tomorrow, and doing some minor touch ups here and there. Stay tuned!
Here are some sneak peak pictures:

Don't tell Aurora's mom you saw these ;)

Overlord: Eris

2009-12-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

I ordered this saber from Ultra Sabers back in May 2008. It was the very first Lightsaber I ever ordered, and it has been an uphill battle to finally receive it. I don't really understand why it was so difficult for the individuals involved with the mis-handing of this run of sabers to get their shit together but whatever, it's finally over and I will no longer be doing any business with Outer Rim Armory ever again. As far as Ultra Sabers goes, you guys are on thin ice.....

So, here it is after a year and a half of waiting, My Overlord: Eris.

Named after The Goddess of discord, strife and quarrel. Eris arrived a couple weeks ago without any electronics installed (even though I paid for an install). This allowed me to take the knowledge I gained making my own sabers, to install the electronics myself and add my own flare to it.

Eris sports a Luxeon V Cyan led, powered by a Ultra Sound 2.1 and 7.2v Li-ion batteries. I switched out the Silver Covertech Wheel it came with for a Black one, and added an AceRocket Obi-Wan Pommel. I also installed a Red Anti-Vandal switch and wired it so it lights up when the kill-key is removed. I also put a recharge port on the underside of the hilt for in hilt re-charge capabilities.

Here are the pics:

Here's the Video:

Saber To Do List:

2009-11-29T03:24:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give a minor update on some sabers I'll be working on soon. As you can see I have 4 on the bench at the moment. The bare saber is still in the planning stages. I need to figure out a color scheme for it and design a shroud. The Red and Black one is also waiting for a shroud. The Gold and Black one is waiting for me....
The bottom one is a saber for Aurora's mom. It is going to have a Nautical theme. The shroud has already been designed and it looks bad ass. I hope her mom likes it!

And that's all I know about that......

JSSDC K3GR-1: Seteh

2009-11-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

This saber was a part of a limited run by Orbital Machining on one of the saber forums I belong to. It was called the JSSDC (Judge Sabersmith Dot Com) K3GR-1. I re-dubbed it: Seteh.

Seteh is an Egyptian God, who was originally the God of the desert, storms, darkness, and chaos. His nickname is "The Red God". Seteh was the killer of Osiris in the "Myth of Osiris and Isis", having hacked Osiris' body into pieces and dispersed it so that he could not be resurrected.

I kept Seteh fairly simple. The hilt was designed by Ace Rocket at Orbital Machining. It is anodized in a Deep Red and Black. I used a Seoul P5 RGB with the Red and Green hooked up to their own individual pots and mixed to a lemony shade of Yellow. I also installed a mini momentary switch in the control box. It uses an UltraSound 2.1 and 4 AAA x Tenergy 1000mAh NiMH Rechargeable batteies. There is a blinky Red/Blue LED in the neck as well as the recharge port on the under side. I also installed some really comfy foam in the grooves on the grip handle.

Enjoy:

Here is a really dark video:

Happy Halloween: Samhain

2009-10-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

Samhain (pronounced /ˈsɑːwɪn/ ) is a festival held at the end of the harvest season in Gaelic and Brythonic cultures. Principally a harvest festival, it also has aspects of a festival of the dead. It had its roots in ancient Celtic polytheism, and continued to be celebrated through medieval times, and is seen as contributing to the modern celebration of Halloween.

Samhain was inspired by my favorite time of year. It is powdercoated in Jollipop Orange and Glossy Black to match the colors normally associated with Halloween. The Spider web shroud was designed by Aurora and is accented with a purple LED in the crystal chamber, a color changing LED and a pewter Skull and Crossbones. The main LED is a Tri-Rebel BBR (Blue Blue Red) and has a resistor added to one of the Blues to achieve a very nice shade of Purple. It is powered by 4 AAA NIMH rechargeable batteries and a MR Yoda Soundboard.
Enjoy:

Here's the Video:

Samhain 90% Complete

2009-10-26T00:08:00.001-07:00

Update time.....
I finally got my ass in gear and started on my Halloween tribute saber "Samhain". It's about 90% done at this moment. It's been powdercoated in Jollipop Orange and a Glossy Black. The spider web shroud was designed by Aurora and powdercoated in Timberland Nickel. All that's left to do is the wiring. It'll be done sometime this week. Stay tuned.......

I know....I'm lazy......wanna fight about it?

2009-10-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

This is a render of the saber I'll be working on next: "Samhain"

It'll be done by Halloween....I swear......

Surya: Saber fit for a God

2009-08-04T21:16:00.001-07:00

In Hindu mythology, Surya (Soo-rye-ah) represents the Sun God. Surya has hair and arms of gold and drives through the heavens in a chariot, harnessed by a horse with seven heads. Each head represents a color of the rainbow.

I thought the name Surya was fitting because of the Gold and Bronze colors I used in this saber. Surya uses all MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and is powdercoated with Transparent Gold and Transparent Copper (thanks to Gemini Concepts for the sample). It is powered by a Yoda FX board and 4 AAA re-chargeable batteries, with a re-charge port on the underside of the hilt. It features a Lux III Blue Led and a blinky red/blue led below the switch. There is a real crystal quartz in the chamber illuminated by a blue and blinky blue led to give it a pulsing feel. The brass overlay was once again designed by Aurora.

Enjoy the pics:

While you're at it, enjoy the video too:

Hey!!! This isn't a Lightsaber??!!!

2009-07-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Yea, I know....."What's this doing on a Lightsaber Blog?"

I figured I might as well post this up here, instead of starting up a whole new Blog. It consists of various animated projects I worked on in my7 years at Warner Bros. Online Animation. Hopefully it'll bring me some work, so I can keep building these awesome sabers!

Enjoy:

Greetings from San Diego Comic Con 2009

2009-07-26T22:15:00.001-07:00

Surya: Preview Pictures

2009-07-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of preview pictures of my next saber "Surya".

I'm currently waiting for some blinky LEDs to arrive from Hong Kong so I can wire this bad boy up. Enjoy.

Atropa (Deadly Nightshade)

2009-07-11T03:35:00.001-07:00

Atropa (Á-tro-pa) is a genus of plants in the nightshade family. Its best-known member is the deadly nightshade. The genus is named after Atropos of the Three Fates, the one which cut the life thread.

Here is my latest saber Atropa. Composed of MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop and an Acerocket Obi-Wan pommel, Atropa features a crystal chamber with a real Quartz crystal and is illuminated by a 5mm green LED. Atropa is powder coated in Candy Shimmer Purple and Matte Black. The chrome shroud was designed by my wife Aurora. Atropa uses a Master Replica Anakin soundboard to power the Luxeon III Green LED along with 4 rechargable batteries which are recharged in the port by the switch. But, enough with the technical jargon....here are the pics:

Here is the crystal Chamber:

Take a look at the video:

The Chameleon Update III/Renders Come To Life

2009-06-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

I worked on a few different sabers today. I recently learned how to wire recharge ports into my sabers, eliminating the need to constantly change out the batteries. Now I can charge them up in the actual hilt. I wired up Cerberus and Charon last week. Today I did the Chameleon. I also added a shroud overlay to the back end of the saber to balance it out.

I also started on the 4 sabers I showed you in my renders post a few weeks ago. So far, I've only drilled the holes for the switches and recharge ports. I might add a few accent LEDs as well, but I'll have to wait and see how crowded it is inside. I'm waiting mostly on internal stuff now, like speakers, batteries, soundcards and some acrylic disks I'll be using for the crystal chambers. Here they are nekkid with no paint and no guts:

Behold.....My Arch Rival.....Darth Pendejo!!

2009-06-12T17:40:00.000-07:00

You may recall awhile back I made a saber called "The Prophet". Unbeknown to me, it seems to have fallen to the "Dork Side of the Force". The new owner sent me a picture from the fiery depths of Hades and challenged me to a "Dual of Fate".

Come get some, Bitch!!!

New Saber Renders

2009-05-28T01:39:00.001-07:00

Here are some renders of a few new sabers I will be working on:

All of them use MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop. The top one and bottom two have slotted pieces that I plan on putting Quartz Crystals into, back lit by a 5mm LED. The Red saber has an illuminated switch mounted in the control box. Unfortunately I only have 3 soundboards at the moment, but I'm thinking about getting one of those Hasbro "Build Your Own Lightsaber Kits", and gutting it for the sound. It'll be a lot easier and cheaper than tracking down a Master Replica or Ultra Sound 2.1. All four will have custom cut shrouds. Aurora will be designing them. I'm not sure of the color scheme on the top one either. My buddy over at Gemini Concepts sent me a batch of new colors I'm dying to try. So that's the plan. Suggestions are welcome.

The Force Unleashed: Starkiller

2009-05-23T03:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a saber that I commissioned from a sabersmith named Machined FX (whom I dubbed Machine Defects). It is based on the saber Galen Marek carried in the video game "The Force Unleashed". I waited almost a year for this saber and when it finally arrived I was really unhappy with it. It was a beautifully crafted hilt, but the insides were a joke and not what I had asked for. It had a Red Lux I LED without the proper heatsink, a plastic crystal that was glued to the inside of the hilt, a white LED taped underneath it, no brass rod in the chamber and he didn't even bother to solder the wire connections.....it was all tape!!! For the price I paid, it was done really shitty. Fortunately for me I saw some other Starkillers on the F-X Sabers forums that were modded by a couple of guys from Mississippi called "Gemini Concepts". I knew right away they were the right guys to ask about making this saber the way I had envisioned it. I asked if they'd be willing help and they accepted. So off it went to Mississippi. I also sent them a Red Lux III LED and a real Quartz Crystal and gave them real simple instructions to "be creative". Dusty and Co. installed the Red Lux III LED and gave it a proper heatsink, installed the brass rod, added the Quartz crystal with an Ultra Bright 5mm Red LED to illuminate it, cleaned up the wiring and installed a MR Darth Vader soundboard. They even weathered the pommel to go along with the "used" look of the saber. They did a great job. So if you're ever looking for a high quality saber at an affordable price, I highly recommend Gemini Concepts . They kick ass!

Here are the pics:

And the video:

The Staunch Defender

2009-05-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

This is The Staunch Defender saber created by "Saberforge" on the FX-Sabers forums. It is a stunt hilt for now with no sound. It features a super bright Cree XRE Green LED and a window in the choke of the hilt. The window allows the LED to emit light from the sides of the hilt. What you are seeing here is the hilt straight from Saberforge. The only thing I added was a covertech knob to hang it from my belt. I plan on powdercoating some of the parts. Not sure what color yet though. I also would like to add sound to it. It's too small to fit an Ultrasound or normal sized Master Replica board. I think a Yoda soundboard might work, but until I can find one and a job for that matter, it'll have to wait for another time......

unless one of you want to give me $55 for a Yoda soundboard.....

Here are the pics:

Introducing Ri-On Ozryel

2009-05-21T02:08:00.000-07:00

Born on the remote planet Ossus in the Outer Rim Territories, Ri-On Ozryel was being trained in the ways of the Jedi when his Master was was killed during The Great Jedi Purge, 19 years after Order 66 was issued . Without a Master, Ri-On continued on his path to the Jedi but eventually fell to the Dark Side after befriending a Sith who convinced Ri-On he could teach him how to achieve Ultimate Power. After learning all he could from his Sith Master, Ri-On destroyed him and once again returned to the the Light.

Ri-On Ozryel earned his nickname "The Spectre of Death" back on his home planet in the Outer Rim, by helping the Jedi defeat the Yuuzhan Vong during the Yuuzhan Vong War in 25 ABY. He was then accepted as member of the New Jedi Order, and helped restore the Jedi Academy back on Ossus.

Charon

2009-05-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

"Charon"
Named after the Ferryman that takes you across the River Styx to the Gates of Hades.

All the parts are MHS parts from TCSS. I powdercoated them in Wet Black, and cut the shroud with my trusty Dremmel. I also installed the new UltraSound 2.1 soundboard. The LED is a bright Red, but I installed a quick connect system so I can change out the colors by unscrewing the blade holder and snapping in another color. Easy as pie. Here are the pics:

Here's the video:

Cerberus 2.1

2009-05-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Cerberus"
Named after the Guardian of the Gates of Hades

My soundboards came back from Ultra Sabers this weekend. They are a little buggy but overall I'm pretty happy with them. So, I re-installed them into my sabers. First up is Cerberus. This was the very first saber I posted about when I started this blog. I'm happy to say it's finally done and ready for Comic-Con

In addition to the soundboard, I also added the "Gear" piece from The Custom Saber Shop.

I also had some groves milled into the choke point of the saber.

Here is the video of Cerberus with the new UltraSound 2.1:

Anthoria

2009-04-05T19:48:00.001-07:00

Anthoria:

This saber is for my wife Aurora. It is made from MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop. They are powder coated in Shimmer Pink and Black. Aurora had requested the LED color be Cyan with an Ultra Sabers blade. It also features an 5mm RGB color changing LED below the ignition switch. Due to the size restraits of this saber, I installed a Master Replica Yoda soundcard. This saber contains a couple of first time accomplishments too. This is the first time I've powder coated using more than one color, and it's the first time I've used a color changing accent LED. If you make it to Comic - Con this year there is a possibility of seeing Anthoria in person.

Here's the Video:

The Prophet

2009-04-05T19:14:00.001-07:00

The Prophet:

I made this saber for my brother's birthday. It's made up of MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop. I powder coated them in Gold and Black. The shroud was designed by my wife Aurora. I cut and I powder coated them in Gold Vein. The Prophet features a Blue Luxeon III LED for the blade. I also installed a Master Replica Obi-Wan Kenobi soundcard. I also added something I've never done before. It's a 5mm Ultra Bright Blue LED in the choke point of the saber. I am very proud of this saber.

Here's the Video:

Wanna see the Sweatshop?

2009-03-26T00:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Galactic Sweatshop.
This is where lightsabers get made, and where Ri-on gets mad and says lots of bad words.

Here is a quick look at my workspace:

Hmmm, what's underneath the towel?

No work station is complete without a Clone Wars iPod Dock/Clock and a Lavalamp with R2-D2 Chillin' on top:

Here is my Powder Coating oven:

Underneath the towel:

Oooooooooh a new piece for Cerberus:

Thanks for stoppin' by.......NOW GET OUT!

The Prophet and The Un-named Saber

2009-03-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Most of the parts I was waiting for came this week, so I was finally able to do some work on 2 new sabers. One for my wife and the other for my brother. It was his birthday on the 21st, but I didn't have my shit together in time to get his present done. Sorry dude! So I figured I'd post some work in progress pictures to make up for my lateness. Happy Birthday Eric, I hope you like your present when it's finished!

The Prophet:

The shroud was designed by Aurora and cut by me. The saber will be powder coated to match the Render above with a gold vein powder coat applied to the shroud. The Prophet will have a Royal Blue Blade and house a Master Replica Obi-Wan sound board.

I was also able to get some powder coating done on Aurora's yet to be named saber. Here is the original render:

Here are the saber parts powder coated in "Shimmer Pink". You can see the sparkles under the proper lighting. The parts that are covered by the Green tape will remain Pink. The rest will be highlighted in Black.

The Chameleon Update

2009-03-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

I decided to re-visit The Chameleon saber while I wait for 2 more parts to arrive, before I can start powdercoating the next couple of sabers I'm working on.

I had some leftover sinktube cuttings from my last few sabers and thought the emitter looked alittle boring. I dremmeled out this new emitter shroud, sanded off the chrome to get that weathered bronze look to it, and re-drilled the holes for the set screws and blade retention screw. I think it adds a whole new look to it. Check it out:

New Saber Preview and Jedi Communicator

2009-03-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

I started on a new saber this weekend. It was supposed to be a birthday present for my wife, but due to The Custom Saber Shop being out of stock of the parts I wanted for quite some time, it's gonna be a little late. Eventually it will have a Cyan blade and a Yoda MR Soundboard, and be powdercoated in Pink and Black. But for the time being it's sitting empty with just a couple holes drilled into it.

I also made a Jedi Communicator as seen in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It was made out a Gillete Razor, painted Black and Silver, with little bits and pieces from the electronics store glued onto it. It doesn't do anything special, it's just a static prop.

This is the screen shot taken from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace I used as reference.

I'm hoping to get another batch of parts for another saber within the next week or so. That way I can powdercoat a bunch of parts at the same time and only have to clean up the mess once. I can't wait to finish the next two and give them to their respective owners. If only I could do this for a living!

The Chameleon

2009-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Boy, am I glad I had a 3 day weeked this week. It gave me to have enough time to finally finish my first RGB saber. "The Chameleon". It uses MHS Parts, a Seoul 3.5w RGB LED, which allows it to cycle through various colors and a Master Replica Anakin Skywalker soundboard. This saber was a pain in my ass. But it was worth the hard work that I put into it. I achieved the purple I was looking for and managed to get a nice yellow as well. Too bad my camera doesn't pick up the yellow too well, but then again when to pictures ever do anything justice?

Here is the push button rotary switch I use to cycle through the colors

Green

Red

Blue

Light Blue

Purple

Yellow

White

And the Video:

I have to again thank my Uncle Rick for the help he gave me with the electronics. If it weren't for him this saber would be one color and soundless. Thanks Rick!

New saber progress

2009-01-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend I started working on an color changing saber. I had everything wired up outside the hilt and it was working beautifully. As soon as I put it into the saber, all the colors that involved Red wouldn't blend. I got Red, Blue, Green, and Cyan. But Purple, Orange and White stopped working. I think the Red is eating up way too much juice. I'll probably end up putting a 3 ohm resistor on it, to see if that makes a difference. So yea...no RGB this weekend.

So after drinking a few beers after the RGB disappointment, I got out my trusty dremel and cut another sinktube, sanded it down to the brass, drilled a few holes into it to attach the shroud, covertech button and blade set screw. Then wired up a Red/Orange LED with a quick connect system so I can swap different colors in and out without having to solder anything.

Next weekend I'll powder coat the shrouds in Wet Black and prepare it for sound. Ultrasabers just announced a firmware upgrade to the soundboards I bought from them, so as soon as I get those back I'll wire up the new and improved board and bring this monster to life.

Cerberus part II

2009-01-22T22:34:00.000-08:00

So, for Christmas I got a new workbench, a new Soldering Iron and a Craftsman Powder Coating gun. I put them to the test over the three day weekend. First I powder coated the sinktube shrouds in Wet Black.

I swapped out the Blue Luxeon III LED and added a Quick Connect system, which allows me the ability to switch out different color LEDs. It now holds a Cyan LED. I then added a custom made pommel machined by Orbital Machining.

Thanks to a crash course in electronics from my Uncle Rick, I added a soundboard. Cerberus now contains an UltraSound 2.0 from UltraSabers.

Here is the video:

Cerberus

2009-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Here is my current saber "Cerberus"
Named after the Guardian of the Gates of Hades

I started by dremeling out some custom shrouds from a aluminum sink tube to fit over the MHS parts from The Custom Saber Shop.
I sanded off the aluminum coating and got this antique brass color.

Next I installed a Blue Luxeon III LED.

Then I drilled and tapped holes for the blade retention screw and the screws to hold the shrouds in place. I added a black covertech button to the bottom so I can attach it to a covertech clip on my belt.

Next up powder coating and sound installation.