Building a Lightsaber

You're not a Jedi until you've built your own lightsaber. This page will show you how.

Most fans are quite surprised to learn that the blaster pistols, rifles and lightsaber props used in the Star Wars movies were made from early 20th century machine guns and vintage camera equipment. Most of these items are still common today and are fairly easy for the Star Wars enthusiast to find. This page will focus on finding and converting the Graflex 3-Cell flash handle into an authentic replica of the lightsaber used by Luke Skywalker in A New Hope. For more information about other Star Wars props made from pre-existing items see my website at:

http://members.aol.com/yodashouse    

or contact me directly at yodashouse@aol.com

Completed ANH lightsaber

Background

Most of the lightsabers used in the movies were made from *flash guns* or *flash handles*. These are the devices used to supply power to the flash bulbs in vintage press cameras. When you see an old movie with a crowd of photographers taking pictures, most likely the cameras you see have Graflex or Heiland flash handles attached. The flash handle is the long tube that holds the flash bulb and reflector. It is also used as a handle for the camera. These flash handles made great props because they have all kinds of little gizmos like buttons, pinch clamps and gold terminal points sticking out to compliment the techno look of the movies.

A Graflex 3-Cell flash handle shown here with a typical reflector hood attached

The only things added to the Graflex flash gun to make Luke's saber from ANH were a belt clip, some windshield wiper blades for hand grips, a strip of chrome tape and a display lens from an old LED calculator. Luke's ESB saber differed slightly from the ANH version in that the original belt clip and calculator display were replaced with a new style belt clip and printed circuit board with gold traces. The Graflex's light lens assembly was also replaced for ESB with a second red push button.

Modified version used in ESB. For more information on the this version see my page at

http://members.aol.com/yodashouse

Where to begin?

The first thing to find in order to build either version of Luke's saber is the Graflex flash handle. It's actually called a "Graflex 3-Cell" flash gun or flash handle. They came as an accessory for the Graflex "Speed Graphic" camera. The best places to find good quality flash handles are vintage camera trade shows. Check out a Shutterbug magazine for a listing of local shows. A Graflex 3-Cell in very good to excellent condition sells for as little as $10. Vintage camera buffs frown on Star Wars fans buying up the flash handles and *destroying* them. Most will either deny having them or jack up the price to collector level if they think you're making a lightsaber out of it. You'll be wise not to mention what you plan to do with it.

Another place to find the flash handles is the internet newsgroups. There are always folks who will sell you one there, but expect to pay anywhere from $100 for less than mint handles to over $200 for a handle in mint condition. Remember though that these flash handles are considered outdated junk by camera dealers. No one other than a Star Wars fan would pay more than $10 for one, even in mint condition. *Calling around* and posting to the newsgroups will rarely yield anything other than the occasional high priced find. Your best bet is to be patient and wait for a camera show. Then go and rummage through the dealer's boxes. The chances of finding a Graflex at an affordable price are very good.

Variations

The Folmer Graflex Corporation made 3 basic models of the 3-Cell flash handle. Two of the models look almost identical except for the design of the push button. The original version of the 3-cell had a hinged type button and pin stripes around the terminals as shown here.

The final style of  3-Cell flash handle is the one most camera dealers think is the movie version. It looks nothing like the ones pictured above. It's really just a long skinny tube with a black cap on one end. They're usually marked with "Cat#2773 3-Cell" and "Graflite". While this version was not used for any of the lightsabers, it can be seen painted multi-color on the dashboard of Luke's X-wing.

A Graflite 3-Cell flash handle. Shown here with the mounting clamps used in the X-Wing

What next?

Once you've found the flash handle you'll need to locate the other items needed for the conversion:

* 7 digit LED calculator display lens - The first hand held calculators made in the early '70's had LED (light emitting diode) displays. With this type of display a number is represented by turning on the appropriate LEDs in a seven-segment display. The numbers in this type of display put out a red glow that can be seen in the dark. LED displays are still found today in most radio/alarm clocks.The display lens was used to magnify the individual numbers for easier reading and looks like a clear strip of plastic with a bubble over each LED. It's still possible to find old hand held calculators with LED displays. However, most models have 8 or 9 digit displays i.e. Texas Instruments TI-2500 or Datamath II. The seven digit display used in ANH was made by TI in limited quantities for export to Europe, never selling in the US and was soon replaced by the 8 and 9 digit display type.

TI Datamath II hand held calculator (above)

9 digit LED display lens used in the TI Datamath II ( left )

* Rubber strip for grips - The English prop builder who made the saber for ANH used windshield wiper blades for the six grips. No one is exactly sure which windshield wiper blades were used but most will agree that they must have been made for a large military type vehicle judging by the size and design of the material. The grips are made from a very heavy rubber which, when viewed from the profile, look like the letter "T". The material was cut to size, the edges were rounded with a razor knife and the pieces were fastened to the Graflex using double sided tape. The top of the letter "T" was fastened to the Graflex leaving the bottom *fin* sticking out to form the gripping surface. With all six rubber strips in place the saber not only looks good but is also quite functional. The grip fits the hand well and offers a little bit of cushion and a great non-slip surface for dueling.

I've spent quite a bit of time looking for the proper type of wiper blades to use for my saber only to find that most 50+ year old rubber has long since dry rotted and is not much use for display. The blades I've found that are still in good condition have trouble sticking to the Graflex due to the flat back of the blades not conforming to the round surface of the Graflex. I'm sure it worked fine for the filming of the movie since the saber was only shown from a distance. But for display purposes, I needed something better.

To achieve total accuracy and display quality results I've come up with a custom rubber extrusion made from the same hard rubber material as the original grips. The grip material is exactly like the military wiper blades except that the part of the material that contacts the Graflex is curved to match the curve of the handle. No expense was spared in achieving total professionalism in this design and I believe it to be the finest quality on the market today. A set of six pre-cut grips sells for $10.

* Belt Clip -Not much information is available regarding the belt clip used for the ANH version of this saber. Some folks just bend some metal strip and drill a couple of holes in it. While this method is functional, the results are usually lacking in display quality appearance. I've modeled my belt clip after the version made by Icons. They had the chance to borrow the actual prop in order to replicate it. So, given the absolute accuracy of the rest of their saber, I don't doubt that what they made is a dead on copy. Just like my rubber grip material described above, no expense was spared in the design and construction my belt clips. They are formed using commercial metal fabrication equipment. The holes are punched, not drilled. And the entire assembly is nickel plated. The result is a professional looking belt clip assembly that is identical to what Icons uses on their Luke saber. ( see picture below ) I believe this to be the highest quality and most accurate belt clip assembly on the market today. A complete belt clip sells for $10 and includes stainless steel fasteners.

* Chrome tape - What can I say about the chrome tape? Its just plain 1/2" wide mylar tape. Any good industrial tape or label manufacturer will be happy to send you a small sample. I include more than enough for a Graflex in my conversion kit at no charge. You'll need a long 5 1/2"strip to cover the word "Graflex" on the rail clamp and a short 2" piece to put behind the LED display lens to make it reflective.

My $30 Graflex Conversion Kit

• 6 rubber grips with industrial grade adhesive

• Nickel plated belt clip assembly with stainless steel fasteners

• 7 digit display lens replica

• 2 strips of mylar tape

How it all goes together

There's not much to the conversion. The calculator display is held in place by the flash handle's clamp. The grips are held in place at 60 degree intervals by an industrial grade adhesive tape. And the belt clip is fastened with button head screws mounted in the bottom of the handle.

The only part of the Graflex that gets modified is the bottom half. This picture shows how the grips are placed on the handle. Note that the bottom edge of the facing grip is in the same plane as the centerline of the wide slot. Install the grips with the band clamp attached to the bottom half. This will keep the grips the correct distance from the slot. If the grips are installed too close to the slot the bottom half will not lock into place in the band clamp. You can use the face of a clock to get the grips at 60 degree intervals by setting the bottom half end cap down on the face of the clock and making marks at two hour intervals.

This picture shows the belt clip mounting details. The relationship between the grip edge and the wide slot as mentioned above is also shown here. The belt clip mounts 90 degrees off of the grip that is attached closest to the wide slot. Or, using clock coordinates, a grip at 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 & 10 o'clock as shown here with the d-ring of the belt clip hanging over at 9 o'clock

This picture shows how all of the parts line up with each other when the unit is completed. Note that with the display lens pointing straight up (as shown here) the d-ring hangs straight down. Using clock coordinates and viewing the Graflex from the bottom end with the display pointing straight up, line your saber up this way:

• Grips placed at 1,3,5,7,9 & 11 o'clock

• Display mounted at 12 0'clock

• Belt clip d-ring hangs down at 6 o'clock

• Red button on the front half at 3 o'clock