Saber Forum

I was looking at some sabers on google and I realized that a shroud could add a lot to an otherwise plain looking saber ( dark initiate) but here's my question. Is there anyone who has built such a shroud. I'm not sure where to even start really. I like the shrouds that come up to form almost like an emmiter guard. What materials do I use? Sheet metal? Piping? I really like the customization I did on my saber if you haven't seen it here is a link to some photos http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7722.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7722.0)

But I want to add more. I'm going to order a pommel this coming week so who has done a custom shroud?

u can buy aluminum stock and cut it with dremel as long as it is the right diameter also u
could use sink tube

usually any thin piece of metal pipe will do. Its cutting it that's the hard part. I've toyed around with the idea of shrouds, but have never actually made one. lucien had customized his staff with some shrouds a while back
http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7075.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=7075.0)

I definitely want to add to it but I want to keep the thin design

I would suggest some pipe or sink tube, and then just cut a small piece to shroud your emitter only. You could put a swoop in it, and have it low on one side (to showcase your awesome weathering you have on there) and then have it go out past the emitter to cover one side of the blade for an inch or two. Sort of like the Graflex look, but of course you could angle it instead of swooping, or do notches, or any number of things. Just my two cents. I think that would look sweet. 8)

just remember its best to stick with light weight metals. Black pipe and galvanized will add significant weight thats why aluminum and sink tube are good choices really any round metal stock will work but the heavier metals will be a little harder to work with.

If you go to google and type lightsaber shroud there is a white saber with blue smoke I love the look of it. The story of it is incredible he built it all from dollar store stuff. I definitely like the grafelx look. How would I bolt it down? Im worried about hitting a wire or led.

i made a shroud out of sink tubing to resemble Yodas saber. to hold it in place i bought two different thread size machine screws and attached it into the two holes on the emiter. when i finish it , i think my little boy is going to love it. all i have to do is put a couple of coats of spray paint on and a shot of clear coat and it should be done.

I'm going to toy around with some drawings first to see what looks good I will post them when I finish

Some tips

Sink tube works well.
Get graph paper and cut it so that it fits around the tube exactly. Then draw your design on the graph paper. Use a glue stick to stick it to the tube and then dremmel cut it along the lines of your design. The paper should be easy to remove once finished cutting. Best to cut outside the line a bit to allow for fine tuning/errors. You can then hand file it to where you want it, or the sanding drum of the dremmel. You will need to do one of the two to remove the sharp edges.

Good luck, would love to see some designs

Thank you I never thought about the graph paper idea. I was working on some designs last night I was taking index cards and cutting them to the design then double taping them to the saber but I could not get a design I liked I am still working on it

ok here is the first sample of what i wanted to do. now keep in mind that this is just index cards double taped. but it gives you an idea of the overall design i was thinking. it is only the first. Let me know what you guys think!

(http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w407/saberguy77/photo4.jpg)
(http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w407/saberguy77/photo3-1.jpg)
(http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w407/saberguy77/photo1-1.jpg)

i think it looks pretty good

to keep weight down, and make it easier to shape, you could also just use a thinner pvc as well

I thing the hardest will be getting that neck in the back to stay down

Not only hard, but actually impossible, unless it's a separate piece.  Even if you had the tools and know how to bend metal into that shape, there's no way you could slip it over the front of the saber to get it into place.  If you're really set on it curving in like that with a shroud piece, then you're going to have to make it a 2 or 3 part shroud.

agree with ice will need to be a multi-peice shroud so the two big sections should be fairly easy
the problem u will have is on the choke section where it is tapered. If u really want to make a shroud
going over the choke and groove section i would recommend magic sculpt. can be shaped and molded
and once it cures it can be sanded, drilled, and tapped as well as being damage resistant just a suggestion though

Magic sculpt is great. I haven't used it for a shroud, but it's great for adding feature to a saber

If you do the math correctly, you might be able to do it with a piece of PVC.  The secret is to cut it a little longer (but not much), and heat it with a heat gun to make it soft enough to push into the groove.

All you need is a piece of string or paper.

Lay the string/paper along the curvature and mark the point where the curve begins and the point where it ends. Take it out, lay it flat, and measure the distance between the points. Voila... you have just measured what is known as arc length.

Cut your PVC to incorporate that same length, then use the heat gun method. If you measured properly, it will fit like a glove.

EDIT: The only problem with fitting the PVC to the choke, though, is that you'll be trying to heat-warp plastic from one single tubular shape into two tubular shapes (the main PVC tube shape, plus the higher radius tube shape of the choke. This will likely cause a bend in the PVC where the choke begins and ends, as you'll have two sections of PVC competing for space. This is a natural weak spot and can break one day. Just my opinion.

If it were me, I would forgo trying to mold PVC into that odd shape and simply create a filler that will prevent dirt and stuff from getting caught between the shroud and the choke. To help smooth this out and make it look more organic, I would round out the corners where the shroud hits the choke. I'll try and sketch out in AutoCAD what I mean and post it for you tonight.

Here's the idea I have for it...

(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/ckinsey88.png)

As you can see (and it's not to scale), the red part is the saber hilt, the yellow is the proposed shroud, and the white part is the filler between the two. Note the curved area on the shroud over the choke. Not only does it look more aesthetically pleasing (because it fits with the curved contours of the saber itself), but using a curve instills more structural rigidity to the shroud. A hard corner, like you designed, provided a structural weak spot for the shroud, whereas without the corner, the shroud is sturdier overall.

Plus, a curved surface allows for easier cutting, grinding, and polishing than a corner.

Just my $0.02...

wow man that is a good idea and it looks great i think what program did you use to do that?

Thank you!

I used AutoCAD. That is just a quick and dirty version...


*************************************

My first saber design, the Angelic:

(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/1-3.png)
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/1-2.png)
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/1-1.png)


My second design. I call them the Twin Dragons:

(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/td4.png)
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/td3.png)
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/td2.png)
(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/td1.png)

Wow that is awesome and would be so useful! Want to show me what an archon v2would look with choke style 2 and blade holder 20 from tcss? :):):)

I will see what I can do this evening when I get home from work. You won't see the full effect due to lack of proper dimensions, but I can get you a general idea.

It actualy wouldn't be that hard. The part that bends in is going to need to be slightly longer that connects the two parts that wrap around. Then slide the who piece on, and bend te long piece to the body once it's on.

Crap. I totally forgot about the Archon V2 with Choke2 and BH20!

I'll still try to get a quick and dirty render for you today.

lol i was wondering no biggie

Okay, here it is. Quick and dirty, and by no means to scale.

(http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii25/LordDragonspyre/saber/saberwip.png)

I like it! thank you that is pretty cool how you do that it would definitly come in handy for customizing!

For a general idea, yes, but without actual dimensions, it will always be woefully out of sync.