Luke's ANH LightsaberMy hardware store Graflex sated my lightLightsaber lust for a few weeks but then I started to get frustrated by its inaccuracies. I went on the hunt for a real Graflex once again. Still the price of 3-cells was outrageous but I eventually tracked down a 2-cell for $100; not cheap but to bad. The only difference between a 2-cell and a 3-cell is the bottom part of the flash. I constructed my own 3-cell bottom out of hardware store parts. First I took a piece of chrome plumber's pipe of the same type as I constructed by replica Graflex from. I cut this using a Dremel tool and the existing 2-cell bottom as a pattern making sure that once it was attached to the flash there would be room as fit the grips. I lightly scratched the chrome's surface using emery cloth to try to reproduce the finish of the rest of the Graflex. I then took a "Metal 1-3/8" Hole Plug" - part # 3900800023 costing $1.29 at Orchard Hardware. This is shiny, piece of round, flat metal with lugs on it. If you adjust the lugs a little it is a perfect fit for the end of the tube and looks great, however, I wanted it to fit recessed within the tube like the original. To this end I used the Dremel to reduce the Hole Plug's circumference sufficiently to achieve this. I then added a D-ring and then fitted the hole plug in the tube. I then used a generous amount of epoxy resin on the inside of the tube to set everything permanently into place. It was then a simple matter of attaching the grips, calculator bubble and chrome tape all obtained from Yoda's House. My Lightsaber was then complete.
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