3D Modulair Flash-Lightsaber

Hey there fellow Star Wars fan!

Welcome to the introduction of making a 3D printed modulair lightsaber that lights up!

Do take in mind that this is a schoolproject and I dont have a lot of experience in making things, especially with a 3D printer.

What you need:

- 3D printer

- Flashlight that will fit

- Battery

- Drill

- Sand paper

- Black and Silver spray paint

- Glue gun (maybe)

- Wood file

- Circulair file

The sketching fase first. Always.

In this fase I'll explain my idea's more thoroughly by giving you a full insight of the plan i made. It is very important to take notes on this so maybe you can improve my concept even more!

The saber or hilt is made out of three pieces. These pieces connect via a simple click and slide that is already in the design file. You can make it your own by customizing the top of the hilt or the bottom half of it.

Starting off small is better if you don't have enough experience in making a 3D printed object. This is my first one too so dont mind my flaws just yet!

I started my project by taking the design on my flashdrive and setting up the 3d builder. For this particulair object i used PLA as a resin for the printer.

The fill was on 20% and the speed at 90/s. I did this so it comes out very strong.

Also by giving it a raft or brim you ensure the print proces going well.

File down the edges so the other parts will fit in once you are done.

Shame on me to start with.

I made this long part with only a small brim around it. Same settings as before only a different color to show off to you guys and girls.

But even though i waited 3 hours for something like this to come out.. I am pretty happy it did so I can show to you how to fix this.

Always print large objects with a raft rather than a brim since it is more stable.

Find yourself a circulair stone grinder if possible, if not do warmups because you are going to need a lot of muscle endurance to file this down correctly.

Print the rest of the object and wait for that to complete.

While you are at it file down the failed part to where you started the rest to print. If you file this correctly you will be able to fit the parts together and glue it.

Thats what I did and it worked.

Get some contact glue and wait for it to dry at least one night. Once you are down with that file down the connecting parts to fit the first (blue) hilt cover.

Sure i hated to start another print because the other one failed. This time it is not a very long object and by putting on a very sturdy raft it was bound to succeed. And so it did.

File everything down now and try to fit it all together.

Once you file it down correctly it fits perfeclty. The blue part fits but I didnt want to put alot of force on the glued part so thats why its not all the way on it.

You need:

- 2 tones of grey or black spray paint.

- Primer

- Toothbrush

- Newspaper

First roll up your newspaper and jam it inside of your saber. This will ensure that your hands won't get spray paint on them.

Next spray the saber with primer and let that dry for at least 2 hours. Check it every half hour because this stuff is very aggressive and will damage the plastic.

Once its all dried up, spray your first darker toned layer on.

Cover the saber with an even layer of paint. Let no color of the plastic come trough because this might interfere with the second layer.

Once your lighter and second layer is on there, get yourself a toothbrush and spray some of the darker paint on it. Don't let this dry up but quickly brush the edges of your saber. Once thats done you have one more step to complete!

Once the paint is dried up, get a suitable flashlight, turn it on and slide it in. Now your saber is complete! Have fun hunting Sith Lords!