Wisdom - making of

Everything starts with design. Each replica requires special attention, after all this is not my own imagination at work, but a well (very well in this case) known design that's been a classic for decades. First, the overall shape of the hilt needs to be replicated as best as possible, then all the characteristic elements are incorporated. In this case it is the grenade-like handle, thin neck between emitter and rest of the hilt and of course the control box.

All that needs to conform with some technical requirements, such as space for the electronics inside and making sure that the hilt is strong enough to handle heavy duelling. Then, after comparing with pictures and figuring out how to make all the elements (with the machines that I have) it is time for a second design part. This time the manufacturing.

Having a few years of experience under my belt it is not particularly hard, but challenges always arise. In this case, the grenade part could be done in a couple different ways, using a chamfering bit for example, but ultimately I chose to do it with a regular endmill. Thanks to that the tool is not under very heavy load and it is easier to make sure that the machined surface will be perfect. Other parts of the hilts are a formality, as long as some good practices are respected.

This saber also has a control box which is not only aesthethic, but also replaces the button. It is the same one as in Hope (which is Luke Skywalker's hilt) and initially I ordered it outside, but after some time I decided to manufacture it myself as it is the only real way to make sure everything is perfect down to the smallest detail.

The control box itself is probably more complicated to machine than the hilt itself, as it requires special holding solutions that need to be made first and which will allow to make multiple pieces at the same time with repeatable quality.

Ssecond part is of course the main body of the hilt itself, the model of which you could see above. It too requires a special solution to mount it in a stable and repeatable way. It starts with a very thick "pipe" made from the strongest aluminium alloy AW-7075 with space for the electronics bored inside as well as all internal threads. This is then mounted on a spindle that will provide rigidity and access to all areas that need to be accessed by the tools.

The hilt is preliminarily machined on the lathe, then passed onto the 4-axis milling machine. After that comes the first surface finishing with dying the black parts and bead blasting all other flat, visible surfaces that are not dyed in any way. Then it is back to the lathe where it gets into its final shape and all the surfaces are brushed.

All the remaining parts, such as the brass and copper neck parts, as well as the emitter are ordered outside since making them on my machines would be nearly impossible. So they come to me from near Częstochowa, all shiny and polished. But not for long, as both brass and copper are very reactive and prone to oxidation. That is why they are covered in transparent lacquer which protects them from the environment.

The emitter is brushed and then it is mounted on the milling machine to make the hole and thread for blade locking screw. This needs to be made separately for each saber - since the emitter, connecting parts and the main body are all screwed together it is impossible to say where on the circumference of the emitter the hole should be, and I want it to be roughly on the opposite side of the control box. To do that the saber needs to be partially assembled, the emitter marked and then the thread machined.

Now that all the elements are ready, the next step is to assemble the electronics.

In most other hilts it is possible to assemble them whole in one, however here, since there is the thin neck between the emitter and body, the 24 Watt LED is places in the emitter, while the rest is in the main body. Additionally, the control box gets its own small PCB for the button and indicator LED which are neatly tucked inside.

Everything in place, it is not time to assemble it all and create an unforgettable replica.

And so Wisdom is born!