The real problem with this saber, is the fact that I have a LOT less space to work with. The outer contour of the clamp, the booster, the grenade, is a lot smaller than the ROTJ Luke due to all the cuts into the shapes. Designing a chamber reveal lock is proving to be challenging. On the ROTJ Luke, I had support rods running the entire length of the rear section, from the grenade piece to the pommel. The ANH Obi has a design that precludes these support rods. I may remove them from the design altogether.

However, I think I figured it out once I abandoned the "twist pommel lock" method I developed with the ROTJ Luke, and tried to do something new for this one. My plan is to use the Graflex clamp lever bolt as a pivot, and the natural gap between the bars as a slot for a lever that will have a hook on the front that engages a notch in the grenade, and a nub on the back to press with my thumb.

Here I am milling out a notch in the "top" of the grenade section. To determine the top, I screw in the brass windvane till it stops, and the notch in that points up. Then I mark the top of the grenade, clamp it in the vise and mill.

This is the notch where I plan to have the chamber release lever catch on.

I'll machine my latch that pivots on the clamp lever bolt next, since I have to machine that to fit the notch, so that there's as little slack as possible.

Here's my release lever. I had a plate of aluminum scrap laying around with just the perfect width, perfect hole already drilled in it for the bolt, and I just had to machine it to fit. I also milled down between the bars and partially into the main housing to allow for the spring that keeps tension on the lever, keeping the chamber locked.

There is excess material on the thumb nub left, I will machine that down as I get closer to finishing this section. I don't want it to stick out TOO far, but I want to be able to get hold of it. All this will be hidden under the bubble strip.

This is the tooth that locks into the notch on the grenade section. I will probably get this anodized black, or painted a dark color so it doesn't show up as much. The aluminum crystal mount temp piece is there as a doodle, till I get my brass in to make the final part. I need to shorten it, and narrow the inside opening, and make the curve a bit more prounounced before I am satisfied with this part.

Not that it shows up much at all, really, but it should be a dark grey or black. Here it is all closed under spring pressure, not too noticable. I'll need to do a good weathering pass when I am done machining so it matches my original static Obi Wan hilt.

This is about as far open as the chamber will go with support rods. Without them, I might get another inch of opening. No crystal chamber yet, that solid aluminum cylinder is there to test the latch functionality, and to let me know how much more support I will need to make things as sturdy as I can. I may not have outer support rods at this point. I am entertaining a new design that might not need them. If that turns out to work well, it will help me with the quick detatch bladed section vs. non bladed section setup I have bouncing around in my head at the moment.

So a few points here. I needed some way to keep the pommel cube ring from rotating. Not that it would spin freely, but they tend to move over time. So I used a 1/8 endmill to cut a slot down into the inside surface of the ring. This slot engages the raised 6/32 setscrew I use to secure the pommel to the booster. I also took the steel pommel endcap, and cut a larger hole through it, and angled it so as to be sort of a speaker amplifier.

Tonight, I am machining out my main canister for the battery tray. I have to cut this away so the two 18350 batteries have a spot to sit. This also lets me get down to the other side of the can on the inside to mill out a flat spot and drill and tap for the recharge port, which I will do later.

Battery tray version 1. Hopefully I won't have to do a version 2, since this is a lot of work on one piece.

Batteries are heatshrunk still, don't worry, they're not going to ground out against the aluminum. I think I will enlarge my battery tray a bit more. I have another millimeter or two I could shave off the back, as long as it doesn't show a gap through the booster section, it will be fine. I want plenty of room in here for wire, solder, and heatshrink.

With just enough room for the speaker and MicroSD card. I may machine a delrin speaker enclosure and scoot it back into the screw cap of the pommel a bit more.

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