Belt, Boxes, Buckle & Clip

Belt and buckle reference picture

The Belt

The original belt looks like it was made from a synthetic strap.  I picked up a black leather belt from one of those discount places for $7.00.  It's thick and has no edging on it at all.

The Boxes

The two boxes on either side of the buckle are 4 3/4" x 3 1/8" x 2".   I found some gift boxes in The Reject Shop today.  They are 5" x 3 1/4" x 2" and cost me $1.00 each.  They're made from cardboard but they are very strong.  The advantage of them being cardboard is that they are very easy to work with.

It had a black lid and a floral box.  I tried painting the box but the paint didn't take to it.  Black contact will be perfect.

The layout of the buttons, lights and hose are shown below.  Click on the image for a larger picture, print it out and you can use this as a template for drilling holes.

One box is a mirror image of the other, with the green lights closest to the middle.

For the red lights I purchased from Dick Smiths a Bezel Round Red 12v Globe.  These cost $1.70 each or you can use the LED Bezel 2vDC which is $1.65 each.  I've seen both used on the belt boxes and both look quite good.  Both have a nice chrome finish.

 

The white strip on each box is actually clear reinforced hose.   You can get this from Clark Rubber, Enzed or any hardware shop.  The hose I got had a red and yellow thread though it (see photo).  This will do for the time being however I will be on the lookout for stuff without it. 

 

The six silver buttons on each box are cap screws.  They have a socket head and the size is M8x20.  These are made by Zenith and come in packets of three for $2.00 per packet.  I also purchased some Hex nuts to fix them to the lid of the box. 

The two green square buttons on each box are hard to locate.  I've made mine from using clear plastic sheet, cutting and bending it to for a lens and filling it with the lead lighting paint.  They've turned out quite well.  Not perfect but better than paying $13.00 each for a light.

Making the Lens

Cut some thick clear plastic into 4cm squares.
Cut 1cm squares from each corner.
Fold up the sides to form a simple box.  You should now have a lens that is 2cm x 2cm.
Take some Window Color (made by Gallery Glass - I got Emerald Green) and put a generous amount into the lens.  It might look milky when you put it in, but it dries clear.
For the lens housing I cut lengths of thick cardboard to fit around the lens.  I then covered it with black contact and the lens fits snugly in there.  Use a bit of glue around the inside of the housing to secure it.
The finished product.

Alternate Lens and Housing

If you don't want to go to the trouble of making the housing, you can buy some SPST Non-Illuminated Rocker Switches from Dick Smiths.  Pop out the rocker switch and cut the terminals off the end.  The housing is a little smaller than the lenses above, but they don't look too bad.

Building the Boxes

Take the lid of the cardboard box and lay the template (above) on top.  Use a drill to drill holes where the red light and the six silver screws are to go.  Cut a strip out of the box for the hose.  The strip only needs to be as wide as the thickness of the wall of the hose.  The idea is to feed the cut part of the hose through this slit.  For the green lights, all you need is tiny holes for the LED stems to fit through.
Get yourself a round wood rasp/file and start making the holes to the exact size.  I know this is not the way to use a wood rasp, but you can get a perfectly round hole.
Cut a length of clear reinforced hose to 6.5cm in length.  What you need to do is cut down one side of the hose.  You want a perfectly straight cut.  This hose can be hard to cut.  A good idea is to boil the section of hose for a minute and it will become soft.  I suggest you use a good pair of scissors.  Trying to hold the piece of hose and cutting it in half lengthwise with a Stanley knife is difficult and can turn into a bloody mess.  You need to get a straight cut so be very careful and take your time.  Once you have done this, make the second cut (so you are cutting out one quarter of the hose) NB: If the piece of hose has a slight curve in it, you can boil the hose and straighten it.
Cover the lid of the box and the box itself in black contact.  Cut a cross in the contact where the holes are.
Now attach the buttons, screws and the lights to the lid, remove the excess contact and tighten the nuts.
Slip the hose into the slit and feed it through.  Make sure that it sits flush on the box.  Use glue on the back side to secure it into place.
Now you're ready to light it up.   (see below for instructions)

Lighting It Up

Solder all the bits together as in the diagram (click on it for the larger image).  Make sure you have a good connection.  It's also a good idea to got some heat shrink or electrical tape to cover the stems of the LED's.  Some personal thanks to Vaderkinde for allowing me to use the idea and copy her diagram.
If needed, you can attach a switch to the outside of each box to make switching on and off easier.
If your not happy with using LED's, you can use the 12v red light, and use a normal 12v torch globe.  You need to get a reflector for the torch globe.  I found some crappy torches from Clints Crazy Bargins ($1.00 each) and used the reflectors frm them.  If you can't find those, make a cone from cardboard and line it with foil of chrome paint.  You need to hook up both lights in a parallell sort of fashion.  These will run off a 9v battery for a while.

Lighting up the box need not be tricky.  All I can say is if you get into any trouble, go down to your electronics store and ask for help.  I know the guys at my local Dick Smiths store are more than happy to lend a hand.

A completed belt box

The Buckle

The buckle is actually made from aluminium.  I'm going to attempt to make one from balsa wood and spray paint it with chrome paint.

I'll base it onto a blanking wall tile that measures 11.5cm x 7cm.  This looks exactly like a electrical outlet plate without the outlet holes (again, Vaderkinde, thanks for the idea).  They come in white so you need to paint it in a gloss black.  I just used some acrylic modelling paint and tried to paint it on as smooth as I could.  

Use the template below to cut out the buckle.  It measures 9cm x 5cm  You have to be very careful when cutting out the curved end.  It must be a perfect half circle or it will look wrong.  I used very fine sandpaper to shape it.  You will also need to cut out another circle, smaller than the end.  This will also need to be perfect.  Sand it all down to a nice finish, glue the circle onto the end and paint it chrome.  You may need to do a few coats of paint to try and cover the grain of the wood.

The Buckle (click for larger image)

For the lines, I tried using a thick black marker.   The effect is OK if you are looking at it from a distance, however up close looks quite ordinary.  I found that by pressing reasonably hard you can force a shallow groove into the balsa wood.  It looks better but don't make any mistakes.  If you do then you'll have to start all over again.   You can also cut the slits in it.   Just use a drill to roughly cut out the slits and then use a nail file to smooth and shape them.  Make sure the slits are straight.  As you can see on mine, the one closest to the circle is a little skewed.

DON'T ATTACH THE BALSA WOOD TO THE TILE YET. We'll do this after we've attached the tile to the belt.

The Clip

I have searched high and low for the correct thing but just can't seem to find it.

I'll be using a simple snap hook that just slips onto the end of the belt.  This ensures that the lightsaber won't slip off when walking around.  The thing about it is that it's not really that visible, but if you think it warrants it, you can paint it black.

Putting it all together

Start with the buckle (the one you made).  Attaching the buckle to the belt isn't a problem.  The blanking tile has two holes in it for putting the screws in.  All I used was some small bolts, put them through the holes and filled the holes with clay or some other type of hardening filler.  The reason for this is that it fixes the screw to the tile, so when you tighten the nuts, the screw doesn't spin around.  Find the centre of the belt (you'll be wearing it backwards) and punch two holes in the belt, line the screws up and tighten the nuts.  Now you can glue the balsa wood to the tile.

For the boxes I used small nuts and bolts.  Leave about 3cm space on each side of the buckle, line up the box and drill the first hole (closest to the buckle) as close to the side of the box (about .5cm) as you can.  This ensures that when you wear the belt, that the end of the box doesn't lift off the belt.  The second hole can be about 3cm from the side.  Repeat this for the other side of the belt.

I had a small problem with the lids coming off, so get some self adhesive velcro and attach a small piece to the inside lip of the lid, and then some onto the box itself.  No problems now and I can still open them to change the battery or lights.  If you do bend over though, there is a chance that they will open (the velcro acting as a sort of hinge), so you may have to fix yourself up.  You could put another bit of velcro on the bottom of the box if you so desire.

 

That's it.  The belt is now finished.

General Info - Helmet - Voice Amp - Belt - Chest Box - Upper Armour
Cod Piece - Boots - Shin Guards - Inner Cape - Outer Cape
Gloves - Body Suit - Lightsaber - Shopping List
Hints - Gallery - Awards - Links - HOME

Updated: 07 April 2001