ON OCCASION, WE ARE ASKED WHERE OUR VADER BELT BOXES COME FROM. THE ANSWER....OUR BOXES ARE MADE FROM SCRATCH BASED ON AN ORIGINAL 1970s ENCLOSURE IN OUR COLLECTION. UNLIKE THE ORIGINAL ANH BOXES, WHICH CONTAINED MORE FOLDED METAL, ( BEING FAR EASIER TO CONTRUCT) THE ESB AND ROTJ BOXES WERE BASICALLY SEAMLESS BOX, REQUIRING A GOOD DEAL MORE TIME TO MAKE.
AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW, THE METAL IS FIRST CUT OUT INTO LONG STRAIGHT STRIPS, USING MASSIVE SHEARS. THEN THE STRIPS ARE CAREFULLY CUT DOWN TO CREATE THE SIDES. THEN, THE SIDES ARE THEN TACK WELDED. (A TACK WELD IS A SMALL WELD DESIGNED TO INITIALLY OR TEMPORARILY HOLD METAL PLATES TOGETHER SO INSPECTION CAN BE MADE BEFORE THE FINAL WELDS ARE LAYED INTO PLACE). FOLLOWING THE INSPECTION TO ENSURE THE BOXES ARE AS 'SQUARE,' WE THEN LAY IN THE FINAL WELDS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BOXES. WE COMPLETE THE BASIC BOX BY GRINDING ALL THE WELDS DOWN SO THAT THEY ARE FLUSH OR EVEN WITH THE SURROUNDING OR PARENT METAL. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE SECOND ROW DOWN, THAT BOX HAS GAPS IN BETWEEN THE PLATES. THE MOLTEN METAL WELD ACTUALLY FILLS IN THESE GAPS SO THE FINAL BOX IS ESSENTIALLY SEAMLESS. THIS APPROACH CREATES A STRONG, SMOOTH FINISH.
WHEN THE BASIC BOX IS FINISHED, WE THEN CUT AND FILE OUT THE BELT SLOTS, AND THEN ATTACH A BACKPLATE BEHIND THE BOXES USING YET ANOTHER INNOVATE PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO SAVE WEIGHT.
IN THE NEXT TO LAST STEP, WE ACTUALLY WELD IN SPECIALLY DESIGNED CLIPS (THAT WE MAKE) TO PERMANENTLY SECURE THE WHITE TUBE INTO PLACE, SO IT WONT EVER FALL OUT (NO NEED FOR EPOXY HERE! ). IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS PROCEDURE, WE PAINT THE BOX, BEING VERY CAREFUL NOT TO PAINT THE WHITE TUBE IN THE PROCESS !
WE THEN DRILL THE HOLES FOR THE VARIOUS KNOBS, LIGHTS, TUBES, etc---BUT WIDEN SOME HOLES TO ALLOW FOR SOME PLAY IN THE FINAL POSITIONING OF THE HARDWARE-- ACCURACY, ACCURACY, ACCURACY !
AND THEN....WE MAKE ANOTHER BOX, MIRRORING THE PROCEDURES USED ABOVE.
MAKING JUST THE TWO BOXES ALONE -- FROM CUTTING OUT THE STRIPS TO INSTALLING THE HARDWARE ---TAKES ABOUT SIX SOLID HOURS...ALMOST A FULL DAY.! ............THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE TO CUT OUT THE LEATHER BELT AND CREATE IT 'S DETAILING.....CUT OUT AND FORGE THE STAINLESS STEEL SABER CLIP.....CUT OUT AND ASSEMBLE THE BUCKLE....AND FINALLY CREATE A REAR COSTUMING BUCKLE......WHEW !
CAN YOU TELL THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE?
