Tom Baker Sonic Screwdriver Build with PVC

[elkad]

I'm making a tom baker sonic screwdriver from PVC. Using this diagram to go on. It's not going to be precise, but it's going to be darn close.



This What I have so far. A handle, end plug & the start of a sliding barrel. I lathed the slider with three notches & a forth to indicate the lip of the handle. This notch will be below it. I tape off the bottom to hold it in place wile I worked on the rest of the slider barrel.



I made fore 1" cut disks to plug the slider end & drill out the the rest as a spacer for the next piece.



I glued & lathed the disks to fit in the slider, then used a 1/2" stepper bit to fit the next part of the slider.



Now for the trigger ring, the small part you pull down with your thumb to activate the sonic. I cut a 3/4" pipe & wrapped it around the 1/2" using my heat gun. I made a 4.2mm cut in the 3/4" pipe to fit snugly around the 1/2" pipe. If this isn't correct for you, just sand down a little at a time till the sides of the outside pipe touch wile wrapped around the inner pipe.



When making the trigger ring, make enough pipe to make the ring & leftover to make the beveled tip at the top of the slider.



Individual parts.

[alexcutler]

Excellent work.  Very curious to see how you paint this

[Volpone]

This is magnificent.  But it still cannot prevent Tom Baker from pointing the sonic screwdriver at things backwards.

[elkad]

This is magnificent.  But it still cannot prevent Tom Baker from pointing the sonic screwdriver at things backwards.

Actually, it doesn't matter witch side you use, the bullet side is the fillips & the the tuning fork side is the flat head of the screwdriver.

[elkad]

I'm using a lathed down 3/8" pipe & a thick price of flatten pipe for the tip connecting the emitter to the barrel.



For the emitter ring I'm using a 1" pipe & a combination of a 3/8 & 1/2" for the built emitter. I measured out the ring at 120 degrees to insert the pins attaching the built, ring & barrel tip. The blueprint I have doesn't have the measurements for the built shape or the tuning fork side.

Is there a blueprint form for this screwdriver in more detail? Somehow I remember a detailed blueprint somewhere of various screwdrivers. Could someone comment a link, if there is.



I'm using thick baling wire to hold the built in place. I should have made a holder to position the built.

That's another thing, the measurements where the pins go on the built isn't mentioned ether. I had to measure that out & mark my pins as they were placed on the built.



I drilled a hole in the barrel tip & a 5/16 wood dowel for the main rod inside, hot gluing them together.



And last, for now, a spring to reset the slider barrel. Once I got it together, it started jamming on me. I'm thinking it's all those individual 3/8" pipes connecting the parts together. I'm going to try to remove all those tips & put in one long 3/8" pipe shaft. tat way the wood dowel or barrel tip doesn't jam again, hopefully.

I still have to close off the bottom of the screwdriver, cut a line in the barrel, attach another wood dowel to the center dowel to line up everything & fit it into the cut angle on the bottom then dismantle & paint.

[elkad]

I capped the cap, I didn't want to do this until I figured how to mount the center bar that's connected to the emitter.



On this diagram it says its mounted on the cut angle at the bottom.



The dowel I have in their is to small, so I have to attach a larger mounting dowel on top of it.



Now lets make the cut mounting edge on the bottom.



I'm replacing the individual 3/8" connecting pieces with one, but I have to sand the tube down to slide on the parts without getting stuck in place.



Now the cut line, which I can only guess, it's for turning the slider & locking it on the on position.
made a stencil that go's half way on the tube, marked it & cut it out with my Dermal cutting disk.



Now I have to make a cover for the gaping hole I made. This means I have to cut the slider down, because the slider tube is right against the cover & wont move.

[elkad]

The built emitter of the sonic has a flat head screw on the tuning fork side, so I cut a piece of rod, drilled a hole & mounted the screw.



Now I use some rolled up cardboard into a cone to block off the inside of the tube. These cardboard cones can be reused or just thrown away to make new ones, your choice.
Now its ready to be painted. Just get a thick stiff piece of foam & baling wire, paint & let dry. For the details like the cut ribs at the bottom of the slider, or the silver tip on the built, I used some modeling paint.

[elkad]

Finished 

[elkad]

Video coming soon

[russellsuthern]

Love it!

Can I have one?

😉

Russell

[elkad]

[alexcutler]

This is magnificent.  But it still cannot prevent Tom Baker from pointing the sonic screwdriver at things backwards.

The Doctor is simply accessing a different mode of the screwdriver by reversing it - the device is semi-telepathic and knows what the Doctor's intention is.  Tom Baker doesn't make mistakes - he makes new Doctor facts... ;-)