Cut off the RED highlighted area. I recommend cutting a little short, then filing or sanding the rest down to the main tube. The main tube has a gloss finish that will have to be sanded for painting anyway. So leave a little bit of flange to be sanded so that when you're done sanding the tube should look like it never had the section you removed.

IMPORTANT: Do not cut out the square section that has the REECE logo stamped on it, this is why it is NOT highlighted in red! It will eventually become the front of the shroud.  I recommend using a reinforced cut off disk in your Dremel, and cut from the back so you can see when you get close to the main tube.

Cut off the RED highlighted area. This will be the threaded section of the part. Cut a little short like in step 1 because you'll be sanding the extra threading flange down to the larger middle ring. Again, you want this to look like the part never had the threaded section, and it just ends at the larger ring. 

IMPORTANT: Do not cut off the middle ring! This will eventually become part of the back of the shroud, where it meets up with the door catch.

This is what the 2 parts should look like after steps 1 & 2. You don't have to sand the whole hitch cover since most of it will be cut off anyway. Just sand the section between the area you just cut off, and the 2 D shaped cutouts on the sides of the tube, just to be safe!

The next step involves tedious sanding!!!!! The REECE logo on the front of the hitch cover is stamped into it. You'll want to sand the whole front of the cover smooth until the logo is no longer visible. If you have a belt sander, this can be a quick task. If not, LIKE ME you just have to place it face down on a flat surface lined with sandpaper and move it in a circular motion. I think I hate this step the most, but as you go step the sandpaper up to the next finer grit, this will make things alot easier later when you go to paint it.

Next, cut a straight line along the same path the "D" shaped slices in the side of the cover take. I've highlighted this in GREEN on the diagram. Don't go any higher than the cutout, give yourself some    room for error. Cut ALMOST but not quite to the end of the cover where the logo used to be, then straight down the sides and across the bottom. Next, measure 1 1/8" from the logo across the top, and cut straight down.  The RED highlighted area gets removed, but keep it as this piece will be used to form the activation box later.  Eventually, the front section will be thinned, but don't go too far with it just yet. It's always better to give yourself a little room for error when cutting, You can always sand or carve it closer later.

O.K., first I have to describe a couple of details on the plumbing part so you know what I'm talking about. It looks like it was molded in two parts. There are mold lines running right down the middle, I've highlighted them in GREEN on the diagram. This helps orient the part precisely when you go to mark your cut lines. The "bottom" has a co. logo, and part #'s & stuff on the larger ring. This section gets cut off next (that's why it's the bottom) The top has a small half circular tab sticking up vertically, also on the larger ring.

First, draw two parallel lines 1 7/8" apart, this should be the diameter of the main tube. Then draw a line perpendicular to the two lines intersecting both. These are your cut lines and they're marked in RED on the diagram.  Place the part backside (larger ring ) down, line up the middle mold lines perpendicular to your drawing and score the cut lines with a razor blade. Only the RED sections of the larger ring get cut off for now, make them come right up to the main tube.

This is what your part should look like after step 4.

This step just involves a little sanding. Go slow on this, you don't want to mess up any of the lines you just cut!  In case you haven't tried this already, the plumbing part is slightly bigger than the hitch covers opening, it will fit inside, but not easily. I've highlighted the sides of the part in RED where you'll need to sand so that it will fit inside the hitch cover. Basically you have already cut parts of the larger ring to meet up with the main tube. Now sand along those lines until you start to cut into the main tube. This should make the sides and top look like the letter "T". Just sand enough so that it fits snug, but not too much of a gap. Watch the next post to see what it should look like.

Here is what the part should look like. I've shown it here inserted backwards into the hitch cover. This is just to test the fit. Later on, it will be put in the other way around.

This is a side view of the real shroud.  In an attempt to get accurate measurements, I scaled it up in Photoshop to the dimensions I already knew  (Graflex tube: 1-1/2"dia. & 1/2" allen cap bolt) and then figured out the rest. Does this look right to everyone? These are the measurements I'm basing the shroud we're building on. Given the parts we're using, it should be pretty close.

Next, cut into the plumbing part like the red highlighted area on the diagram shows. I've also added the hitch cover next to it as part of the same step, but cut the connector first. This way, you can place it into the hitch cover as shown in the next post, and gradually match up the cutting line for the edge. Now before you start cutting, make sure to check the next post to see what these two parts will look like!

And those are the MAXIMUM cuts to make! I usually cut at 1/2" for the plumbing part, and 5/8" for the hitch cover. Then carefully file down to the lines I've scribed.

Pretty soon, we'll epoxy the two parts together. You'll most likely have to file and trim things a little bit to get the overall measurements of the shroud ( like I posted earlier) to match up. For this reason, I usually give myself a little room for error, and leave about 1 mm. over the Red highlighted areas in the previous drawing. Believe me, we haven't come to the messy part yet, but in order to get this perfect, you'll probably be epoxying, sanding & filing, epoxying again, sanding some more, trimming, and filling in gaps alot before this is done. So don't sweat it if you don't cut exactly as I've measured, just don't cut any more than! This drawing is just a rough representation, but the previous drawing (at least on my screen) is almost exact scale. 

This is a diagram of just the hitch cover. I've highlighted a raised area of it in GREEN. The whole area of the inside section highlighted will have to be thinned down to 1/16". This is easiest if you cut the middle out first. That way, you can thin it using the cutting discs from the middle. The next diagram will show this better!

Next, Place the Plumbing part into the hitch cover. Hold it so that the front is flush with the back  wall of the hitch cover. Trace around the inner circle as shown in the diagram as green dashes. This area (highlighted red) of the back wall will be cut out. It's best not to cut right up to the plumbing part, leave maybe a mm or two. This will make a shelf for the epoxy when the time comes. Trace around the outer edge of the plumbing parts curve, and cut off the corners as shown. If you follow the bottom curve of the plumbing part, and trace onto the hitch cover, you'll want to leave a little extra on the sides. This is where you'll fill in with GLOBS and Globs of Epoxy, then sand down to shape later!  Once you've cut off the red areas, carefully thin out the inside of the hitch cover(previously the back wall) at the exact spot where the front of the plumbing part will come in contact with it. t's not neccesary to thin inside the top and sides of it, just the back wall. As I posted above, you want the wall thickness of the back to be 1/16". The plumbing part is already cut to 7/16" so when you put them together, you get the right thickness for the bottom ring of the shroud of 1/2"!

This is what the hitch cover should look like after you've cut out the middle, and corners. I've highlighted the area of the back that needs to be thinned out to a 1 mm thickness.

We've come to the messy part!!!!  Test fit the plumbing part inside the hitch cover.  With the exception of the curve on the shelf, it should now match the side view with the overall dimensions I posted earlier. 1" across the top, 1/2" thick ring across the bottom, 1/2" cut under shelf up to ring, and 9/16" from top to bottom of shelf, and 2" from the top to the bottom. Now, I HIGHLY recomend using the brand Epoxy I gave info on. It's a 2 part epoxy, make sure you mix the parts together well!   As the diagram shows, the areas highlighted in GREEN on the hitch cover get the epoxy. You'll only have one shot at this so smear HUGE globs of Epoxy in the creases of the shelf! And all around the ring. You want epoxy to just be oozing out of every seam, and don't worry about geetting it non-highlighted areas, you can always sand it off later. I usually place a piece of tape over the largest gaps, but don't press it down flush, just enough to hold most of the epoxy in place.

The flat spots on the sides of the plumbing piece won't quite meet up with the hitch cover. This is the next step : once the initial epoxy is dry, and both parts are bonded together, we'll build up these areas with more epoxy, til it's flush all the way around. 

Once the first epoxy application is dry, it's time to add to the sides!  I've highlighted in GREEN how this should look built up. It's best to just MOUND these areas with epoxy the first time, sand when dry, and fill any gaps, building another layer onto it if needed. You might have to do this a couple of times, sanding smooth after each application. Sometimes tiny airbubbles can form so keep an eye out for that too.

Once the first epoxy application is dry, it's time to add to the sides!  I've highlighted in GREEN how this should look built up. It's best to just MOUND these areas with epoxy the first time, sand when dry, and fill any gaps, building another layer onto it if needed. You might have to do this a couple of times, sanding smooth after each application. Sometimes tiny air bubbles can form so keep an eye out for that too.

This is how the part should look after you've built up the epoxy on the edges, seams and sides.  If done correctly, the epoxy should be sanded completely flush with the plastic. The aluminum powder additive will "shine" giving the epoxy areas a metallic look!

Next, take a dime and place it on the side of the shroud as shown in the diagram. trace the curve and cut off the RED highlighted area. Go slow, and cut in a little at a time. This must be done to both sides of the shroud. Before I cut, I always trace the dimes curve onto a small piece of cardboard, cut out the inside of the curve, and use it as a template to match up both cuts precisely!

This cut may expose a gap along the surface of the curve, so just fill in with epoxy, and sand smooth when dry.

And this is just to show what the curves look like when done. Were almost finished!

Next, cut a strip of sheet styrene(as specified earlier) or other thin flexible plastic to roughly 3" long X 1/2' wide.  That's exact, so I usually give myself a little extra and trim down the excess later.  You'll want to make sure the leading edges are perfectly straight. Trace a line from where the shelf overhang begins across the top of the shroud, following the same line as the main ring. This area is highlighted GREEN in the diagram. If you use the same styrene sheet I specified, it has tiny ribs on one side, and is smooth on the other. Place the strip across the top of the shroud, and GENTLY bend the sides to fit the curves of the top.  Cover the GREEN highlighted area with a THIN application of epoxy. It doesen't matter if the epoxy runs out the back, but if it runs out the front, it will be very hard to correct. Line up the styrene stip as it appears in the diagram (cream colored) and hold in place until set. This shouldn't take long, but just to make sure the strip doesn't peel off overnight, tape it down with masking tape. Once dry, trim and sand the strip so that it lines up seamlessly with the shroud. You may need to add a tiny bit of epoxy along the seam if sanding exposes any gaps.

After the strip is dry, drill a hole right in the middle of the strip for the Ribbed bolt. Here's a pic so you can see the placement.

What ribbed bolt you ask? I used something I found at ACE, but it had no name. This is a Mom & Pop shop, so I just walked in one day with something I took off of one of my storm windows, showed it to the old lady, and she brought me a few just like it.  It's just a smooth topped aluminum bolt with ribbed sides. I think if it had a name, it would be "Storm Window Bolt"!!! There's also a small washer under it.  Honestly, I haven't found anything completely accurate yet, so for a Hardware saber, it's close. You can always take it out and upgrade later!  Anyway, this bolt is long enough to be used to hold the shroud to the saber tube.

The last step is to paint!!!  I used a combination of Krylon sandable gray primer, and Red Devil Flat Black, Epoxy based paint. The Krylon primer works well with just one coat and, if any blemishes appear that you may have missed, can be wet sanded and recoated.  The Red Devil also works well with just one coat.  This is how your New Handmade Darth Vader ROTJ shroud should look when completed!