Graflex Tube (Unaltered): I think it takes a photo to show people that the Graflex Flash Tube in it's unmodified state really looks close to it's final, Lightsaber version. As you can see, the intricate parts are already in place . The only real modification to be done is to add the plastic grips, belt "D" ring and the small thum swich. Actually the thumb switch is just a small panel that's seated in the existing clamp.

I believe the correct name for this is the Graflex 3-Cell. It was made in the 1940's and holds three D-Cell batteries. There was an additional bulb sockt and flash pan that were part of this product. They are easily removable and I didn't show them in this photo as they don't pertain to the Lightsaber.

Basically this thing would clamp onto the side of one of those giant old cameras and provide the flash for photos. It's pretty obvious that the ILM folks were excited to use something like this because of it's complexity. However, I'm sure that some camera-savvy folks watching Star Wars got a chuckle to see that Luke Skywalker was attempting to save the universe with a flash bulb.