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Grandpa makes Death Star fire pit for granddaughter, and you too

A "Star Wars"-style steel fire pit proves so popular on Reddit that the 84-year-old who made it is now selling them on Etsy. Now you too can watch the Death Star go up in flames.

Michael Franco
Freelancer Michael Franco writes about the serious and silly sides of science and technology for CNET and other pixel and paper pubs. He's kept his fingers on the keyboard while owning a B&B in Amish country, managing an eco-resort in the Caribbean, sweating in Singapore, and rehydrating (with beer, of course) in Prague. E-mail Michael.
Michael Franco

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The fire pit that lets you watch the Death Star go up in flames night after night. Jennifer Allison

The Force is strong with an 84-year-old New Mexico man who recently whipped up a steel fire pit made to resemble the Death Star from "Star Wars." He did so at the request of his granddaughter, a Reddit user named Jennifer Allison who goes by the handle Bandia867.

Apparently, the grandpa, Kenneth Triplett, is no stranger to custom-making cool fire pits, but Allison did say that he doesn't know "Star Wars" all that well. "He makes many of these as gifts, this one was one I requested," she said on her Reddit post about the project. "He's sold other Southwestern designs. He has little knowledge of 'Star Wars' or just how awesome this is."

Other people seem to know exactly how awesome it is. In fact, the fire pit proved to be so popular when it made its debut on Reddit that Allison soon threw up an Etsy page that lets anyone who wants to peer into the fiery heart of the Death Star get their very own version. It'll cost $1,600 plus between $300-$600 for shipping to US destinations only, but really, what price can you put on being able to tell your friends that you're firing up the Death Star in your backyard tonight?