Before coming up with a parts
list for my saber and an order, I decided to look at some other sabersmiths
(I’m not including myself as one, though I’d love to do so, one day). A sabersmith is a person who builds
lightsabers, either custom or off-the-shelf, for either dueling or as static
props. The first sabersmith I came
across is Rob Petkau of Genesis Custom Sabers (http://genesiscustomsabers.com/). I can’t say enough about how exciting
his work is to me. Using
relatively common power tools and plenty of moxie, he builds absolutely
beautiful sabers. In his work, I
saw the potential for what can be done with a lightsaber prop. A crystal chamber that can react to the
light fluctuations of the saber blade can be made so that it can be revealed to
others. He also makes fake bone to
be parts of his ascetic design of the outside of the saber handle.
And then, I had to find the
page of Arklight Arsenal (http://www.arklightarsenal.com/). This site is an amazing source of
inspiration. I have access to both a lathe and milling machine and a
willingness to take the time to really learn how to use them – and I don’t
think I would have thought to do what he did until I saw it. He shows just how elaborate the guts of
a saber can be made. The detail is
phenomenal.
I’d really love to try my hand
at the kind of work seen at the Arklight Arsenal and Genesis for my personal
saber. I'm certain I can build something much like these wonderful designs, but I don't think I can in my first saber (though, I'm going to give it a try).
I’m certain that I could find
lots of inspirational sites, but I am already finding my nights sleepless
enough with ideas for my own saber.
As it is, I’m already pushing
myself to learn how to acid etch aluminum, powder coating aluminum, solder
printed circuit boards, and completely familiarize myself with a new lathe and
milling machine.
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