Reworking the Gen2 Celtic-Anthro
Nov 22, 2007 16:25:46 GMT
Post by septofclansinclair on Nov 22, 2007 16:25:46 GMT
Hey all.
The first sword I ordered because of the SBG was the Generation 2 Celtic Anthropomorphic sword. I had longed after it for a while, but when I saw what it could do, I knew I had to have it. The savage little blade arrived after being on backorder for 2 months, and I unpacked it and cleaned it with glee. Here is the initial photo.
I loved the blade, I loved the fittings, I even loved the weird scabbard. This sword was everything I hoped it would be - with one minor exception.
The handle was way too big in diameter. It had the grooved design which lent itself to having your fingers in specific spots, but it was very difficult to keep them there. Politeness aside, it was damn uncomfortable to hold and swing for someone with my size hands - which I'm going to say are "average to slightly smaller than average." (my partners in crime Ignited and Fatecaller would go so far as to say "girlish" - however, they have yet to say that when I'm holding this sword). When I swung it, it felt like it was going to fly out of my hand. When I cut with it, it would sometimes rotate in my hand due to its roundness, losing the edge control I desired. Something had to change.
It should be noted that this would probably not be a problem for someone with larger hands. However, since this was a shorter sword and smaller folks like myself would probably be attracted to it, I felt that I had to come up with a fix, even if it was just to see if I could. I had spent almost half a year working as a custom woodworker, and been raised helping my father on various building projects - surely I could handle a little... er, handle? I went to the hardware store and got what supplies I needed, then swung by Fatecaller's Batcave/Abandoned Warehouse Abode. We put some work into it, and discovered that it could be changed into a handle quite comfortable to the average-sized person in a few easy steps. If you want to do this to your Celtic-Anthro, I recommend yo try this.
Here are a few shots of the sword, including up close of the handle, at the start of the project.
First, I needed to get the stain off. I took some coarse grade sandpaper (200 grit) and set to work. When doing this, I made sure to grip the sword by the handle and not the blade - not to protect my hands (I was already wearing gloves) but to put the least amount of stress on the junction between tang and handle. Almost immediately I was met with results.
The black veins you see are where the stain soaked into soft spots of the Massacar Ebony. At first I thought they were cracks, but as I looked closer I discovered the truth. After a few moments, I decided that I really liked them. It gave the sword a very ancient feel, like the handle was similar to it might have been in times long past, possibly held by warrior-poets who strode throughout the land, righting wrongs and being examples of valor and nobility in a savage era. Plus it looked really neat.
My plan was to remover the raised portions of the handle from the sides that were on the flats of the blade, leaving those sides smooth and flat. I would leave the grooves on the sides of the handle that lined up with the edge of the blade. This would make the handle in more of an oval shape that would conform to the shape of my hand, making for an easier grip and better edge control. Initially, I had planned to use a light wood rasp to remove the excess wood on the sides, but Fatecaller happened to have his new belt sander there - and, being unable to say no to a man with power tools (that didn't come out right), I gave it a shot.
Fatecaller held the belt sander (equipped with 120 grit paper) on a table upside-down, while I gripped the blade and one end of the sword handle (to reduce the stress on the handle/tang junction) and held it against the belt. Here is a picture of the setup:
Ok, so we used a pile of boxes instead of a table. Sue us.
What we did flattened the sides of the handle to this:
Since we had no idea how thick the wood was, we were careful not to grind it down below the lowest point in the grooves that were already there. We also left the grip in its thick state at the top and bottom, mostly for aesthetics but also because it would keep my hand in the middle of the handle, not slipping too far up or down.
I then used progressively smaller grit sandpaper to smooth down the edges and take off the scratches left by the belt sander. I also removed the defined ridge that was on the raised portions of the handle.
The end result was this:
While the handle no longer matches the dark scabbard, it is incredibly comfortable to grip now. Even Fatecaller agreed that it was a vast improvement over the original handle. Both of us used the sword to cut a few bottles, and came to the same conclusions:
1. Controlling the edge of the blade was easier.
2. Handling overall was improved.
3. It was much more comfortable to grip in either a hammer or a handshake fashion.
4. It looked very attractive.
So that's where it stands right now. I haven't decided if I will re-stain it, or what I should do. I like it as is but am open to suggestions. What should the next step for it be?
To recap, the steps to reworking your handle are as follows:
1. Use 200 grit sandpaper to remove the stain.
2. With a belt sander clamped to a table using 120 grit paper, work both sides of the handle ( the ones on the "flat" sides of the sword's blade) while firmly holding the sword by the blade and by the handle with at least one hand. Leave the ridges as the top and bottom of the handle (this means only sanding down the middle 3 ridges). Do not sand the sides down beneath the lowest part of the handle already visible.
3. Using progressively finer sandpaper, hand-sand the sharp edges and ridges of the handle until smooth. Finish up with emery cloth.
4. Re-stain if desired.
Good luck!
The first sword I ordered because of the SBG was the Generation 2 Celtic Anthropomorphic sword. I had longed after it for a while, but when I saw what it could do, I knew I had to have it. The savage little blade arrived after being on backorder for 2 months, and I unpacked it and cleaned it with glee. Here is the initial photo.
I loved the blade, I loved the fittings, I even loved the weird scabbard. This sword was everything I hoped it would be - with one minor exception.
The handle was way too big in diameter. It had the grooved design which lent itself to having your fingers in specific spots, but it was very difficult to keep them there. Politeness aside, it was damn uncomfortable to hold and swing for someone with my size hands - which I'm going to say are "average to slightly smaller than average." (my partners in crime Ignited and Fatecaller would go so far as to say "girlish" - however, they have yet to say that when I'm holding this sword). When I swung it, it felt like it was going to fly out of my hand. When I cut with it, it would sometimes rotate in my hand due to its roundness, losing the edge control I desired. Something had to change.
It should be noted that this would probably not be a problem for someone with larger hands. However, since this was a shorter sword and smaller folks like myself would probably be attracted to it, I felt that I had to come up with a fix, even if it was just to see if I could. I had spent almost half a year working as a custom woodworker, and been raised helping my father on various building projects - surely I could handle a little... er, handle? I went to the hardware store and got what supplies I needed, then swung by Fatecaller's Batcave/Abandoned Warehouse Abode. We put some work into it, and discovered that it could be changed into a handle quite comfortable to the average-sized person in a few easy steps. If you want to do this to your Celtic-Anthro, I recommend yo try this.
Here are a few shots of the sword, including up close of the handle, at the start of the project.
First, I needed to get the stain off. I took some coarse grade sandpaper (200 grit) and set to work. When doing this, I made sure to grip the sword by the handle and not the blade - not to protect my hands (I was already wearing gloves) but to put the least amount of stress on the junction between tang and handle. Almost immediately I was met with results.
The black veins you see are where the stain soaked into soft spots of the Massacar Ebony. At first I thought they were cracks, but as I looked closer I discovered the truth. After a few moments, I decided that I really liked them. It gave the sword a very ancient feel, like the handle was similar to it might have been in times long past, possibly held by warrior-poets who strode throughout the land, righting wrongs and being examples of valor and nobility in a savage era. Plus it looked really neat.
My plan was to remover the raised portions of the handle from the sides that were on the flats of the blade, leaving those sides smooth and flat. I would leave the grooves on the sides of the handle that lined up with the edge of the blade. This would make the handle in more of an oval shape that would conform to the shape of my hand, making for an easier grip and better edge control. Initially, I had planned to use a light wood rasp to remove the excess wood on the sides, but Fatecaller happened to have his new belt sander there - and, being unable to say no to a man with power tools (that didn't come out right), I gave it a shot.
Fatecaller held the belt sander (equipped with 120 grit paper) on a table upside-down, while I gripped the blade and one end of the sword handle (to reduce the stress on the handle/tang junction) and held it against the belt. Here is a picture of the setup:
Ok, so we used a pile of boxes instead of a table. Sue us.
What we did flattened the sides of the handle to this:
Since we had no idea how thick the wood was, we were careful not to grind it down below the lowest point in the grooves that were already there. We also left the grip in its thick state at the top and bottom, mostly for aesthetics but also because it would keep my hand in the middle of the handle, not slipping too far up or down.
I then used progressively smaller grit sandpaper to smooth down the edges and take off the scratches left by the belt sander. I also removed the defined ridge that was on the raised portions of the handle.
The end result was this:
While the handle no longer matches the dark scabbard, it is incredibly comfortable to grip now. Even Fatecaller agreed that it was a vast improvement over the original handle. Both of us used the sword to cut a few bottles, and came to the same conclusions:
1. Controlling the edge of the blade was easier.
2. Handling overall was improved.
3. It was much more comfortable to grip in either a hammer or a handshake fashion.
4. It looked very attractive.
So that's where it stands right now. I haven't decided if I will re-stain it, or what I should do. I like it as is but am open to suggestions. What should the next step for it be?
To recap, the steps to reworking your handle are as follows:
1. Use 200 grit sandpaper to remove the stain.
2. With a belt sander clamped to a table using 120 grit paper, work both sides of the handle ( the ones on the "flat" sides of the sword's blade) while firmly holding the sword by the blade and by the handle with at least one hand. Leave the ridges as the top and bottom of the handle (this means only sanding down the middle 3 ridges). Do not sand the sides down beneath the lowest part of the handle already visible.
3. Using progressively finer sandpaper, hand-sand the sharp edges and ridges of the handle until smooth. Finish up with emery cloth.
4. Re-stain if desired.
Good luck!