Gemini: Zodiac 5
Around 2019, I challenged myself to machine a saber from scratch in under 24 hours. The challenge was a success, and the hilt came out great. However, that was four years of experience ago. This year, I wanted to challenge myself further, increasing the detail of the design, and installing the electronics all in under 24 hours.
In December of 2023, I attempted the challenge again, and completed The Mayfly. The owner was enthralled, and challenged me to complete one 24-hour saber build each month in 2024. This is the fifth of twelve, which I am calling the Zodiac Challenge.
The request for this saber was "Maul Inspired Staff". It's a fine line between replication and inspiration, and being on a time crunch didn't make that any easier a line to find. I opted to leave the inspiration to be simple, with a staff construction and deep, ribbed emitters.
The grip is constructed from a single piece of solid aluminum hexagonal bar, which posed a bit of difficulty for machining, but the results speak for themselves. At each emitter there are deep grooves with hidden set screws. On the lower emitter there are slanted vents for sound. The upper emitter holds two tactile silver dome switches, and an acid etched pattern that was designed from scratch for this build. The main grip is wrapped with a navy lambskin leather, and detailed with solid African Blackwood.
Total build time: 9hr 8min