Giheizan by Batosai

[Batosai]

Hello everyone!

I wanted to show you my newest saber called Giheizan (that's old high german for to promise, to say, to command, ... I thought this name was quite fitting for this saber).
The planing phase for this saber started about 1,5 years ago and especially designing it took me quite some time. It was inspired (in the beginning) by orgus din's saber, I just love the wood handle with the metal inlays and so I wanted to make something similar. In the beginning it was something like a clone of that saber with just a few changes in the design. But as time went on I know I wanted to make something that fits me and how I would see me in the star wars universe. I would be something like a jedi archivist / librarian, someone who stores the knowledge and customs of the jedi order, so I wanted to represent this in the saber.
Therefore I added the etching of the jedi codex, the emblem of the order and the three pillars of the jedi (knowledge, self-discipline and the force). I stayed with the base concept of orgus din's saber but also merged my previous sabers in there, and this is the result:

Giheizan

CF V6.5
Red/Green/Royal Blue Cree LED
Premium speaker
Custom retention screw
Custom wood sleeve
Saltwalter Etchings
Brass accents
Crystal chamber

A little site note: the saber is entirely built by hand, the only tools I had were a dremel, a drill, a disksander, an angle grinder, a coping saw and a bunch of rasps. So building this saber (as all others) was really time consuming.

PS: thank you all so much who voted for my saber during the contest, I thought I made a pretty nice saber, but I wouldn't have thought that I could actually win.

Last time some of you more or less demanded a worklog, so this time I tried to make as many pictures as possible during the build, those are not the best because I only had my phone with me during the work and I only managed to make some snapshots, but here you have it:

After I settled with a design idea, the first things I did was testing if everything would work the way I planned it, so I tried the color mixing of the crystal chamber and the etching with saltwater and pnp blue.




The next part was the wood overlay, here I made one put of wood veneer, glass fiber and epoxy resin. I tried to make it exactly as thick as the aluminum overlay material and it came out quite well. After that I just had to cut both overlays and combine them.


Next came the parts for the crystal chamber, which I created out of 2mm brass and with the help of my improvised lath


More etching and first test-fits


And again I had to improvise to bevel the edges


The switches were quite a challenge, because I didn't want them to too visible. So I used the smallest switches I could find and placed them inside one of the upper bars


Another challenge was to find the perfect retention screw, I searched for more then two week and then decided to create it by myself (again with my lathe aka drill)


And now for the d-ring, here I made something a bit different because in the middle of the ring the kill-key should be placed and it was also the opening for the sound




Some more finishing touches


Now it was time for the window


Crystal chamber and electronics


Some brass accents, here I had to use my drill as mill and move the aluminum by hand while lowering the drill


The safety plug. Here I went for something quite simple, but I think it looks nice and suites the saber


And finally the weathering

[Silver Serpent]

You made a really wonderful saber. I was especially impressed by this statement:

A little site note: the saber is entirely built by hand, the only tools I had where a dremel, a drill, a disksander, an angle grinder, a coping saw and a bunch of rasps. So building this saber (as all others) was really time consuming.

That should be a little encouragement to all the padawans out there who think they need lathes and mills and all manner of expensive tooling. It certainly can be done without them, and you've demonstrated it well.

[rlobrecht]

that etching is fantastic. Great job on the saber.

[Starwinder]

This is an awesome saber and definitely worthy of a first-place finish. Incredible detail throughout the hilt. I love the etching, the wood elements, and the overlapping aesthetics.

Well done and a big Congrats!!

[darth_chasm]

I Second everyone's comments thus far. Great saber, you should be proud. I knew it was the winner as soon as I saw it.

[amwolf]

I thought this saber was amazing. The layering, the detail, the etching... and after looking through the build pics I'm also amazed at the patience and nerve you had to have to execute this. There is a point in my builds where the fear of making a mistake because of the time spent to get to that point overrides a design component, and you seem completely unphased by this. Absolutely fantastic.

[Askew Wai]

That's an incredible build log. Great improvisation and patience, getting everything to fit together so sweetly. I didn't fully appreciate the crystal chamber or the etching when I voted for this in the second round. I'm covetous.

[Noyl Wendor]

You made a really wonderful saber. I was especially impressed by this statement:



That should be a little encouragement to all the padawans out there who think they need lathes and mills and all manner of expensive tooling. It certainly can be done without them, and you've demonstrated it well.

I'm inclined to agree with SS on his statement as well as yours. Building a hilt of this quality is definitely a time and love effort. What you've done is truly a work of art. Using this level patience and ingenuity shows that with even the smallest of resources, anything is possible. Not only an inspiration for new builders, but ones like my self as well. I certainly hope.
I must say I'm really taken with this hilt. Normally I would say I dig In this instance that statement won't do.
This ones a jaw dropper for me. Seeing the build log, to the final product. Well that's just amazing. Well done

[Renaissance Jedi]

Wow, just wow. This saber is awesome in the original sense of the word, in that it inspires awe.

[snilam]

As soon as I saw your saber in the contest I immediately knew that it was the winner. Its a beautiful piece of art. Even more impressive now that I know you did it with relatively simple tools. Much praise!