Build log: Jaden Korr's Arbiter

[Vereous]

Hey Sabersmiths! I think I might have a problem, I just can't manage to stop building! Especially when I'm stressed, I gotta forge a new weapon to kill my demons. I havent really tried my hand at a replica saber yet, and Jedi Academy is one of my all time favorites, so lets journey together through my attempt at making Jaden Korr's Arbiter.

Source from the game: JKA_saber1.jpg

Very delicious rendering I found on deviantart:
jaden_korr_possible_lightsaber_1_by_yowan2008-d4m1rq4.jpg

I'm planning on using blade holder 19, a 9" double female extention, and pommel style 4. The emitter and grip shrouds are going to make or break this build, so I gotta use the MHS sleeve material, that stuff is the best. I've ordered some Aluminum Black for the rear sleeve and pommel, and instead of weathering the rest, I think I'm going to shine the non-blackened pieces to as nice a polish as I can muster.

I have a pico crumble dark wired up from a previous build, so I just need to not screw up the shrouds and bang out a chassis.

Here is my shroud sketch. Im a big fan of graph paper, i believe if i draw it ten times from ten different angles, my chances of screwing it up ~should~ get smaller.
Concept sketch.jpg

ROUGH CUT with dremel cutting wheel. Fun fact, i dont have a workbench. But since sabers are hollow tubes, what i do is run a dowel through the piece im working on and clamp the dowel to my fence. Crude? yes, but it beats accidentally crunching a shroud in a vice.
rough cut.jpg

(A word of advice from one padawan to any others reading this: aluminum splinters thrown by your Amazing-New-Works-Like-A-Charm-Carving-Bit WILL stick to oily sunscreen. Go with the long sleeve shirt and save yourself the oily, sharp painful cleanup. Seriously, probably pulled 7-10 splinters out of my arms and hands, went through my gloves like i wasnt wearing them. Thank The Force for safety goggles.)

CLEAN CUT with dremel carving tool and fine sandpaper drums. I usually finish my flat surfaces with my mouse sander and dull any edges with microfine sandpaper (the 5000 grit stuff thats not on paper as much as its on kind of a soft sponge).
clean cut.jpg

WASHED and ready to finish. I cant completely finish the rear grip until my Aluminum Black arrives next week, so ill be biting my nails until that comes in. As for the emitter shroud, i need to take some fine paper on my mouse sander and buff out a couple of dremel slips (still a bit of a n00b, i am), but im ~extremely~ happy with how these have turned out.
washed shrouds.jpg

I cant wait to get my main parts from Tim, and i cant wait to have this one finished. I better work on that chassis to get my fix in the meantime...