Month: March 2018

Oh, Hi there Clariel!

Sorry this post is a little late. I got lots of pics for you. Forgive me?

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Last week was a flurry of painting, engraving, sculpting, sanding, gluing, sewing, and spraying. I think it was worth it.

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You might be able to see a slightly different “texture” to the surface of the blade than previous carved models. That’s because I’ve added a UV-resistant spray (several coats!) to protect the resin and leather from fading or yellowing in the sun, and also to protect the resin from scratches.

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Still just as see-through though! ^_^ So what’s next for this sword? I got my shipment of push-button switches yesterday evening and today I’ll be toting them to the workshop. I’ll be designing the interior circuitry for the lighting. I’m sticking with the concealed light switch design (that’s the plan anyway) to give the illusion of magic.

Well, writing about it isn’t going to get it done so off I go to the workshop! Wish me luck.

Chuggin’ Right Along

Last week was quite productive. IMG-2383

Got the leather measured, cut, and shaped for the handle. And I also got all the runes engraved. The leather shrunk more than expected as the leather paint dried so I decided to smooth and bulk out the edges with an air-drying polymer clay.

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It’s messy at the moment but I let it be so that it would dry nicely. I can sand the edges today and get it all prettied up. I liked working with the clay so much I think it might be the beginning of a new way to do the handles! We’ll see what the end result is to know for sure. I keep working toward my dream of a beautiful seamless sword.

There’s no such thing as impossible; only things we haven’t learned how to do yet.

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Making Some Magic

Hi everybody! Just a quick update to let you know I’ve got a couple swords all polished up and ready to be fitted with handles. One more is awaiting polishing.

After this step, I get to wire up the electronics for the lighting and then they’ll be ready to be sold. Yay!

Good news!

It has been decided that I will have a new residency permit given to me and I can continue living and working here. That’s a big relief for me. I was afraid I’d have to go somewhere else and start all over again.

Where does that put us in terms of sword-making? Today I am making some alterations to the mould I have in hopes of reducing the bubbles that I’m still getting in the finished product. I feel that you deserve professional quality in your sword and and I’m determined to get it just as perfect as I can.

While I’m waiting on resin to cure, I’ll continue testing the resin polishing paste I bought in the hopes that it will reduce the amount of time I have to spend on the surface of the swords and result in a smoother, glossier finish. I’m still not sure if it’s as good as the wet/dry sandpaper. So I’m buffing up one sword with the polishing paste and another sword the “traditional” way with the sandpaper to see which yields a better finish.

After that, we move on to the electronics. I’ve already got the LEDs, batteries, and casings to play with but I’m still hunting for just the right kind of switch.

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