I get a lot of emails. Most of them are the sorts of things you’d expect: requests for size recommendations; advice on designing pieces; making specific weaves; etc. But every once in a while I get something truly unique. Like when I received…
“My name is Aaron and I make lightsabers.”
*blink* OK, that wasn’t at all what I was expecting to read. It turned out that Aaron is an artist at Solo’s Hold, makers of custom lightsabers. He contacted me because he’d been commissioned to make a lightsaber for the Sith King of Angmar. And that’s when my fan-brain circuits went into overload.
Those of you who aren’t fans of both Lord of the Rings and Star Wars should just walk away now… *grin*
The Witch-king of Angmar as a Sith lord? It fits so very, very well! Both are scary baddies with tons of power and a laundry list of abilities. Both are enslaved to a master who mostly sits back and lets the powerful minions do the heavy lifting. And both come from fictional universes that I adore. Count me in!
Aaron wanted a small “stripe” of European 4-in-1 that would fit into a narrow groove in the handle. He planned to make the groove roughly 0.35 inches wide. Size 6:20nb matched the target width very nicely, and it might have been fun to have the option of anodized colors, but Aaron and I agreed that the chain wasn’t flexible enough to wrap gracefully around the ‘saber handle.
The overall size was good, so I left the ring diameter the same and dropped down to 21ga for a more flexible European 4-in-1. Aaron planned to patina the chain, so brass was a perfect material choice. A quick measurement confirmed that the overall width was still in the “good” range. I made four inches of chain, and sent it off to Aaron.
Then I waited, holding my breath to see the final result. It was so worth the wait!
Very, very cool project. And the inscription on the ring? “Join the dark side and the circle will be complete.” Love it!
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