Post by tanzanlinnear on Jul 12, 2005 3:19:39 GMT -5
Just thought I'd add a contribution on the issue, but about the saber's themselves:
The ideal gripping distance for a two handed grip can be worked out thusly...
Grip with your lower hand, raise your thumb, and hold it to the grip (as if trying to snap a pencil one-handed) (This is where your activator should ideally be placed) Now grip with your upper hand so the tip of the little finger is pointing at the tip of the upraised thumb. For fencing, you obviously lower your thumb (or it would probably snap) but that is how to calculate the grip distance. (correct finger tension has been covered above)
Moving onto saber design... It all comes down to what you are most comfortable with. I prefer a lower grip design similar to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) sabers, as they provide a 'lip' for the little finger of the lower grip to locate against. There are times in AOTC where Anakin's upper hand is gripping literally right at the edge of the emitter shroud. This is risky, to say the least, but practically, it would affect the balance point of the saber. Ideally, there should be about half an inch to an inch of exposed hilt above the upper grip.
For the aesthetics of the design...
Whether you're building your first saber or simply constructing a new one to replace your old saber as Master Toth recently had to, there are many ways of selecting your design. For a first-time builder, I recommend borrowing design elements from Jedi that you respect and admire (or obviously your own Jedi Master) My first saber was inspired by Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) and Mara Jade's sabers, my second, Qui-Gon's and Anakin's. My latest saber is going to have an even more personal touch, as although it is going to have a curved hilt like Count Dooku's, and again, a design element from Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) it is also going to echo design elements from my own two sabers, which will make it much more personal to me.
Good luck with constructing your sabers.
The ideal gripping distance for a two handed grip can be worked out thusly...
Grip with your lower hand, raise your thumb, and hold it to the grip (as if trying to snap a pencil one-handed) (This is where your activator should ideally be placed) Now grip with your upper hand so the tip of the little finger is pointing at the tip of the upraised thumb. For fencing, you obviously lower your thumb (or it would probably snap) but that is how to calculate the grip distance. (correct finger tension has been covered above)
Moving onto saber design... It all comes down to what you are most comfortable with. I prefer a lower grip design similar to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) sabers, as they provide a 'lip' for the little finger of the lower grip to locate against. There are times in AOTC where Anakin's upper hand is gripping literally right at the edge of the emitter shroud. This is risky, to say the least, but practically, it would affect the balance point of the saber. Ideally, there should be about half an inch to an inch of exposed hilt above the upper grip.
For the aesthetics of the design...
Whether you're building your first saber or simply constructing a new one to replace your old saber as Master Toth recently had to, there are many ways of selecting your design. For a first-time builder, I recommend borrowing design elements from Jedi that you respect and admire (or obviously your own Jedi Master) My first saber was inspired by Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) and Mara Jade's sabers, my second, Qui-Gon's and Anakin's. My latest saber is going to have an even more personal touch, as although it is going to have a curved hilt like Count Dooku's, and again, a design element from Obi-Wan's (TPM/AOTC) it is also going to echo design elements from my own two sabers, which will make it much more personal to me.
Good luck with constructing your sabers.