# Geek Chic sword customization and a missed chance to buy one.



## darjr (Feb 22, 2014)

Tested and Adam Savage customized their Geek Chic Hero Swords. I thought folks would like to know.

I missed out on a chance to purchase one via tested.... 

I didn't know they sold these at dragon con and other big conventions.

[video=youtube;O1--0DLJv-8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1--0DLJv-8&feature=share&list=UUiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA&index=2[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1--0DLJv-8&feature=share&list=UUiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA&index=2


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## Homicidal_Squirrel (Feb 22, 2014)

darjr said:


> Tested and Adam Savage customized their Geek Chic Hero Swords. I thought folks would like to know.
> 
> I missed out on a chance to purchase one via tested....
> 
> ...



Damn, that is a nice piece. I like what they did with it. The gem piece came out a little sloppy, to me. Maybe it's because, as they said, they made the area where the gem went a little too big, but in any case, it still came out nice. Too bad you can't order these from Geek Chic. It would be nice to have before a convention.


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## Janx (Feb 22, 2014)

darjr said:


> Tested and Adam Savage customized their Geek Chic Hero Swords. I thought folks would like to know.
> 
> I missed out on a chance to purchase one via tested....
> 
> ...




That was pretty cool.

Geek Chic's swords look more like the wall-hanger variety of wood swords.  I use Hollow Earth's swords (actual sparring swords).  They also look nice, but built to a different specification.

Having modified one of my cheaper wooden renfair swords, I like Adam's approach.  I had gotten mine as a sabre, spray painted all silver with leather wrapped hilt.  I masked the blade and leather and repainted the hilt gold (more of a worn gold look) and glued on some gems on the pommel.  The hilt got a silver repaint, but also made to look more worn, and less gaudy.


I really need to get me a hole cutter kit.  And I was dubious about the aluminum tape, but Adam showed it could be done well.  Leather wrapping is pretty much that easy.


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## Homicidal_Squirrel (Feb 22, 2014)

Yeah, the electrical tape came out surprisingly good.


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## Zombie_Babies (Feb 24, 2014)

When I went to Ren Faires I carried real steal - Highland Steel (Skycastle) and Starfire.  I can see wood or whatever for a convention setting, of course, but outdoor Ren Faires need steel!


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## Man in the Funny Hat (Feb 24, 2014)

I'd probably do carving of something up the blade, on the guard, and a crest or rounded stamp pattern carved into that hockey-puck pommel, but I'd display it as finished wood, maybe with a bit of off-setting stain in the carved bits.  Seems almost a shame to cover such beautiful wood.


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## Janx (Feb 24, 2014)

Zombie_Babies said:


> When I went to Ren Faires I carried real steal - Highland Steel (Skycastle) and Starfire.  I can see wood or whatever for a convention setting, of course, but outdoor Ren Faires need steel!




I just got a baldric last year to solve the problem, but metal swords get heavy on a belt all day.  Wood sword = light.  Besides, a boat oar worked just fine for Musashi.

Geek Chic isn't the only place selling nice wooden swords.

At SpaceCityCon in galveston last month, they had the guy who played Syrio giving sword fighting lessons, and the deluxe package included a nice wooden sword made by a company who does such things.  it was very nice, and suitable for sparring practice, though probably didn't carry a lifetime warranty like Hollow Earth.  My friend went.  Got the lesson and the sword.


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## Zombie_Babies (Feb 24, 2014)

Janx said:


> I just got a baldric last year to solve the problem, but metal swords get heavy on a belt all day.  Wood sword = light.  Besides, a boat oar worked just fine for Musashi.
> 
> Geek Chic isn't the only place selling nice wooden swords.
> 
> At SpaceCityCon in galveston last month, they had the guy who played Syrio giving sword fighting lessons, and the deluxe package included a nice wooden sword made by a company who does such things.  it was very nice, and suitable for sparring practice, though probably didn't carry a lifetime warranty like Hollow Earth.  My friend went.  Got the lesson and the sword.




Had a bladric, too.  Made carrying that lump o' steel a lot easier.  I felt silly enough in period-ish garb - a wooden sword would have been the final straw that reduced me to being nothing more than a really tall toddler.  Some aspect had to be real and the sword/dagger are the most important parts ... er, aside from the booze, of course.  Holy crap, just realized that there were dozens of people hammered out of their skulls running around with real freakin' swords on their hips!  Awesome!

EDIT: Sold my sword (and all my other gear) a year or so ago.  I used the proceeds to help buy a gun.


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## Janx (Feb 24, 2014)

Zombie_Babies said:


> Had a bladric, too.  Made carrying that lump o' steel a lot easier.  I felt silly enough in period-ish garb - a wooden sword would have been the final straw that reduced me to being nothing more than a really tall toddler.  Some aspect had to be real and the sword/dagger are the most important parts ... er, aside from the booze, of course.  Holy crap, just realized that there were dozens of people hammered out of their skulls running around with real freakin' swords on their hips!  Awesome!
> 
> EDIT: Sold my sword (and all my other gear) a year or so ago.  I used the proceeds to help buy a gun.




Most people's swords are just wall hangers (even the one I bought is, a nice piratey cutlass to go with my piratey outfit).  So it's not as bad as drunks with real freakin' swords.

If they were, the plus side is, drunken people walking around with $1000 accessories on their person.  Crime.

I been dressing up for Ren Fair for over 20 years.  Apparently I don't have the "feel silly" gene, though many suspect I have the "is silly" gene.


Normally, I wouldn't go gaga over the wooden swords either, except:

actual sparring swords (hollowearth)
actual swordsman and famous person signed it
lazy desire to fake a sword to lighten my load
I like wood working and such


I have enough metal swords that I don't even need more of those unless they are of "real" $1000+ grade.  So I wouldn't blow money on a Geek Chic one either.


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## Zombie_Babies (Feb 25, 2014)

Janx said:


> Most people's swords are just wall hangers (even the one I bought is, a nice piratey cutlass to go with my piratey outfit).  So it's not as bad as drunks with real freakin' swords.
> 
> If they were, the plus side is, drunken people walking around with $1000 accessories on their person.  Crime.
> 
> ...




First off, I recognize the silly thing is a personal hangup and not 'the right way to be'.  It's my deal and I'm aware of that so what I said wasn't a dig at anyone, it's a dig at me.  

My sword and dagger were much more than wallhangers.  Starfire makes a lot of gear people what spar at the events actually use.  It's metal, durable, comfortable to wield and nice looking.  My sword was Highland Steel and they made swords out of spring steel and demoed them by quite literally chopping through the competition.  They'd take wallhanger swords, lay them on the ground and then hit them with their swords.  Bent, broken and utterly ruined are the best ways to describe what was left of the junk.  The next part of the demo was chopping a cinder block in half ... until they did it once, exploded the block and sent a piece of it into some bystander's face.  That part of the demo was banned after that.  And I know this wasn't some gimmick cuz I actually_ split logs _with the one I had.  Once you have something like that, wood loses its appeal.


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