This flintlock pistol
was built for a production of The Pirates of Penzance. We
wanted the Pirate King to have a repeat firing flintlock as a joke,
since flintlocks are by nature a single shot weapon. I carved a
new gunstock that fit around a blank-firing revolver.
This retractable knife
was built from scratch for the Broadway production of Thou Shalt
Not. The handle is made of UHMW plastic, and the blade is about
5" long. The action on it is very smooth.
This samurai sword was
both a casting/molding project and a metalworking project. I crafted
the blade out of 1/4" steel flat stock using a metal bandway
and a grinder. The handguard is made of aluminum, which I tig-welded
onto the sword. The handle was sculpted out of super sculpey clay,
which I then made a mold of and cast directly onto the blade suing
a 2 part resin. I was told by the Japanese Kabuki master Shozo Sato
that it is actually quite well balanced. The scabbard is handmade
out of cherry hardwood.
These swords were created
for a kabuki version of Othello at the Illinois Repertory
Theatre, directed by Shozo Sato. They were made out of aluminum
to keep them light enough for an actor to do intricate choreography
while holding one in each hand. Each sword is about 3 1/2' long.