I'm just gonna post some awkward between pictures of reshaping the sword.
In general I want to slim it down, and was hoping for a gentle curve in the blade with grinding. The original intent was to mimic my one wooden blade in metal, which left the blade very broad. I also didn't get the sweep on the front quite right, so it was heavy, and while gorgeous and I loved it, a bit unwieldy.
The handle is actually something I tried to work down before, but chickened out when I sanded it down to the poorly drilled space for the tang. There was a bit of epoxy down there. I chiseled out little blocks, and I plan on replacing the wood. I still have the piece of mesquite the handle was from originally, so I'll cut out some little blocks to splice in. If it bothers people that it's not one solid piece and has been repaired, then I pity them for not adoring an object enough to maintain it even if it isn't like new.
The pommel in general I just wanted to shed a lot of mass. I was hoping to somewhat shift the center of balance forward, but all the swell I took off the blade, meant that anything I hogged off the pommel just kept it, right where it was before. I do intend to do more carving on it, both to replace what was removed, and to pull off a little more weight. Might accentuate what's on the guard a bit more as well.
Already it feels different in my hand. It's faster in the air, and I can turn it better in my grip. I'm enchanted with it again, not just for being a new and exciting frontier for me, but putting the last few years of practicing different skills into making it an object more suited to me.
