OK, I finally made enough progress to feel justified in posting again. I'm working on realizing another of Ramiel's fantastic blade designs. Here's some pics;
Currently, I am working on the blade's edge (much sanding and filing awaits me - weeks if I want to do it right...). Once the blade is done, I'll start in on the wooden grip. Still not sure how I will handle the decorative patternwork on the blade (maybe print it at full size, paste it to the blade, and dremel through the pattern?).
The material for the blade is polycarbonate (the same as the previous blade). The metal parts are all aluminum except for the pommel - which is stainless steel.