Tai - really cool man. I somehow missed commenting on this, probably because I was visiting the in-laws for holidays.
The spacer/collar that looks like a ring of brass beads - what is that made from? Did you start with something that already had that texture, or did you mill/file that texture into it?
The more I learn, the more I appreciate the fine hand skills that go into some of the cool stuff. This one is awesome (JD Smith spent a couple of days trying to impress on me the importance and versatility of plain old files, rifflers, and scrapers, because I started by trying to find the right power tool for everything). I now think it is a GOOD thing that so much of this work can be done with hand tools. (as an aside, I can't get near a sword-length blade with a power grinder past a point or I will just be making more work for myself - sen, files, stones, and paper are actually the fastest).
great work,
Kevin