one of a kind unapologetically.

ONE OF A KIND, UNAPOLOGETICALLY.

Unleash a whole new level of personalization for a Sabertrio custom saber. Formerly known as ‘custom acid etch’, Masterpiece by Sabertrio is the amplified version with even more customization options that will truly make your custom saber unique in this vast galaxy.

Unleash a whole new level of personalization for a Sabertrio custom saber. Formerly known as ‘custom acid etch’, Masterpiece by Sabertrio is the amplified version with even more customization options that will truly make your custom saber unique in this vast galaxy.

Commissioning a Masterpiece involves a design collaboration between our designers and you.

Each piece is bespoke and made to order.









materialize your dream

MATERIALIZE YOUR DREAM.

Custom sabers are made from aluminum, but it does not have to look like it. Elevate your Masterpiece with powder coating that emulates exquisite materials from a galaxy far, far away.

Silver Black

Silver Black

Dolovite

Dolovite

Aurodium

Aurodium

Graphite

Graphite

Durasteel

Durasteel

Arcetron

Arcetron

sleek marvel or stardusted?

SLEEK MARVEL OR STARDUSTED?
YOU DECIDE.

Tell a deeper story from the surface. With Masterpiece, you can now enhance the surface appearence and etchings of your custom saber through a wide selection of hilt finishes.



Brushed

Brushed

Satin

Satin

Mirrored

Mirrored

Weathered

Weathered

Stained

Stained

Distressed

Distressed

Rugged

Rugged

Aged

Aged

Battleworn

Battleworn

Ancient

Ancient

show your true colors

SHOW YOUR TRUE COLORS.

Self-expression isn’t limited to the saber’s blade. Give your Masterpiece more character by accentuating its features with color. You decide where, and we will powder coat it for you!

Silver

Silver

Red

Red

Blue

Blue

Gold

Gold

Brass

Brass

Copper

Copper



the masterpiece process

THE MASTERPIECE PROCESS


MASTERPIECE by Sabertrio is the next level of personalization where we collaborate with you to create your very own bespoke Sabertrio custom saber hilt. To truly make it one-of-a-kind, every Masterpiece is custom acid etched with the etching designs decided by you.

Acid etching is the process of submerging a saber hilt into an acidic formula. The acid reacts with exposed aluminum to create a rustic textured surface. By applying specially plotted decals that prevent the chemical reaction to certain parts of the hilt, etching designs are created. For a Masterpiece, these designs are decided by you.

This section explains the journey of building a Masterpiece and highlights several important steps that will impact its final outcome.


THE JOURNEY

Once a Masterpiece is commissioned, please stand by. Within several working days, a representative from Sabertrio will contact you via your provided email address to discuss the design details of your Masterpiece. From there, the Design phase officially begins.


Acid Etch Flowchart

In total, there are four phases that your Masterpiece must go through to be completed. The progression of the first three phases will require your input and feedback as explained below:


DESIGN

The objective of this phase is to establish the etching design and color accent placement (if selected) of your saber, and we will need you to share with us on what you envision it to be. An overall concept is sufficient however providing us with additional information and supporting graphics may accelerate the process. With the provided information, our designer will create a design visual for your approval. Design revisions are allowed during this phase.

Alternatively, if you wish to take designing the saber into your own hands, we can provide you with a blank template to draw on but do be mindful of etching limitations.

Once the design visual is approved or the submitted self-design is verified to be workable, we will proceed onto the Decal phase.


DECAL

In this phase, decals based on the approved design are specially plotted out and applied onto your saber by hand. When the process is completed, a video of the hilt with all the applied decals will be provided for your approval. Please carefully check every detail and decal alignment as design amendments are NO longer possible after this phase.

The Crafting phase begins when the video has been approved.


CRAFTING

This phase is about transforming the temporary decals into permanent etching designs on your saber. After that, the hilt is powder coated (if selected) and refinished multiple times to achieve the final outlook. Once these processes are completed, a video of the hilt will again be provided for your approval. Please carefully check for any defects.

The Assembly phase will commence when the video has been approved.


ASSEMBLY

In this final phase, the electronics and components based on your selected options are installed into your Masterpiece. The completed hilt will then join the regular production line where it undergoes extensive quality checking before being packed and finally shipped to you.




Understanding Acid Etching

Which parts of a hilt are etchable?

The acid etching process can only react with exposed aluminum surfaces and these are the silver parts of the hilt. The black parts are anodized and impervious to the acid formula. To create additional spaces for etching, we can remove the anodization from certain parts and these are highlighted in the provided diagram when we contact you for design discussions.

Regular etching or reverse etching?

There are two etching styles being offered; regular etching and reverse etching. The image below is a comparison between both styles:



Regular Etching

Etching designs appear embossed and stands out in relief. The design itself will have a smooth texture. This is the default style that we will use.

Reverse Etching

Etching designs appear debossed and indented into the surface of the hilt. The design itself will have a rustic texture.

What supporting graphics should I provide during the Design Phase?

After the overall etching design concept has been shared, providing us with any supporting graphics in the correct format may potentially expedite the Design Phase of your saber's build process.

In order to accurately plot the necessary masking decals, the design visual has to be in a vector graphic format. The best case scenario would be your provided supporting graphics are also vector based with a .AI or .EPS file extension.

Should this be not possible, we will need to image trace your provided pixel based supporting graphic. Having it in a higher resolution would ensure a much better accuracy as shown below:



It is important to note that all supporting graphics must be in black and white. Gradients are not supported by acid etching as there is simply no way to taper the chemical reaction:

What are the limitations of acid etching?

As explained above, etching designs are created through masking decals that prevents the reaction on certain areas of the saber. Considering the working area is usually very small, masking decals may not be able to capture the fidelity of designs that are overly intricate. As a rule of thumb, any design element that is lesser than 1mm in thickness is considered not acceptable due to very high etching defect rate:

Can I put texts on my Masterpiece?

Definitely! Texts is for sure one of the best ways to personalize your Masterpiece. The ideal placement for it is usually spanning the circumference of a specific part on the hilt. Considering the average diameter of a Sabertrio custom saber is 37mm, texts generally only have approximately 115mm in length to work with. As such, it should be kept short and simple.

How long will it take for my Masterpiece to be completed?

As every Masterpiece is bespoke, it requires an extended lead time to be completed and that ultimately is influenced by how soon the design concept can be finalized. We will need up to 20 weeks from the design confirmation date to complete the saber and have it ready to be shipped. That is assuming confirmation for progress review videos are also given on time.