This project isn't dead!  Just lacked time + motivation.  But since seasonal sales are over and the New Year is settling in, here we go.  Small update to this project.
First and foremost, I thought I could just chisel out the pieces.
		
		
	
	
But thought wrong!
Haha, I'm a newb with all this, and though I was being gentle with the strokes (giggity), it still was a learning experience.  I should've known better tbh.  Time to do a combination of chisel + hand saw.
Viola!  There we go~!
Test painting:
Looks exactly like cartoon cheese.  I'm happy with that color though.
As I've said, I wanted the handle to be strong.  I got a hollow pipe and got the Home Depot guy to cut it the right length.  I then wrapped a wooden dowel (that was close to the size of the inner hollow) in tape to get a super-tight fit inside the pipe so I could attach the pommel and head reliably with screws.
I bought some suede from a craft store and did a VERY crude and basic "how is this gonna look" setup:
It's coming along; it ain't gonna be the pinnacle of crafting by far [You've gotten better at making shit (4) ], but as a wise philosopher once said:  That big black dildo isn't going to suck itself.
I didn't permanently secure the parts yet because I want to put some polyurethane on the pommel.
So guys; Regarding the suede:  I could wrap it like it looks in the last pic and that is definitely more in line with a direct translation of how the Water Sprinkler looks in-game, or I could cut it into strips and wrap it like most typical weapons in a barber-pole-esque fashion going up the handle.  Truly unsure which aesthetic would be best... maybe I should get the head worked on and see how it all looks put together and do a comparison?
Will update when head is done!  This is gonna be the roughest part of the build though I think.