# Communities > Modern-era Swords and Collecting Community > Modern Production Katanas >  problem with habaki - asking for your knowledgeble advice

## Denis Z

Hi guys!

I have bought a PC Bamboo Snake some time ago and it has a few very annoying issues. The habaki being the biggest ... I've attached pictures. 
Can you please advise what is the best way to go to fix it? Ultimately I would love to get a cast (silver?) piece (1 piece construction rather than a welded color -confused factory ugly-ness), but the only place that I could find so far was Fred Lohman and such a project would run me $300 at his pricelist. This is not a nihonto and $300 - is not far from what I actually paid for the kat. Nihonzashi would most likely be out of my price range as well...
Eventually, I will have the Tsuka fully rewraped with black same with nodes, change the seppas and the menuki for something ... not golden-colored. Besides the tsuka is too tight => it takes a huge amount of force to take the thing apart and it should also be fixed.
Josh from CottontailCustoms.com - is my next guess as far as the habaki goes for he has some beautiful pieces in his portfolio though, no prices for such works.
I will definitely check with him.
Do you have any ideas on how I can make my snaky girl look pretty without sending my budget into a default? I really like her - perfect weight & length for me, nice geometry, narrow blade and... pretty  :Smilie: 

Thank you all so very much!!!!

YT,
Denis

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## Christopher Treichel

What are you seeing wrong with the habaki? If you are referring to the small gap at the front side that is so the ha machi stays protected and looks actually done correctly. 
If its the asthetics of a brass habaki... A nihonto I was just working on had silver sheet soldered over the habaki.  That might be a cheaper alternative for you and either that or have it silver plated.  I am sure a local jewler could do that for you for much less than $300.

If the tsuka is hard to get off the nakago... that is a good thing.  You are supposed to use a nakago nuki to get it off.

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## c birch

That gap is from being factory cast, since cast habaki have no machigane that little slit is where the hamachi ends up resting on, that gap would be there on a traditionally made habaki if the proper amount of solder is not used, so unless it is extremely loose it is fine.  Traditionally made habaki can be as good or better than cast ones if made right, as far as I know Cotton tail customs do not make habaki, he only decorates them.

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## Denis Z

Christopher Treichel

- Thank you very much for your advice on tsuka removal! I am going to follow it and make a proper nakago-nuki (or "koshirae-nuki") from a 2x2.
As for the gap on the right side from ha-machi, it just must be my pet peeve ...  :Smilie:  I am sort-of a perfectionist. However, you did help me to try to take it easy  :Smilie:  I have never seen this on any other sword. Ppl in the dojo did not like the quality of my sword's furniture either. In fact, the same Wak from my snake daisho has a nicely and accurately fitted habaki and it was made by the same place and ppl as the kat. It is not loose though. So, I am still guilty of itching to swap this one for a better fitted one ..... 
Silver plating. I've looked it up and it appears somewhat close to painting ... Do you think silver would eventually be rubbed off from un-/sheathing?
Talking to a local jewler - is a great idea! I will def. do it.

c birch

-thank you so much for your reply. It is always crucial to hear what more experianced people think. My conclusion: 1-piece cast habaki are a bit overrated  :Smilie: 


YT,
Denis

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## Jonathan Frances

Some good information http://www.swordforum.com/forums/sho...or-custom-made

At $300, you are getting awfully close to good individually hand-made habaki.  Bear in mind, a different habaki is probably going to fit differently.  You'll most likely need to have the saya replaced since the fit between the habaki and the koiguchi is going to be very different.

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## Christopher Treichel

Silver plating would eventually rub off.  What I was also suggesting is not just plating it but soldering a thin sheet of silver to the habaki.  Making a habaki from scratch can be an exciting adventure. You also can't just order one and try to make it fit with armourers files... well you can, but it will be lots of fun.

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## Denis Z

> Some good information http://www.swordforum.com/forums/sho...or-custom-made
> 
> At $300, you are getting awfully close to good individually hand-made habaki.  Bear in mind, a different habaki is probably going to fit differently.  You'll most likely need to have the saya replaced since the fit between the habaki and the koiguchi is going to be very different.


- thank you Jonathan! this is very helpful as well. I somehow missed this thread when I searched the forum before posting. 
$300 - is what Fred charges for a custom made silver piece fitted to the sword and saya. However, Patrick's post from the link you provided makes more sense when he talks about the types of stress that a habaki has to withstand.

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## Denis Z

> Silver plating would eventually rub off.  What I was also suggesting is not just plating it but soldering a thin sheet of silver to the habaki.  Making a habaki from scratch can be an exciting adventure. You also can't just order one and try to make it fit with armourers files... well you can, but it will be lots of fun.


- Thank you again, Christopher! If it is not much trouble, could you possible point me at a photo of a habaki with a soldered piece of silver? 

and another rookie question: Is it generally a bad idea to take habaki off a blade? for, let's say, soldering silver onto it?

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## Thomas Powers

Remember that changing out the furniture on your sword is *very* traditional, both with custom made and with re-using other pieces (and we often see historical pieces that show retrofitting to fit a different sword!)

Making a habaki is not all that difficult if you have basic metalworking skills and equipment.  Perhaps attending an out of hours class in jewelry making might be an option.  I know the local instructor in "Fine Arts---Metals" at our local community college would be happy to train you both in forming and silver soldering or in casting in her classes.  "The Best of the Hammer" a collection of newsletters from an armour making guild back in the 1980's has an article on making your own katana that includes instructions on making habaki.

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## Christopher Treichel

Picture of a habaki with soldered on silver-all you would see is a silver habaki... if its well done.  The only reason I know this one was done that way is that if you look really closely on the bottom you can see where the brass ends and the silver starts.

just found a website that shows some http://www.ncjsc.org/gloss_habaki.htm 

As to totally dismanteling your katana periodically to include removing the habaki... yes, you should do that especially if you are cutting tatami etc with it as some gunk could and does get under the habaki.  I would clean the sword all the way down to the line where the habaki ends and the tsuba starts... past that don't touch the nakago...

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## Dragosh O

> as far as I know Cotton tail customs do not make habaki, he only decorates them.


He doesn't but he is fitting a new habaki on a blade. And he did a very good job with mine.

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## Denis Z

> Picture of a habaki with soldered on silver-all you would see is a silver habaki... if its well done.  The only reason I know this one was done that way is that if you look really closely on the bottom you can see where the brass ends and the silver starts.
> 
> just found a website that shows some http://www.ncjsc.org/gloss_habaki.htm 
> 
> As to totally dismanteling your katana periodically to include removing the habaki... yes, you should do that especially if you are cutting tatami etc with it as some gunk could and does get under the habaki.  I would clean the sword all the way down to the line where the habaki ends and the tsuba starts... past that don't touch the nakago...



Thank you very much, Christopher! 
I knew where to take my questions!  :Smilie:  You help a lot!

Thank you guys, all of you!


YT,
Denis

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## Paul Smith

I have a comment regarding how hard it is to remove your tsuka. I have found that almost all Chinese made katana will have a burred edge from where they drilled the nakago ana with the tsuka already on. Once you wrestle off the tsuka, feel both sides of the hole through the nakago and file off any lip of metal caused by the drilling of the hole, as this will grab the sides of your saya and make it much more difficult to remove.

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## Jeff Ellis

> I have never seen this on any other sword.


What other swords have you been looking at?

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