Kris Cutlery Wakizashi custom (added pics)
May 13, 2010 19:06:35 GMT
Post by Cottontail Customs on May 13, 2010 19:06:35 GMT
Hello all, I am reviewing my KC Wakizashi from their latest batch.
as far as I know, the only difference from the older models is the slight reduction of Sori ( )
let me start by saying that even though it might look cute and toy like.......there is no confusion once you pick this little guy up and swing it around a couple of times. it has the blade presence of a sword twice the size! it's got the same solid construction as the full size Kats from tip to tail.
here are the stats as listed on the website:
Blade: 18-3/4 inches 5160 carbon steel 3/16-1/4 inch thick near the guard
Hamon: straight - 1/4" to 1/2" wide
Handle: 6 ¾ ", brown wrap, blackened iron fuchi-kashira & brass leaves menuki
Tsuba: 2.79" round black iron
Weight:1.5 to 1.7 lbs. (without scabbard)
POB: 3 3/4" from guard
and original pic:
The inspiration for my refitting came from a pet gecko I had when I was a kid. I believe he was a Tokay, at least that's what it said on his tank in the pet store.
he had very nice silky skin that was a creamy white with chocolate brown spots and markings. I also remember that he never tried to bite me and was pretty docile compared to the other geckos I've handled.
unfortunately, he escaped during the night and was never seen again. he could very well have survived a long time in the walls of my house feeding on whatever critters he ran across. I know that people in Florida and like climates actually buy them and let them loose in their houses to eat the bugs that are common to the area.
they feed at night and are almost never seen during the day, good natural pest control.
when I started gathering materials for my project I realized that gecko or lizard themed accouterments in general were not too easy to find for Katana. as usual, if I did find them, they were very very expensive.
since I have started to re-fit my swords (on a budget) I have had to learn to look outside the box for a lot of the decorative items.
in this case I looked at a number of jewelry sites and sources for lizard themed pieces.
I also remembered my friend Henry from the ostrich market and took a look at their site for something that would work for the wrap.
I found that they offer lizard skin in a number of colors and when I called him he mentioned a new chocolate color he thought I would like.
well, there we go! I then picked up some white cotton Ito from a new source (to me) and also picked up a few lizard accessories from assorted sites. it was all coming together.
the only problem I still had was with the brass Seppa that came with the sword. as most of you probably know, silver Seppa are costly and hard to find even if you can afford them. so, I have been fiddling around with learning to electroplate. I purchased most of the supplies for this with a lot of research and for little money. I can now silver plate my own pieces!! problem solved.
first up for pics is a full shot of the sheathed sword -
I placed the white Ito over the beautiful dark chocolate lizard skin for a very nice contrast. I placed a tribal gecko under the Ito on one side as the Menuki. as I wield this sword with one hand I didn't see the need for another Menuki on the other side.
Tsuka pics -
you might have noticed that my end knots are reversed, there was not enough room from the end of the Nakago to shorten the Tsuka safely.
I stripped the blackened coating off of the F&K and silver plated them along with the Seppa. I also found tiny silver lizards to apply to the Fuchi.
I applied a partial Saya wrap of the same skin and accented it with dark brown waxed thread as well as near the Kojiri.
you will also notice that I placed a likeness of my former friend on the Saya wrap. I did my best to represent the memory including scaly skin texture by using a metal screen while painting him.
here is a shot of the back seam of the Saya wrap. to maintain the grain pattern on the front, I couldn't get the seam to be perfectly straight but I still think it came out well.
it was very hard to capture with the camera but I sprinkled the exposed wood of the Saya with silver dust that really does sparkle in the sunlight. I used a mixed stain color and then coated many times with a clear poly.
as usual, the Hamon on this blade is gorgeous when etched.
I cross polished the Habaki with low grit grinding stones before silver plating it.
I had to do a little work on the Kuchi-gane using a little wood filler stained to finish it nicely
as it is difficult for me to do any cutting where I live, I just cut a few empty bottles and for the first time, was able to slice neatly through without batting them across the room. man! is this little guy sharp!! sorry, no video
one thing I seem to see on some other Waki that differs from the KC is the Tsuka looks to be normal proportions where this one almost seems to be miniaturized, including a smaller width Ito that it comes with. this "shrinkage" however does not make it any less effective. it actually feels...just right.
it is no secret now that I'm a big fan of the quality of KC's Japanese blades and this one certainly follows suit.
bottom line is that I would highly recommend this Wakizashi to anyone who is looking for a quality beast in a very small package.
for $160USD I feel this blade is worth every penny and then some.
I will do my best to answer any questions about this sword or the making of so feel free to ask
thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed ;D
oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I am waiting for the Sageo to arrive, might take a while. it is brown with white flecks.
some additional measurement and Kissaki/Yakote pics-
from notch
Sori
as far as I know, the only difference from the older models is the slight reduction of Sori ( )
let me start by saying that even though it might look cute and toy like.......there is no confusion once you pick this little guy up and swing it around a couple of times. it has the blade presence of a sword twice the size! it's got the same solid construction as the full size Kats from tip to tail.
here are the stats as listed on the website:
Blade: 18-3/4 inches 5160 carbon steel 3/16-1/4 inch thick near the guard
Hamon: straight - 1/4" to 1/2" wide
Handle: 6 ¾ ", brown wrap, blackened iron fuchi-kashira & brass leaves menuki
Tsuba: 2.79" round black iron
Weight:1.5 to 1.7 lbs. (without scabbard)
POB: 3 3/4" from guard
and original pic:
The inspiration for my refitting came from a pet gecko I had when I was a kid. I believe he was a Tokay, at least that's what it said on his tank in the pet store.
he had very nice silky skin that was a creamy white with chocolate brown spots and markings. I also remember that he never tried to bite me and was pretty docile compared to the other geckos I've handled.
unfortunately, he escaped during the night and was never seen again. he could very well have survived a long time in the walls of my house feeding on whatever critters he ran across. I know that people in Florida and like climates actually buy them and let them loose in their houses to eat the bugs that are common to the area.
they feed at night and are almost never seen during the day, good natural pest control.
when I started gathering materials for my project I realized that gecko or lizard themed accouterments in general were not too easy to find for Katana. as usual, if I did find them, they were very very expensive.
since I have started to re-fit my swords (on a budget) I have had to learn to look outside the box for a lot of the decorative items.
in this case I looked at a number of jewelry sites and sources for lizard themed pieces.
I also remembered my friend Henry from the ostrich market and took a look at their site for something that would work for the wrap.
I found that they offer lizard skin in a number of colors and when I called him he mentioned a new chocolate color he thought I would like.
well, there we go! I then picked up some white cotton Ito from a new source (to me) and also picked up a few lizard accessories from assorted sites. it was all coming together.
the only problem I still had was with the brass Seppa that came with the sword. as most of you probably know, silver Seppa are costly and hard to find even if you can afford them. so, I have been fiddling around with learning to electroplate. I purchased most of the supplies for this with a lot of research and for little money. I can now silver plate my own pieces!! problem solved.
first up for pics is a full shot of the sheathed sword -
I placed the white Ito over the beautiful dark chocolate lizard skin for a very nice contrast. I placed a tribal gecko under the Ito on one side as the Menuki. as I wield this sword with one hand I didn't see the need for another Menuki on the other side.
Tsuka pics -
you might have noticed that my end knots are reversed, there was not enough room from the end of the Nakago to shorten the Tsuka safely.
I stripped the blackened coating off of the F&K and silver plated them along with the Seppa. I also found tiny silver lizards to apply to the Fuchi.
I applied a partial Saya wrap of the same skin and accented it with dark brown waxed thread as well as near the Kojiri.
you will also notice that I placed a likeness of my former friend on the Saya wrap. I did my best to represent the memory including scaly skin texture by using a metal screen while painting him.
here is a shot of the back seam of the Saya wrap. to maintain the grain pattern on the front, I couldn't get the seam to be perfectly straight but I still think it came out well.
it was very hard to capture with the camera but I sprinkled the exposed wood of the Saya with silver dust that really does sparkle in the sunlight. I used a mixed stain color and then coated many times with a clear poly.
as usual, the Hamon on this blade is gorgeous when etched.
I cross polished the Habaki with low grit grinding stones before silver plating it.
I had to do a little work on the Kuchi-gane using a little wood filler stained to finish it nicely
as it is difficult for me to do any cutting where I live, I just cut a few empty bottles and for the first time, was able to slice neatly through without batting them across the room. man! is this little guy sharp!! sorry, no video
one thing I seem to see on some other Waki that differs from the KC is the Tsuka looks to be normal proportions where this one almost seems to be miniaturized, including a smaller width Ito that it comes with. this "shrinkage" however does not make it any less effective. it actually feels...just right.
it is no secret now that I'm a big fan of the quality of KC's Japanese blades and this one certainly follows suit.
bottom line is that I would highly recommend this Wakizashi to anyone who is looking for a quality beast in a very small package.
for $160USD I feel this blade is worth every penny and then some.
I will do my best to answer any questions about this sword or the making of so feel free to ask
thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed ;D
oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I am waiting for the Sageo to arrive, might take a while. it is brown with white flecks.
some additional measurement and Kissaki/Yakote pics-
from notch
Sori