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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 4:25:06 GMT
Hey everyone,
I'm probably going to purchase my first katana this week. I was wondering, what are everyone's suggestions as to what I need for it? What do I need to take care of it? Do I need anything to keep it sharpened, and if so, what? I'd like to do some cutting, and I've never done it before either. What do you suggest?
Thank you,
Jarrod
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 5:58:58 GMT
Do as the samurai did and cut condemned prisoners to test the sharpness of your blade on a daily basis.
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 22, 2009 6:00:32 GMT
Which Katana you getting again? You might not need a lot to maintain it. Some mineral oil and paper towel always worked for me. And Bottles full of water are great cutting practice, especially milk jugs and 2 liter soda bottles. Another target I love is wet, rolled up news paper. Feels like a real arm too! And when you feel confident, you can move unto 2-3 inch saplings. Just kidding, but it is what I like to do. Fresh bamboo might be a safer and more beginner friendly option. One of my pals has the hardest time with saplings, but my other pal caught on real quick.
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Post by randomnobody on Jun 22, 2009 7:02:25 GMT
Can't really advise cutting wood, especially saplings, as the sap is a pain to clean off and will stain your blade faster than anything else out there... But all you really need is a good maintenance kit (buy one from Bugei at the very least, make sure you get a real uchiko ball, not one of those talc things in the cheapo kits) and the basic knowledge on how to use one (plenty of good guides out there). If you must sharpen your blade, I advise a series of good stones, but most use sandpaper to good effect. Beginner targets should stick to milk jugs, larger soda bottles (beware the neck and caps) and pool noodles (the long foam things if you can get 'em). Newspaper is a bit tough so only for a good, ridgid sword after some practice. If you feel like tatami, start at half a mat. Most importantly, study cutting principles, and safety.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 10:01:52 GMT
Here what I got for my katana:
- Sword stand
- 3-in-one oil
- Jewelers rouge
- Polishing paste (autosol)
- Some microfiber cloth for cleaning and rubbing blade
- Paper towels for cleaning moisture and applying oil
- Nice piece of brown leather for stropping
- Finest grade sanding paper (sadly for me it is 9micron)
I also made cutting stand and polishing table. However, the oil is most important thing. I already have some stains, because of not cleaning and oiling my katana after very first cutting. Just my 2 cents..
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 11:48:17 GMT
It should take quite a while before you need to do any sharpening, you can pretty much start out with some 3-1 oil, a good rag, and some kind of polishing paste in case you get some rust spots other wise if you can get the blade dry and oiled you shouldn't need it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 12:18:27 GMT
I would still advise to buy on of those 12$ cleaning kits, although the powder isn't real uchiko, it works pretty good, they contain a nice fiber multi use rag, some rice papers, a bottle of good mineral oil, and it's a nice display item. Well worth the price.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 15:17:22 GMT
I'm getting the Hanwei Practical Special (/Light) Katana. I was looking at getting a nicer cleaning kit, in the $24.00 range (Hanwei's looks pretty nice). I was just wondering what else would be necessary. It sounds like I can get some good cutting in on soda bottles and stuff, so maybe I'll just start with that (as that will save me some money as well). Eventually I will probably want to move on to tatami mats and stuff and do the real deal. @ Omegapirate: I'm planning on that for the zombie apocalypse, but I need to get in some practice first. What does everyone suggest as far as a sword stand goes? Ideally I'd like to get a two-three sword stand (so I can display the blade and saya separately, or for when I get more). I'm mostly asking which would be a good lower-end model, as I'm not looking to spend $100 on a sword stand. Preferably, I'd like one that is made of natural-colored wood (not black). But will settle for black if I must save on money. Is sand paper good for a sword blade? I would think that would scratch it up. Also, what's stropping and jeweler's rouge and what are their uses? And where can I get these supplies, as well as polishing paste? Sorry, so many questions. I am new to this. Thank you for your patience and help everyone!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 15:41:09 GMT
Hanwei blades are diiferentially hardened to a pretty high level of hardness. It will be quite some time before you even have to start thinking in the way of sharpening, and "quite some time" isn't a month or two, might be more than a year. leave the sharpening business, for now..... About the sword stands- cheap ones are sold for 10-15$ on ebay for a single sword stand, and 15-20$ for a double one. most of them are black. I don't know how much a quality stand would cost, but those things can easily get to 100$....
Getting the practical special as well this weekend, i'll let you know what i think about it when it arrives.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 18:34:10 GMT
I got a 3 sword stand off Amazon for like $10, and paid another $10 for shipping LOL. It's cheapo compressed partical wood, painted black, but it works until I make my own. I did not find anything on the cheap end that was natural wood color, probably because they are all that crappy partical wood. Don't forget about a cutting stand as well, or at least something to setup targets on. Check out www.tameshigiri.com/make_a_stand.html for plans on a basic stand with stuff from your local home improvement store. For cutting bottles on it, get a piece of board maybe at least 1 foot by 1 foot, screw a piece of dowell in the center of one side. The dowell will need to be just the right size to fit into the hole at the top of the stand. Now you have a platform for setting up bottles, and a stand for cutting mats or newspaper later. Good luck and be safe.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 18:37:30 GMT
As for a sword stand you could also go for hooks, then you could ad more hooks while your collection grows (like these reliks.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=2888). Or you might know someone who can make a similar thing for you. As far as maintenance goes, if you don't use your sword very often I would get renaissance wax for the more long term protection.
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 22, 2009 19:51:50 GMT
Can't really advise cutting wood, especially saplings, as the sap is a pain to clean off and will stain your blade faster than anything else out there... But all you really need is a good maintenance kit (buy one from Bugei at the very least, make sure you get a real uchiko ball, not one of those talc things in the cheapo kits) and the basic knowledge on how to use one (plenty of good guides out there). If you must sharpen your blade, I advise a series of good stones, but most use sandpaper to good effect. Beginner targets should stick to milk jugs, larger soda bottles (beware the neck and caps) and pool noodles (the long foam things if you can get 'em). Newspaper is a bit tough so only for a good, ridgid sword after some practice. If you feel like tatami, start at half a mat. Most importantly, study cutting principles, and safety. I agree with the wood part. I was mainly kidding, but they are fun as heck to cut though. As for news paper, when you soak it right it is not so bad. I soak every piece of paper before I add it to a roll and when it is thick enough, cut it when it is fresh. I wring it out a bit first though, as wrap it with thread.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 20:01:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 20:24:37 GMT
Where's the money? Noone said money! I'm pretty sure for your first Katana, you'll need money to buy above everything else!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 20:28:38 GMT
Where's the money? Noone said money! I'm pretty sure for your first Katana, you'll need money to buy above everything else! Pardon? I don't really understand your post...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2009 21:35:41 GMT
when starting cutting i reccomend milk jugs, water bottles, and similar soft plastics before moving onto harder bottles, mats etc (lol not wood) as for gear; (a stand is really only optional) (and no you wont need to sharpen it for a long time) bare minimal; dry cloth talc powder oil/oily cloth decent setup; dry cloth box of cleaning kit metal glo a dry cloth is essential for cutting, an old kitchen towel works well, dry the blade before sheathing it so you dont get water in your saya. powder/oil/glo etc used to clean up at the end of the day. other than that, stay safe, have fun, and best of luck with your first backyard tameshigiri
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