Kris Cutlery Bare Blades
May 26, 2007 20:52:42 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 26, 2007 20:52:42 GMT
Just what I need, another project. A little something for all the free time I do not have. I recently received this pair of Kris Cutlery bare blades that I won on eBay. They were in individual listings and described as being 7 years old and unused with a standard polish and slightly sharpened.
One of the blades was described as also having a blemish at the tip and had a $10 cheaper starting price. As it turned out, the blemish was bent tip. It looks as though it has been dropped. I think that the tip can be touched up with a bit of file work. The kissaki looks like shobu-zukuri with no yokote.
The finish is rather plain. The streaks you can see in the photo are from wiping the blade down, not it the polish.
There are also some stains on the blades. I believe they are specks of rust from long term unprotected storage. I will most likely be trying my hand at polishing with this project.
The above photo is of both blades, one in front of the other. As you can see, the one if front has a greater sori (curvature) than the one in the back. The difference is about a 1/4" with the greater sori being about 5/8". The overall nagasa (blade length) is 25.5" and the nakago (tang) measures 9.25" to the habaki.
The metal work does not seem to as high of quality as the Cheness and Hanwei Forge katana I have handled. You can see and feel waves and variations in the blade. Again, these are supposed to be about seven years old. I do not know if they are representative to Kris Cutlery's current quality.
My plans are to build finished katana from the bare blades. Once I finish the first one, I will decide whether to build the second. I am currently working on plans for the tsuba that I am thinking of cutting out of brass. I am debating on whether to purchase or make the rest of the koshirae (fittings). I will need the koshirae to properly size the tsuka that I will try making and wrapping. I'm sure it will be a lengthy process and of course I will taking photos of every step and posting them for all to see.
One of the blades was described as also having a blemish at the tip and had a $10 cheaper starting price. As it turned out, the blemish was bent tip. It looks as though it has been dropped. I think that the tip can be touched up with a bit of file work. The kissaki looks like shobu-zukuri with no yokote.
The finish is rather plain. The streaks you can see in the photo are from wiping the blade down, not it the polish.
There are also some stains on the blades. I believe they are specks of rust from long term unprotected storage. I will most likely be trying my hand at polishing with this project.
The above photo is of both blades, one in front of the other. As you can see, the one if front has a greater sori (curvature) than the one in the back. The difference is about a 1/4" with the greater sori being about 5/8". The overall nagasa (blade length) is 25.5" and the nakago (tang) measures 9.25" to the habaki.
The metal work does not seem to as high of quality as the Cheness and Hanwei Forge katana I have handled. You can see and feel waves and variations in the blade. Again, these are supposed to be about seven years old. I do not know if they are representative to Kris Cutlery's current quality.
My plans are to build finished katana from the bare blades. Once I finish the first one, I will decide whether to build the second. I am currently working on plans for the tsuba that I am thinking of cutting out of brass. I am debating on whether to purchase or make the rest of the koshirae (fittings). I will need the koshirae to properly size the tsuka that I will try making and wrapping. I'm sure it will be a lengthy process and of course I will taking photos of every step and posting them for all to see.