New Polish
Aug 7, 2011 8:18:25 GMT
Post by MuerteBlack on Aug 7, 2011 8:18:25 GMT
My Kuramono was unfortunately having some problems with rust under the habaki and some light staining on the blade from cutting tatami so I decided to give it a light polish to sharpen things up again. I used 2000 grit paper to establish a clean surface across the whole blade, then brought everything up to 2500 grit. I used a bit of red wine vinegar mixed with orange juice diluted in 4 parts of water to enhance the hamon again (I was having trouble getting it to come back, even at 2500 grit) and then used a paste of baking soda to neutralize the acid. I used 3000 grit sandpaper to establish the cosmetic kissaki and then did a lighter etch again on just the kissaki while it was still masked off. I then used 3000 grit paper to completely remove the etch along the shinogi ji and brought it to a mirror polish to contrast it from the ji. I was impressed with the results and took some photos.
www.flickr.com/photos/muerteblack/sets/72157627249267347/show/
There is, however, an oddity to the steel of the sword that I can't quite figure out. If you'll notice in the pictures, about 1/4 of the way down the blade there is a dark spot on the ha side of the hamon. This spot was, in its previous "natural" polishes, including its original polish from the forge, devoid of any visible hamon. Now that I etched it, the hamon line is now visible there, but the steel above it is blackened instead of whitened like the rest of the hamon. I wonder if there was an error in the heat treatment that resulted in that part of the edge not hardening properly. Does anyone have any ideas?
In any case, aside from that blemish that the acid revealed, I do like the new look.
www.flickr.com/photos/muerteblack/sets/72157627249267347/show/
There is, however, an oddity to the steel of the sword that I can't quite figure out. If you'll notice in the pictures, about 1/4 of the way down the blade there is a dark spot on the ha side of the hamon. This spot was, in its previous "natural" polishes, including its original polish from the forge, devoid of any visible hamon. Now that I etched it, the hamon line is now visible there, but the steel above it is blackened instead of whitened like the rest of the hamon. I wonder if there was an error in the heat treatment that resulted in that part of the edge not hardening properly. Does anyone have any ideas?
In any case, aside from that blemish that the acid revealed, I do like the new look.