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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2011 8:50:21 GMT
Hi, I have just received my Hanwei Tinker Bastard sword and I'm very pleased with it. I have a few quick questions on euro sword care. I have been looking after the blade the same way I do my Japanese so that is fine, I think? There is a lot of leather, though, on the hilt and scabbard. Should I put leather cream on this, like I do my steering wheel on my car? I'm just a bit concerned as i got it damp this morning in a surprise rain shower. Thank you for any help and apologies if this has been mentioned before, the search function isn't easy on my phone.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Aug 9, 2011 9:32:41 GMT
Hi: Fresh treated leather is pretty vigorous and doesn't take a great deal of maintenence. A little hand applied car cream is fine. Don't drown it. The dyes and glues that hold these things together can loosen up with too generous and too often applications.
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Post by chrisperoni on Aug 9, 2011 14:29:57 GMT
Is the scabbard real leather or pleather?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2011 21:59:35 GMT
I don't know the answer to that one Chris. It doesn't mention any construction materials on the packaging. The advert says leather but I'll take that with a pinch of salt until I can confirm it.
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Post by Maynar on Aug 11, 2011 1:04:48 GMT
KoA's blurb reads: "Includes a fiberglasss scabbard with black leather wrap and steel accents." So there ya go.
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Talon
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Post by Talon on Aug 11, 2011 5:29:10 GMT
:lol:
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Post by chrisperoni on Aug 11, 2011 12:44:21 GMT
I'm always happy to make someone laugh talon, but no I didn't make that up -it's something I've just picked up as a term for fake leather. Not sure where it comes from or what the 'p' means... Truth is it was a legit question- On my hanweitinker single hand sword the leather on the grip seemed different from what's on the scabbard withthe scabbard stuff feeling kinda cheap or fake- pleathery feeling in fact. I figured it might be fake since that would be cheaper than real leather. I'm gonna ask Dodger what he thinks being that he's messed around with his scabbard and seen underneath the material in question.
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Post by MEversbergII on Aug 11, 2011 12:48:50 GMT
P stands for plastic.
M.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Aug 11, 2011 14:42:45 GMT
I'm pretty sure Dodger said it was leather; he was able to put risers and such under it. Wouldn't really be able to do that with faux leather. Now, mind you, it's probably not the best quality of leather...
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Post by chrisperoni on Aug 11, 2011 14:57:55 GMT
{facepalm} DUHhhhhh. I'd like to think that somewhere in my brain I knew that and just forgot :lol: I wish I had thought about it as it's REALLY obvious hahahaha!
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Post by bleachsword on Aug 11, 2011 18:39:42 GMT
I think it refers to the vinal lether substitute used in car seats.
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Post by Svadilfari on Aug 14, 2011 21:18:35 GMT
Ahhhh - I remember all those adverts in 50's and 60's for car seats and furniture, all covered in " Genuine Nuaga Hyde" - no wonder all the Nuaga's are extinct these days :lol:
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Post by RicWilly on Aug 14, 2011 22:00:38 GMT
The term pleather ("plastic leather") is a slang term for synthetic leather made of plastic. The term was coined by Amy Bach, when working in New York for Millis clothing. Upon the arrival of a new line, a plastic leather, Amy needed a way to advertise the product to customers without calling it plastic. She thus came up with the term Pleather. A portmanteau of plastic and leather, the term is sometimes used derogatorily, implying a cost-cutting Ersatz for genuine hide. Besides cost, pleather may also be preferred because it is lighter than leather, or as an alternative to real leather citing reasons of animal cruelty. Pleather, being made of plastic, will not decompose as quickly.
Not all pleathers are the same. Polyurethane is washable, can be dry-cleaned and allows some air to flow through the garment. PVC pleather in contrast does not "breathe" and is difficult to clean. PVC cannot be dry-cleaned because the cleaning solvents can make the PVC unbearably stiff.
Naugahyde is an American brand of artificial leather ("pleather"). Naugahyde is a composite of a knit fabric backing and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic coating. It was developed by United States Rubber Company, and is now manufactured and sold by the Uniroyal Engineered Products division of Michelin. Its name, first used as a trademark in 1936, comes from the Borough of Naugatuck, Connecticut, where it was first produced. Uniroyal asserts that Naugahyde is one of the most popular premium pleathers. Naugahyde is manufactured in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
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Post by LittleJP on Aug 15, 2011 0:59:40 GMT
Gotta love the way it rolls off the tongue...puh-leather...mmmm. Sorry if this is off topic.
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Post by Christian Fletcher on Aug 15, 2011 15:18:56 GMT
It's also important to know if the leather is vegetable/oak tanned or chrome tanned. Most high end production and custom swords feature oak tanned leather. Many imported production swords have chrome tanned leather. Here's a quote from a tanning industry site on the care of chrome tanned leather:
Even if the leather is oak tanned, it's not generally a good idea to use conditioners intended to soften the leather on the grip and scabbard as you really want this leather to be stiff and hard. I personally recommend a wax that seals the surface, such as saddle laquer or Renaissance wax.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2011 10:06:12 GMT
-it's something I've just picked up as a term for fake leather. Not sure where it comes from or what the 'p' means... P stands for plastic. I thought it stood for prosthetic, as in fake leather.?. no?
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Post by Maynar on Aug 21, 2011 6:38:24 GMT
Wasn't that Ricardo Montalban and and his pitch for "Genuine Corinthian Leather?"
Ohh jesss... :lol:
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2011 21:14:47 GMT
Sorry to come in late on this one. I've been away for a couple of weeks. Unless Hanwei has made a very recent change, their scabbards are real vegetable tanned leather over fibreglass cores. After adding risers under several of them I found a very interesting technique is to use a light shoe polish over the entire surface followed by a dark polish in selected areas to create and antiquing effect.
I still have two GSOWs in my closet and I intend to walk my son-in-law through the process of removing the locket, cutting the stitching, soaking the leather, adding risers, and resewing the leather. He's never worked leather before, so it should be a good demonstration of how anyone can do this. I'll do a full pictorial tutorial on it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2011 11:56:50 GMT
I'd really be interested to see this, I just took my wack at making a leather grip for my bokken. I barrowed some leather from the sofa. Never worked with leather before, I don't sow as a practice. I just went with it. More comfortable now. If you're not interested in the great suggestions above I'd recommend a quality leather furniture polish.
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