|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 4, 2012 16:13:55 GMT
Help! ive started to notice, the fit between the habaki and my tanto's saya feels WAY too loose :shock: Ive got a feeling the saya's to blame, but i really dont want to pay out for a replacement, and the fittings are pretty high end, as far as tantos go. Does anyone know how to deal with this kind of thing? i could really use with some help!
|
|
|
Post by tom555 on Aug 4, 2012 16:21:16 GMT
Hmm
Im not a expert, but perhaps some kind of shim would help?
If you work out where the loose area is (ie the side/top/bottom) then you could glue a really thin bit of wood/leather/cardboard on that side and that might tighten it up.
I would suggest testing it with a tiny bit of card glued in with something that isnt permanent.
Might work!
Edit:
I just found this on cas hanwei's website:
'How do I tighten the fit on my saya?
Repeated sheathing and unsheathing of a katana, as in Iaido, will invariably cause the fit between the habaki and the saya to loosen. Our maintenance kits contain wooden shim stock that is specifically intended for use in maintaining the correct fit, whereby the katana will not fall from the saya under gravity. If the sword becomes loose in the saya, simply take a small piece of the shim (about 1” long by 1/8” wide) and superglue it into the mouth of the saya at the point where the back (mune) of the blade slides into the saya. If, at some point, the fit becomes very loose it may be necessary to glue a piece of shim (about 1” square) into one side of the mouth of the saya, but this will rarely occur.'
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2012 17:52:39 GMT
Yes, that is a perfect description of the process! Starting at the mune will wedge the sides in tighter unless the sides are REALLY loose. So that's always the starting point.
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 4, 2012 18:11:17 GMT
Thanks guys I hope there will be some kind of tutorial vid to show me how its done. I havent done this sort of thing before and i've heard things can go really wrong- really easily, with repairing katana.
|
|
|
Post by stickem on Aug 6, 2012 14:31:41 GMT
|
|
|
Post by MOK on Aug 6, 2012 15:06:42 GMT
BTW, you can cheat a little by using wood veneer. It even comes in narrow self-adhesive strips for edging (much like wooden scotch tape with heat activated glue on one side), which is probably the easiest possible way to do this.
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 6, 2012 16:10:08 GMT
Neat Idea, that should save us a lot of effort, and time with the restoration- im pretty sure ive got some lying around somwhere which i can put to good use and those pics from stickem have cleared up any grey area's i had, with applying the shim/veneer so thanks guys.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2012 15:28:40 GMT
It should also be mentioned that if you happen to have loose sides (possible through a messed up draw or sheathing), that a strip of samegawa panel works beautifully to fix this. The purpose of same on your tsuka is to provide friction to hold the ito. If you put it in your saya it effectively performs the same function by providing friction to hold your habaki in place. It is also a very durable skin. A strip of same will give a very positive lock on your katana that won't let your katana slide out with he most rigorous shaking, yet can still be popped loose easily with the thumb. In fact, it works so well you could almost consider yourself lucky if you mess up a saya enough that you have space for it. This is the nicest friction lock you'll probably find for your habaki. As mentioned on Hanwei's site though, side repairs are rarer. *EDIT: Picture of a same friction lock repair...
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 10, 2012 16:53:10 GMT
Makes sense samegawa panels should work REALLY well with my saya, The only thing is, its not got so worn ill need same to fix it- it's more just wear and tear around the bottom of the saya, from drawing the tanto all the time. Can samegawa be used around the top and bottom of the saya aswell??
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2012 17:23:06 GMT
I wouldn't put it on the top for the safety of your edge, but the bottom along the mune should work fine! It also molds in nicely with uneven wear. Fills in all the holes, so to speak. PS, if your samegawa slides down when you place it while waiting for the glue to dry (assuming you're using your habaki to set it), then just let it dry where it sits then cut a new panel and butt it up against the first. This will take an extra half-day of drying, but will produce the most solid results as your working panel will have a separate anchor panel to hold it.
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 11, 2012 18:57:45 GMT
Thats good to hear next job: finding a seller of raw samegawa in the uk! to make my job a little easier, can any of you guys recommend a store or seller, or maybe post a few links, for any UK sellers? Because it's going to be used on the saya internally, quality and looks of the skin aren't going to be that important, Im looking for the best prices I can find :mrgreen: If UK prices are a bit steep, i wouldn't mind shipping in the goods from abroad
|
|
|
Post by stickem on Aug 11, 2012 21:11:42 GMT
A lot of folks like the samegawa from Namikawa: www.namikawa-ltd.co.jp/cgi-bin/item_e.cgi?cate=14&no=12For their lowest grade same (#4), it looks like you'll pay about 36 pounds. Probably sounds expensive (it did to me) but keep in mind if you use the crummy part of the piece to do the inside of your saya, there will be plenty left over for you to wrap the saya and/or tsuka with as well. It ships from Japan but the shipping costs probably won't be all that high since it is lightweight material; certainly not like the shipping costs for an entire sword to the UK. By the way, I have a little piece of same I could send you for this application. Thing is, I dunno where it is at the moment because am putting hardwood floors in the house and everything has been moved at least twice :? Maybe someone else on the board has a scrap they'd be willing to send ya :?:
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 15, 2012 18:28:31 GMT
thats acctually pretty good, prices around the UK can be up to £50+ and thanks for the offer with the rayskin. Ive got some spare same around, from where i tried to wrap my own tsukamaki wrap, the only problems that it fake- will that work as well as the real thing???
|
|
|
Post by frankthebunny on Aug 16, 2012 22:44:16 GMT
thin wood shims should be used to tighten the fit in the koiguchi. you should also be sure to use a wood species that won't stain your habaki, avoiding woods like cedar and pine, etc. the tension should be on the ha and mune sides of the habaki not the omote and ura so place your shims in these areas with a good wood glue. samegawa should not be used inside the saya if you value your habaki, especially if it's an antique or expensive repro. I would suggest starting with two very thin strips of wood about 1/2" long by the width of the flat planes \/ at the mune side. let them dry, test the fit and either add more if not tight enough or file lightly if too tight.
|
|
|
Post by fruit-ninja on Aug 29, 2012 19:49:27 GMT
Maybe it's best sticking to using wood for repairing saya Ive got a few broken bokkens lying around the house...somewhere. They're made of Japanese Red Oak. Should that be OK to use?? If not, Im pretty sure that fake same stuff should prove no problems with my habaki- its just some kind squishhy rubber so i doubt it will do any real damadge to the sword itself :mrgreen:
|
|