Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Aug 19, 2012 3:33:28 GMT
I want to get a Hua Wei blade and have custome tsuka/saya work done. BUT I'm noticing that they have a cheap already made batch of Shobu-Zukuri (the style I want) blades here in their eBay store. They have the basic 27-27.5" handle lengths they usually make, but the listings don't actually say what the tang's length is. Another forum member who recently got a new Hua Wei and did a review, said that the tang went to about half a centimeter from the end of the handle. Half a centimeter is a TINY amount of space between the end of the tang to the end of the handle! I like it! So what I would like to know, is if it's standard practice for Hua Wei to make their tangs that long?
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Post by chrisperoni on Aug 19, 2012 4:33:40 GMT
mine is more like 3cm (give or take) from the end. this pic can help give a bit of reference:
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Aug 19, 2012 4:47:15 GMT
Thanks, Chrisperoni. What are the specs on that blade? Is it the usual 70-71 cm / 27-27.5 (blade/handle) that Hua Wei usually uses? If so, could you measure the nakago for me, so when I give them the specifications I want, I can add a few centimeters.
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Post by frankthebunny on Aug 19, 2012 4:52:18 GMT
again, I'm just giving my thoughts on "full tang" many or even most of the antique nihonto nakago didn't fill the entire length of the tsuka. at most they were about 3/4 of the total length and a lot were less than that. terms like "full tang" and "double pinned for safety" are catch phrases used to sell modern swords and do not stem from historical examples. Attachments:
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Post by chrisperoni on Aug 19, 2012 5:04:21 GMT
The stats for mine from the sale page were: Blade 71cm Handle 27.5
I cannot measure the nakago because I have bonded the tsuka and nakago permanently. My own measurement of the nagasa shows a few mm shy of 71cm (I have 707mm)
When I disassembled my sword I felt the nakago length was plenty long for me and in fact it reminded me of a more traditional katana nagako (compared to my other kats tangs); something more along the lines of FTB's reference (but not as short). I suppose you have a preference for your own reasoning/experience(s). For me I like to see a bit more wood at the back end of my katana (as opposed to 1inch or less)- it just feels like a more secure tsuka that way- it's the woodworker in me I guess.
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Aug 19, 2012 6:17:18 GMT
I know that swords that aren't "tactical" (modern day nomenclature) aren't a true "full tang," but the more I read, the more I see references that having more wood behind the tang (12" handle with 6" tang compared to 12" handle with 10" tang or whatever) puts more stress on the wood when the sword hits/cuts something, and leads to cracked/loose tsukas, since wood isn't as "tough" as metal (hence why tsukas usually give way before nakagos).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2012 8:37:44 GMT
It's OK, traditional katana always have a partial tang that extends part way into the tsuka. The design is sound because of where the hands are holding the grip, and the way they exert force on it. The left hand located near the butt of the grip pulls down on it to generate the force, the right hand guides it. I won't go into the physics of foces and moments, but it would suffice to say that the biggest forces are created when the blade starts and stops moving, and these are greatest at the opening of the tsuka, which is why it is reinforced and capped a hilt collar (fuchi), and at the end of the tang, which is not reinforced much by the butt cap (kashira) so here you want the most amount of wood around and behind it to prevent splitting, but you don't want to extend too much wood with no tang in it for that will then create a leverage point which can snap the tsuka in half. Having a tang run to within half a centimetre of the tsuka is asking for trouble, as there is only 0.5cm of wood to bear the forces before the wood of the tsuka splits. If it's 3cm of wood, that's 6 times more, so it makes it six times stronger! Your sword is fine, stop being so critical of it and just enjoy it!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2012 12:47:08 GMT
It's not like you have to worry about a Gerber Gator tang on any Japanese sword, lol... Our "wall-hangers" are designed better than Gerber's so-called "tools"... xP
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