|
Post by Springs on Oct 2, 2012 14:00:08 GMT
I'm actually kind of okay with the coating rubbing off though - I don't know, gives the blade some character. I also won't exactly be doing lots of hardcore cutting with it, maybe every now and then. Although what I'm mainly wondering is how they made this? Did they laminate the blade with a coated metal core and a non coated outer jacket? As for Dragonsong, I think I'll wait till NYCC and visit them myself - best way to really know . Also, the Huawei I was originally planning to get has hishigami - from what I know, it's a bunch of paper folded up a certain way and stuck into the tsuka. What exactly does hishigami do?
|
|
Kuya
Registered
Posts: 1,396
|
Post by Kuya on Oct 2, 2012 15:12:44 GMT
It reinforces the folds/twists so they stay in place and really even, and also helps keep the ito from moving around.
|
|
Kuya
Registered
Posts: 1,396
|
Post by Kuya on Oct 3, 2012 20:45:38 GMT
Posted this following quote on the wrong ST-Nihonto thread, so I'm putting it here, since this was the one that someone asked about it in.
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 3, 2012 21:29:44 GMT
Oh man that doesn't sound good. Could it be fixable by sanding the inside of the saya? Say, wrapping sandpaper around the area of the blade where it's rubbing off, and sort of moving the blade carefully around?
|
|
|
Post by Elheru Aran on Oct 3, 2012 21:33:23 GMT
No sandpaper in saya!
It'll leave grit; it may be invisible, but it WILL be in there. And if it's grit stuck in the wood of the saya, it'll continually scratch your blade as you withdraw/insert it.
Basically the only solution is to make a new saya, honestly...
|
|
|
Post by JRDsgns on Oct 6, 2012 22:10:41 GMT
Jordan is referring to me I believe. I picked up a blade last year from Rob at Dragon Song Forge (NYC Comic Con as well). Here is all the info I have on my blade, along with my critique and concerns: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=7241&p=89930#p89930viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7307Take a look through those threads about the blade I got. Long story short, I love my sword. The only downer is that there isn't enough information in terms of reviews about Rob's swords. Rob himself is blunt and opinionated which has bitten him in the ass a few times if you've managed to find any reviews, or comments online about DSF. The blade cuts well, looks great (lacking a bit in the tsuka-maki, sorry, I'm just spoiled by how gorgeous the tsuka-maki on my new RK2 looks lol), and has given me no problem. The benefit is that you can talk Rob's ear off and he'll answer anything you have for him. My advice, if you're interested in a blade, ask him to tell you EVERYTHING he can about it, get a second opinion here if you like, then go back and make the purchase if you want. I saw my sword Thursday, thought it over all night, picked it up Friday, took it back saturday for a small fix (The seppa was loose, so he fixed that in 2 minutes on the spot), and was happy. Good luck with what ever choice you make! If you have any other question relating to my sword, or my experience with Dragon Song Forge, just let me know.
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 13, 2012 0:41:28 GMT
(Didn't see your message earlier, but now I have)
So I was at NYCC today and decided to drop down by Dragon Song Forge, mostly to check out what kind of stuff they've got. As usual most booths selling swords at the convention, there was a lot of replicas of anime/video game swords (or sword looking objects). But of course, the real stuff are behind the tables, where you'll see tons of tsubas and a lot nicer swords on a rack. I was looking at stuff while Rob was helping another guy and showing some blades to him. The guy asked about what kinds of blades they have, and their price ranges and stuff. Lower end, as Rob himself call it, are made by "apprentice smiths", clocking in at about $280 ish. This makes sense as you won't ever get a master smith making you blades any where near the $1000 range, let alone 300.
So the guy asked to see his higher end stuff. There is apparently something in the 1000 range, which he showed. I haven't seen tons of blades in my life to be an expert judge, but it looked nice. Mirror polish, hamon, bo-hi, which means it's probably not something super cheap, although don't know about it being a grand. Then he pulled out something that was in a shirasaya (and a nice looking one), saying it's from a master smith, and costs about 17 ish grand. I thought, "hey, must be pretty damned amazing if it's that much". It sure looks damned amazing. Has that polish you'd see on very high end swords, and was definitely laminated, with choji hamon. So after the guy left I decided to ask about some of their lower end stuff, the stuff I can actually afford.
I asked if he could show me a no-hi sword at his sub 300 range, and he pulled out one that looked just lovely. And it had a suguha hamon, which I've very rarely seen (and never in person). It definitely looked good. He then showed me another, and this one I was a little skeptical about. What irked me was that it looked like my Musashi speckled burgundy. The kissaki was definitely not geometric, but counter polished, although it was more pronounced than my Musashi. This left me a little confused, and because of that I didn't get to take a look at the finer details (ito wrap, samgeawa, etc). The ito was definitely different though, really shiny. Maybe silk, or rayon.
Anyway, sorry for dragging on so long. I'm still contemplating if I should get one from Dragon Song Forge or somewhere else, although my impressions were -mostly- positive. Don't know about Rob's rep either, he seems like a pretty straight forward person and answered my onslaught of questions. Forgot to ask about the details on the blades, but I'll make sure I do that tomorrow. Maybe ask him to remove the tsuka on one, since they do customizations on the spot anyway.
|
|
Kuya
Registered
Posts: 1,396
|
Post by Kuya on Oct 13, 2012 2:23:11 GMT
The advantage of what you're doing is huge. With a sword in hand, you can look it over and see if its handling are what you like. Getting a sword online without having a "test drive" is risky, and you might end up losing/wasting money. If you feel that the sword you handled is worth the money and tickles your aesthetic fancy, I say get it. You already know you'll be happy with it. A sword in hand is worth two in the bush (or the internet)!
If that sword did not make you happy, then you had the advantage of eliminating one of your choices without having to spend any money! Woot!
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 13, 2012 4:20:31 GMT
Yeah I'm definitely going back tomorrow to check it out, they seem to have a lot more than just the two I saw so I'll check out as many as I can. Hopefully I find one that I really like, haha.
|
|
|
Post by JRDsgns on Oct 13, 2012 5:31:21 GMT
Glad you had a good experience over there. I sure as hell have been fighting off the temptation of picking up a new blade from him lol. Stopped by the booth several times to just admire. Friend of my friend actually picked up one for $300 and I told him he's going to love it (still love mine). Post pics if you do decide to go for it!
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 13, 2012 12:14:47 GMT
Yeah, will probably do a review and everything too - if I get one
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 14, 2012 1:20:52 GMT
Alright so I just got back from the convention, tired as all hell but I did end up getting a sword from Dragon Song Forge. Would've liked a no-hi model but, I was unfortunately 10 dollars short. So I settled for a bo-hi model. I have some....positive things to say, and some peculiar negatives to say. I'll give a quick rundown of the blade, as I'll be doing a review eventually (hopefully I'll get it down by tomorrow night), although most of this post will be about my experience getting the blade customized on the spot.
Alright so, first thing I did was ask for their no-hi model, which I then realize I didn't have the money for, so I settled for their bo-hi, which runs for 289. They have about 7 or so blades on a rack, and you get to pick one. First thing I noticed - every blade was different. Different hamon, different tsuka, tsuba, ito, etc. I went with one that had the longest tsuka. This does made choosing a little difficult, as you don't get to change the ito wrap color, tsuka length, fuchi/kashira, etc. It's the standard black ito so, eh.
Then comes choosing the tsuba. Probably the most recognizeable part when choosing katana customizations, besides the blade. I went with a floral theme because...I don't know. Looked purdy. So far so good, until the guy (not Rob, but one of his employees) was fitting the tsuba on, and when it didn't fit, he grabbed a small mallet and started to wack it in. Yes, he was hitting the tsuba with a hammer. I just watched, and when he was done and put it all back together, I noticed it was bent (and not just a tiny bit, but noticeable), and he took it out and grabbed another one, but this time he brought it to a rotary tool and started trying to sand down the slot to fit it. Eventually he came back and tried to fit it again, and it still didn't fit (although it went up further along the tang). He then, gently this time, wacked it in place. The tsuba is still bent, but only slightly on one side this time. I didn't want to hold up the rest of the people who came by the booth (and by now there was quite a crowd), so I just said ok. Maybe he was in a rush to get it done, I don't know.
I had to choose a saya after that, anything fancy (samegawa wrap, fancy coloring, bullhorn fittings, etc) costs extra. Understandable, I guess. I just went with a normal black lacquered saya. He didn't tried to custom fit it or anything, just put it in and it -seemed- to fit well. Went to the counter and got a fairly nice sword carrying bag with a strap and a maintenance kit, without mekugi peg remover thing. And a brass card. Not sure what that is exactly.
So that's what happened at the booth, and I ended up carrying it around all day and now my shoulder feels like hell.
Now, during the whole tsuba process, Rob asked the guy (who's name I unfortunately did not catch) if maybe he should take over and do the tsuba himself. Maybe he would've done something different, I don't know.
Anyway, I'll definitely work on the review tonight, and hopefully get it up tomorrow evening. It is a nice blade - especially if you like project blades.
EDIT: Did a very close up inspection of the blade just now and...well, I think there are very small cracks along where the hamon stops, on one side only. It's not just a micro fracture, but you can run your nail over it and feel it. Troubling, but the area where it's cracked sort of makes me think it might be laminated, just as advertised.
|
|
|
Post by aussie-rabbit on Oct 14, 2012 2:08:46 GMT
A quick trip to a tool shop and you can get a brass and plastic drift mallet ie. www.amazon.com/Wheeler-711016-Ny ... B004LB7ZU2 I prefer timber handles Also a brass drift set 1/4, 7/32, 3/16, 5/32 or 6mm, 5.5mm, 5.0mm and 4.5mm
|
|
|
Post by aussie-rabbit on Oct 14, 2012 2:10:38 GMT
Try to take a macro photo if you can and put it up here.
|
|
|
Post by JRDsgns on Oct 14, 2012 2:37:12 GMT
Take it back first thing in the morning. Not sure if I mentioned in my other thread, but my Seppa was loose because there was a small gap in the habaki. turns out the part where the blade and habaki met were too long so ROB filed it down on the spot, made sure it was super good, and that was that. Make sure Rob takes a look at it and express ALL your concerns. Never settle for something that shouldn't be. They had no problem fixing up my loose seppa the very next day. Rob truly does care about his rep with customers, so take it back and speak to him directly dude. Tomorrow is the last day to get it done lol!
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 14, 2012 2:50:54 GMT
Oh man I'm in the middle of writing the review too - guess I'll scrap it and get it fixed tomorrow. Will take pictures right now of the cracks though (and have since just discovered a teeeeeeny tiny rust spot) What worries me though, is that my issue isn't a fittings issue that can be replaced or sanded down (although I do have a couple of those too), but a blade structural integrity issue. I'd basically have to get a new blade, since cracks are not fixable. I'm also not particularly good with doing these kinds of returns/exchanges, I get really nervous lol. Maybe if you're going to con we can meet up, just a thought, haha. Ok here are the pictures: The entire blade: The lower crack near the habaki (which is one of the ugliest I've seen): The crack midway: Closeup shot:
|
|
|
Post by JRDsgns on Oct 14, 2012 3:15:07 GMT
Actually not sure if I'm going tomorrow since my knee has been taking a beating since Thursday. Rob is cool as hell man, so dont feel scared or worried. Express your concerns and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help you out dude. Edit: Yes I would def talk to him about it. I'm sure something can be worked out
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 14, 2012 3:30:26 GMT
Only thing I can see myself doing is getting a replacement blade...maybe get a no-hi replacement now that I've restocked on money, and pay the difference. Then have Rob himself customize it.
|
|
|
Post by Adrian Jordan on Oct 14, 2012 3:32:53 GMT
I'd opt for a replacement blade. That one looks pretty chewed up in those pictures, as well as the bent tsuba. I doubt that he'd mind giving you one after he saw them. Best of luck, and I hope you get a sweet replacement.
|
|
|
Post by Springs on Oct 14, 2012 3:45:34 GMT
Yeah the camera flash was especially harsh on this - there aren't nearly as many scratches visible to the naked eye as the images show.
And I hope I do get a replacement blade, there was a suguha hamon one that really blew me away.
|
|