My Handachi. (Pic heavy)
Jun 9, 2014 11:52:14 GMT
Post by Uhlan on Jun 9, 2014 11:52:14 GMT
Use the printer button to get full view please.
For a long time I had this idea to convert two Katana to Handachi.
Getting the fittings was not very easy here in Europe, but I collected some bits and pieces here and there.
Than I found this guy: www.cmmilitaryantiques.com/gallery.php?arid=7211 and things started to roll.
He is very reliable and realy helped me to get this project of the ground.
So after two years hunting, in one go I got two complete fitting sets for little money, one Army and one Navy.
Two Katana for the project were already in the house, the Navy fittings went to the Huawei and for the Army fittings I had the Zhi Forge, both custom made and in the $400 class. The Huawei is DH T10 San Mai and the Zhi Forge DH 1095 if I remember correctly.
Lets start with the Huawei Aikuchi Handachi.
First I shaped the saya to fit the fittings. Tricky business that and a whole lot of wood went into the bin.
This counts for both saya. The China made ones compared to Japanese standards are humongus, realy.
Than I swapped the Huawei tsuka for the Army tsuka. It had the correct shape and a perfect fit on the Huawei tang. I split it open and checked, glued it back together, coated the tang in mold release wax, shoved the tang back and with a syringe added epoxy. After setting the tsuka came off easely. No drilling of mekugi anna was requiered, everything made to a perfect fit.
With the basics done it was wrapping time and this was fun.
I had some very nice supple leather and decided to go for a Gangi Maki and to do an old style I saw somewhere on the web, wrapping with all fittings in place. For the two hangers on the saya some silk was glued in place, made dirty and distressed, because the underlaying mood was to make campaign swords, cared for, but clearly used in all kinds of weather, with accumulated dirt in the nooks and crannies, like in the Gangi Maki and under the Menuki. The leather at the places where the swords are handled should have a slightly different look. In short, both should look like old, used, no nonsense war swords.
This is a first time wrap. The effect is kinda plant like, like a stem growing out. Gangi is great fun.
The last section of the saya was done in just leather, but fitted to the fittings in an cassette style, so the fittings get embedded.
The fitting sets from Crimson Mist came with first class Same. This was used under the end caps, coloured, stuffed full of dirt and cleaned a little to nice antique effect.
The Menuki were placed on top with the help of two pins silver soldered in place and some metal glue.
They give a good grip together with the hard ribs of the Gangi Maki.
For the Aikuchi tsuba I used an old iron tanto tsuba I had laying around.
The blade I re polished and I took out some little flaws in the lines. The Huawei Hamon got much better after prolonged polish with oil and talcum powder, but is still a semprini to photograph balancing a 500 watt Halogen hot spot in one hand.
The Zhi Forge Handachi with Army fittings.
Much thicker blade, re polished cause it had a nasty acid etch, some flaws in the lines too.
The Hamon came out very thin and is hard to see here. Shows better in direct sunlight.
After the basics were done and after re shaping the tsuka, I silver plated the fittings and re coloured the, complete, seppa set and blued the knobs and rings on the hangers.
Again I chose to wrap against the fittings, now with leather cord.
The cord was rather uneven, giving a rustic apearence. Soaked in poly and coloured and distressed, again with ample dirt from the vacume cleaner and sanding paper, it has that cared for antique look again. Maybe not so much in the images though. Plated the Habaki with copper.
For the final touch, here are the false knots, both replicated from Nihonto.
Cheers, Ulahn.
For a long time I had this idea to convert two Katana to Handachi.
Getting the fittings was not very easy here in Europe, but I collected some bits and pieces here and there.
Than I found this guy: www.cmmilitaryantiques.com/gallery.php?arid=7211 and things started to roll.
He is very reliable and realy helped me to get this project of the ground.
So after two years hunting, in one go I got two complete fitting sets for little money, one Army and one Navy.
Two Katana for the project were already in the house, the Navy fittings went to the Huawei and for the Army fittings I had the Zhi Forge, both custom made and in the $400 class. The Huawei is DH T10 San Mai and the Zhi Forge DH 1095 if I remember correctly.
Lets start with the Huawei Aikuchi Handachi.
First I shaped the saya to fit the fittings. Tricky business that and a whole lot of wood went into the bin.
This counts for both saya. The China made ones compared to Japanese standards are humongus, realy.
Than I swapped the Huawei tsuka for the Army tsuka. It had the correct shape and a perfect fit on the Huawei tang. I split it open and checked, glued it back together, coated the tang in mold release wax, shoved the tang back and with a syringe added epoxy. After setting the tsuka came off easely. No drilling of mekugi anna was requiered, everything made to a perfect fit.
With the basics done it was wrapping time and this was fun.
I had some very nice supple leather and decided to go for a Gangi Maki and to do an old style I saw somewhere on the web, wrapping with all fittings in place. For the two hangers on the saya some silk was glued in place, made dirty and distressed, because the underlaying mood was to make campaign swords, cared for, but clearly used in all kinds of weather, with accumulated dirt in the nooks and crannies, like in the Gangi Maki and under the Menuki. The leather at the places where the swords are handled should have a slightly different look. In short, both should look like old, used, no nonsense war swords.
This is a first time wrap. The effect is kinda plant like, like a stem growing out. Gangi is great fun.
The last section of the saya was done in just leather, but fitted to the fittings in an cassette style, so the fittings get embedded.
The fitting sets from Crimson Mist came with first class Same. This was used under the end caps, coloured, stuffed full of dirt and cleaned a little to nice antique effect.
The Menuki were placed on top with the help of two pins silver soldered in place and some metal glue.
They give a good grip together with the hard ribs of the Gangi Maki.
For the Aikuchi tsuba I used an old iron tanto tsuba I had laying around.
The blade I re polished and I took out some little flaws in the lines. The Huawei Hamon got much better after prolonged polish with oil and talcum powder, but is still a semprini to photograph balancing a 500 watt Halogen hot spot in one hand.
The Zhi Forge Handachi with Army fittings.
Much thicker blade, re polished cause it had a nasty acid etch, some flaws in the lines too.
The Hamon came out very thin and is hard to see here. Shows better in direct sunlight.
After the basics were done and after re shaping the tsuka, I silver plated the fittings and re coloured the, complete, seppa set and blued the knobs and rings on the hangers.
Again I chose to wrap against the fittings, now with leather cord.
The cord was rather uneven, giving a rustic apearence. Soaked in poly and coloured and distressed, again with ample dirt from the vacume cleaner and sanding paper, it has that cared for antique look again. Maybe not so much in the images though. Plated the Habaki with copper.
For the final touch, here are the false knots, both replicated from Nihonto.
Cheers, Ulahn.