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Post by Kiyoshi on Sept 12, 2015 16:54:37 GMT
That would be pretty awesome. Just make sure you post updates on here (SBG, not necessarily this forum lol).
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addertooth
Member
Working the tsuka on two bare blades from Ninja-Katana, slow progress
Posts: 458
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Post by addertooth on Sept 12, 2015 17:21:16 GMT
It won't be anytime soon. I have a huge amount of irons in the fire right now.
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Post by Gene J on Sept 12, 2015 18:10:07 GMT
no various e-bay sellers ,rebranders, hanwei , 1 nihonto and recently 2 dynasty forges .Actually the only Ryan is the white wakizashi, Oh yea and windass and cold steel if you count euros
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Post by Gene J on Sept 12, 2015 18:11:17 GMT
I like the blue under white color combination. That's sharp. (pun maybe intended) it's actually like a champagneish color lol
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Post by Gene J on Sept 12, 2015 20:45:36 GMT
All said e-bay "forges" can be good for the money if your careful and snipe auctions and fix em up yourself a lil but if your going for higher price stuff go with higher priced brands
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Post by emmavon on Sept 12, 2015 21:10:33 GMT
I ordered a katana from Sheng at St. Nihonto a month ago. It was one of their stock pieces, no customization, so I was getting a little concerned as to why it didn't ship within a few days. I emailed Sheng once, and he responded the next day that they were working on the saya. I wonder if they're made to order even if they're in stock? Just received shipment notification today, so we'll see what it looks like when it gets here.
This is my first eBay katana. I've been collecting for a little over 10 years, and I'm really impressed by the swords that are being offered these days. Used to be that anything on eBay was cheap wallhanger junk that needed to be avoided like the plague. After looking at lots of pics of Huawei and St. Nihonto katanas, I decided to buy one from the latter for myself. I know the fittings, ito, and sageo aren't as good as most production stuff from Hanwei or Dynasty Forge, but the quality of the eBay blades seems very good for the price. 10 years ago I would never have imagined being able to buy a folded steel sword for $300. I paid more than that for my first PPK.
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Post by Kiyoshi on Sept 12, 2015 21:31:13 GMT
I'm not quite sure when it comes to off the shelf. I know from past experience and current that he will lie about stuff. I'm guessing he does it to be polite and to make people more at ease. I don't know why, but he's been promising to send me pictures of my finished blade for about a week now. He keeps telling me that it's done and he'll send me pictures in 2 days or tomorrow. I've told him that if he needs time, just let me know, I'll wait, but he insists it's done. I had similar experiences with him with my last sword and others have reported the same. The only one I've heard of him actually contacting and giving updates when he said he would was messenger. I don't mind waiting, so I'm just going to be polite and check up every now and then.
Last blade I had done, he said he could ship it same day after such a long wait if I changed my blade to one of their stock ones. So I really don't know why you're having to wait so long. I know he said he had some family related things to do recently. It's not my place to share it, but he might just have some personal stuff slowing him down atm.
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Post by emmavon on Sept 12, 2015 22:38:33 GMT
That is what I heard as well, mostly from people ordering swords with custom options. They'd usually get replies that there was some problem or delay, so they recommended getting something in stock, which is what I did. I've had a lot of bad experiences with extremely long wait times in dealing with other manufacturers, always when getting something that wasn't necessarily custom but had to be made-to-order. So while that made me weary of ordering something that wasn't actually sitting in the shop and ready to ship, it also set a high bar for patience. Compared to 12 months or 22 months, 1 month is okay.
He'll probably get around to sending you pictures of your sword eventually. I sent him a message a week or so after I paid to ask when he expected to ship or if he needed any info from me, and that's when he said he was working on the saya and that it would be another 3-4 days. A little over two weeks went by and I was about to email him again when he sent me a message that the sword was done and he would ship the next day. He didn't ship until several days later, but that's okay with me. I think he just underestimates the time something will take or he may be too busy with orders. It's only when people stop responding that I get nervous, but I've felt comfortable with Sheng's communication so far. He also threw in a free sword stand for the long wait, so that was nice of him to do.
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Post by nihontocaster on Sept 12, 2015 23:04:00 GMT
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Sept 12, 2015 23:15:26 GMT
I've had my eye on that one for a little while, and I knew that Sheng could do various types of hamon upon request, but it's always nice to see an image of what they can do. I still like it, even if it could use a slightly better polish. Sheng's stuff speaks for itself, as he's one of the better eBay forges.
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Post by Kiyoshi on Sept 12, 2015 23:28:35 GMT
I know he will deliver eventually. I just prefer a little more honest of a time frame. Probably the only real negative about dealing with him. He is generally polite and accommodating. He also is willing to take on projects and do things others aren't.
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Post by emmavon on Sept 12, 2015 23:35:09 GMT
Thanks nihontocaster. I think the PPK was a lot of people's first sword, lol. That is quite a wild hamon on the link you posted, wow. I've seen this a few times before, once on a katana that a renowned Japanese smith forged out of old iron nails. It looks like there's a hamon on the mune on the Even-Sword. Wouldn't that create a more brittle blade having both a hard edge and spine, as opposed to a regular katana with a hamon on the cutting edge? In any case, it's a very pretty sword.
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Sept 12, 2015 23:59:21 GMT
Thanks nihontocaster. I think the PPK was a lot of people's first sword, lol. That is quite a wild hamon on the link you posted, wow. I've seen this a few times before, once on a katana that a renowned Japanese smith forged out of old iron nails. It looks like there's a hamon on the mune on the Even-Sword. Wouldn't that create a more brittle blade having both a hard edge and spine, as opposed to a regular katana with a hamon on the cutting edge? In any case, it's a very pretty sword. Not necessarily - if that were the case, then all monosteel katana blades would be brittle and shatter (they don't). Sure, it might be a little bit more hard overall than a katana with a more regular hamon, but considering the most important factor - that it's forged out of modern T10 steel - the katana is almost certainly structurally sound. I wouldn't go trying to slay any evil hordes of tanks with it, but for a Maru style blade from Sheng, a hitatsura type hamon should be of no concern.
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Post by nihontocaster on Sept 13, 2015 0:21:02 GMT
I think that was discussed a lot of times already, and nobody could give a definite answer - summary is mostly that it wont change too much. I sure looks interesting though (as do most Choji variants, to me at least ) @ MessengerofDarkness Im also glad to see a development with Sheng or any other Longquan dealers - the "handcarved" Habaki Sheng recently made available for his swords are also a nice step imho. @ emmavon Theres another example of such a hamon on a ebay sword, most on here will know it already, a well known member on here did review one with a similar blade already www.aliexpress.com/store/product/High-Quality-Shinogi-Zukuri-Choji-Hamon-Hishi-Gami-Wave-Fittings-Japanese-sword/626440_32438580660.htmlIts just interesting to see those pretty complicated Hamon on ebay swords before they were ever done by the non-eBay production katana companies Ahaha yep the PK and PKK (Wasn't there a Practical Pro too ages ago? lol) somehow were a lot of peoples first Katana. Here in Europe its probably even "worse", back then they were the only thing available (maybe a Hanwei Shinto or Musashi if stretching it) without bothering to import something more exotic.
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Sept 13, 2015 0:28:15 GMT
I think that was discussed a lot of times already, and nobody could give a definite answer - summary is mostly that it wont change too much. I sure looks interesting though (as do most Choji variants, to me at least :) ) @ MessengerofDarkness Im also glad to see a development with Sheng or any other Longquan dealers - the "handcarved" Habaki Sheng recently made available for his swords are also a nice step imho. @ emmavon Theres another example of such a hamon on a ebay sword, most on here will know it already, a well known member on here did review one with a similar blade already www.aliexpress.com/store/product/High-Quality-Shinogi-Zukuri-Choji-Hamon-Hishi-Gami-Wave-Fittings-Japanese-sword/626440_32438580660.htmlIts just interesting to see those pretty complicated Hamon on ebay swords before they were ever done by the non-eBay production katana companies :) Ahaha yep the PK and PKK (Wasn't there a Practical Pro too ages ago? lol) somehow were a lot of peoples first Katana. Here in Europe its probably even "worse", back then they were the only thing available (maybe a Hanwei Shinto or Musashi if stretching it) without bothering to import something more exotic. Agreed - the process of having a differentially hardened sword puts starin on the metal alone, so having a small variant in the hamon's size or area wouldn't likely make much of an appreciable difference, if that. :) And yeah, the habaki that Sheng offers: www.ebay.com/itm/High-quality-Handmade-japanese-katana-sword-Double-habaki-/111754276468?hash=item1a0512ee74is a nice step-up from the normal brass or copper habaki that you see on many blades nowadays - I believe that Sheng will make you a custom one to fit your sword if you provide him a complete list of your nakago's dimensions for the habaki to fit. And as for Hanwei, imho, they overdid the whole "Practical" thing - people, especially beginner sword enthusiasts, couldn't tell the difference in all the various models, which is why they're not as popular as they once were - there are so many more companies and models out there to choose from, some with better deals, some with worse.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Sept 13, 2015 1:35:31 GMT
While the general fitment of this sword looks better than many, there are a few things I don't like about it. First is the way the tsuka is stick straight and does not seem to follow the sori of the blade even a little. Even though a tsuka doesn't need to be shaped like a banana to complete an arc with the sori, there is a definite disruption of the aesthetic flow imo. There seems to be large gaps in the habaki fit. The kissaki looks a little wonky, almost dipping from the yokote before it goes into the fukura. I do realize though that this is one of many being sold so this flaw might not be on all of them. It's also roughly polished. The last is the etching/polish. They are highlighting everything in between the hamon and mune yaki. I know none of these swords have an authentic or traditional polish but they try to emulate ones that do. To me, this type of polish looks backwards and doesn't show any activity in the hardened areas. If the blade has been tempered well, there really shouldn't be much worry that it will be fragile or brittle. At least this is what I've been told by an experienced sword smith. I'm happy more sellers are trying out new styles and hamon but I still think Huawei has a leg up on the competition. At least when it comes to off-the-shelf swords.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Sept 13, 2015 1:37:45 GMT
Just to note, there is no $80 saya available as far as I know, it was a mix up in referencing Horn parts are often lacquered on Japanese saya. I haven't seen many(nihonto), as far as I can remember, that were left bare. It is a nice look to have them highly polished in my opinion but I really only see this on modern saya made outside of Japan. I suppose in many cases it would be hard to tell the difference unless it was a very close pic or seen in person. Properly lacquering with urushi is much different however than the one or two passes with acrylic paint(or similar) that the ebay saya often receive so while the finish on Japanese saya could theoretically last a hundred years or more, the ebay finish could begin to chip and flake in days, weeks or months. Probably better to leave them bare and polished. By the way, Lyueswords is Ryanswords. I know it comes up often but does anyone have any actual proof of which companies are the same and which actually have factories/forges and which just buy and sell? RinC, you've mentioned that you think Jacky is a smith but is this just your impression or did he claim this? This whole industry can be very confusing and deceptive and it would be amazing if some of the mysteries could be solved The only thing I know about them Josh is they have different reps and Lyuesword denied being affiliated with them but sent me a god damn Ryansword piece of paper twice on my 2 orders from them. Also Tommysword is definately affliated with Lyuesword as they share there store, items and photos. However, when once I enquired between the 2 of them they had different reps and both were fighting over who I should buy from. Ryansword is mentioned right on the Lyuesword website, lol. It's this kind of nonsense that gives them and adds to their bad rep in my opinion.
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Post by nihontocaster on Sept 13, 2015 2:44:38 GMT
While the general fitment of this sword looks better than many, there are a few things I don't like about it. First is the way the tsuka is stick straight and does not seem to follow the sori of the blade even a little. Even though a tsuka doesn't need to be shaped like a banana to complete an arc with the sori, there is a definite disruption of the aesthetic flow imo. There seems to be large gaps in the habaki fit. The kissaki looks a little wonky, almost dipping from the yokote before it goes into the fukura. I do realize though that this is one of many being sold so this flaw might not be on all of them. It's also roughly polished. The last is the etching/polish. They are highlighting everything in between the hamon and mune yaki. I know none of these swords have an authentic or traditional polish but they try to emulate ones that do. To me, this type of polish looks backwards and doesn't show any activity in the hardened areas. If the blade has been tempered well, there really shouldn't be much worry that it will be fragile or brittle. At least this is what I've been told by an experienced sword smith. I'm happy more sellers are trying out new styles and hamon but I still think Huawei has a leg up on the competition. At least when it comes to off-the-shelf swords. The tsuka not being curvy is weird, just noticed it after you wrote about it - on other, even way cheaper swords, Sheng has curved tsuka. Now this is just plain weird, lol. Totally know what you mean though, can't stand the straight tsuka myself - especially if shaped like an axe handle (Hello classic Hanwei). Don't like the fittings on that sword at all in general. Glossy black, and not even done good like on some Huawei or other brands. Pretty much only posted it for the blade, and like you describe, its still a good bit second to Huawei imho. On the other side, its also a bit cheaper, probably with reason. Polish looks a bit weak in general indeed. The Yokote could just be looking iffy in the photograph...not sure, the angle looks strange. Too much shadow around it. Still, kinda nice to see them all venturing out a bit Edit: Theres one of their cheaper swords, at least I think I see a sori in the tsuka there www.ebay.com/itm/111765732751?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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Post by Kiyoshi on Sept 13, 2015 2:51:57 GMT
The tsuka not being curvy is weird, just noticed it after you wrote about it - on other, even way cheaper swords, Sheng has curved tsuka. Now this is just plain weird, lol. Totally know what you mean though, can't stand the straight tsuka myself - especially if shaped like an axe handle (Hello classic Hanwei). Don't like the fittings on that sword at all in general. Glossy black, and not even done good like on some Huawei or other brands. Pretty much only posted it for the blade, and like you describe, its still a good bit second to Huawei imho. On the other side, its also a bit cheaper, probably with reason. Polish looks a bit weak in general indeed. The Yokote could just be looking iffy in the photograph...not sure, the angle looks strange. Too much shadow around it. Still, kinda nice to see them all venturing out a bit Edit: Theres one of their cheaper swords, at least I think I see a sori in the tsuka there www.ebay.com/itm/111765732751?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITNearly all the longquan forges use the same pool of fittings. A lot of it is also in how they photograph the swords. Sheng's yokote is good, his kissaki can be a bit thin at times though. Some of his swords follow the sori, some don't. You can request it though.
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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Sept 13, 2015 17:02:27 GMT
Sheng definitely IS capable of making curved tsuka/nakago, though a good number of his katana DO emulate Henwei's tsuka shape very nicely.For instance, my custom katana has a nice rikko style tsuka: and is curved because of the katana's koshi zori. Another part of it is the photography angles - they can play tricks on your eye, trust me. Also, some of his katana seem to have a palm swell on them where your upper hand would rest, so there definitely is some shaping to his tsukas. An example of a palm swell from the Cheness Shura:
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