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Post by LG Martial Arts on Oct 13, 2015 16:25:29 GMT
I had emailed him thru Ebay regarding the possibility of a semi-customized sword about a month ago. He never got back to me. I tried again about 2 weeks ago and no response. Two days ago I checked his auctions and he had a few new listings including this: www.ebay.com/itm/281786417613?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITWhich is almost exactly what I wanted to begin with. So I bought it and messaged him regarding making a few changes, namely a saya with buffalo horn kojiri koiguchi and kurikata and he replied quickly and the price for changes was very reasonable. Not sure if he was just too busy last month or he just applies more attention to actual customers who have made a purchase vs. a casual window shopper. Either way he's been responsive post purchase and fair with price. After it arrives I'll post a review. I've also got a custom on the way from St-Nihonto that I'll review as well when it gets here. I'm new here BTW so hello! Thanks for the info, and hello as well! I see your forum name refers to the Five Deadly Venoms, one of my fav Chinese kung fu movies. So, seeing as the 5 others in the clan were the centipede, snake, scorpion, toad, and salamander, what does that make you?
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Oct 13, 2015 16:52:03 GMT
I had emailed him thru Ebay regarding the possibility of a semi-customized sword about a month ago. He never got back to me. I tried again about 2 weeks ago and no response. Two days ago I checked his auctions and he had a few new listings including this: www.ebay.com/itm/281786417613?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AITWhich is almost exactly what I wanted to begin with. So I bought it and messaged him regarding making a few changes, namely a saya with buffalo horn kojiri koiguchi and kurikata and he replied quickly and the price for changes was very reasonable. Not sure if he was just too busy last month or he just applies more attention to actual customers who have made a purchase vs. a casual window shopper. Either way he's been responsive post purchase and fair with price. After it arrives I'll post a review. I've also got a custom on the way from St-Nihonto that I'll review as well when it gets here. I'm new here BTW so hello! Thanks for the info, and hello as well! I see your forum name refers to the Five Deadly Venoms, one of my fav Chinese kung fu movies. So, seeing as the 5 others in the clan were the centipede, snake, scorpion, toad, and salamander, what does that make you? Glad to meet another fan. Yessir one of Chang Cheh's best! I always considered (though he never had the official designation) Yang Tieh the 6th Venom. He was the final pupil and he had training in a little of each of the 5 styles and he was a hero. That'd be me! LOL
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Oct 13, 2015 17:00:32 GMT
BTW sidenote. If any of you dig old Kung Fu flicks you need to watch the El Rey network. It is hands down my favorite channel ever. Better than the old Sci-Fi channel (back in the 90's, not this new Sy-Fy channel that sucks so bad). The best of the 80's and 70's spaghetti Westerns, Kung Fu flicks and Horror/ Sci-fi. As well as obscure stuff like Kung Fury. If you don't know what Kung Fury is and you grew up in the 80's like I did you must see it.
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Post by munk on Oct 13, 2015 23:15:03 GMT
Love kung fury, also I think its normal to go 2+ weeks without hearing from jacky if you have a custom order going. He probably does give "buy it now" customers a bit more attention.
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Oct 14, 2015 0:35:24 GMT
LOL. Any hero who gains his powers by getting bitten by a Cobra and getting struck by lightning simultaneously is a true hero in my book!
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Post by Robert in California on Oct 29, 2015 3:34:30 GMT
FYI, today Huawei (Jacky) messaged me that my custom suguha hamon, folded 1085/T10 katana shipped yesterday. We did argue some about the price....he wanted to give me the sword for $50usa less than his $300 ask. (he wanted to charge me only $250usa shipped due to the long wait). I refused and paid his original ask of $300 plus I paid the PayPal fees. This will be my 3rd customized/custom Huawei. If wife allows me, for this coming Christmas I would like to order a custom Huawei waki. RinC
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Post by Robert in California on Oct 29, 2015 3:45:49 GMT
The reason I want another Huawei waki, is that I bought one of his "budget" (aluminum allow sword fittings and synthetic saya fittings). It came with a "you can see the hamon" but it was a budget polish. Folded 1085/T10 blade. I did a hazuya (and a little jizuya) polish and the hamon turned out to have interesting activity in it...eye candy.
So I kick myself since the blade is better than the furniture.
So if wife lets me (i.e. "Christmas present"), I want to get a DH folded 1085/T10 waki with iron furniture, full rayskin wrap of raw, natural/white rayskin, brass menuki, real buffalo horn saya fittings, one mekugi, wide hamon (suguha ok), Japanese cotton ito, gloss black saya.
RinC
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Oct 29, 2015 5:48:03 GMT
That dirty SOB, trying to make you pay less(shakes fist)!
Seriously, I hope you get an awesome sword. It sounds like it will be nice. It was good of them to at least admit to and own the fault and offer the discount.
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Post by blackchapel on Oct 29, 2015 7:30:08 GMT
I feel like this is a good thread to ask in. Can Jacky make a blade with heavy niku? It seems like almost every production sword around is low to no niku. I love Huawei's work, so if I were to go the custom route, I'd want it to be them. I'd gladly pay and wait. Glad your sword shipped by the way!
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Post by Robert in California on Oct 29, 2015 16:52:52 GMT
My two Huawei's are low niku "suitable for soft to medium targets" swords. This latest Huawei custom katana is supposed to have a blade shaped for "medium to hard targets"...or such is what I asked for. Here is what I asked for, we shall see if Jacky remembered my laundry list of requested specs. Getting a sword done after an almost 1 year wait, naturally risks the sword maker forgetting details. We shall see. IMO sword makers have been pushed by buyers into thinking every sword has to be so razor sharp that the blades easily slice thin paper. Razor sharp blades are nice for soft targets....but come on folks, there ARE historical incidents that suggest higher niku blades have a purpose. My Huawei katana specs: 1. wide suguha/straight hamon folded 1085/T10 blade of 29inches for "medium to hard targets". 2. bohi (Jacky did one blade such...got a hagiri (small blade edge crack) so made me a non-bohi replacement blade) at no charge. 3. real buffalo horn saya fittings (koguichi, kurigata, kojiri) 4. Japanese cotton ito (black) for tsuka 5. full samegawa/rayskin tsuka wrap of raw/natural rayskin. 6. one mekugi (last sword Jacky met all specs but forgot and did two mekugis) 7. iron tsuka fittings (tsuba, fuchi, kashira) 8. brass menuki 9. black (preferably gloss) saya
Why a straight/suguha hamon? Well, (a) I like a straight hamon and (b) being a cheap English-Scottish type, and noticing that Huawei prices its fancy hamon swords, even when they are mono T10 unfolded steel, the prices are higher....I am guessing that doing fancy hamons is labor intensive much more than a simple hamon, suguha being the most simple.....so going straight/suguha hamon I get the functionality without the higher price.
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Oct 29, 2015 17:26:58 GMT
I wonder if a blade folded in sanmai with Spring steel over T10 would be a good combo. Anyone done this?
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Post by munk on Oct 29, 2015 23:13:52 GMT
Haven't heard from Jacky in 2 or so weeks, just sent an email a few days ago for updates now that were right at the 60 day mark quoted to me.
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Post by blackchapel on Oct 30, 2015 5:17:50 GMT
Thanks for the reply Robert. That is quite a list, but I think it should be the smith's responsibility to follow through and make the sword as specified. I suppose i'll just have to wait until you get your sword and see how it turns out.
I do like that he made a replacement blade for the one with a crack. That's great customer service.
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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 Oct 30, 2015 13:27:55 GMT
I wonder if a blade folded in sanmai with Spring steel over T10 would be a good combo. Anyone done this? There are several blades out there which claim your preferred construction style. The challenge is in actually getting what is claimed. Frequently they are maru (solid) Damascus, or the core steel is actually 1095. Unlike many people, I am not put off by 1095, it is a decent steel. But I can understand why people would want the items as described in the seller's advertisement. But to actually answer your question; I have a few sanmai blades and like them rather well. A gyaku Kobuse and Shihozume blade also have the same essential characteristics of a hard mono-steel edge, with a flexible/softer Damascus spine.
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Post by Robert in California on Nov 2, 2015 19:03:16 GMT
Originally I asked Huawei (Jacky) for a sanmai type blade with T10 as the hard "meat" and spring steel as the outer "bread" of the blade. I was told that the hard DH T10 needed water quench and that the 9260 spring steel needed an oil quench, so he could not make what I was asking for. Instead he said he could make a kobuse with say, T10 outer and core steel of 1060 or 1045. I instead settled for his regular folded steel blade (folded 1085/T10).
BTW, USPS says custom Huawei almost here. Maybe tomorrow arrival.
RinC
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Post by the6thdeadlyvenom on Nov 2, 2015 19:19:21 GMT
Originally I asked Huawei (Jacky) for a sanmai type blade with T10 as the hard "meat" and spring steel as the outer "bread" of the blade. I was told that the hard DH T10 needed water quench and that the 9260 spring steel needed an oil quench, so he could not make what I was asking for. Instead he said he could make a kobuse with say, T10 outer and core steel of 1060 or 1045. I instead settled for his regular folded steel blade (folded 1085/T10). BTW, USPS says custom Huawei almost here. Maybe tomorrow arrival. RinC Awesome. That was what I thought might be the case with such a combo as far as the different treatment required for each. Sucks though as if it were possible I'll bet that they'd go very well together. Just like Lamb and Tunafish.. LOL Make sure you review your Huawei. I still need to update my review with pics...
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Post by Robert in California on Nov 2, 2015 22:57:15 GMT
The custom Huawei katana arrived today (fast shipping!!!). Beautiful sword! All specs met except one....I had asked for a "medium to hard targets" blade (more niku) but did not see any increase in niku over the regular Huawei blades (ie. my other Huawei katana and Huawei waki). Actually, my Wang-katana2011 $150 mono 1095 DH katana has the most niku (done mostly in the hamon). RinC
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Post by nihontocaster on Nov 2, 2015 23:30:41 GMT
Glad you finally got it! Looking forward to the photos too
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Post by Kiyoshi on Nov 2, 2015 23:36:46 GMT
Can we expect some good pictures if not a review?
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Post by Robert in California on Nov 3, 2015 1:04:35 GMT
Originally, I asked not just for more niku but also for bohi to compensate for the heavier weight of a "medium to hard targets" blade. Especially since this new custom katana is about an inch longer than the regular Huawei katanas.
Could be that when the bohi job did not work out, a meatier blade would have been on the heavy side w/o bohi.
My two Huawei katanas are thinner, lighter, more lively and quicker blades than my other katanas. Excellent handling characteristics.
Review & pics? Not sure. I have very little free time these days. The new Huawei custom katana is basically the slightly bigger brother of the custom, normal blade length Huawei custom for which I already wrote a review w/pics here at SBG.
RinC
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