|
Post by learningswordsman1 on Jan 5, 2016 18:32:17 GMT
My blade is rattling inside its says and it is driving me mad. The koiguchi fit is flawless so it is loose down inside the saya. Is there a way to fix this? Thanks in advance!
|
|
|
Post by chrisperoni on Jan 5, 2016 18:39:09 GMT
I've heard of people taking a cotton ball and pushing it down to the bottom of the Saya as they sheath the blade. But wait to see if anyone here can confirm this is okay longterm. I'd expect it would be okay as long as there's some mineral oil on on the cotton ball.
|
|
|
Post by learningswordsman1 on Jan 5, 2016 22:44:34 GMT
I've heard of that as well but I also heard that it causes rust because the oil on the cotton attracts dust which attracts moisture which causes the rust. Would it be better if the cotton had no oil on it or would oil from the blade get rubbed off on the cotton and cause the same result with the same effect?
|
|
|
Post by Kiyoshi on Jan 6, 2016 9:01:07 GMT
This was a topic I had a discussion with someone on here not too long ago. I pointed the other member to ask someone who customizes swords and is very skilled at it. He said that cotton is not recommended nor is any other fabric that can retain moisture. There really isn't any perfect solution to this problem but they used non-acidic wood shims with some degrees of success. They recommended possibly using a 2"-3" thin strip of bamboo/wood and folding it in half. Then cut a taper in the folded end (shaped like a bullet) and pushing it down into the bottom of the saya with a tool like a wire or something. Make sure to prepare a removal tool beforehand though. If you do it right, the fold will sandwich your kissaki and help the rattle a little. Make sure you check and clean/oil your blade regular if you decide to do this. The other member tried this and they said it worked well for them. This is a tad bit paraphrased but the advice seems sound and comes from a very reliable source. Hope this helps.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Jan 6, 2016 16:54:39 GMT
Throwing this out as food for thought. At one time, I don’t know if they continue to follow the practice, Windlass put a curved plastic strip in their sword canes and umbrella that was flexible and allowed the blade to pass at the same time applying sufficient pressure to force the blade to the scabbard. For me it has worked fine eliminating rattle w/o a rust problem. I do have a rust problem with Windlass’ newer swords due to a tension pad they place new the throat. The only problem I’ve had with their plastic strip is that from time to time they want to come out but are easily reinserted.
|
|
|
Post by learningswordsman1 on Jan 7, 2016 19:37:55 GMT
Would you mind providing a picture of one of those plastic pieces? I might make one of those. I honestly don't think that a wooden shim that deep into the saya would be the best idea for me, I probably would not be able to get it back out if I messed up. Does anyone by any chance know if the rusting with the cotton ball method is caused by cutting with the sword then not wiping the blade before noto and moisture gets into the saya because of that?
|
|
|
Post by Kiyoshi on Jan 7, 2016 23:22:51 GMT
From what I understood, any fabric that can retain moisture will naturally trap it in the saya over time, it's more of a matter of when. This is due to the saya having no real ventilation to dry.
|
|
|
Post by Svadilfari on Jan 8, 2016 2:58:18 GMT
Instead of a cotton ball or fabric, what about a small piece of polystyrene foam or similar sort of packing material ? That wouldn't attract or hold any moisture ?
|
|
|
Post by Kiyoshi on Jan 8, 2016 13:19:58 GMT
I don't think it would, but it does leave ugly white gunk on your kissaki.
|
|
|
Post by DigsFossils-n-Knives on Jan 8, 2016 14:08:36 GMT
BTW: I have found a small cloth or cotton balls in the bottom of my sayas. These sayas came from three different Chinese made katana sellers.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Jan 8, 2016 14:30:19 GMT
Would you mind providing a picture of one of those plastic pieces? I might make one of those. I honestly don't think that a wooden shim that deep into the saya would be the best idea for me, I probably would not be able to get it back out if I messed up. Does anyone by any chance know if the rusting with the cotton ball method is caused by cutting with the sword then not wiping the blade before noto and moisture gets into the saya because of that? I’ll try to get a strip out this p.m. when I have more time. The trick will be to remove a strip, they came out voluntary from time to time but now that I want to remove one, well you know how it goes.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Jan 8, 2016 23:35:30 GMT
I was not able to remove the plastic sleeves. There is only one per sword cane and I have three Windlass’ sword canes. I tried using centrifugal force with no results and decided to leave well enough alone. So I draw a diagram out of memory. It is not to scale and no dimensions are given as these will depend on the size of scabbard involved. For my 17” Buffalo Horn Cane the sleeve was about 10-12” long and longer for the 28-29” umbrella and Knob Handle Cane. I have no idea of the widths or other dimensions. The sleeves have an elliptical cross section with the distal end tapering to a point and the other end has a tab. How it works is only a guess on my part as I cannot see when it’s in the scabbard, but this is what I think: The tab at the proximal end deflects the blade causing it to travel over the crown. As it passes the tab the blade is forced to one wall in the scabbard and the feet to the opposite wall. The feet then spread allowing more room for the blade to pass while at the same time maintaining pressure on the blade. The first time the sleeve came out I didn’t know what it was or function but figured that it must serve some purpose and reinserted it. After it came out several times I got curious as to what it was and how important it was so I sheathed the blade without the sleeve inserted only to find a rattle, something that I consider unacceptable with a sword cane, not that I like a rattle in any case. I hope this helps, sorry no photos. PS Looking at the diagram I should say that the angled corners actually have small radiuses that I was not able to reproduce.
|
|
|
Post by learningswordsman1 on Jan 10, 2016 23:18:50 GMT
Hey thanks for the diagrams, greatly appreciated! I might make something like that if I get brave enough to jam something into my saya If not I guess I will just live with the rattle. Thanks for the tips guys!
|
|