Martespa hot rod (carbon fiber and kevlar)
Nov 23, 2016 5:01:07 GMT
Post by ambulocetus on Nov 23, 2016 5:01:07 GMT
I almost hesitated posting this because I know how you all feel about stainless steel, but I've been planning this for a while and I think if you give it a chance you will like what I did here. I had a Marto sword back when nobody had even heard of Paul Chen, and I did a similar customization back then. There are a couple of reasons that I chose this sword to modify, and I will try to point them out as I go.
I found a brand new Martespa wakizashi for a good price on ebay and it arrived quickly.
Sorry my camera sucks.
Here is a close up of the tsuka. Note the steel mekugi I pushed partially out.
The fittings are nicer than the old one I used to have. The menuki suck, but the tsuba and fuchi/kashira are well made. They are solid copper, not zinc alloy. The blade has no distal taper. It's basically a sharpened slab of steel. Marto does properly heat-treat them though, and they are pretty darn tough. The sword from the famous "Home Shopping" video was not a Marto. Note the "made in Spain" sticker below the habaki.
The first reason I used this type of sword is shown here. The plastic koiguchi really grips the habaki. In this picture I am shaking the sword and it does not fall out. But it comes out easily when you want it to
.
Another reason I wanted a Toledo sword is the aluminum saya. Very sturdy, but it rattles a bit and rubbing on the sides could dull the blade, so I wrapped the blade in plastic and duct tape...
I inserted the covered blade into the saya. Then I drilled a couple of holes in the saya and injected Great Stuff Foam. Once the foam hardened I took the blade out and removed the tape, leaving a sword shaped hole in the foam for a perfect fit.
Now it's time to change the tsuba. The tsuba that came with it is nice, and it was installed very tight, but it's a katana tsuba and I like a smaller tuba on a wak. Unfortunately the only way to take off the tsuka is to destroy it. This sucker was tough. I almost had second thoughts about leaving it there. These Marto/Martespa swords are way tougher than BudK or United Cutlery.
continued..
I found a brand new Martespa wakizashi for a good price on ebay and it arrived quickly.
Sorry my camera sucks.
Here is a close up of the tsuka. Note the steel mekugi I pushed partially out.
The fittings are nicer than the old one I used to have. The menuki suck, but the tsuba and fuchi/kashira are well made. They are solid copper, not zinc alloy. The blade has no distal taper. It's basically a sharpened slab of steel. Marto does properly heat-treat them though, and they are pretty darn tough. The sword from the famous "Home Shopping" video was not a Marto. Note the "made in Spain" sticker below the habaki.
The first reason I used this type of sword is shown here. The plastic koiguchi really grips the habaki. In this picture I am shaking the sword and it does not fall out. But it comes out easily when you want it to
.
Another reason I wanted a Toledo sword is the aluminum saya. Very sturdy, but it rattles a bit and rubbing on the sides could dull the blade, so I wrapped the blade in plastic and duct tape...
I inserted the covered blade into the saya. Then I drilled a couple of holes in the saya and injected Great Stuff Foam. Once the foam hardened I took the blade out and removed the tape, leaving a sword shaped hole in the foam for a perfect fit.
Now it's time to change the tsuba. The tsuba that came with it is nice, and it was installed very tight, but it's a katana tsuba and I like a smaller tuba on a wak. Unfortunately the only way to take off the tsuka is to destroy it. This sucker was tough. I almost had second thoughts about leaving it there. These Marto/Martespa swords are way tougher than BudK or United Cutlery.
continued..