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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2008 22:34:28 GMT
Ok guys, I recently joined and posted, asking about which should be my first real katana. I've decided to order the Tenchi (but haven't done so yet) and will probably get the no bo-hi version as thats the one thats in stock at the moment.
What I was wondering about is if it would be an easy, practical customization to sand down the saya, and use a nice wood finish on it.
What do you guys think? I'm sure its harder than I'm thinking it will be.
What would I need, what process should I use and should I even do it at all?
Thanks guys. I have very little wood working exerience.
PS: Recommend me some other fun/easy customizations. I would really like to be able to say "Hey this is my sword, yeah its a production but it's different in this way, yadda yadda".
Welp thanks and I look forward to getting ahead of myself in the future too!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 0:13:03 GMT
I say go for it!Some time ago I bought a used Cheness Iaito. The blade was okay, but the saya had a few cracks in the lacquer. Not acceptable to me. I decided to repaint it. It's not that hard really. This is what you do: - sand down the whole lacquer: start with 80 grit, then 180 or 200 grit (2 sheets of each should be enough). The hardest part is the kurikata, you'll probably need a file for this one;
- pick the color of wood stain (there are lots of it, and a 200 ml bottle is more than enough) and stain the saya;
- depending on the type of stain, you can additionally put a protecting layer of colourless lacquer.
Forumite slavia has some experience with saya painting/staining. I took the liberty of quoting some of his work below: Alright! Saya has been stained. I decided to go for a deep brown. Also, I chose to stain the saya rather than paint or lacquer it. I wanted the wood grain to show up faintly when the light hits the saya, so I did a 2-stage stain. First, I stained the saya with a nice reddish-brown transparent shade. Then, I went over that with an opaque black stain, thinned down ever so slightly. What I got was beautiful! Under normal light, the saya looks dark dark brown, almost black. But under sunlight, it becomes a deep reddish tone, showing wood grain. Let me demonstrate: [most of the time] [in the light] As for other customizations, browse through this subforum and see what people did to their katanas. You can change the tsuba (that is, if you don't like the one that comes with the Tenchi), and IMO a new better quality sageo will complement the new look of the saya.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 0:20:45 GMT
What I was wondering about is if it would be an easy, practical customization to sand down the saya, and use a nice wood finish on it. I think that would be a very practical customization. The first step would be to remove the existing lacquer finish on ths saya. Sandpaper comes in different roughnesses called grits. Rough paper used for fast material remove would have a lower grit number than a paper used for final finishing. Start off with something like 80 or 100 grit paper to remove the existing finish. Wrapping the sand paper on some type of block is a good idea for even sanding. Change paper offen because the lacquer "dust" can clog the paper. Once all of the black lacquer is removed, there may be some scuffs from the rough paper. You will want to move up to a higer grit paper, like 120, to begin smoothing out the saya. You can use progressively finer grits until you reach your desired smoothness. A sanding with 120, 180, and finally 220 should provide a smooth surface suitable for finishing. Be sure to wipe off all of the dust prior to finishing. A rag dampened with mineral spirits works well for this. An easy finish would be a one step combination stain and polyurethane, something like Minwax Polyshades. You will need to follow the directions for what ever finish you choose. It will probably suggest that a few light coats will be better than one heavy coat. This is usually the case with wood finishes. You will most likely apply the finish with a brush or wipe it on with a rag, let it sit for a couple of minutes, wipe off the excess, and then let it dry. Once the first coat is dry, I would suggest a light sanding with 220 grit or finer paper prior to the next coat. Sometimes the first coat of finish often causes some of the wood surface to raise producing a rough feeling surface. The light sanding between coats removes the raised wood grain making the surface nice and smooth. Fine steel wool can be used for this as well. Don't worry if this dulls the finish, it is part of the process and the final product will be worth it. Again, be sure to remove all of the dust before applying the second coat of finish. Repeat all of the above steps until you achieve your desired finish. Do not sand after your final coat. If I were doing this I would apply three coats of finish with light sanding after the first and second coats. If you can, grab a camera and take photos of your process. Good luck and welcome to SBG
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 5:17:49 GMT
Wow guys thanks for the encouragement, and even more thanks for the great explanations and steps. Hopefully I'll order soon and be able to get all this done!
I think the largest problem I would have is retying the sageo (I believe thats what it's called). Is there a place that has a chart or something like that that would show me how to?
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slav
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Post by slav on Jun 5, 2008 5:17:50 GMT
I like this idea very much (as you can tell from lemon's post).
To remove the lacquer, I find that sharp bare razorblades work well to scrape most of the lacquer off. This is much quicker than sanding, and also reduces the risk of getting an allergic reaction from the lacquer-dust (yes, it can happen). Then I like to use a Random-orbital handheld power sander to do the remaining bits, and finish the underlying wood surface with sandpaper. After that, I use acrylic wood stain, and/or acrylic paints depending on the effect and tone that I am going for. I finish the saya with polyurethane varnish. I like to give it some texture, so I put on several coats over the course of 30 minutes or so with a semi-coarse paintbrush, running it lengthwise in looong strokes. If applied skillfully, this creates a wonderful "brush-stroked" or "veined" texture. If going for a smooth or gloss finish, you may want to use a spray-varnish.
Good Luck!
EDIT: There are several sites and pages that give directions on tying the sageo. It is not as hard as it seems, just Google "sageo tying" or "how to tie sageo".
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 5:30:57 GMT
Sorry, I also forgot to state that your (Slavania) saya looks amazing. I can only hope mine comes out looking remotely similar.
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Post by swordboy bringer of chaos on Jun 5, 2008 5:35:22 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 5:38:42 GMT
Thank you very much swordboy. Very informative.
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Post by swordboy bringer of chaos on Jun 5, 2008 5:50:17 GMT
no problem ...... actually some one here gave that link to me so I shared ;D
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 5:55:44 GMT
I'll spread the word whenever I get the chance!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 6:59:16 GMT
I have always wanted to get a saya custom painted with something cool on it, kind of like body art on a car, could probably get my brother to do it for me.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2008 6:17:22 GMT
See this thread for different styles of tying a sageo: Cho, Ronin, Myoga, Tachio Musubi: /index.cgi?action=display&board=swordcustom&thread=1839
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2008 21:38:40 GMT
An interesting thing that can be done while re-finishing your saya is to use two or more differing hues of stain. You can creat all sorts of cool designs in the wood grain by using masking tape to prevent the different shades from blending together. I use this technique on my bokkens to produce a false hamon design, which my friends seem to appreciate. Here's how it works, if you're interested: 1) remove the old finish and smooth the wood with a fine grit sandpaper. 2) Use a damp paper towel to lightly wipe down the surface. This will raise the grain of the wood for greater relief. 3) Apply the first layer of stain, which should be a lighter shade than the next stain being used. Allow it to dry completely. 4) Cover the saya with layers of painter's quality masking tape and then sketch lightly with a pencil the design you want left on the saya. This will be where the lighter hues will show through in contrast to the deeper shades. 5) Gently cut the tape along the lines with an X-acto knife. Almost no pressure is needed with a new blade, so be very careful with this part. Cut the tape so that the areas you want to be lighter are covered by the tape. 6) Now peel off the masking tape, leaving behind the design you've cut out. 7) Carefully apply the next shade of stain, being sure not to snag the edges of the tape with the cloth you are using. 8) Allow to dry completely in a cool area with low humidity. Then, simply peel off the remaining tape, and TA-DA ! You have an interesting and unique two tone design on your saya ! Hope this helps you out. Who knows, with a little practice, you might get hooked on the idea and come out with some wild stuff. Good luck, and have fun !
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