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Post by rapierznsaberzfan001 on Feb 26, 2018 10:08:45 GMT
Hello to one and all,
First of all, if I have posted in the wrong place, I beg your forgiveness for I am but a humble newbie seeking sage advice from those far wiser than myself.
Around fifteen or sixteen years ago, while passing through a small town in N.Y.S. known as Watkin's Glen, I passed a small store whose name I do not remember. Displayed in the window was a Samurai sword - a katana - with a burgundy scabbard, its hilt is wrapped in black, and rectangular tsuba which appears to be bronze. A number of years later, an individual managed to find a wakizashi which appeared to be the mate for my katana. I bought a two-sword display stand and the day I moved into my house, I promptly - and proudly - displayed the first of my Samurai swords.
The problem: the tsuba slides back and forth perpendicularto the flat of the sword blade/sword tang.
I think this is what happened: the pair of swords sat on their stand, in the same spot, in the sun every day for well over fifteen years. When I removed the swords from their stand and tried to remove each from its scabbard, they would not budge. I was finally able to draw both swords - they both needed attention. Their end pieces needed to be re-secured and such. It was at this point that I discovered the two top inserts of the scabbard needed to be re-secured and the tsuba was loose.
I have no experience in sword repairs. I did see the excellant set of step-by-step instructions earlier in this forum but my luck with "diy" projects is lately beyond horrible. I need "extremely simple" fix-it instructions. Better still, someone locally who does sword repair work. Failing this, a replacement but I could use some suggestions on searching for another wakizashi.
Thanks for any help, Chuck W
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2018 17:58:15 GMT
If I understand what you are describing, some paper shims should do the trick to snug up the tsuba fit.
You could fill with additional material or bang the area near the opening in the tsuba to deform it slightly into a tighter fit but I think simply folding some paper and sinching up the gap will be the simplest method to get you sorted out.
Edited to add, you may just need to make an extra seppa - the thin metal pieces above and below the tsuba. If you're not handy with metal work, leather is an option or using thick paper like a heavy card stock or even possibly cardboard depending on how much of a space we're talking.
Best of luck.
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Post by rapierznsaberzfan001 on Feb 28, 2018 0:56:33 GMT
Thanks Jon.
In the future, no matter what time it is, I WILL PREVIEW BEFORE I POST!!!
I apologize for what I posted. I usually write much better than that.
What I mean't to write and didn't is that I think the loose tsuba is do to the problem I encountered drawing the sword. I think I somehow loosened the Habaki - I think this is the proper name for this part of the sword hilt. It looks like a square "clip" on the blade below the tsuba. It doesn't seem loose now but I think this is somehow related. I'm still encountering problems returning the sword to its scabbard.
Can this piece be moved up and then tightened? I need to do something because the sword meets resistance when it reaches the habaki.
Thanks,
Chuck
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Post by zabazagobo on Feb 28, 2018 5:37:26 GMT
Alright, so from what I've gathered, what you're asking for help with is...
1.) The tsuba has shifting along the line from the edge to the spine 2.) The sword has a very tight fit with the scabbard 3.) The habaki appears loose.
For each, my advice would be...
1.) To fix the tsuba wiggle you specified there are two general approaches. The first does not require you to disassemble the tsuka and consists in wedging something between the tsuba and seppa or the seppa and the fuchi. Based on where you can discern there being the greatest amount of space, apply something thin like paper or wrap something like dental floss around in the gap, tightening as you go.
The aforementioned fix is not the most structurally sound, and the better option is to disassemble the tsuka. Once disassembled, you will be able to play with each and very part and how it fits the tang. By doing so, you will locate where the gaps are on the fit of the seppa and the tsuba to the tang. At this point, use small shims (they may be tiny) made out of wood (something thin like veneer edging is a good pick) and use those to fill the gaps so that the tsuba and seppa fit the tang tightly and securely, then reassemble.
2. Based on what you described, I do not think that the issue with the saya fit stems from the habaki being loose (although I'll hit on that with the point below). Rather, by the sounds of it, the saya does not hold the blade well. I would first recommend inspecting the saya for warps (lateral bends, not the curvature that follows the blade shape) as if the saya is anything but straight, this creates a problem. Next, I would check the sword for bends. If you notice the edge is not completely straight or the spine shows deviations from a straight line, it is entirely possible that the sword is difficult to draw and sheathe because it is bent. Finally, you mentioned above that the "two top inserts of the scabbard needed to be re-secured". Could you elaborate on what you mean by this? Depending on the shape of the koiguchi, there may be an issue with the frictional fit of the habaki to the koiguchi.
3. Unless the habaki shifts and moves, it isn't loose. A tight or difficult saya fit has little to do with a loose habaki, unless the habaki is cracked and misshapen.
If you could post a picture of your sword and the problem parts, that would allow us to chime in with more information on how to help. As well, what sort of sword did you purchase? Is it an antique or a production piece?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2018 4:10:05 GMT
No worries about a lack of clarity, its hard to sort this out.
Here's a starting point:
Get a towel or blanket, fold it a few times and set it on the floor. Take the scabbard off the sword. Take out the little bamboo pin in the handle.
Hold the handle just a little bit below the handguard.
Give the pommel a quick bang on the towel. You're not crushing a skull, but you're also not doing a light little tippy tap. Give it some juice. Some. You want a solid thump. :-)
See if that helps. You can push the pin back in by hand and then give it a little tap (this time you don't have to worry about banging just a couple taps to snug it into place). If that works, all you had to do was take out the little wooden pin and stick it back in, no disassembly required.
If it doesn't, then you might have to do some more stuff to get everything sorted out. Taking this kind of sword apart is nowhere near as scary as it sounds, but let's see if it is even necessary in the first place.
That should force the tang of the sword into the handle, and may very well tighten up the various bits. The towel or blanket is good because it will keep you from hurting your floor or the endcap, I don't know what you've got but this shouldn't hurt anything unless you try to slam things too hard.
Depending on how old things are and where and how they've been stored I guess it can shrink up. My gut is saying add seppa or replace them with something thicker would be the easiest way to go if you still have trouble.
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Post by rapierznsaberzfan001 on Mar 1, 2018 8:38:46 GMT
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Post by MOK on Mar 1, 2018 10:32:01 GMT
Looking at the video, the main problem is clearly that the hole on the guard that the tang passes through is WAY too big. There's no real way to fix that, I don't think - if it was the usual matter of a millimeter or so you could use wood or copper shims to fill it, but this is beyond that. I suspect the grip is also loose on the tang, which allows it to move around, which has caused it to crack. The fittings overall just don't fit, ironically enough. The "good" news is that you haven't damaged the sword, it was made that way! It's a decorative piece loosely approximating a katana, made as cheap as possible (no same wrap, "shoelace" ito, no seppa, fittings made of plated pot metal, fake hamon etc.) and with no consideration given to structural integrity. It's a rough likeness of a sword, rather than an actual sword, know what I mean? If this was sold to you as a real sword you were lied to, and if you paid more than about $50 for it you were ripped off. Now, how to fix that? Replacements. You can buy similar (or with a bit of luck the very same) models for about $50, like I said, on a whole host of online vendors if you just want it for display... or spend $100-300 to get an actual sword you don't have to worry about breaking in reasonable use, let alone on display! Something like this, for example? Just off the top of my head. Or this if you like red scabbards. There are lots of others of different styles and at various price points - and wakizashi, too - on Kult of Athena (probably the best, most reliable online retailer of swords and related stuff in the world; no worries about being scammed). PS. There's a Wikipedia article on the Japanese nomenclature for the various parts of a sword. But don't sweat it, plain old English terms - grip (tsuka), guard (tsuba), spacer (seppa), collar (habaki) etc. - are just as good!
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Post by zabazagobo on Mar 2, 2018 0:53:25 GMT
So, good news and bad news. Good news is that there's nothing to worry about. Bad news is that's because that is not a functional sword. The photos and video you provided suggest that this is a display-only decoration. None of the fittings come even close to fitting the sword remotely properly. Like MOK suggested, just look at a replacement. Display swords are easy to come by, and functional katana and wakizashi are really common these days.
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