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Post by dracarys on Dec 5, 2018 3:30:55 GMT
I just received a katana polished and mounted by Fred Lohman, and I'm a bit disappointed. Beyond missing the kojiri, mon, and a maintenance kit I ordered, the menuki are also fitted on the wrong sides of the tsuka. The upper menuki is on the left side of the tsuka when the blade is edge down, and the lower menuki is on the right. Given that I'm supposed to hold my katana with my right hand closest to the tsuba, this makes for an uncomfortable experience as the menuki pushes my fingers out and makes it hard for me to get a good grip on it. Now, if I reversed the orientation, turning it edge up, its much more comfortable to hold. Here's a portion of a Skallagrim video from 6:09 - 7:07 that describes the EXACT same problem I have right now. I doubt I can successfully unwrap and rewrap the tsuka myself, so anyone have a professional they can point me to, to do it for me? Hopefully in Canada, but the US works too. I'm thinking of contact Randy Black, as a quick search says he's a good choice, but what do you guys think?
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Dec 5, 2018 3:57:26 GMT
I've heard nothing but good things about Randy Black. Josh Marlan of Cottontail Customs is also top notch, but he may not be accepting commissions right now.
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Post by dracarys on Dec 5, 2018 4:26:33 GMT
I've heard nothing but good things about Randy Black. Josh Marlan of Cottontail Customs is also top notch, but he may not be accepting commissions right now. Thank you for letting me know. His work looks quite good from a cursory look at his photos. A quick look at his site seems to show that he's only accepting tsukamaki commissions at the moment, which seem to be precisely what I need, so fingers crossed I might still be able to squeeze myself in. I've sent both of them an email. Hopefully it won't be too long before at least one of them respond.
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Post by csills2313 on Dec 5, 2018 12:56:55 GMT
I have re-wrapped a Tsuka before so as to replace a dirty ito. It is not as hard as you might think. You most likely will struggle like I did at first until you get the hang of it.
I used a crochet needle to pull and secure the ends of the ito. After I got done I lacquered the ito in place and all was well.
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Post by starkiller on Dec 5, 2018 15:57:13 GMT
if it does not work with Josh, try Sal: sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/user/36236he did a few mounts for me, his work is just pristine instagram: jizamurai_repair_shop (if you want to see some of his work)
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Post by dracarys on Dec 5, 2018 20:05:58 GMT
csills2313: Right, well you certainly make it seem less difficult than I thought it was. If I end up having to do it myself, I'll probably see if I can practice it in whatever way I can before actually doing it. Thanks for the help. I'll probably be referring to that video quite a bit.
starkiller: Will do. His instagram does look very nice. I'll be sure to get in touch with him if he ends up being the best choice. Thanks for letting me know.
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Post by shepherd214 on Dec 9, 2018 6:38:03 GMT
I also recommend Josh at Cottontail Customs. I have personal experience with his work and it is gorgeous. If a simple rewrap is all you need it shouldn't cost too much.
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Post by tancred on Dec 9, 2018 7:42:52 GMT
I just received a katana polished and mounted by Fred Lohman, and I'm a bit disappointed. Beyond missing the kojiri, mon, and a maintenance kit I ordered, the menuki are also fitted on the wrong sides of the tsuka. The upper menuki is on the left side of the tsuka when the blade is edge down, and the lower menuki is on the right. Given that I'm supposed to hold my katana with my right hand closest to the tsuba, this makes for an uncomfortable experience as the menuki pushes my fingers out and makes it hard for me to get a good grip on it. Now, if I reversed the orientation, turning it edge up, its much more comfortable to hold. Here's a portion of a Skallagrim video from 6:09 - 7:07 that describes the EXACT same problem I have right now. I doubt I can successfully unwrap and rewrap the tsuka myself, so anyone have a professional they can point me to, to do it for me? Hopefully in Canada, but the US works too. I'm thinking of contact Randy Black, as a quick search says he's a good choice, but what do you guys think? Sorry to hear of your bad experience, Dracarys. I sent a bare blade and koshirae to Lohman for a new tsuka and ito wrap, and was also very disappointed. Felt ripped off, honestly. While the wrap itself was perfect, everything else was bad. I simply opened the box, and without even touching the katana--I simply looked at it--I could see that the tsuba was just floating completely up and down on the tang. There was no friction at all, and no tightness between tang, tsuba, habaki, and seppa. Two different seppa of different materials and colors. Simple and repeated directions not followed (asked for black same, and got white). Sent some antique seppa and habaki for the mount that he claimed he simply could not make fit correctly with the rest of the mount. So, I had to pay him for a new habaki and seppa, and to make matters worse, he didn't return my antiques. Yes, they weren't super expensive or stellar, but they were still antiques and still mine. Lastly, we emailed back and forth a few times, and talked on the phone twice about exactly what I wanted. Each time, he tried to get me to buy/pay for a new saya for the katana. I didn't need or want one, and told him so. He still tried every time. Not in a professional way, either. It was more like pressure and whining. Very disappointed. Total waste of my time, and definitely not worth it. I do have other katanas to mount, as well. He just lost a customer. I'd never return to him for future services, and wouldn't recommend him to others, either. But so as to not be entirely negative, how was the polish on your katana? I hope that at least turned out well.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Dec 13, 2018 5:27:23 GMT
I have re-wrapped a Tsuka before so as to replace a dirty ito. It is not as hard as you might think. You most likely will struggle like I did at first until you get the hang of it.
I used a crochet needle to pull and secure the ends of the ito. After I got done I lacquered the ito in place and all was well.
tsukamaki is a lot like Chess, it may be easy to learn the basics but can take a lifetime to master. it might take me another 150 years or so to even approach mastering this incredible art, which I won't, but if anyone is interested in learning it PLEASE do not use this video as a guide. Nothing is done correctly here. I have a set of diy tutorials available for free on my website and while they might be a tad outdated now, I think they are still pretty helpful.
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Post by ArturWroclaw on Feb 21, 2019 20:46:18 GMT
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Feb 21, 2019 21:32:18 GMT
That's good to know.
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