jinx
Member
The Kunoichi AKA Jedigirl
Posts: 16
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Post by jinx on Jan 27, 2019 0:37:06 GMT
I was on here a few years ago as Jedigirl posting my battle wrap basket weave tsuka ito....
Now I'm back to do more mods to my Cheness Tenchi Ko katana and was wondering if anyone has stripped down their saya and what to expect. I would like to get down to the grain with a dark brown stain.
All I found so far is an example of a Cheness saya stripped down for re painting and a mention of a layer of glazing putty under the black enamel.
Do you think I could bring some beauty out of the wood or am I better off making a new one from scratch?
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 27, 2019 14:16:09 GMT
Chinese made sayas are hit and miss when it comes to getting down to the bare wood. The first time I modified a saya, it was for a Munetoshi Tessen (personal sword), because I HATED the toxic green color of the saya and the man-made ito. So, I decided to redo the whole thing and sent the tsuka to Fred Lohman to re-wrap in black Japanese silk ito and replace the menuki with solid silver cranes (fits in with my family crest). I stripped and sanded the saya, and found some sugar deposits in the wood, which meant I had to completely get rid of them and then add wood filler in those areas - came out well after lots of elbow grease. After a complete sanding (2000 grit iirc), I also decided to add a rattan wrap, so I inlaid rattan from the koiguchi to below the kurikata. After all that, I painted it all in black lacquer, including the rattan.
Sorry for the longish reply - quick answer is yes, it can be done, but expect to find flaws, and expect to spend more time than initially thought of to do a good job.
I can add pics of my Tessen if you'd like, however, I never took "before" shots, so only have stock photos of it, but have plenty of after shots of the transformed sword/saya.
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jinx
Member
The Kunoichi AKA Jedigirl
Posts: 16
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Post by jinx on Jan 28, 2019 12:04:13 GMT
Thanks for the detailed account. Rattan is a great solution if/when applicable. If you don't mind I's love to see it.
Fortunately I have a small wood shop and some experience to draw from, but none refinishing sayas.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Jan 29, 2019 0:58:11 GMT
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jinx
Member
The Kunoichi AKA Jedigirl
Posts: 16
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Post by jinx on Jan 31, 2019 12:03:14 GMT
Nice job. That looks way more practical.
Even though my current cheness saya fits surprisingly well, I'm leaning toward a scratch build. I want to shorten my blade to 16" and maybe a hidden shinobi function in the extra saya length. Considering a point to plant in the ground for climbing that's reversible with the other side being a wider foot for in doors/urban climbing.
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kaiyo
Member
Posts: 1,201
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Post by kaiyo on Feb 8, 2019 15:09:49 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 8, 2019 18:05:26 GMT
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Post by theophilus736 on Feb 10, 2019 3:11:30 GMT
(fits in with my family crest). Do you actually have family that wears a family crest (knighted/nobility/minor royalty) or is it just based off your last name?
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 10, 2019 3:24:45 GMT
(fits in with my family crest). Do you actually have family that wears a family crest (knighted/nobility/minor royalty) or is it just based off your last name? My great grandmother was originally from Spain (Garza) before she and her sisters were forced to emigrate to Mexico (very early 1900’s), and her family crest was extremely similar to what’s on my sword scabbard.
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Post by theophilus736 on Feb 10, 2019 4:18:27 GMT
Do you actually have family that wears a family crest (knighted/nobility/minor royalty) or is it just based off your last name? My great grandmother was originally from Spain (Garza) before she and her sisters were forced to emigrate to Mexico (very early 1900’s), and her family crest was extremely similar to what’s on my sword scabbard. Cool, thanks for the reply. I've never quite figured out what degree of separation is deemed appropriate for using family crests/mottos. I'd imagine I've got 300 years at least of separation between me and anyone who actually was "nobility" and held my surname. Anyways, I also have a saya I'm looking to refinish so hopefully by bumping this thread we will get more answers ;]
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jinx
Member
The Kunoichi AKA Jedigirl
Posts: 16
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Post by jinx on Feb 10, 2019 14:55:27 GMT
After contemplating a spike/foot design for the saya's end I'm going through with refinishing and modifying it rather then a scratch build. when I get a chance and will post my results.
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