reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 21, 2019 15:01:06 GMT
Cause I asked before I checked them out I think that you use the forum in order to get pen pals is more correct. maybe both 😄 doesn’t hurt anyone tho
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reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 21, 2019 15:04:46 GMT
I quit replying to a lot on here. It seems to be a very small crowd and if you dont already know be damned with you type attitudes. Hes a 16 year old kid. Some people need to ask questions and grow. Be nice. I have a Son thats 12 and he asks questions about questions. I apologize if I ask to much. I just prefer experience opinions over YouTube
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reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 21, 2019 15:05:15 GMT
I quit replying to a lot on here. It seems to be a very small crowd and if you dont already know be damned with you type attitudes. Hes a 16 year old kid. Some people need to ask questions and grow. Be nice. I have a Son thats 12 and he asks questions about questions. Agreed. Seems there is some attitude of "just look for the info and dont ask". In that case we might as well not have a forum. the above post goes to you as well I apologize if I’m asking to much
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reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 21, 2019 15:05:38 GMT
Thx for the responses guys
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Post by john1 on May 30, 2019 2:16:02 GMT
I find pool noodles and wet rolls of newspaper that are slid onto a 3 foot long 3/4” dowel sticking 18-24” feet out of the lawn are best. No cutting stand to build - or hit
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Post by bradc on May 30, 2019 4:52:19 GMT
... I asked if it was safe to use this one sword in shirasaya .... Hope you don't mind me butting in here. Shirasaya are typically not built to withstand the forces of even swinging a blade without hitting a target. There are a few things to watch for: (A caveat I have only handled shirasaya on antique blades so production ones may differ) 1) Tsuka assembly. Even high end shirasaya are just two boards glued together, there is no same or tsukaito to reinforce this. If the seam is offset (not right down the middle but covering a bit more of the nakago) you get some strength but nowhere near a proper tsuka. Also if there is any chance your production shirasaya is shimmed that ads another potential point of failure. If you experience any twisting forces during a cut gone wrong that could put a lot of force on the glued joint. Also is there a piece of metal, horn, or nothing between the habaki and tsuka wood? This is typically less robust than a proper koshirae and should be inspected for wear. 2) Mekugi. Shirasaya mekugi can be quite loose compared to those in a standard tsuka. This may not apply to production shirasaya, but is common when they have been disassembled many times. 3) General tightness. On proper katana, the fit into the tsuka is quite tight and it can take a fair bit of effort to release the nakago. The mekugi actually doesn't even experience a lot of force in some cases. Shirasaya are not always as tight. (Again this may vary greatly between blades) 4) Grip, wood is slippery, ito is grippy. Be careful not to throw your sword... So keeping those in mind I would be very cautious cutting with a shirasaya. Personally I would strongly advise against it. It may work a few times but failure could be sudden, unexpected and catastrophic. At the very least inspect it every time you use it. Does the tsuka show any sign of cracking? Does the habaki wiggle? Is the mekugi intact, or showing signs of wear? Disassembly from time to time will detect damage you may otherwise miss. Anyway I hope that's helpful, although I'm sure it probably isnt the opinion you would like to hear. I'm happy to elaborate on anything that isnt clear. Cheers, Brad
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reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 30, 2019 5:02:22 GMT
... I asked if it was safe to use this one sword in shirasaya .... Hope you don't mind me butting in here. Shirasaya are typically not built to withstand the forces of even swinging a blade without hitting a target. There are a few things to watch for: (A caveat I have only handled shirasaya on antique blades so production ones may differ) 1) Tsuka assembly. Even high end shirasaya are just two boards glued together, there is no same or tsukaito to reinforce this. If the seam is offset (not right down the middle but covering a bit more of the nakago) you get some strength but nowhere near a proper tsuka. Also if there is any chance your production shirasaya is shimmed that ads another potential point of failure. If you experience any twisting forces during a cut gone wrong that could put a lot of force on the glued joint. Also is there a piece of metal, horn, or nothing between the habaki and tsuka wood? This is typically less robust than a proper koshirae and should be inspected for wear. 2) Mekugi. Shirasaya mekugi can be quite loose compared to those in a standard tsuka. This may not apply to production shirasaya, but is common when they have been disassembled many times. 3) General tightness. On proper katana, the fit into the tsuka is quite tight and it can take a fair bit of effort to release the nakago. The mekugi actually doesn't even experience a lot of force in some cases. Shirasaya are not always as tight. (Again this may vary greatly between blades) 4) Grip, wood is slippery, ito is grippy. Be careful not to throw your sword... So keeping those in mind I would be very cautious cutting with a shirasaya. Personally I would strongly advise against it. It may work a few times but failure could be sudden, unexpected and catastrophic. At the very least inspect it every time you use it. Does the tsuka show any sign of cracking? Does the habaki wiggle? Is the mekugi intact, or showing signs of wear? Disassembly from time to time will detect damage you may otherwise miss. Anyway I hope that's helpful, although I'm sure it probably isnt the opinion you would like to hear. I'm happy to elaborate or clarify anything that isn't clear. Cheers, Brad Thank you I knew with older ones with rice glue and such it was not safe, I meant because Musha sells this in shirasaya and the mekugi pin is epoxied in to the tsuka so it is held in tight. I was wondering in todays age with the advanced stuff we have if this modern shirasaya was safe as epoxie is usually pretty damn strong.
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Post by bradc on May 30, 2019 6:03:16 GMT
Thank you I knew with older ones with rice glue and such it was not safe, I meant because Musha sells this in shirasaya and the mekugi pin is epoxied in to the tsuka so it is held in tight. I was wondering in todays age with the advanced stuff we have if this modern shirasaya was safe as epoxie is usually pretty damn strong. Modern epoxies are incredibly strong and some are very shock resistant. Also they tend to do a great job at filling gaps making a very robust connection compared to most other glues. That being said, even if the bond is perfect, the wood itself could be the weakpoint and still crack elsewhere. So inspecting frequently is advised. Particularly near the habaki and shirasaya tsuka interface. (Inspecting your gear is just a good habit regardless of use, I personally inspect my Iaito before every practice). Also they expoxy the mekugi? Guess your not disasembling to see inside the tsuka then 🤔... Hopefully someone who owns the same shirasaya as you can add some insight into it's construction as well.
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reptaronice1
Member
Tell Me... Friend... When Did Saruman The Wise Abandon Reason For Madness?!
Posts: 2,360
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Post by reptaronice1 on May 30, 2019 12:52:56 GMT
Thank you I knew with older ones with rice glue and such it was not safe, I meant because Musha sells this in shirasaya and the mekugi pin is epoxied in to the tsuka so it is held in tight. I was wondering in todays age with the advanced stuff we have if this modern shirasaya was safe as epoxie is usually pretty damn strong. Modern epoxies are incredibly strong and some are very shock resistant. Also they tend to do a great job at filling gaps making a very robust connection compared to most other glues. That being said, even if the bond is perfect, the wood itself could be the weakpoint and still crack elsewhere. So inspecting frequently is advised. Particularly near the habaki and shirasaya tsuka interface. (Inspecting your gear is just a good habit regardless of use, I personally inspect my Iaito before every practice). Also they expoxy the mekugi? Guess your not disasembling to see inside the tsuka then 🤔... Hopefully someone who owns the same shirasaya as you can add some insight into it's construction as well. yep it is kind of a shame but it is in there really tight.
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Post by michael1969 on Jun 5, 2019 23:42:48 GMT
I have a Ryujin 1045 blade shirisaya, and the mekugi is very tight but not epoxied in. The blade is not much to look at and poorly done with lots of dips along the blade from the grinding, but I figured it would be a cheap blade to practice making Tsuka with and practice sharpening/polishing, which is basically why I got it. Other than that it's an ok display piece but not worth much more than that.
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