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Post by Stef on Aug 10, 2020 11:15:22 GMT
Specs: EN45 steel, katana cutting edge 29 inches overall 42 inches. The wakizashi cutting edge 21.5 inches overall 33 inches. Both blades are in shirasaya. Let's star with the blades, this daisho is big and not for the faint of heart. The blades have great presence and feel good in the hand, I believe that once mounted with the correct weight tsuba they will feel even better. The 0-kissaki are diligently done and polished, the hamon are beautiful and active with nice boshi and good termination below the habaki line, a lot of alloy banding is present throughout and appear beside the hamon creating a sort of secondary hamon and lots interesting activities. The blades are very sharp except for the part closer to the habaki, this is actually the correct way of polishing as this preserves the hamachi from being over polished in the future, great work. The nakago are filed nicely and are rounded on the mune side, this I have never seen before but it is finely done so I find it attractive , the mei is long and neatly done. The habaki: both habaki are copper and are nice with good file work and are a fair bit more interesting than the stand boring brass plain stuff too often used .the habaki for the katana was a tad loose but due to it being correctly made and it sitting correctly against hamachi and munemachi this was fixed easily. I hope to rokusho them soon enough. The shirasaya: the wakizashi comes with a perfectly fitting saya and tsuka but the katana is a bit loose not much but enough to feel a slight movement in the tsuka and not hold the habaki at the koiguchi. I believe both this small issues can be taken care of fairly easy . Shipping: both blades arrived safe and well packaged all the way from sunny south africa, shipping too a little longer than expected but no custom charges came with it so all good. Communication: chatting to James was very pleasant and I found the whole transaction very easy and smooth, I was able to put a hold on the blades for a few days with a deposit and I am very glad I did. Conclusion: even at full price I this this is a heck of a deal, James told me he's not the greatest woodworker and that's cool, I have come to expect that smiths must focus on the sword and a good habaki and this was indeed delivered, the swords are very nice and are made for cutting and for war not for display. I was told james makes bold and aggressive blades and this is true but they are also elegant especially the katana . the wakizashi I feel I can cut a horse with and it's definitely a beautiful beast. I will definitely order from James again, as matter of fact I have a certain shobu idea ........š size comparison next to a raptor shobu. this thing is huge but surprisingly maneuverable
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Post by Robert in California on Aug 10, 2020 12:10:57 GMT
Lovely and great pics! What a treasure? You have to offer your first born for these awesome blades? (what a customer would have to pay for those?) Amazing!!! RinC
Love the way those nakagos are finished....look at that rounded bevel....shows real care and attention to detail. Who would want an equivalent priced nihonto over these beauties?
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Post by Robert in California on Aug 10, 2020 12:14:58 GMT
p.s. I have not the foggiest idea what EN45 steel is, nor it's properties, nor how it stacks up, properly heat treated vs. other sword steels.
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Post by Stef on Aug 10, 2020 12:15:34 GMT
Lovely and great pics! What a treasure? You have to offer your first born for these awesome blades? (what a customer would have to pay for those?) Amazing!!! RinC
Love the way those nakagos are finished....look at that rounded bevel....shows real care and attention to detail. Who would want an equivalent priced nihonto over these beauties?
Blades came in at 1.1k with the discount but I think they cost 1.3k or more at original price. cheap if you ask me
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Post by RufusScorpius on Aug 10, 2020 13:12:31 GMT
Very nice work. That's not a lot of money to spend on custom work either. You will certainly have those for generations properly taken care of. Or, if you decide to sell them... let me know. I might have an open spot on the wall that could use a daisho...
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Post by Stef on Aug 10, 2020 13:24:33 GMT
Very nice work. That's not a lot of money to spend on custom work either. You will certainly have those for generations properly taken care of. Or, if you decide to sell them... let me know. I might have an open spot on the wall that could use a daisho... haha it was not custom, I saw he was selling them, they had been up for a long time nobody brought them so he dropped the price and I snapped them. Not gonna sell them. I plan to print some 3D fittings from my shop to match the huge size and have them mounted maybe tensho unsure yet I have 2 more swords to mount and a project with Rado that I wanna do. but this corona virus is slowing things down
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 10, 2020 14:12:15 GMT
James Raw never got a lot of love and attention, but has always made good, sturdy swords. He used to be a lot cheaper, but as he's improved in various areas he's begun to charge more.
You got a really good deal on this pair. I'm surprised they were that cheap originally. I've had a kanmuri-otoshi-zukuri wakizashi from James for several years now and it's one of my favorite pieces, but I almost didn't get it because of financial struggles after I ordered. James and Bill were really great to work with, though.
Oh, and I think EN45 is comparable to 5160 or thereabouts?
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Post by paulmuaddib on Aug 10, 2020 15:07:03 GMT
Wow Stefano, youāve been posting some awesome blades lately. Iām digging copper kabuki recently. Like you said, better than the plain brass ones. Congrats on two beautiful swords. Very jealous but in a good way.
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Post by Stef on Aug 10, 2020 17:14:26 GMT
Wow Stefano, youāve been posting some awesome blades lately. Iām digging copper kabuki recently. Like you said, better than the plain brass ones. Congrats on two beautiful swords. Very jealous but in a good way. I'm slowly going through my collection, almost finished. Only one tanto and my shinsakuto to go.then I'll be quiet for a long time
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karl j
Manufacturer/Vendor
Posts: 178
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Post by karl j on Aug 11, 2020 3:47:07 GMT
Nice daisho. It's always nice to see a Smith's hard work.
James work is um... Interesting. "Raw" fits, his blades in my opinion are raw. Unfortunately, they sort of fall into the category that they really aren't feasible financially for most to take a polish from a cost perspective. I've thought about buying one just to see what it could be. Never pulled the trigger, because from a labor perspective, not worth my physical wear and tear.
As far as an equivalent priced Nihonto. Should one pick up an equivalent priced Nihonto, there would be much more to appreciate in one should the cost of a restoration polish be born.
Tastes however are subjective, and swords should be enjoyed.
Karl
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 11, 2020 3:59:32 GMT
Oh, yeah, James' stuff is by no means comparable to nihonto, and EN45 is a very, very plain steel that shows very little activity.
Another forum member from long ago, did a hybrid polish on mine and it's even less exciting than James' own polish. I'll see if I can get some pictures later.
What James Raw does offer, though, is very affordable custom blades that are pretty good, overall, and very heavily geared toward maximum durability. They're great for someone who can't afford, say, Howard Clark but wants something that wasn't cobbled together in China that may or may not be what they even asked for.
If you can find a genuine nihonto for the same cost, get it. But good luck.
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Post by Stef on Aug 11, 2020 10:48:58 GMT
Oh, yeah, James' stuff is by no means comparable to nihonto, and EN45 is very, very plain steel that shows very little activity. Another forum member from long ago, did a hybrid polish on mine and it's even less exciting than James' own polish. I'll see if I can get some pictures later. What James Raw does offer, though, is very affordable custom blades that are pretty good, overall, and very heavily geared toward maximum durability. They're great for someone who can't afford, say, Howard Clark but wants something that wasn't cobbled together in China that may or may not be what they even asked for. If you can find a genuine nihonto for the same cost, get it. But good luck. Please see if you can find pictures of that polish I gotta say though both are very active in the hamon.so maybe im lucky. Yes I agree with both the above statements, he's blades are bold I knew going in. A hybrid polish might do it some good but definitely not a traditional polish.but this are user blades meant to cut so a great polish would be counterproductive. I doubt I could get a nice nihonto for 1.1k.then the polish for such a blade would skyrocket the price. If I break it down it's 600 for the katana and 500 for the waki. That's Huawei prices. Once mounted they will be good cutters.and I won't have to worry about scratching and such
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 11, 2020 20:07:29 GMT
Please see if you can find pictures of that polish This is what it looked like when it got to me: Here's an overall I just took. Sorry, my lighting isn't cooperating with my camera. Crappy, dark closeup If the weather behaves tomorrow I might take it outside while nobody's home for since natural-light photos, but you can see the guy who polished it did a much lighter etch than James' own, so while the whole blade is now brighter, the hamon is practically invisible now. It's almost easier to see the mizukage above the hamon than the hamon itself. A stronger, or longer, etch would produce more contrast, but probably not be much different to James' original polish.
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Post by Stef on Aug 11, 2020 20:42:08 GMT
Please see if you can find pictures of that polish This is what it looked like when it got to me: Here's an overall I just took. Sorry, my lighting isn't cooperating with my camera. Crappy, dark closeup
If the weather behaves tomorrow I might take it outside while nobody's home for since natural-light photos, but you can see the guy who polished it did a much lighter etch than James' own, so while the whole blade is now brighter, the hamon is practically invisible now. It's almost easier to see the mizukage above the hamon than the hamon itself.
A stronger, or longer, etch would produce more contrast, but probably not be much different to James' original polish.
thank you mate. I gree. the alloy banding is still visible if that what it is called.
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Post by Stef on Aug 11, 2020 20:43:08 GMT
Please see if you can find pictures of that polish This is what it looked like when it got to me: Here's an overall I just took. Sorry, my lighting isn't cooperating with my camera. Crappy, dark closeup
If the weather behaves tomorrow I might take it outside while nobody's home for since natural-light photos, but you can see the guy who polished it did a much lighter etch than James' own, so while the whole blade is now brighter, the hamon is practically invisible now. It's almost easier to see the mizukage above the hamon than the hamon itself.
A stronger, or longer, etch would produce more contrast, but probably not be much different to James' original polish.
you can get very good hamon pictures with flash in complete darkness. FYI
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karl j
Manufacturer/Vendor
Posts: 178
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Post by karl j on Aug 11, 2020 21:45:02 GMT
Please see if you can find pictures of that polish This is what it looked like when it got to me: Here's an overall I just took. Sorry, my lighting isn't cooperating with my camera. Crappy, dark closeup
If the weather behaves tomorrow I might take it outside while nobody's home for since natural-light photos, but you can see the guy who polished it did a much lighter etch than James' own, so while the whole blade is now brighter, the hamon is practically invisible now. It's almost easier to see the mizukage above the hamon than the hamon itself.
A stronger, or longer, etch would produce more contrast, but probably not be much different to James' original polish.
I found these helpful, thank you. Taking pics is tough, even with good light. The results of a polish or more accurately what is revealed is cumulative from the techniques and materials used as well as the make up of the blade The activity or lack of comes from the make up of the steel and the heat treat. As far as the polish goes , I'll use the term modern polish, I just don't care for "hybrid" as a term I feel it's misleading. There's a lot of factors at play, surface prep, materials used. Etchant, type, concentration, time exposed, how it is neutralized. All are a factor. Different steels react to different etchants. For the pics posted of the polished on blade, tuning up the shinogi ji, and getting it to the point where it could be burnished, then burnishing it, would add contrast to the blade that would add visual appeal and make the hamon while subtle stand out a bit more
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 11, 2020 21:59:46 GMT
I found these helpful, thank you. Taking pics is tough, even with good light. The results of a polish or more accurately what is revealed is cumulative from the techniques and materials used as well as the make up of the blade The activity or lack of comes from the make up of the steel and the heat treat. As far as the polish goes , I'll use the term modern polish, I just don't care for "hybrid" as a term I feel it's misleading. There's a lot of factors at play, surface prep, materials used. Etchant, type, concentration, time exposed, how it is neutralized. All are a factor. Different steels react to different etchants. For the pics posted of the polished on blade, tuning up the shinogi ji, and getting it to the point where it could be burnished, then burnishing it, would add contrast to the blade that would add visual appeal and make the hamon while subtle stand out a bit more Definitely. This particular polish is also a few years old by now, and the naked blade has just been sitting on top of my entertainment center with no oil, wax, or any protection. I haven't even dusted it. All this to say the "new" polish has probably faded a bit, but it's not greatly dissimilar to when it was "new"
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Aug 11, 2020 23:53:11 GMT
My first experience with a Raw blade was many years ago but I will never forget my reaction. Up to that point, I had only been familiar with typical Chinese production blades and the difference between them and the Raw was night and day. I felt it was lighter and much more lively while not really differing in overall geometry and size too much. I compare the difference to a similar experience I had when trying out an Odinblade for the first time, I believe I said "wow, so this is what a good blade feels like!" I'm not sure I'd put the two in the same category as far as level of expert craftsmanship but they both far outshone any production blades I was aware of at the time. I know this is the wrong forum category for western style blades but that Odinblade truly made me believe in the myths and legends of "magic" swords. To quote Ferris " If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
I'm not sure that all Raw blades will feel as "stout" as Stef's do, I would expect that he makes them according to the function and performance desired. At least based on my experience with the two I've handled, I wouldn't classify all Raw blades as stout/hefty. I would recommend them as affordable, full custom katana blades made for real use. Not to say they also couldn't be considered attractive enough for display.
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Post by Stef on Aug 12, 2020 0:10:35 GMT
I'm not sure that all Raw blades will feel as "stout" as Stef's do, I would expect that he makes them according to the function and performance desired. At least based on my experience with the two I've handled, I wouldn't classify all Raw blades as stout/hefty. I would recommend them as affordable, full custom katana blades made for real use. Not to say they also couldn't be considered attractive enough for display. I agree
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Post by randomnobody on Aug 12, 2020 0:29:22 GMT
Mine is definitely stout. Only 21" nagasa, but super wide and thick. I had to pay a premium because he had to start with thicker barstock, so there's that.
They have their own aesthetic, which is not to everybody's taste, but they hold their own in every other aspect of sword performance.
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