|
|
Post by Ari M. on May 23, 2021 2:08:46 GMT
Actually on close inspection there's quite a bit of sanding to do to even out the finish and get rid of high spots. Still yet to start on the tsuka proper but it's quite rewarding to see everything starting to come together. (:
|
|
|
|
Post by JH Lee on May 23, 2021 3:49:34 GMT
I am really enjoying seeing your progress!
|
|
|
|
Post by nebulatech on May 25, 2021 4:00:02 GMT
It's a nice size tsuba. Keep up the awesome work!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 25, 2021 4:16:43 GMT
Actually on close inspection there's quite a bit of sanding to do to even out the finish and get rid of high spots. Still yet to start on the tsuka proper but it's quite rewarding to see everything starting to come together. (:
If I accidentally left my sword at your house long enough, would it look like that too? 😎 That looks great |
|
|
|
Post by Ari M. on May 30, 2021 9:20:34 GMT
Currently just going through the tedious process of applying varnish to the saya in very thin layers, no pictures because it's pretty much the same as the epoxy but the low temperatures mean having to wait a full 24+ hours per coat.
Now this next bit will ruffle some feathers but I needed to address some issues with the blade itself. There are some very fine nailcatchers and burrs along the blade edge. Apart from being a pain as they snag on cleaning cloths, one burr that stands especially proud in the kissaki is a bit of a safety hazard.
I need to stress that one should always think very hard about taking abrasives to an antique blade as polishing is one of the most destructive things that can be done to a blade besides actually cutting with it. In this case, it's not a particularly historically remarkable or valuable blade, in old polish, and will almost certainly be off to a professional polisher at some point in the future once the pandemic has stabilized and mail services are reliable again (also, I can't very well ship a bare blade without a scabbard!). So I'd like to repair it to the best of my abilities and be able to enjoy it fully until then.
I dressed down the largest burr with a super fine diamond file, then 3000-5000 grit paper. Not the best picture but you can see all the scratches that have to be removed with the hazuya stones.
This block of wood helps to keep the hazuya grinding straight especially at the yokote. Polishing the kissaki is normally done on a springy wooden board called a narume-dai, but I felt more comfortable taking the stone to the blade itself. You can buy hazuya stones already glued on to pieces of paper which you then break up into smaller pieces and grind very thin on another stone.
Basically the hazuya is slowly replacing the coarse scratches with a haze of progressively finer and finer scratches. There's also a bit of an etching action happening as the stone itself is slightly acidic and slowly the activities in the steel become more and more pronounced. The stone bites into the hardened and soft steel differently and you need to go through the assorted pile of hazuya to find the one that works best. This part was extremely tedious and I spaced it out over several days to keep myself sane.
The final polishing with a slurry of uchiko and oil. I'm using a piece of bridle leather to polish the slurry in as it conforms to the curvature of the blade and protects my thumb from the now very sharp edge.
The slurry gives a very fine polish and eventually blends the fine scratches from the hazuya together.
The rest of the blade was thankfully much easier as the burrs were very fine and I simply dressed them down with the hazuya. I just stayed close to the edge. If you stray above the hamon you will damage the kesho (cosmetic contrast) as this area should be polished with jizuya, a harder stone. After the edge was fully honed I polished the whole blade lightly with the same uchiko and oil slurry (this is actually also detrimental to kesho but isn't really a big deal on an old polish).
Nowhere near anything close to perfect by any means, but now the blade is functionally whole and very sharp, and it's nice to be able to see the activity in the boshi that was previously obscured under years of scuffing from repeated sheathing/unsheathing. |
|
|
|
Post by JH Lee on May 30, 2021 19:05:18 GMT
Ruffled feathers about amateur polishing aside, I think this is one of the best DIY threads on this entire board. 👍🏻 I wish I had your patience and skill.
Re. antique polishing, I have recently had an antique polished by J. Hofhine with amazing results.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ari M. on May 30, 2021 20:06:46 GMT
Cheers, recommendations for polishers would certainly be welcome. (: (although it seems like currently the few western polishers around have years long waiting lists whereas a no-name Japanese polisher would only be months?)
|
|
karl j
Manufacturer/Vendor
Posts: 178
|
Post by karl j on May 30, 2021 23:49:15 GMT
Admittedly I was ready to cringe at the polishing part, but was pleasantly surprised.
It's nice to see a diy thread that isn't a dumpster fire.
|
|
|
|
Post by Arlequin on Jun 1, 2021 20:27:11 GMT
Definitly jealous now. This is going to a gorgeous piece of work once your done with it.
|
|
|
|
Post by zsg1313 on Jun 2, 2021 18:49:11 GMT
Amazing WIP. Thanks Ari!
|
|
|
|
Post by Ari M. on Jun 13, 2021 6:10:19 GMT
I haven't been too happy with how the polyurethane has been acting in this climate and have decided to shelve it for now and go back to the familiar old acrylic lacquer over the epoxy. I still have to polish the lacquer on the suigyu parts once everything is dry but at least it's handle-able in days instead of weeks and I can get on with the rest of the project. In the future I *may* decide to strip the lacquer off and have a go with a UV resistant resin if I want a glossy finish but in the meantime it's hard to beat a standard textured black finish. (:
Finally made seppa, a bit crude but they'll do the job...
Here's something from a totally different sword: I had to modify the seppa on my iaito to get a better fit as the raised dragon on the tsuba strays into the seppa dai.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Jun 13, 2021 13:47:35 GMT
That is outstanding work. My hat is off to you sir.
|
|
|
|
Post by JH Lee on Jun 14, 2021 1:53:45 GMT
Wow!! That saya turned out beautifully!
|
|
|
|
Post by soulfromheart on Jun 14, 2021 12:16:24 GMT
|
|
kaiyo
Member
Posts: 1,201
|
Post by kaiyo on Jun 15, 2021 11:28:44 GMT
you are very talented, nice work, keep going !
|
|
|
|
Post by Ari M. on Jun 21, 2021 9:49:43 GMT
First fit-up of the fittings! (: (: (:
Bit fiddly marking out the diamonds but I need to be 100% sure of which side the mekugi will enter from (they both enter from the ura side unlike what I originally thought) and final length and positioning of the samegawa.
|
|
|
|
Post by Robert in California on Jun 21, 2021 22:11:37 GMT
Your work shows that you are a impressively knowledgeable and skilled craftsman....what can I say, but "Wow!!!"
(impressive blade too! Long ago, my Sensei let me play with a shirasaya mounted long, heavy blade like that...it wielded me, I did not wield it! I was told it was a temple sword....a blade made for a temple...for sure it was long, massive and nicely done enough to have been such). Perhaps yours was a temple blade also. Something uncommon and special.
RinC
|
|
|
|
Post by Ari M. on Jun 27, 2021 9:44:55 GMT
That'd certainly be a nice thought! I'm also fond of the idea that these smiths were simply bored and decided to make the blade just because they could. (: As it is there are no other information on the nakago besides their names, no date or the name of a commissioner...
After a bit of polishing on the glossy parts I'm very happy with how the saya turned out.
I've also trued up the koiguchi face, dished it out, and sealed it with lacquer. I have no idea why some koiguchi butt up flat against the seppa and others are dished out to be concave, maybe someone here will know the reason? (:
All dressed up with a nice long silk sageo. (:
And the mekugi roughly cut.
Shaping the tsuka core for wrapping with samegawa.
Another fiddly job as the same is much thicker towards the larger nodes and through the center line. So the core needs to be rebated accordingly, ideally so that the thickness of the tsuka is more or less consistent with a slight swell at the nodes.
In the past I've usually hidden the seam under the wrap but this time I wanted to try and show it off fully. I'll wait a few days before doing any gluing even though the skin is dry now just in case there's any more shrinkage. If the gap opens up it's a simple matter to remove a bit of wood to tighten it up again.
Glued up with 2-part epoxy and ready for drilling out the mekugi ana then lacquering. (:
Hardened with tinted epoxy like the saya before being clear coated in lacquer (after filing ramps and some high spots down). Gives the build and look of traditional lacquers but in a fraction of the time, and virtually indestructible.
Final adjustments with filing and glued washi paper, ready for tsukamaki.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ari L. on Jul 5, 2021 21:02:10 GMT
Hello other Ari,
This is exceptional!
|
|
|
|
Post by JH Lee on Jul 23, 2021 15:26:50 GMT
Eagerly waiting for updates!
|
|
