|
Post by trevorw on Sept 28, 2021 12:57:37 GMT
Recently purchase a Ruyjin katana thru the SBG store and would like to let others know something about this sword
1. The sageo is very thin, so I changed it for a proper sageo however the kurikata fitting popped out and had to be glued back in 2. Dismantled the sword to find metal filings and wood dust in the Tsuka 3. The Fuchigane on the Tsuka fell off when dismantling the sword had to be glued back on also there is a gap between the tsuka and metal 4. The habaki does not fit well slight gap between its inner edge and the blade 5. The sword would cut paper easily however after one session of cutting some small bush branches the blade acquired scratches and dulled so now it won't slice thru paper 6 Wood dust in Saya 7. the kasane is not the same thickness for the length of the blade,(this sword has partial blood grove) so its thick for first part with the partial blood grove only then thin towards the kissaki
8. The tsuba and saya finish are OK 9. The Tuska wrapping is not to bad
I don't know if I can complain for $230US plus shipping which is about $400 AUD landed but I would have expected the edge to stay sharp for longer than it has considering being 1095 T10 steel
|
|
|
Post by mrlavender on Sept 29, 2021 5:15:53 GMT
Damn mate I am in NZ waiting for mine.
After 1.5 week still not shipped. I bought it the day it went back to being in stock.
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Sept 29, 2021 5:19:27 GMT
Which Ryujin are you guys talking about? Got links?
|
|
|
Post by mrlavender on Sept 29, 2021 5:19:59 GMT
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Sept 29, 2021 5:30:49 GMT
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Sept 29, 2021 5:55:15 GMT
Recently purchase a Ruyjin katana thru the SBG store and would like to let others know something about this sword
1. The sageo is very thin, so I changed it for a proper sageo however the kurikata fitting popped out and had to be glued back in 2. Dismantled the sword to find metal filings and wood dust in the Tsuka 3. The Fuchigane on the Tsuka fell off when dismantling the sword had to be glued back on also there is a gap between the tsuka and metal 4. The habaki does not fit well slight gap between its inner edge and the blade 5. The sword would cut paper easily however after one session of cutting some small bush branches the blade acquired scratches and dulled so now it won't slice thru paper 6 Wood dust in Saya 7. the kasane is not the same thickness for the length of the blade,(this sword has partial blood grove) so its thick for first part with the partial blood grove only then thin towards the kissaki
8. The tsuba and saya finish are OK 9. The Tuska wrapping is not to bad
I don't know if I can complain for $230US plus shipping which is about $400 AUD landed but I would have expected the edge to stay sharp for longer than it has considering being 1095 T10 steel
#3 That happens, even on nihonto. the tsuba holds it on when assembled. They shouldn't be glued on. #5 Cutting wood. like branches, will dull edges faster than mats, bottles, pool noodles, and 1/2" to 1" green bamboo, which are normal targets. Any katana will require setaba awase sharpening occasionally. #7 It's not supposed to be the same thickness. You're describing distal taper. That's a good thing.
|
|
|
Post by paulmuaddib on Sept 29, 2021 12:47:56 GMT
To follow up o what treeslicer said:
#2 is very common as most production katana, wakizashi, etc are drilled after assembly.
#6 also is very common also.
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Sept 29, 2021 19:09:10 GMT
Recently purchase a Ruyjin katana thru the SBG store and would like to let others know something about this sword 1. The sageo is very thin, so I changed it for a proper sageo however the kurikata fitting popped out and had to be glued back in 2. Dismantled the sword to find metal filings and wood dust in the Tsuka 3. The Fuchigane on the Tsuka fell off when dismantling the sword had to be glued back on also there is a gap between the tsuka and metal 4. The habaki does not fit well slight gap between its inner edge and the blade 5. The sword would cut paper easily however after one session of cutting some small bush branches the blade acquired scratches and dulled so now it won't slice thru paper 6 Wood dust in Saya 7. the kasane is not the same thickness for the length of the blade,(this sword has partial blood grove) so its thick for first part with the partial blood grove only then thin towards the kissaki
8. The tsuba and saya finish are OK 9. The Tuska wrapping is not to bad
I don't know if I can complain for $230US plus shipping which is about $400 AUD landed but I would have expected the edge to stay sharp for longer than it has considering being 1095 T10 steel
#3 That happens, even on nihonto. the tsuba holds it on when assembled. They shouldn't be glued on. #5 Cutting wood. like branches, will dull edges faster than mats, bottles, pool noodles, and 1/2" to 1" green bamboo, which are normal targets. Any katana will require setaba awase sharpening occasionally. #7 It's not supposed to be the same thickness. You're describing distal taper. That's a good thing.
#3 sometimes happens on nihonto that are antiques where the wood has experienced shrinkage, rot or damage or where the kashira hasn't been fitted as well as it should have been in the first place or maybe even where it has been quickly retro-fitted. fuchi and kashira are friction fit and should not just fall off, plus they were often adhered with kusune as well. kashira just falling off production tsuka, yes but it's not supposed to happen on well made tsuka. #5 maybe after many extensive cutting sessions and on especially tough wood or knots but a well heat treated blade edge shouldn't dull on brush wood after one session. I've had production swords that withstood years of hard target cutting and stayed paper cutting sharp. most production kurikata shitodome are not sized for thicker sageo and can be difficult to pass through without knocking out the piece or becoming damaged. the shitodome also often have burrs inside that will snag the sageo. you can try filing them or just removing them completely and smoothing out the opening in the horn. most production shitodome are not glued in the first place, which is a good thing if you want to remove them. metal bits and wood dust in the tsuka is common in production tsuka because they often drill the holes after final assembly. not ideal but shouldn't prevent the sword from being functional. gaps between fittings are a by product of poor/quick production and is unfortunately fairly common on some swords in this price range. sometimes it can be an easy fix if you're willing to take everything apart, find the problem and fix it yourself. sometimes it will require some adjustments, including thicker or additional seppa or new mekugi or different tsuba, etc. poorly fitting habaki are also fairly common on swords like this and unfortunately, are usually a bit more difficult to remedy. you can try swapping it for an aftermarket habaki but the problem is often the grinding of the blade in that area and not the standard cast habaki. if there's movement, you can try shimming it with a piece of copper or brass inside the bottom of the habaki but otherwise, you may just have to let it be. wood dust in the saya is not the worst thing but can be annoying. try to tap it out using a rubber mallet and gently tapping up and down the length as well as on the end. it's not that big of a deal but if there's a lot of dust, it can mix with the oil and moisture and wind up causing rust spots. if it keeps producing more dust, just make sure to clean your blade often. yes, distal taper is what you want on most swords. on katana, a difference of a couple to a few mm between the base and tip is expected.
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Sept 29, 2021 19:31:12 GMT
#3 That happens, even on nihonto. the tsuba holds it on when assembled. They shouldn't be glued on. #5 Cutting wood. like branches, will dull edges faster than mats, bottles, pool noodles, and 1/2" to 1" green bamboo, which are normal targets. Any katana will require setaba awase sharpening occasionally. #7 It's not supposed to be the same thickness. You're describing distal taper. That's a good thing.
#3 sometimes happens on nihonto that are antiques where the wood has experienced shrinkage, rot or damage or where the kashira hasn't been fitted as well as it should have been in the first place or maybe even where it has been quickly retro-fitted. fuchi and kashira are friction fit and should not just fall off, plus they were often adhered with kusune as well. kashira just falling off production tsuka, yes but it's not supposed to happen on well made tsuka. #5 maybe after many extensive cutting sessions and on especially tough wood or knots but a well heat treated blade edge shouldn't dull on brush wood after one session. I've had production swords that withstood years of hard target cutting and stayed paper cutting sharp. most production kurikata shitodome are not sized for thicker sageo and can be difficult to pass through without knocking out the piece or becoming damaged. the shitodome also often have burrs inside that will snag the sageo. you can try filing them or just removing them completely and smoothing out the opening in the horn. most production shitodome are not glued in the first place, which is a good thing if you want to remove them. metal bits and wood dust in the tsuka is common in production tsuka because they often drill the holes after final assembly. not ideal but shouldn't prevent the sword from being functional. gaps between fittings are a by product of poor/quick production and is unfortunately fairly common on some swords in this price range. sometimes it can be an easy fix if you're willing to take everything apart, find the problem and fix it yourself. sometimes it will require some adjustments, including thicker or additional seppa or new mekugi or different tsuba, etc. poorly fitting habaki are also fairly common on swords like this and unfortunately, are usually a bit more difficult to remedy. you can try swapping it for an aftermarket habaki but the problem is often the grinding of the blade in that area and not the standard cast habaki. if there's movement, you can try shimming it with a piece of copper or brass inside the bottom of the habaki but otherwise, you may just have to let it be. wood dust in the saya is not the worst thing but can be annoying. try to tap it out using a rubber mallet and gently tapping up and down the length as well as on the end. it's not that big of a deal but if there's a lot of dust, it can mix with the oil and moisture and wind up causing rust spots. if it keeps producing more dust, just make sure to clean your blade often. yes, distal taper is what you want on most swords. on katana, a difference of a couple to a few mm between the base and tip is expected. Thanks. You spent much more time on it than I did. The existence of #7 discouraged me from going into too much detail with the rest of it. I suspect that #5 might have some deeper causes not properly described in the OP (e.g., "small bush" is relative).
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Sept 29, 2021 21:52:08 GMT
#3 sometimes happens on nihonto that are antiques where the wood has experienced shrinkage, rot or damage or where the kashira hasn't been fitted as well as it should have been in the first place or maybe even where it has been quickly retro-fitted. fuchi and kashira are friction fit and should not just fall off, plus they were often adhered with kusune as well. kashira just falling off production tsuka, yes but it's not supposed to happen on well made tsuka. #5 maybe after many extensive cutting sessions and on especially tough wood or knots but a well heat treated blade edge shouldn't dull on brush wood after one session. I've had production swords that withstood years of hard target cutting and stayed paper cutting sharp. most production kurikata shitodome are not sized for thicker sageo and can be difficult to pass through without knocking out the piece or becoming damaged. the shitodome also often have burrs inside that will snag the sageo. you can try filing them or just removing them completely and smoothing out the opening in the horn. most production shitodome are not glued in the first place, which is a good thing if you want to remove them. metal bits and wood dust in the tsuka is common in production tsuka because they often drill the holes after final assembly. not ideal but shouldn't prevent the sword from being functional. gaps between fittings are a by product of poor/quick production and is unfortunately fairly common on some swords in this price range. sometimes it can be an easy fix if you're willing to take everything apart, find the problem and fix it yourself. sometimes it will require some adjustments, including thicker or additional seppa or new mekugi or different tsuba, etc. poorly fitting habaki are also fairly common on swords like this and unfortunately, are usually a bit more difficult to remedy. you can try swapping it for an aftermarket habaki but the problem is often the grinding of the blade in that area and not the standard cast habaki. if there's movement, you can try shimming it with a piece of copper or brass inside the bottom of the habaki but otherwise, you may just have to let it be. wood dust in the saya is not the worst thing but can be annoying. try to tap it out using a rubber mallet and gently tapping up and down the length as well as on the end. it's not that big of a deal but if there's a lot of dust, it can mix with the oil and moisture and wind up causing rust spots. if it keeps producing more dust, just make sure to clean your blade often. yes, distal taper is what you want on most swords. on katana, a difference of a couple to a few mm between the base and tip is expected. Thanks. You spent much more time on it than I did. The existence of #7 discouraged me from going into too much detail with the rest of it. I suspect that #5 might have some deeper causes not properly described in the OP (e.g., "small bush" is relative). yes, true we don't know exactly what was in that "small bush" and as I mentioned, there could be harder wood in there that can cause more damage to a blade. ok, but I did show some restraint at least, coulda been much worse.
|
|
|
Post by shepherd214 on Sept 30, 2021 2:02:49 GMT
It could be that the machines they used to sand and sharpen the blade "burnt" the very thin and fine edge, causing a small portion of the steel to be soft and dull easily. Sharpening the blade once or twice can remove the softer burnt steel and reveal the good hard steel underneath. Its a very common thing in production knives, it could be what's happening here. I can tell you that at the price they are pumping those things out they are definitely not taking their time when running these blades against really fast and aggressive machines that can overheat the blade very easily.
|
|
|
Post by trevorw on Sept 30, 2021 4:46:38 GMT
Just to clarify a few things
Small bush branches more like twigs nothing over 5mm (1/4") thick Habaki would not hold blade in saya when tilted so I had to add a small piece of wood to inside of saya The shitodome fell out as I removed the sageo, I managed to get a proper sageo thru the hole without any difficulty
I have some Tozando Iaito swords these never had metal filings and wood dust inside the tsuka and all fiutting are tight
The fuchi fell off first time as I removed the tsuka it would not stay on unless I glued it
Just a review I didn't expect perfection for the price, I have a blade smith locally that will sharpen the blade, so once this is done I'll do some more tests on water bottles to see if blade dulls as quickly
Cheers
|
|
|
Post by MichaelRS on Sept 30, 2021 5:02:12 GMT
It could be that the machines they used to sand and sharpen the blade "burnt" the very thin and fine edge, causing a small portion of the steel to be soft and dull easily. Sharpening the blade once or twice can remove the softer burnt steel and reveal the good hard steel underneath. Its a very common thing in production knives, it could be what's happening here. I can tell you that at the price they are pumping those things out they are definitely not taking their time when running these blades against really fast and aggressive machines that can overheat the blade very easily. Is it possible for simply stropping the blade to be a fix?
|
|
|
Post by MichaelRS on Sept 30, 2021 5:31:51 GMT
I like my swords from Hanbon Forge well enough. To me they're fairly good for the price point. Particularly when assembled everything fits nice and snug. I did have a minor deficiency in that regard in my second one, Grim Reaper. The tsuba was a hair loose and I wasn't overly thrilled with the eveness of the ito wrap. Not the shape of a diamonds. Those are all slightly "off" across the board, though nothing glaring. But the Ito us a bit...."lumpy". To the point that I'm considering paying a talented amateur to rewrap it. But the other four I have are all just fine (good enough) in that regard. I have since learned that disassembling swords in that price point is pretty much like looking behind the scenes at Disneyland or Universal Studio; While interestinging it also in some respects kind of destroys the magic that goes on out front or on the big screen. One of the reasons why they invented the phrase "ignorance is bliss."😄 Anyway, below are links to the first two swords I got from HF and what I found when I removed the tsukas. Had a little, actually very little, stuff and junk fall out of the handle of the first two. Haven't gotten to swords 3-5 yet. Never had anything fall out of any of the sayas. I don't know what actual forge or forges HF go through over there, but by and large all my stuff has a pretty good fit and finish when together and fits the sayas is very well. Also included what I found when I took a Ronin Tanto apart. Dragon's Claw imgur.com/a/NVC2mniimgur.com/gallery/GxNekWZGrim Reaper imgur.com/a/pCY8Ka9imgur.com/a/wgwVqjiDisassembled tanto. imgur.com/a/tnKVD2L
|
|
|
Post by Cottontail Customs on Sept 30, 2021 6:51:08 GMT
Just to clarify a few things
Small bush branches more like twigs nothing over 5mm (1/4") thick Habaki would not hold blade in saya when tilted so I had to add a small piece of wood to inside of saya The shitodome fell out as I removed the sageo, I managed to get a proper sageo thru the hole without any difficulty
I have some Tozando Iaito swords these never had metal filings and wood dust inside the tsuka and all fiutting are tight
The fuchi fell off first time as I removed the tsuka it would not stay on unless I glued it Just a review I didn't expect perfection for the price, I have a blade smith locally that will sharpen the blade, so once this is done I'll do some more tests on water bottles to see if blade dulls as quickly Cheers not all production tsuka mekugi-ana are drilled after assembly so not all with have metal and wood bits inside. tsuka are not supposed to be drilled like that but many Chinese made production tsuka are. Japanese iaito tsuka are typically constructed completely differently and often the quality of construction and fit and finish are a step or two or many above swords in this class. if you ever unwrap your Tozando iaito tsuka it will likely be glued together with the seam running down the center of the omote and ura sides instead of ha and mune
|
|
|
Post by treeslicer on Sept 30, 2021 12:44:18 GMT
Just to clarify a few things
Small bush branches more like twigs nothing over 5mm (1/4") thick Habaki would not hold blade in saya when tilted so I had to add a small piece of wood to inside of saya The shitodome fell out as I removed the sageo, I managed to get a proper sageo thru the hole without any difficulty
I have some Tozando Iaito swords these never had metal filings and wood dust inside the tsuka and all fiutting are tight
The fuchi fell off first time as I removed the tsuka it would not stay on unless I glued it
Just a review I didn't expect perfection for the price, I have a blade smith locally that will sharpen the blade, so once this is done I'll do some more tests on water bottles to see if blade dulls as quickly
Cheers While it's a minimal sample, neither of the the two Ryujin katana I have, had the problems that you describe. I expressed concern in my gunto review over whether their quality would be consistent. Well, now we know.
|
|
pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
|
Post by pgandy on Sept 30, 2021 12:53:35 GMT
"Habaki would not hold blade in saya when tilted so I had to add a small piece of wood to inside of saya"
Shimming is not at all uncommon.
|
|
|
Post by leed on Sept 30, 2021 18:01:30 GMT
Wow. I have cleanly cut thru fresh redwood 2x4's in one easy swing, at least 6 pieces, with a cheapo 1045 Kat that showed no signs except red coloring along the blade. Old fir 2x4 would be MUCH tougher to cut.
|
|