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Post by airborne on Aug 28, 2023 16:53:35 GMT
Hello , wonder if any members here have tried to remove the Lacquer from the Saya / scabbard of the Japanese swords down to the natural wood and then once removed treat the natural wood with Danish Oil or some other wood treatment , any ideas ?
Also is there any way that the white Same panels / or wrap can be stained even though they are most likely already coated with a finishinf varnish ?
Thanks
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Post by mrstabby on Aug 28, 2023 20:18:20 GMT
Look up the member "steveboy", he re-does many, maybe his guides can show you what you need.
As for staining the leather, if it has a sealing agent you would need to remove this before staining, there are special products for this. Most finished leather products will have some sort of sealing applied. It could be a faux leather as well, these you won't be able to stain easily.
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steveboy
Member
Measure twice, cut once.
Posts: 373
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Post by steveboy on Aug 28, 2023 23:23:13 GMT
Honestly, all you have to do is sand it down to the wood. You can use a palm sander to get past the lacquer, just being careful around edges and the narrow sides, and then switch to hand sanding to be sure you don't mess up the contour.
Production sayas can vary considerably in their quality, so be prepared for possible unsightliness. I'd just take it down to as fine a grade as you need, wipe off the dust with a damp cloth or clean damp sponge, and then stain/oil after it dries. (There's also an old carpenters' trick of wiping with alcohol to bring out the grain before staining and/or lacquering.)
You might find that it's a bit ugly where the kurigata joins the saya. Some are neatly done; some are jammed in & glued. That'll take some patient sanding (maybe some needle files) and possibly filling with a good wood filler.
If it's a lower-end sword, you have a lot less wiggle room. A lot of those sayas are composites or a series of veneers without much in the way of grain.
Re the samegawa, it's very dye-able, and that's often especially desirable if the panels have yelloed with age, as you'll have discolored diamonds. There's a lot of info on this forum on dyeing. You can do everything from staining with powdered dyes, to coffee, to brush-painting (generally with water-based acrylics) and then wiping, to make the nodules stand out whiter and give the lower part a more vivid color.
I'm not an expert by any means, but maybe I can help a bit if you have pix or want to document your progress here.
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Post by larason2 on Aug 29, 2023 2:53:35 GMT
I would think it's actually easier to just make a new saya! Then you can have the wood you prefer, and the sword will fit better to boot! It's not that hard to get things like horn for the kurikata, for instance. For pieces that are going to be lacquered anyway, it's usual to choose a boring wood like aspen or basswood that doesn't have much of a grain. In real Japanese examples, they used magnolia or ho/honoki, which also has a subtle grain. If you sand off the lacquer, you may want to veneer it with a nicer wood anyway so you can actually see more of the grain!
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Post by airborne on Aug 30, 2023 11:43:46 GMT
Thanks for your replies Guys
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