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Post by stevengraham on Jan 2, 2024 21:37:04 GMT
Rusty's saya was pretty battered. Had some cracks in it and some splits. Of course the varnish or lacquer is all chipped up. So I opened up the saya down the middle and laid the blade in the recess and it was a perfect match. Make me think it is the actual saya for the blade so I am gonna restore it. My question is do I correct all the flaws in it or leave the ones that do not make structurally unsafe. I am leaning towards leaving the flaws. Here are the pics photos.app.goo.gl/7XnsmK1goSYPneM17
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Post by larason2 on Jan 2, 2024 22:48:34 GMT
Looks like it was finished with Urushi. That's what was traditionally used, but it's hard to work with. You can also use cashew lacquer, or any other one you find.
Traditionally, these were glued together with rice glue. It's pretty easy to make some, and it is what would be the least likely to rust the blade. It's stronger than you think it will be. You can also use hide glue, both of these would be reversible. If you don't have these, or can't figure out how to make them, you can also use regular wood glue, just be careful not to get any where the blade will be.
There's no benefit in keeping the original lacquer if it's this beaten up. I would just carefully hand sand it off.
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Post by noneed2hate on Jan 2, 2024 23:12:20 GMT
Definitely don't use sand paper on the interior of the saya, some of the granules may break off or get stuck and will scuff up/scratch your sword. Interior doesn't look that bad anyway. The exterior is more or less fair game, up to you.
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Post by larason2 on Jan 3, 2024 0:22:50 GMT
I agree, nothing on the inside. If you have a very fine chisel and there's some embedded rust, you can remove a very thin layer inside. Otherwise, you can just clean out the inside with water and let it thoroughly air dry before reassembling.
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Post by mrstabby on Jan 3, 2024 10:48:13 GMT
I can recommend wood scraper cards, they are available in many forms and leave a pretty good surface finish without spreading contaminants. Though they have a bit of a learning curve attached to how to use and sharpen. Let's say I recommend these if you have to do stuff like this more often or the shape is too complex to get it with a normal blade like chisel or knife. These work very good for removing lacquer and don't produce fine dust like sanding does. Also work great on removing discolouration from wood. Again, not for people not willing to invest a bit of time (to learn sharpening) and money (50-100€/$ will get you a full set with sharpening rod), but I am a big fan of them.
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