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Post by jdc on Feb 1, 2024 20:34:32 GMT
Been lurking, commenting, buying and selling for several years here - but decided it's time for my first post...
And it will be - a question: I've always had an affinity for a nice set of furniture made of shiny cupronickel - but have never come across any site that sells them. I was looking at Dragon King katanas - and the Kawanakajima, Sea Wave, Taikyu and other models, have a tsuba, fuchi & kashira made of that shiny metal. But they wont sell these as accessories, nor will they let me know their source.
So I come to you fellow sword enthusiasts - does anyone know of a sword site, reseller, or vendor who offers cupronickel hardware? Thanks in advance for any assistance.
-JDC
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Post by davelorrez on Feb 1, 2024 23:05:50 GMT
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Post by jdc on Feb 1, 2024 23:52:20 GMT
yes, Z-Sey does offer nice pieces, and I have some of them on my nagamaki zukuri, but alas only a habaki in cupronickel. I do appreciate your response.
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Post by larason2 on Feb 2, 2024 2:13:09 GMT
Nothing against cupronickel, but it's not a standard copper alloy used for traditional Japanese fittings. The alloys used are Shakudo, Shibuichi, Yamagane, Native copper, and Brass. The first four are typically patinated using the rokusho patination procedure, and brass usually patinated using the standard iron patination. None are particularly shiny after proper polishing and patinating, the ideal is a very fine matte finish. For replica fittings, it's rare they make them out of anything other than standard modern brass, or a casted mix of junk metals. That being said, I did find some on Ali Express! pt.aliexpress.com/item/32424325891.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2brapt.aliexpress.com/item/1005004956319749.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2braThe first looks like it's patinated blue, which is pretty cool. The second seems to be going for a faux silver sort of thing. As always with Ali express, don't be surprised if they take six months to get to you, but they do usually arrive. At least if that happens you won't have to pay for them though! If these don't tickle your fancy, and you can't get just the fittings from Zsey, then making your own or having some custom made may be what you have to do.
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Post by jdc on Feb 2, 2024 16:31:47 GMT
Thanks larason2 - I'll check 'em out. I guess my end goal is to find a tough finish that doesnt patinate at all. For example, to me there's nothing nicer looking than a fine, highly polished copper habaki like on my Huawei. But even with keeping it waxed or laquered, but unless meticulously kept it will eventually turn that spotted, dark brown. Some folks like that look, I don't. So I'm looking for cupronickel furniture, because it looks good on some blade/tsuka configurations, and "seems" like it will stay shiny - like on those Dragon King models, with minimal effort. Thats why I'm looking for cupronickel pieces. Of course, my assumptions about cupronickel could be wrong here, in which case I'm sure some of the members will point that out. ;-)
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Post by larason2 on Feb 2, 2024 19:21:16 GMT
Copper's pretty reactive, so most copper alloys will patinate over time. Nickel too develops a patina (becomes grey looking). That's why the Japanese patinate, at least they get to control what colour it will oxidize to! Most metals will stay shiny if preserved with something like Ren wax, and taken care of, having the wax replaced from time to time. Gold is the only metal that doesn't really oxidize. Silver used to be like that, but since the industrial revolution there's been a lot more sulfur in the environment. So, the cupronickel will probably oxidize eventually, but with a bit of renwax and maintenance, you should be ok. As mentioned, the blue one above has a patina already, so should be pretty durable.
Some Japanese brass pieces seem to have been burnished shiny (usually low end ones!) I did this on one of my nihonto habaki, since the brass had been casted with pieces of native copper in it (draws attention away from the poor casting). I polished it quite fine with stones, then burnished it traditionally with a migakibo. If I were to do it again, I'd use the tsunoko/ibota to make the burnishing look better. This technique is quite subject to oxidation though, so usually only used for habaki, or other pieces that are unlikely to encounter the elements.
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Post by jdc on Feb 2, 2024 21:12:33 GMT
All true, and I'm a big fan of ren wax myself.
You know - as sacrilege as it sounds, maybe polished stainless steel would make for great tsuba & fittings! Or maybe chrome plating! Yeah - thats the ticket! ;-) Hopefully the purists wont shoot me...
Thanks again for sharing your comments
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Feb 2, 2024 23:55:13 GMT
Nickel or nickel plated fittings would most likely be made to imitate more expensive and more traditional silver. As mentioned already, most metals used for making traditional katana and or fittings would have been either patinated or polished to remain it’s intended color and condition.
Black and brass are probably the most popular colors for katana fittings, black imitating patinated steel/iron and brass imitating gold. There are a couple of places however that sell silver nickel plated or polished steel pieces such as Yamato and Tozando
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Post by larason2 on Feb 3, 2024 1:18:40 GMT
Haha, stainless steel is a nightmare to work, so most traditional craftsmen avoid it. It's also a nightmare to polish. Chrome plating is nice, but in use the surface is brittle, and the chrome flakes off. You can polish any steel or iron piece shiny. Keeping it shiny, well that's another matter! The Japanese avoid mirror polishes (burnished polishes) because they show scratches easily, and they obscure the texture of the metal.
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Post by metinemre on Feb 3, 2024 2:52:33 GMT
I recently came across Argentium silver. Supposed to be more tarnish resistant. I`m thinking about buying some industrial grain form and have someone make the koshiare from it.
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Post by jdc on Feb 3, 2024 4:13:44 GMT
I read a bit Argentium too, and it sounded like a it had real possibilities, but I also heard it may be hard to find. I guess you have to know where to look. Meanwhile, I may check out some of the sites that frankthebunny mentioned.
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Post by eastman on Feb 3, 2024 16:22:24 GMT
Argentium is sold by Rio Grande (a jeweler's supply company). I have been buying tools from them for years. They charge based on the spot price when the order ships, so the website prices are approximate, but they list all of the metal spot prices on their website.
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Post by jdc on Feb 3, 2024 17:13:58 GMT
Cool - thanks eastman!
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Post by larason2 on Feb 3, 2024 23:20:46 GMT
I've bought shibuichi from Rio Grande, they're a good outfit!
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Post by eastman on Feb 4, 2024 0:19:51 GMT
most hobby stores sell "Jeweler's Saw" blades at Rio Grande you can select blade depth, thickness and tooth count when picking thru their many options for Jeweler's Saw blades.
they have good tutorial videos on their site as well
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AJGBlack
Member
"This world will stress you like Orson Wells on the radio." -RTJ
Posts: 383
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Post by AJGBlack on Feb 4, 2024 1:09:09 GMT
I'll second the recommendation for Rio. I make jewelry and mistakenly purchased the wrong size of an item. The customer service team took really good care of me and the exchange was smooth. They are also good with weird product questions.
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