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Post by MessengerofDarkness on Jul 12, 2024 4:55:51 GMT
Just out of curiosity, has anyone else gone the way of sprucing up production swords with improved habaki? This might be a 'first world problem' sort of issue, but after owning so many production brass habaki that all look like they could be swapped between each other without much fuss I've started to get sick of them. Recently I've been dipping my toes into customizing some of the slightly lower level swords with different habaki; as apparently more than just the standard brass habaki is being produced in China. I've bought production habaki that were given hand-chiseled engravings to make them look less standard, and I actually think it's a significant improvement. ![habaki.jpg](//storage.forums.net/1694914/thumbnailer/bmWuHYhDdkwYFbTZqdmm.png) Though not here yet, I also have a copper habaki en-route, as well as an actual Chinese two-piece habaki that is supposedly production katana-sized.
![habaki.jpg](//storage.forums.net/1694914/thumbnailer/oAheuJXQfCSQHtYWCojy.png) There's a part of me that honestly wishes that more production katana would have minor details like these, though I do completely understand why this is one of the first places to cut cost. Regardless, I'm very interested to get all these new habaki in and see what sort of mini projects might come of this.
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Post by zsg1313 on Jul 12, 2024 19:02:04 GMT
I've done the same quite a bit though I'm mostly out of the production market. Go for copper and check out Josh's rokusho technique. I've done a number of seppa this way recently as well.
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Post by larason2 on Jul 12, 2024 22:52:50 GMT
Yes, I have, but most of what I have done is repolish and patinate them. Makes a huge difference though. I've done the rokusho/niage process, and I've used the Japanese iron patina on brass. Both of them make a really nice patina, but getting the polish perfect is tricky.
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