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Post by lordhumungous on Jul 26, 2024 21:02:52 GMT
I have a sword that was made to look like a "kai gunto" that has some major inaccuracies which have only started to bother me recently. I contacted the Fred Lohman company because I know they make repro shin gunto fittings (so I could have it converted to an NLF style gunto) but when I reached out, I received an email back saying that the company has shut down for the foreseeable future. If anyone knows of another avenue to have the saya fittings and/or kabutogane switched out for shin gunto fittings, or if there's a saya maker who can at least make a new saya in the NLF style, let me know. I suppose a saya with a black leather cover could also simulate something you'd see from the Japanese Navy. Thank you Attachments:![IMG_20240314_162507.jpg](//storage.forums.net/1694914/thumbnailer/aMwEriLspTcQhFbmhiMh.png)
![IMG_20240314_162448.jpg](//storage.forums.net/1694914/thumbnailer/SLdcHaNDMvfakNqrbKCT.png)
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Post by larason2 on Jul 27, 2024 0:59:13 GMT
Authentic or repro shin gunto fittings aren't that hard to get, say on ebay. They weren't meant to be art pieces, so the patina doesn't have to be perfect. For sure that's where Fred got his from. It's easy to make them, since they're brass.
If you've got a saya that fits, you can sand off the old finish and put a new finish on it. Not perfect, but better than nothing.
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Post by lordhumungous on Jul 27, 2024 2:47:50 GMT
Authentic or repro shin gunto fittings aren't that hard to get, say on ebay. They weren't meant to be art pieces, so the patina doesn't have to be perfect. For sure that's where Fred got his from. It's easy to make them, since they're brass. If you've got a saya that fits, you can sand off the old finish and put a new finish on it. Not perfect, but better than nothing. I'm not confident enough to replace the fittings on my own- is there anywhere I can send the sword and parts to have it reassembled?
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Post by treeslicer on Jul 27, 2024 6:41:09 GMT
Authentic or repro shin gunto fittings aren't that hard to get, say on ebay. They weren't meant to be art pieces, so the patina doesn't have to be perfect. For sure that's where Fred got his from. It's easy to make them, since they're brass. If you've got a saya that fits, you can sand off the old finish and put a new finish on it. Not perfect, but better than nothing. I'm not confident enough to replace the fittings on my own- is there anywhere I can send the sword and parts to have it reassembled? It's just a repro. Learn what you can, then go for it. If you can find one of the Ryujin shin-gunto sold by SBG, you might be able to use some other parts and the saya, then repaint it. Good luck, and welcome to the forum. Here's a link to good photos of an original. www.ima-usa.com/products/original-wwii-japanese-navy-officer-p1937-kai-gunto-katana-sword-with-scabbard-and-tassel-handmade-signed-blade?variant=29366206234693
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Post by lordhumungous on Jul 27, 2024 7:57:44 GMT
Are there any guides out there on how to replace a kabutogane, and how to put hangers, semegane and ishizuki on a saya?
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Post by treeslicer on Jul 27, 2024 13:50:14 GMT
Are there any guides out there on how to replace a kabutogane, and how to put hangers, semegane and ishizuki on a saya? I've had no luck finding any, but I'm already aware that kabutogane changes can require some work on the tsuka, and the rest of it differs with the design of the parts obtained. I'd assume that you'd do best with screw closure type hangers and super-glue is your friend on the rest.
I found a very good kai-gunto thread with many photos that you can use for more inspiration.
Just for the record, in an answer to a question in my Ryujin shin gunto review, I predicted that repro attempts at making kai gunto might be lacking in accuracy. I'm sorry to see that I was right.
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Post by larason2 on Jul 27, 2024 18:34:27 GMT
If it were mine, first thing I would do is get a proper tsuba for it. For instance here: www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_nkw=gunto+tsuba&_trksid=p2334524.m4084.l1313&Brand=&_odkw=kai+gunto&_dcat=165599It's not as easy to get a kai gunto tsuba, but there are other tsuba that are affordable, some that are antique. The black lacquer you have isn't bad. I'd get some liver of sulfur/Japanese iron patina and patina up all the brass. That's my preference though. If you want some real silk brown ito send me a PM, I'll send it to you for the cost of shipping. I bought a whole roll, probably enough to do 10 swords. I'd rewrap the ito properly, we can give you advice on that, but there's people like rewrap studios who do it as well. Anyway, that will get you on your way toward something that looks better. I think the kai tsuba was replaced because it was too elaborate, and that means it's more expensive for you to get. Having another authentic looking tsuba wouldn't be too bad. The brass you get on Chinese reproductions is decent. Its only defect is sometimes you get bad casting bubbles. But it polishes and patinates like a champ. Yeah the fittings you have aren't perfect, but they are in the realm of "gunto" If you have to do any tsuka work, it's probably better to carve your own. Any Chinese one is going to be equally as bad. If you want it properly waisted and such, you'll still need to do a lot of carving, and it might not turn out perfect anyway if you start with one. I don't think it's worth the extra effort to do authentic samegawa and try to lacquer it. Modern lacquers don't have the same look to them, and urushi is tricky to use. You'll have to redo the samegawa if you make a new tsuka though. So as usual, it's always a question of what do you want to achieve, how much work are you willing/able to do, and what's your budget. You can get it looking pretty good with relatively minor modifications, the most important to me being a decent tsuba, a proper ito wrap, and the right look to the brass. There are very few repros from China of any Japanese sword that have a nice, authentic tsuka, and getting a better one isn't that easy or cheap. Modern black lacquer isn't that bad for a saya, it's pretty authentic looking. Saya work can be done, but I predict you'll blow your budget on that pretty fast.
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