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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2009 10:07:44 GMT
hello. i am looking to do some low cost upgrades to my katana and was looking at possibly trying to nickel plate my existing habaki as having a custom one made looks to be on the pricey side. after a little research, it seems diy home kits aren't really suggested as there are chemicals/disposal that'll need to be taken care of. also, plating companies are very hush hush about the brighteners that they use so i was just wondering if anyone here did anything of that sort. possible alternatives are definitely welcome.
tia!
Brian.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2009 2:09:21 GMT
hello. i am looking to do some low cost upgrades to my katana and was looking at possibly trying to nickel plate my existing habaki as having a custom one made looks to be on the pricey side. after a little research, it seems diy home kits aren't really suggested as there are chemicals/disposal that'll need to be taken care of. also, plating companies are very hush hush about the brighteners that they use so i was just wondering if anyone here did anything of that sort. possible alternatives are definitely welcome. tia! Brian. You can plate anything using just salt water, a power source, and some electrodes. Do a google search on home plating and you'll see there's a LOT of ways to go about it...many of them totally safe. Another option is sending your blade to someone and paying them to make a habaki for you. Depending on who you get to do this...the cost effectiveness of this can't be beat. Cris
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2009 0:14:31 GMT
I brought two habakis to a plating company, and the nickel layer were so thick I had to file the saya mouth a tad to fit. I was very pleased with the result, it seems to be more wear resistant than brass. And doesn't get discoloured. It costed me less than new plated habakis, and had a much thicker layer of plating than the seppas I bought from Japan.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2009 0:42:55 GMT
I brought two habakis to a plating company, and the nickel layer were so thick I had to file the saya mouth a tad to fit. I was very pleased with the result, it seems to be more wear resistant than brass. And doesn't get discoloured. It costed me less than new plated habakis, and had a much thicker layer of plating than the seppas I bought from Japan. Nickel plating I believe is what we typically call chrome (it's the final material). If I'm right (and I'm pretty sure I am), it's going to be HELLA durable lol. Very scratch resistant and easily polishes up to a nice mirror shine. Funny thing is the Japanese sword crowd hates the shiny sparkly stuff, and goes more for the understated. The Koreans however love it. Get some pictures for us =). Cris
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2009 13:53:29 GMT
I asked for a matt finish, so it ain't much more shiny than a newly polished brass or copper habaki. I also sanded the habaki with coarse sand paper before I delivered it for plating to get a little texture. I'll post pictures of the result later today if I find the time.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2009 1:04:27 GMT
Here are a couple of pictures of the results, the first one is nickel plated habaki and seppa, the tsuba is mirror polished steel. As you can see the nickel has a slightly yellow tint. Here is plated habaki and seppa compared to ditto brass:
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Post by wiwingti on Jan 18, 2009 0:03:23 GMT
nice job for a beginner
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 20:25:50 GMT
so which one is better? i am planning on paying experts to do it..gold,silver or chrome?any body got more pictures?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2009 21:07:50 GMT
Your taste and wallets decides. Silver is oxidizing, and will have a darkish tint by time, costs about the double of nickel. Gold does not oxidize, but is rather expensive. Nickel is cheap, strong and does practically not oxidize.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2009 6:49:38 GMT
what plating company did you bring it to? do they have a website or is it local?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2009 7:48:29 GMT
A local company in Oslo, Norway.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2009 14:59:11 GMT
thanks ichiban..i think i'll try gold..although i like silver more. i think gold is too feminime. well i'll check the price.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2009 20:34:37 GMT
Hello bwong2, An option you may wish to consider is palladium, or nickel then palladium. Should run you about $50 if your habaki is ready (polished) at time of delivery. Here is an example :-) This started out as a copper habaki. I did a little shaping as it was very squarish, then polished the heck out of it before having it plated. You may also with to consider having a new habaki made. If the old one fits real good, I can get a cast silver or Nickel silver one made for around $85 or so :-) Good luck Take care, Skip
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Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2009 1:08:12 GMT
thanks Skip for the info! i've been meaning to contact you about some work as well. PM should be coming soon.
thanks again. Brian.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2009 14:45:11 GMT
wow..that is so not traditional, i think? i love it...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2009 17:48:05 GMT
wow..that is so not traditional, i think? i love it... It's a walter sorrels blade, with the design of the mounts by Ricky Arias, as implemented by Skip. It's also for sale in the classifieds. Cris
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