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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 5, 2017 1:45:53 GMT
I'm on my phone, so really can't post links right now, but it's safe to say the sword in the pics is a Chinese repro due to the fact almost no extant Japanese made nihonto, gendaito, or shinsakuto have kanji on their blades. Even though I'm on my phone, I can also discern that the blade has a "Damascus" pattern on it, which is not traditional for Japanese made blades. A true Japanese made blade will have activities (small and regular patterns which suits the Japanese aesthetic) on the blade, but will never have anything resembling "Damascus", or anything "loud" like it. .
LG
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 3, 2017 18:29:47 GMT
Just to clarify, LG Outdoors in NOT affiliated in any way, shape, or form with LG Martial Arts (my business/me) Luis Garza, owner LG Martial Arts Busted LOL! Ha ha... lol. Seriously though, that's not my store. As for a group hug, I don't know... might have to think about it.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 2, 2017 16:55:48 GMT
Dumpster diving. Florists. Buy cheap gun cases (and ship them in the box around the gun case). Some ship sword as flats, so any large box could be cut down. PVC tubes for katana. Some other mailing tubes work ok for katana and viking swords. A great many of my antiques shipped in the triangular postal and UPS tubes. One can do a shopping search for cartons with endless possibilities. any recommendations for cheap gun cases? the ones I seem to find are like $60-$100 dollars for the larger ones, in the future if i ever decide to sell anything wouldnt want shipping to be like $120 lol If you're looking for hard cases, you can also try Midway USA ( www.midwayusa.com ) - they have a good selection of cases, and aren't that expensive, especially when offered with free shipping. Aside from that, you can try local Wally Wolrd (WalMart) or other retailers like Bill suggested.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 1, 2017 16:56:01 GMT
I'm lucky that the Hombu dojo's for both Aikido and Iaido are about 10 min away (different parts of town though). The Iaido dojo used to be located about 25 min away, but sensei Miyake decided to move it, which made it easier on me.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 1, 2017 16:53:38 GMT
Just to clarify, LG Outdoors in NOT affiliated in any way, shape, or form with LG Martial Arts (my business/me)
Luis Garza, owner LG Martial Arts
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Dec 25, 2016 18:20:36 GMT
Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to my fellow SBG members!
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Dec 19, 2016 1:16:30 GMT
Nice review of a very nice sword... I have one similar to yours, except in different color scheme, my family crest embossed on the scabbard, a peened pommel, and SS guard (made before Sonny started using mild steel). Here's a of pics of mine:
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Dec 15, 2016 1:46:27 GMT
I'll get around to taking more pictures. After looking all over the web I think this was the last one for sale in the states. Except for a scratch and dent on kult of Athena. My wife talked to a representative at kult of Athena and told her that only 100 of these were made. Is this true? What happened to kaneie? Its sad they don't sell anymore in the US. These swords are very good. Long story short (at least the way I heard it) was that CAS Iberia got upset with Kaneie's owner and severed ties with him/Kaneie. Since CAS was the only Kaneie US importer, their swords are no longer being sold by anyone affiliated with CAS Iberia. There are probably still some out there available from smaller stores and/or individuals, but I doubt we'll see a large amount of Kaneie swords in the US any time soon. Beautiful sword BTW, I really like the color scheme/koshirae choice on your sword.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Dec 6, 2016 1:47:58 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 25, 2016 13:47:56 GMT
I'd agree with Adrian with the above recommendations... one thing to consider with the higher end/art sword polishers is that you'll have to wait over 18 months, sometimes maybe more than 2 years once you get into their books before they can get to work on your blade. But, it's well worth it if you are trying to get a good sword polished, especially if it's an antique or historical value. If it fits into that category please don't work on it yourself, or have someone other than a trained togishi (polisher) work on the blade because you don't want it ruined.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 18, 2016 14:58:13 GMT
Paging @findlithui
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 14, 2016 16:36:26 GMT
Hi- Just came across this thread would like to point out a few things. Worked in Federal Gov't several decades know the regs. but please don't hold that against me -- I'm retired now... Katana and other single edged blades are not restricted except the state of Victoria. Neither are Tanto but it is highly advisable not to refer to a Tanto as a "dagger" which is common practice. A true dagger is a boot knife, Fairbairn or similar with a double edge; these are prohibited imports although perfectly legal to own and purchase within most states of Australia. Go figure. I own a Sheffield Fairbairn which I bought at a local disposal store in Brisbane a couple of years ago. Just be aware that if the goods purchased equal or exceed AUD1000= they can and often will be held pending GST. Please note well that postage also is included in calculating the ultimate final value which can be a nasty surprise IE one may think that if they've done the math and paid USD750= (on current FOREX rates) and then the postage is say, USD100= then the calculated or assessed value becomes USD850= and that will certainly exceed AUD1000=. Should an item be "assessed" as being worth AUD1000= or greater the red-tape is legion and even in my case would find it time consuming and difficult if I did this without a licensed broker who will also charge for their services. A myriad of information is available on this link: www.border.gov.au/Busi/cargo-support-trade-and-goods/importing-goods/importing-by-post-or-mailThe process varies between shippers and it would be untoward for me to drop names of bonded warehouses and freight-forwarders but some of them are (unprintable) who will hold up goods just for the sake of creating work for themselves. Ironically good old Australia Post seem to be the best to deal with for reasons I can't go into here -- never had a single problem with them but bear in mind many overseas postal services and private couriers will not use AUST Post as a "Partner Facility", rather they use other brokerages and couriers who can be "difficult" to say the least. To add to this there may be a couple of other unpleasant surprises...if the item has on the invoice/ declaration words such as "buffalo horn" or "timber" or "ray-skin" there is a possibility the goods will then be referred to Dep't Agriculture who will physically inspect the goods. If the goods are less than AUD1000= the inspection by D.A. may be without charge but if over AUD1000= the inspection may well be charged at a rate of about AUD90= per 15 minutes. If the goods have fittings with snake skin, crocodile skin or -- heaven forbid -- any pachyderm (ivory) they certainly will be seized and destroyed under CITES convention rules. Ivory is under a LOT of scrutiny since the beginning of 2015, even in SE Asia. One last thing, if the sword is sold and declared as genuine Nihonto; be it new or antique and it is not accompanied by the correct export papers from the Japanese government it could likely be seized and returned to the Embassy of Japan in Canberra. To conclude the best advice is to especially communicate with the overseas seller beforehand, bearing in mind many of the above issues can be addressed by doing so. There are many such vendors who are well aware of our laws and regulations and will bend over backwards to assist in the process of shipping and facilitating the process. Personally I've purchased items and that was the case where the vendors could simply not do enough to ensure my cargo arrived without problems. So please don't be discouraged from purchasing the blade of your dreams if it appears and appeals to you. I'm just giving a case-scenario. Then again why not a bit of lateral thinking? Its not that expensive to travel these days and in my case I've had great results buying items overseas and bringing them back in checked luggage. A good sturdy aluminum guitar case will suffice for carrying more than a few well-wrapped blades; just check with the airline first and be sure to declare the goods upon arrival in Australia. Happy to answer any further queries from fellow enthusiasts in OZ or please do not hesitate to PM me. Mike, Brisbane Very good advise... btw, what's your stance about flying to New Zealand and bringing back items to Aussie from there?
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 11, 2016 21:04:48 GMT
How is everyone else doing? Yes... #safetypin
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 10, 2016 16:06:50 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 10, 2016 16:05:51 GMT
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 9, 2016 22:06:20 GMT
I've never bought from Pavol Bolf myself, but he is really well regarded as a custom maker. As for Ryansword and Swords of the Northshire, I'd personally avoid them - they're generally known to misrepresent the construction of their swords, and have consistently lied to customers about their products over the years. Also, it's been shown many times that SoN sells the same things that Ryansword sells - a former RS rep stated on the record on FB that they are one and the same company.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 8, 2016 19:59:29 GMT
And now they are gone from the forums. Probably back again sometime later. I guess thats a lesson to use paypal unless its someone who you trust, and who has a good reputation Its ALWAYS a good idea to ask buyers to use "Goods and Services" and/or pay the same way yourself in case you do have to file a grievance.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Nov 7, 2016 20:49:30 GMT
Albion Swords has a pretty stellar reputation for making superb production swords. I'm curious about the quality of the bare blades they sell on their site. Does anyone have some experience with them they can share (positive or negative)? Are these the same quality of blade (pre-finishing) that they use in their main lines? There doesn't seem to be much information on the bare blades on the Albion page for them. They seem like a steal if they are produced to the standards of their finished offerings. Lonely Wolf Forge has bought a few that I know of - IIRC, he said basically what L Driggers (fallen) said too - rough finish, you have to complete it yourself.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Oct 27, 2016 23:10:29 GMT
You could also contact Blake Pogue ( bpogue), seeing as he's a CAS Rep.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Oct 26, 2016 21:10:30 GMT
I'm waiting on 2 personal items I purchased last week - they also appear to be "stuck" - no change in status for a couple days, and one shows as not even having been shipped even though the company is *very* fast in their shipments.
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