Brian

Yeah....I think I tend to believe Japanese experts over you. There is more to this than just "do or don't" http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/uchiko.html I'm not advocating for the free use of uchiko either. But it has its place, especially with experts who know how and when.

It's a known "fact" that swords reach their optimum state many years after a polish. Not sure if it's because some things tone down a bit or if time or handling plays a part, but maybe it's like furniture or steel, where patina plays a role. Either way, if in doubt, avoid uchiko. But it does have a role to play if you know how and when, and on what swords. You HAVE to use only the very good stuff, and avoid using it where there are pits or openings, as this is where it leaves "hike" which are those streaks. Too much pressure and getting it into tiny openings is seriously detrimental, and you will end up with lines that look like scratches.

Being in Australia, I assume you checked with Andrew?

Agree. This would clean up nicely if the quality dictates.

So at what point do I lock this, so that one side can decide I don't allow them a rebuttal? How about this? I lock this at 11am South African time. Anyone who is able to get their comments in before that...yay, go you. Last word goes to the closest person to 11am my time. Can't you guys just argue about Biden vs Trump like normal people?

Thanks Piers. Yeah, I was wondering about their description and also their estimates. @Henri That's odd. I wonder if you are viewing on a cellphone or desktop? Works fine on desktop, lots of pics and can be clicked to open. But many of these smaller auction houses aren't too clued up yet on mobile presentation. Here's some pics

No-one knows if it's junk, fair or ok...repro or old, mix of unrelated composite parts or an original set, worth far less, or more? No need to sugar coat anything since I'm not buying. But I do know the auctioneers and would like to be able to give feedback on the description and also learn a bit about current values etc.

Let me start by saying I have no intentions of buying this. I know little to nothing about katchu, and learned long ago not to buy things I am clueless about. Also, my katchu goals are only one nice kabuto oneday. Not a suit. That said, Japanese armour almost never comes up for sale in SA. In fact, don't recall anything ever being on auction. So....I am just curious about what the armour guys think of this and the estimated value. (Around $2500 - $3300) and any info on what you see. It looks fairly plain and well worn to me. Lots of work. Are they close, is there anything worth looking at closer? https://www.bernardi...urai-suit-of-armour/

Yeah, just an amateur attempt at fitting it to the blade.

Lol..Komonjo. It will have old papers, and would have bounced as gimei already.

Seems like a good find to me!

Always good to see you Joe, and hope things are well. I can 110% vouch for Joe, as can most older members here. One of the best regarded members we've had. Deal confidently. Best of luck with the sales.

I don't think it's for less insurance. Many countries (including SA) mandate vat (15% even on antiques) and then arbitrarily decide to ignore the antiques declaration and insist of 25-30% duties in addition. That can work out to a large chunk of change. For vat, they don't work on 15% of the value, but of the value + 10% (supposedly to compensate for "currency fluctuations") so they are essentially just a legal scam.

This is a really nice tsuba!

Good show, quite disturbing in places. Very little to do with the sword itself...maybe a few minutes in total. But worth a watch. I suspect it was just surrendered as per normal instead of the "given to him because he saved his life" which is better on film. But ok... Never go into who made the sword, I suspect just a regular Showato.

https://tubitv.com/m...823/a-doctor-s-sword May or may not be a "legit" source. Outside of the US, you need a VPN

I'm curious to know if any smiths ever forged in the bo-hi, followed by refining it by cutting. We always see them cutting in the hi with scrapers/cutters, but I'm wondering if forging the hi in would have been done by any of them.

I would not ship a sword overseas without a hidden AirTag nowadays. Eeasy enough to hide one somewhere.

Doesn't change strength, but does add stiffness. It would aid in cutting and weight.

Definitely not Japanese. Maybe Thai or Burma or Philippines.

As someone who took my wife to the show, I can tell you that the show is very "partner friendly" and the guys are all amazing. Wives won't feel excluded, and there is lots of interesting stuff to look at, as well as the hotel being lovely to wander around in. They will have a great time if they go with.

I would never condone using any of the modern methods of rust removal on a genuine Japanese sword. That said, I have extensive experience with Evapo-rust on machine parts lately. Yes...it will remove all rust without damaging any other materials. BUT...it will also remove patina, and the resulting surface can sometimes go dark due to the carbon brought to the surface. The main downside is that once you remove rust, and get to bare steel, the micro pitting left (and there is always pitting) becomes VERY obvious and looks terrible. Electrolysis would do the same. Aside from the dangers of affecting the nakago patination, the result isn't much of an improvement. There are no decent shortcuts to a proper and professional polish.

Gordon, Thanks for taking the time to pop in and clarify. You guys (as always) are doing great work. I have fond memories of meeting you waaay back at the DTI Yakatabune event along with Guido and others.

Hi all, especially those posting "wanted ads" Like Facebook and other places, the scammers are moving into forums. Please beware of ANY person telling you they have what you are looking for, especially if they are a relatively unknown member. Sometimes they say they have what you want, but often they tell you "Contact xxx, he has what you need" These are outright scams. A recent member, vcat, was sending people to someone with the email jtxpolt@outlook.com Total scam, and he's banned now. Beware of that email address and any others offering you stuff. One of the ways of verifying that the person at least has the item is to request a video (NOT just photo, they are easily altered) showing him holding the item and a piece of paper with your name on it. Or even facetiming you with the item. A genuine seller won't mind you using due diligence. Please notify me if you have any odd replies or offers.

@hddennis The member responding to wanted ads was actually named vcat. Just found out he's a scammer. Pointing people to a scammer with the email jtxpolt@outlook.com. Definitely a scam. Ignore any contact with this scammer. Vcat has been banned and blocked.