Vermithrax16

This is a great movement, and big time thanks to Surfson (who is a cool dude) for starting it up.

$50 sent. I messaged Brian a while ago about a year end raffle that could generate some fun and funds for the site. NMB saves me so much research time and effort. The pool of knowledge here is deep and easy to access. Thanks to all that participate.

Motomichi is an interesting topic.

This one still KILLS me and there really was no reason not to buy it but some stupid rule I set for myself. I should have listened to Ray Singer and Stephen. Anyways: http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as08188-%E5%88%80%EF%BC%9A%E8%8F%8A%E7%B4%8B-%E6%97%A5%E7%BD%AE%E5%B1%B1%E5%9F%8E%E5%AE%88%E6%BA%90%E4%B8%80%E6%B3%95-katana-kiku-mon-hioki-yamashiro-kami-minamoto-ippo

Great story about the smith looking to make surgical items. Off topic but as of late obsidian has become more used in surgery as the cuts are less damaging and heal better.

Great it all worked out for you! Thanks for sharing, love posts like this.

Great picture Ken. Really shows the differences well.

If anyone has a silver tsuba, I am looking for a Christmas gift idea for the wife to get for me

Maybe Massachusetts is sulfur free but I have a LOT of silver things (sadly not nihonto related) out and about and they look like they did when I bought them (2-10 years ago).

Wayben, glad it was all worked out! Raymond, Wow!!!!! I want a habaki like that just to look at it!!

WOW!!!! Awesome Stephen!

Hey Tom! Yes, the search engine here can be tricky at times. Try searching for what you want on Google, then add "Nihonto Message Board" at the end. This works better IMO. Here are a couple: General Cleaning: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/1381-practical-cleaning/ Member Derek's totally wonderful oil study: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/16303-nihonto-oil-a-study/ Cheers.

Prayers for him tonight.

I like the new format better, but seems I am the outlier.

If I read your post correct this was the process: - bought sword $200 - had "work" done for free - sold for $800 - someone else wound up with same sword and sold to you for $200 again - you sold it for $1300 If that is all correct seems like a lot of trading for a $200 sword.

Mike does such great work, thanks for posting.

Ends tonight and I just noticed it (not looking for a waki) but the choji work on this sword will have me looking for this smith in katana for sure. Well done. http://www.sword-auction.jp/en/content/as17395-%E8%84%87%E5%B7%AE%EF%BC%9A%E5%82%99%E5%B7%9E%E9%95%B7%E8%88%B9%E4%BD%8F%E6%A8%AA%E5%B1%B1%E7%A5%90%E5%8C%85%E4%BD%9C-wakizashi-bishu-osafune-ju-yokoyama-sukekane-saku

Then this would be me

It's tough in this hobby, but patience is needed. I have had to pass on two swords in the last 4 months (one listed here on NMB) because I am sticking to my plan. It's very hard at times.

There is a Japanese one I am going to translate via our services at my work, it's very new. Interesting thinking fun! Oh, and Happy Birthday if I missed it!

A friend of mine had asked me about this 2 weeks or so ago as he has a broken sword that is likely from a VERY early era in the craft. With no real way to do kantei, he wondered if there was a way to date the sword. Then the same type of thing came up on a Nihonto Facebook post. My first thought was no, radiocarbon dating is for organic materials, not things like steel. I know one can certainly date pre-atomic bomb steels (low background steel lacks the radio isotopes that came from testing of bombs; posted about that in the off topic section) but that was it. But....... I did some searching at work (I have access to every scientific journal in existence there) and I found some interesting things. The charcoal used to forge the nihonto was organic. Assuming it was not made 50 plus years earlier than the sword was forged, it seems it may be possible. I am not a metallurgist or a physics guy. I suck at math, so that is what I am a molecular biologist So I submit the following two articles for a read and though example, I have not had the time to really go over them in full detail. Paper 1: http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0305/Cook-0305.html Paper 2 (better one): https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/radiocarbon/article/view/3449/3731

Very cool, thanks for sharing. I love their website. Never bought from them but seems very clean, professional, and well organized. About 3 swords they have right now I am in love with.

Thanks for the great post Arnold. Plenty to digest.

In the light angle shot they provide I wondered why the hamon on the right side is a bit more ragged than on the left, but to be honest, until nearer the nakago end of sword, it's hard to say the jihada is very different on both sides. It's visually a stunning work and healthy (hamachi notch very good). I would request a real light picture, but with such a short time in auction, they probably can't get to it.

I think this is the Sadayuki Aoi has for sale. It's a nice shape, very healthy sword. Would be surprising if this was a hagire, but it's priced in the "wonder why" zone so yes ask him directly for a live picture of the blade (the scans they do are great, but for some things a real light picture can be more useful) and if they will stand behind a "not a hagire" call.