Brownac1983

This is true. My Bisen does have a partial fracture down the middle, which I noticed on the head when I first cleaned it up to attempt removal. The fracture doesn't appear to affect the functionality of the bisen, and it appears to be quite old because it was packed with crud and doesn't show any shiny metal when viewed under magnification. My guess would be that someone made a heavy handed attempt at removal using the hole in the bisen for leverage. I clamped the bisen head in a padded parallel machinist's vise and used a strap wrench to turn the barrel. A strap wrench, when used properly, never puts anything metallic in contact with the barrel. The nylon strap wraps around the barrel and the leverage of the wrench tightens and rotates the strap at the same time. The best ones have straps that are rubber coated for gripping power.

The acid based stuff, or anything that chemically removes rust, will remove any bluing and/or patina instantly. Even plain white vinegar will ruin bluing. You want a rust penetrant, but definitely not a rust remover. The finish on your ferrous parts, whether browned patina or surviving bluing, is basically rust.

The "penetrating oil" that I used to break mine loose is a home brew that a 90 year old machinist/mechanic showed me years ago. Equal parts acetone and automatic transmission fluid. It has to be the old non-synthetic fluid, Dexron 2/ Ford type F or earlier. It outperforms anything I've seen off the shelf. Pure wintergreen oil is also an excellent penetrant if the non-synthetic transmission fluid isn't available where you live. It's expensive but it works great.

Success! I finally got the Bisen out. I've been soaking it in penetrating oil since my last post and trying it once a month or so. It finally decided to move. The bore turned out not to be plugged with lead, rather something gritty that soaked up the oil and broke apart, it almost looked like clay or cement. I've got the bisen in the ultrasonic cleaner now, it appears to have a very old hairline crack down the middle but it's functional. Now to get the touch hole and bore cleaned out.

Hi guys, if I could ask your opinion on one more thing, after borescoping my Tanegashima, it appears that what I thought was a load is actually a plug. It seems that someone has poured about 2-3 cm of a white metal, to a point just above the flash hole. What's odd about it is that it doesn't appear to be lead, as it's very white and shiny without the grey powdery texture that lead gets over time. Have any of you dealt with this before? My plan is to soak the bisun bolt in penetrating oil for a few weeks before gently attempting to remove it and evaluate the plug. -Drew

Thanks Piers. I don't see any evidence of another sight having ever been present. The Bisun doesn't appear to have any recent damage. The corners are a bit rounded, but if this was done in an attempt to remove it, it was a long time ago. The flash pan does appear to be either lined or reworked, again at some point in the distant past. As far as the muzzle diameter, I'll need to measure it and get back to you, but I would guess it to be right around 1.6 cm. Another thing I found out upon examination is that it appears to be loaded. I'll have to find my ball puller and see if I can get that out. -Drew

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Hey guys, Sorry for the delay, I've been working a lot. At the link below are some better pictures of the gun, let me know what you think. Thanks in advance. -Drew http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/brownac1983/library/Tanegashima

Wow, thank you very much. 1600s, really? I never would have guessed it could be that old. According to the auction company, the barrel is 30-3/4" (781mm) overall length. I'll confirm their measurement when I receive it. After she made the translation, I was able to find a very similar looking gun which appears to have been made by Takakura Jinroku, although I don't know anything about the website where I found it. http://www.sanmei.com/contents/media/T220256_R1241.htm I also found this photo of a 3-barrelled matchlock which claims to have been signed by Jinroku Takakura, but it appears to be a repost and I can't find the original source of the photo. https://www.pinterest.co.kr/pin/7881368070869480/ I'm out of town for business, so it might be a couple weeks, but I'll post highly detailed photos as soon as I get home. I'd love to learn more about it. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. -Drew

Hello. I recently purchased an old matchlock in an auction. I frequent the CMP forums, and it was suggested there that I ask questions here. Apparently they're not very common in the US. Apologies for the pictures, they're the ones taken by the auction company. Once I have the gun in hand I'll be able to take better quality photos. I have a few questions if the experts don't mind. 1) I know that it's at least missing the flash pan cover (Hibuta?), barrel protector (Amaoi?), and pins (Mekugi?). I'm certain that I can fashion reproductions of the brass parts in order to have a complete, if not correct, rifle... or is that frowned upon? What about the pins, I've read that smoked bamboo is the preferred material for this. Is that just green bamboo shaved into shape and tempered over a fire? 2) A friend's wife, who is Japanese, translated the barrel inscription as: 高倉甚六作 高倉　　 甚六　 作 Takakura Jinroku Saku "made by Jinroku Takakura" Is that correct? If so, does anyone know the time period in which Jinroku Takakura worked? Also, anything else that you can tell me from the photos would be greatly appreciated. I'll follow up with much better photos when I have it in hand. Thanks in advance. -Drew Brown