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tbonesullivan

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Everything posted by tbonesullivan

  1. Are you able to get off the Habaki? That usually protects the blade from a lot of the oxidation, and removing it can provide information about the blade. The transition from blade to tang also can show whether it has been cut down.
  2. The writing on either side looks pretty much the same style, and honestly unless it's a super well-known smith, I don't see why adding a fake maker would really increase the value. That's not saying people don't do it, but with all those chisel strokes, the amount of work to add that MEI and make it look that nice really wouldn't be worth the added value, if there is any.
  3. Here's a few . It's got a nice olive green ITO, but there is a bit of rust on the Koshirae. It would appear that the fittings are almost ENTIRELY magnetic. The Kanuto-Gane, the menuki, the top of the Fuchi, ALL of the Seppa, O-Seppa, and The Tsuba are magnetic. The Habaki definitely is not magnetic. On the Saya, the Ashi, Senegane, and Ishizuke are magnetic as well. The Koiguchi however is not. Definitely not what I was expecting at all.
  4. The leather cover on the scabbard is what interests me the most. I don't know if there is even a way to fake the age deterioration of leather. I've seen a lot of old leather from WWII, WWI, and earlier. Nothing in that leather looks out of line for being at least 70 years old, especially the dry rot where the surface is flaking off.
  5. I've worked in Military Antiques for 13 years now, and dealing with primarily edged weapons for years now. Whether it's a 15th century Katana, or a Type 95 NCO sword, best advice is always to "leave it alone". Second best is "Leave it to a professional." I have seen edged weapons from Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Africa, France, and so forth. Aside from cleaning and preservation, antiques are best left as is.
  6. For the Steely Dan fans out there, Walter Becker's "Collection" of 1086 lots of guitars, basses, amplifiers, pedals, and other musical gear is going up for sale soon. There's really NO WAY to keep that kind of a collection together. The same goes for smaller collections. Unless it was meticulously picked out, matched, and curated, there's little reason to keep it together. This is different than say someone with huge pockets who commissioned a matching set of something.
  7. I really want to see if I can make that meeting, but that say is my best friends birthday, as well as my parents Anniversary. However, the besty does live in Manhattan....
  8. I'm a bit confused, as I am a Newbie. Are ALL of the swords made in Japan currently traditionally made from Tamagahane? Even those that are "user grade" for practice use? Wikipedia (sometimes wrong) states "only licensed swordsmiths are allowed to produce Japanese swords (nihonto), only two longswords per month are allowed to be produced by each swordsmith"
  9. Whoa, yeah ok that's gotta be it! Thanks so much. The marking is identical, and the exact same type of sword, though this one is in the P-37 Fittings, which are kinda worn. It's got a rayon or silk "surrender tag" but it's all but destroyed.
  10. So, I think I am now more near sighted than I was before after staring at lists on this one. It looks almost stainless steel, and has the Navy Anchor on it, so it's definitely not traditionally made. The Characters are not that complex, but I keep running in circles. From what I can tell, the first character is read HITO, as listed as the first Kanji for "HITO" Here: https://www.japaneseswordindex.com/kanji/kanji2.htm But, I can't find any references to a WWII Smith with that name. I also can't find that Kanji in my limited lists. Second character l have no idea. I went through the sword index list for all the kanji that have that type of "hat" on them, and none really matched. Last character was easy, it's a really long stylized 作 (SAKU). The black lacquer NI NANA SAN is the matching number for the Koshirae.
  11. FYI: just had another P-37 Kai Gunto show up. Green twisted Ito, Oil Cloth under the Ito. The TSUBA is DEFINITELY Magnetic. So, They may have been brass-plated steel, which is then blacked. I'll know more when I get to pull the TSUKA.
  12. It really does look like maybe the whole blade was burnished. That's just really shiny compared to what I'm used to seeing.
  13. I really just like more Subtle Carvings on blades. One that enhances the blade, rather than just covering it up. Seeing them go well into the body of the blade with these wonderful designs just gives me mixed feelings. I LOVE the artistry, but I also just love the look of blades themselves, with maybe a subtle character to enhance the overall look.
  14. That grip material looks interesting. Could it be horn of some type? It's got grain to it I wouldn't expect from something synthetic, but it doesn't look quite like wood.
  15. Definitely sounds like it was for the best. If you're gonna spend money, you want to make sure it's in the right place.
  16. As far as I know, Choji oil is just light mineral oil with clove oil mixed in. Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe the clove oil has some water absorbing properties? Either way, there's a TON of different types of light oil out there. In general you'd want something that is entirely hydrocarbon, with no ability to absorb water at all. It also can't be something that evaporates or has any type of pigment to it. Zoom oil actually looks pretty good. It's listed as a "lily white lubricant / stainless / highest quality water white sewing machine oil"
  17. I would say, definitely NOT, unless you are made of money. And even then, no. Nihonto really are works of art, and a product of a unique culture and the environment in which they were in. If you want something to use, a modern blade made using modern techniques honestly is far FAR more appropriate. You also see this in other parts of the antique world. Personally I am NOT going to subject a valuable antique to any type of use that has a significant chance of destroying it.
  18. This is a Kai-Gunto I dealt with which definitely has sharkskin under the ito. I think one or two had the blackened Ray skin, and the others the black oil cloth type things. Yours definitely has black Ray Skin, though the question is whether it's real or simulated, which was used on many Gunto. The worst is when a chemically unstable plastic was chosen for the faux Ray skin, and it can change the color of the ito, and even corrode the blade. Looking back, I think almost all of the military swords I've had pass by me had twisted Ito. Definitely all the arsenal made Shin-Gunto swords. All the "late war" arsenal made Navy Katanas with the Anchor Stamp all had the oil cloth under the ito, with a plain black lacquered scabbard. I work for a company called IMA, and we deal with LOTS of bring back items from WWII, all fronts. I also have a deep appreciation for Japanese culture, and love to read about swords, and the process of making them.
  19. I just checked, and all of the Kai-Gunto we've dealt with, around 7, had twisted ITO. Some had the oil cloth under it, while others had actual shark skin. Probably handled around 7 Kai Gunto, and then a bunch of the later war Navy Swords with simplified Koshirae.
  20. I would generally avoid using any type of solvent like alcohol that can absorb water, for reasons stated previously. Old swords with grain and small kizu can possibly absorb it, which draws in water, even after oiling. If it's already been cleaned and oiled, I would think a simple wipe down with the micro fiber cloth, and then re-oiling would be sufficient. Now, one thing I am always kinda iffy on is how much oil to leave on the blade, and what to use to apply it to the blade.
  21. I unfortunately no longer have access to it, as it was sold by my employer. I will have to remember next time we get in a P-37 to try a magnet on the fittings to see if they are solid brass, or steel plated brass. I would definitely think that you'd want them to be solid brass as they were for the navy, but there are almost always exceptions. The HAMON on that example was very nice, and it had a traditional polish on it.
  22. I handled a Shin-gunto by Yoshida Kaneuji, dated 11th month 1941. Definitely an arsenal made blade, with a seki stamp.
  23. Yeah, it really is. Back in "the old days" there were unfortunately no good resources where numerous authentic mei could be compared. The style is so important, and at the same time, is what make some mei difficult to read. Fake signatures are also put on there to get a higher price, so they generally are going to stick an important name on it.
  24. I've handled a few Kai Gunto, and I think this one is fairly typical, with a bit of wear. The P-37 fittings I believe may be all brass, or possibly brass plated alloy, which is usually blacked. As this wears off, it goes back to brass. If there is an underlying coat, then this would become apparent as you wear through the brass. Some components, like the habaki, may be gilt. Here are some reference pictures from one I had to deal with. You can see both sides of the TSUBA and the large O-SEPPA.
  25. Well... a lot of "Bring-Back" swords are not in the hands of enthusiasts or collectors, but instead the hands of the families. And for collectors, the historical and military aspects are the primary concern. We've had P37 Machine made Kai-Gunto, pretty much unissued, sell for more and faster than true Nihonto, as it's all about the fittings to them, capture tags, and especially bring-back papers and other information. They want a story, not a piece of art, unfortunately.
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