lowellisaac

I can't imagine sinking too much more into this-- but I wouldn't mind talking to someone. Do you have any contacts?

Thanks everyone-- here are some photos. I think the alcohol idea is interesting-- for all I know this could be scratches in a lacquer-- that would be amazing. That sounds like a good plan A. It is my current understanding that talc and uchiko are both made from ground stones-- but uchiko (if it is REAL) is much finer. I read that if you happen to buy the wrong stuff it is mostly talc anyway, so I figured getting top shelf talc would be smarter. I know the powder is only used to remove the old oil before adding new-- and I probably thought that was a bigger deal than it is. This sword has some tiny rust spots-- I just didn't want them to get worse. I thought I was gentle with it, just a few swipes with a clean paper towel-- but these streaks appeared instantly. I added some pure mineral oil, and in most light it still looks pretty shiny-- but it has a "soapy" quality now. I wasn't trying to do anything but maintain it properly. I'm also interested in the suggestion of finding true uchiko, and rubbing it with that and a bit of water or oil. Maybe that can be plan B. I've attached some photos of the paperwork too-- I was told the original paper needed to be kept on file in Japan, so this is a copy of it. If this is phony I might actually feel a little better-- I hate the idea that I might've hurt a real piece of history.

I'm not an expert-- but I have a ko-katana that I believe is authentic, it's signed by Fujiwara Kiyonori, has some signs of age-- the papers for it look pretty good, etc. (I'm as sure as I can be, in other words.) It had a perfect mirror finish (except in areas of wear), and I waited several months before re-oiling it. I thought I did good research-- I got the most pure expensive talc I could find, some high-quality pure mineral oil, and I did my best. I instantly noticed that the shine lost some of its glow-- and when you look fairly closely you can see streaks left in the finish by the talc. After more research I realized this was a big mistake, and I feel pretty bad about it. I didn't realize it would've been smarter to just add a little oil-- I thought leaving the old oil was the bigger risk than not using some top-shelf uchiko powder. Anyway-- it bothers me now. Maybe I'll get over it, or maybe I should just pass the sword along to someone who knows what they're doing. But-- I thought I'd ask if there was any sort of super-mild thing I could try to bring back that finish, and undo the damage of the talc. I realize that's a terrible thing to say if this is authentic-- but to get it re-polished in Japan would cost more than the value of the sword. If I were to try something extremely mild-- what would be the smartest choice? Thanks for your time, Lowell