Lareon

Here's one more. Let me get my DSLR out and take some proper photos

Light coating of oil on the nakago to stop that red Rust.

So how I got the tsuka off in only 4 hours.... The nakago was very rusty and I think there was a small wooden shim or broken piece of wood in there too. It really wouldn't budge. My fingers ache now. I used the table method for a while and after an hour managed to get a few mm clearance. I wrapped the tsuba In the towel and used a rubber mallet to tap it over and over while using rubber gloves to hold the tsuka. This got me enough to wedge a fork between the Seppa collar and the tsuba. I wrapped.the fork in electrical tape so as not to damage any metal and used it to apply a lever force to the tsuka as gently as I could and did this all round this took a while but I couldn't see light in the mekugi ana anymore. With a combination of this and running a little choji oil down between the fittings I could hear it moving slightly. I had to do this for a while. Even at the end it required a fair bit of force to get off. Hope you guys enjoyed the adventure!

The tsuka is off. My hands hurt. But it was rusted as hell in there. Looks like a seki stamp up there. The date looks to be mostly hidden under rust

Put a little choji oil around the edge and let it soak for a minute. It's moved a fair bit but still on

Yeah table method it doesn't look touched Don't think that mekugi had ever been removed. Managed to gain about 0.5cm

Well with no joking that is not coming off.. I've used all my force on it. It's either glued or there's another mekugi. Because no way could that not have come off

The collar is moving so the problem is beneath the tsuka

At the point where I think any more force will do damage so I'm checking to see if there's evidence of a second mekugi. The irony ..

Lol I wish I'd never opened my mouth in the other thread because I can't get it off...

After all this. This best be a bloody masamune (still going)

Handles not off yet the black cosmoline has gunked it up.

Well the mekugi is jammed so tight in I can't get it out. This whole thread started due to a missing nakago on another thread and I'm gonna leave everyone hanging again!

Mekugi is deformed and really wedged into the handle. Looks like someone tried to get it out with pliers Will post pictures of the blade later

Improvised loop made out of wrapped cord. Not seen the blade yet.