Restoring the sheen of iron tsuba

[Henry Wilson]

There has been some talk recently about restoring iron tsuba and wonder if anyone can tell me what works for them? I am not talking about the removal of red rust. I am interested in what needs to be done after this when the bad rust has been removed, the patina is there but is quite dull and dry.

 

To help develop the sheen on an otherwise dry and lifless, but none the less patina intacted iron tsuba, collectors seem to refer to this as TLC (Tender Loving Care) and apart from lots of hugs and kisses that this title implies, it seems to cover some of the following:

 

-Gentle rubbing with a clean cotton cloth seems to be universally accepted by people. Also carrying the tsuba in a cotton pocket or a cotton pouch as Sasano discusses in his gold book if I recall corrcetly. The pocket techinque is not advisable if the tsuba has any soft metal inserts such as lead plugs or copper sekigane as it will remove old patina which is hard to replace. I wonder, how does rubbing an iron tsuba help develop a sheen?

 

-Rubbing the tsuba with anything other than cotton is not advisable, especially anything synthetic. It is said to make the tsuba look oily.

 

-The application of a little choji oil seems to be encouraged or discouraged depending on who you talk to. What are the pros and cons for both these techniques?

 

-Letting the tsuba hang in a relatively humid place where the air is clean and free from pollutants. What happens to develop a sheen? I assume the tsuba would need to be rubbed occassionly with a dry clean cotton cloth.

 

-A recent techinque that I never heard of before is giving the tsuba some sun. How does sun light develop a sheen?

 

-Handling the tsuba with clean bare hands. I assume that the natural oils form hands will help the sheen.

 

What are other members take on these techniques? Do they work? Do you have any more to add or any other comments to make?

 

Thanks for reading

[kusunokimasahige]

It depends what you want.

 

You can repatina a tsuba using chemicals.

 

http://www.jimkelso.com/japanpatina.html/tutorial.htm

 

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/directo ... bject/86/1

 

If you just want rust, yes let it hang outside for two weeks. (not a good idea mind you)

 

I would however let someone who knows what they are doing repatina/restore a tsuba.

 

KM

[Henry Wilson]

I am not asking about repatination. I am wondering about the TLC that many people refer to when a tsuba lacks a luster.

[chris covington]

Mr. Wilson,

 

I've recently been having luck with the cotton cloth/pocket method mixed with damp bathroom environment. The iron is starting to look nice. I also make sure I do not wash my hands before picking it up so some of the oils on my fingers can work into it. The trouble I am having is the brass now. All the handling keeps the brass shiny. I think I just need to leave it be for a while until it gets some brass patina.

 

I would imagine the choji oil would protect the iron like it does on a sword which wouldn't be helpful if you are trying to put some luster on the patina. I dunno though. I've never tried sun tanning a tsuba. maybe it warms it up making the already present oils look better? This is above my pay grade

[Marius]

@Chris

 

That is the problem with zogan. The iron gets better with handling, the soft metal inlays are best left alone.

 

@KM

 

You hang it outside and you handle it with bare hands. Unless you live in an area with a high level of humidity or industrial pollution (acid rain and such), you will be OK. Fact is, you cannot get fast and good patination.

[Kai-Gunto]

I heard that plasticine on the brass and copper will patinate.

Easy to work with and apply in right dose.

[Soshin]

Hi Henry W.,

 

I have been using the plain cotton rag method lately on a Kamiyoshi tsuba I cleaned rust off of. I have heard of the pocket method as well and have tired some of that as well on this tsuba. Something else I have heard was the use of a horse hair bush but I have never tired this.

[kusunokimasahige]

Thank you Mariuszk for that info, sadly I live in a very moist and polluted area of the Netherlands, close to the sea also. So if I put anything outside, it rusts very quickly.

 

KM

[ROKUJURO]

...... I have heard of the pocket method as well and have tired some of that as well on this tsuba. Something else I have heard was the use of a horse hair bush but I have never tired this.

Probably both are tiring methods :D

[Henry Wilson]

Thanks to everyone who has posted their comments.

 

Chris, how about rubbing the iron only with a small piece of cotton and working around the brass and not rubbing it. Have you tried that? It would be difficult to do but it might allow the brass to mellow, but give the iron the desired attention.

 

The sun method is intriguing because the other day, by accident, I left a tsuba in need of TLC in the sun for a few hours. When I got back to it I was sure that the patina had become glossier, but thought it was my imagination. After reading

well done, I would stop on the tsuba for now, apply some choji oil (lightly) and then give it some sun and air.I really am impressed!

from Mike Y at viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15021 I wonder if there is anything in the sun method. It would be great if Mike could comment on this.

 

The application of choji oil is another technique that I can't figure out. On a sword, it is applied and then removed periodically. In my mind, the application of oil on a tsuba will not have a positive effect. It could make it sticky, possibly stain the walls of sukashi or the nakago ana, and prevent the patina

surface from making contact with the atmosphere and thus halting any further patina development.

[Henry Wilson]

Hi David

 

Yes, I have heard about the horse hair brush method too. I have looked for such a brush in Japan but so far can only find squirrel hair!!!! I wonder if which animal hair would make a difference.

[Curran]

Horsehair brush: try shops involved with traditional print making

Prolonged sunlight: dose of radiation has its uses, depending upon what you are trying to do or undo

KM: moist and close to the sea is not a bad thing. Inside a tool shed or garage with open air flow, hung from the appropriate rafter with some sort of natural thread- take it down, check it, give it a bit of the previously mentioned rub with clean undyed cotton or undyed denim, then rotate the clock orientation of the tsuba a bit, and rehang for another few weeks.

 

All this is subjective low level stuff. Also depends on the nature of the patina and the tsuba.

I've had a Hayashi that wouldn't heal much despite a year of patient care, and then I've had a number of Owari or Higo school ones that heal incredibly easy from the existing patina.

On average, we are talking 6 months to 2 years this way- but the advantage is you develop a great level of understanding by so ritually visiting it and inspecting it.

[b.hennick]

Curran has hit the nail on the head - PATIENCE is what is needed most.

[Henry Wilson]

Thanks Curran for your thoughts.

 

Prolonged sunlight: dose of radiation has its uses, depending upon what you are trying to do or undo

Can you elaborate on this a bit more. What sort of things is sun radiation good or bad for?

 

the advantage is you develop a great level of understanding by so ritually visiting it and inspecting it.

A very good point.

[Guido]

Hagihara-sensei from the NBTHK remarked only yesterday that rubbing a Tsuba with cotton too vigorously is not a good idea since it will make the iron too shiny, and often even leads to rubbing off of the patina in places, especially the rim. Even experts like Sasano were "guilty" of that. Handling/rubbing it with your bare hands seems to be the only fail-safe method, but it might take quite some years until the desired effect shows. No shortcuts, unfortunately.

[Henry Wilson]

Thanks Guido. That is something I have suspected. It would take some serious hard work to strip the patina of a tsuba though.

[Ed]

Henry,

Not sure what style of brush you are looking for, but Comokin sells a horsehair brush. see photo.

 

I don't think "horse hair" is necessarily required. They use horse hair due to it being a thick, coarse bristle. A synthetic bristle will work but most don't last when used on metal, they tend to fray at the ends. You need a brush with off set monofilament bristles as it will not fray. It is very difficult to find these.

 

Horse hair

http://www.amazon.com/Large-Professional-Boot-Shine-Brush/dp/B00CQAYK3A/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&qid=1383222339&sr=8-39&keywords=finger+brush

 

Boar Bristles

http://www.amazon.com/Brush-Strokes-Military-Style-Bristle/dp/B0041TBQUO/ref=sr_1_64?ie=UTF8&qid=1383222901&sr=8-64&keywords=boar+hair+brush

 

Synthetic brush which works pretty well. I like the round edges.

http://www.amazon.com/Sona-Pedicure-Manicure-Scrubbing-Handle/dp/B003ASXROU/ref=sr_1_62?ie=UTF8&qid=1383222781&sr=8-62&keywords=Hand+Brush+With+Handle

[Curran]

Hagihara-sensei from the NBTHK remarked only yesterday that rubbing a Tsuba with cotton too vigorously is not a good idea since it will make the iron too shiny, and often even leads to rubbing off of the patina in places, especially the rim. Even experts like Sasano were "guilty" of that. Handling/rubbing it with your bare hands seems to be the only fail-safe method, but it might take quite some years until the desired effect shows. No shortcuts, unfortunately.

 

Sasano was repeatedly said to use a patch of undyed cotton thread carpet, on his knee. This would be less than a sanding belt, but more than most people can do with cloth.

More than once I've read people's memories of him resting a patch on his knee and working a tsuba as a sort of reflexive habit while in a taxi ride, talking to someone, or killing time at a desk.

I've certainly never tried it and am curious to see any old film of him doing this, as I've seen some of his overworked tsuba.

 

Henry: not even sure where to begin. Most things are photoreactive on some level. Old lacquer or mystery substances can be brutally stubborn or occupy inside sukashi where they don't belong. Before most people are in a rush to sandblast their tsuba clean, maybe they should just relax a bit and give it some time in the sun. 1 month of Florida summer sunlight through a skylight in the guest house can make many mystery substances just pop off, yet not hurt the natural patina that much. There are certain schools like Kamiyoshi or iron tsuba with kinko on them where I might avoid this, but for many of the relatively naked darker grain Owari tsuba this is almost always a good thing.

 

I am collecting more kinko these days, it is rare I fiddle with a tsuba anymore. Still sometimes a nice one half sheep dipped in mystery color or overcleaned one comes available.

[Henry Wilson]

Many thanks Ed for your thoughts and thanks again Curran for elaborating on the sun technique.

[peterm1_nihonto]

I have been working on some tsuba with a couple of perhaps slightly unusual approaches which are non invasive and non destructive. I have been using the kind of thick wool felt that is sometimes found in hardware stores etc. to use under vases, objects d' art etc to prevent them scratching tabletops. The thicker the felt the better, as it is more rigid than thin stuff, though it is still soft enough to conform to different shapes. An advantage of this approach is that this stuff is already backed on one side by double sided tape. I can therefore cut off small portions to temporarily "glue" it to a finger tip or to the tip of a tool like a piece of bone as a rubbing "bob" if I need to work on smaller areas.  So far, I have found that gentle rubbing helps very much to get rid of areas of superficial rust without being aggressive enough to cut through it to bare metal- though care is always needed of course. Nothing is applied to the felt tips other than mild "elbow grease" (i.e. gentle effort) and repetition. But more aggressive adherent rust still demands the traditional approach of using bone or ivory "tips" applied selectively to these areas. Another similar method I have begun to try is to use soft upholstery leather for the same kind of purpose. One side of leather is smooth, the other rougher - like suede. Either can be used similarly to the above but of course it might be useful to use a small piece of double sided tape on the side that is not doing the rubbing to help hold the leather onto a finger or to a rubbing "bob".  I am yet to decide if the rougher "suede" side is too aggressive or not. I suspect it also depends on the type of leather but I repeat I am using soft furniture grade leather (an offcut given me by a friendly upholsterer). Oh and BTW a larger sheet of the thick felt (about 100mm x 100mm say) is also useful as the tsuba can be placed onto it while working on the other side. The felt is soft enough not to do any damage to the tsuba (e.g by abrading high spots) but "grippy" enough to hold it relatively securely while it is being rubbed. This also keeps one hand more or less free, which is useful.

[OceanoNox]

Paul Martin has shown how he did the patina on a tsuba made with the help of Izumi sensei (Ford Hallam's teacher) (see video below. As said before, everyday, brush and wipe. I use hard-ish natural hair brushes (pig or plant based) and flannel.

 

 

[1kinko]

The advantage of an animal hair brush is that it evenly rubs both the crevasses and the hills. Namakawa Heibei sells them. If you wish you can use 2000 grit silicon carbide to speed up the process. I use horse tail hair that I bought online. The originals were Japanese woman's hair.

[ROKUJURO]

It is NAMIKAWA HEIBEI, in case you want to contact them.

Silicon carbide will have a considerably different effect! Even if very fine, it is still a grinding medium!

[1kinko]

Yup, silicon carbide is harder than steel but with a brush at least it won't wear down just the high points and the object is to remove the rust. I suppose you could use charcoal powder too but you'll be at it for a long long time. Just an option.

[OceanoNox]

Here is the website for Namikawa (https://www.namikawa...roduct-list/6?page=2), but the brushes are currently sold out.

Comokin also sells the horse hair brush (https://www.comokin....8/X/page4/recommend/).

 

I have found other websites selling them (https://kaibundo.shop-pro.jp/?pid=175394337, https://www.shujiya.com/product/2478) for calligraphy.

 

※ No idea if any of them sell abroad.

※ The ones made with thick straw seems better suited for harsh removal of red rust (maybe more suited for the process of patination of new objects than restoration of older ones). There are cheap ones sold on Monotaro.

 

 

[goo]

With regard to your specific question of how to achieve a patina on a Tsuba.  I can speak to this from my experience when it comes to browning or getting a brown color on a reproduction of a historically correct flint lock or percussion lock of an American longrifle. 

Barrels and touch holes/ cap nipples are plugged then usually the gunsmith (me), will apply a browning solution to start the rusting process then the barrels and other steel parts are exposed to moisture in a steam cabinet, or other humid environment.

The steel or iron in the case of antiques, will oxidize creating a layer of red rust.   The red rust is then rubbed back with card sock or heavy paper referred to as carding.    This process is repeated many times to achieve a thick layer of smooth brown steel.   The rusting process creates an oxide which is neutralized and actually forms a rust resistant surface patina which can be waxed or oiled with linseed oil, carnauba wax to preserve the finish..   

A second choice of patina is available once a piece is sufficiently rusted. The parts can be submerged in boiling water for a length of time and the oxide will turn blue to dark gray This is known to gunsmiths (me) as rust bluing.     

I have an original Tsuba that became endangered by active rust blooms.   Using finishing stones I was able to remove the rust blooms and smooth up the pitts.   When I started to restore the brown finish I discovered the iron to have swirl patterns created during the forging process.  The Iron has what must be areas of differing carbon content because the patina(rusting) is lighter and darker in certain areas.  The patina will even out but it may take a year or longer for the finish to appear consistent. As others have pointed out handling the piece allowing to hang in humid atmosphere will create more oxide across the surface which must be rubbed back with a soft brush card stock etc.,but the key is patience, I hope my explanation will help.   

[Mark S.]

2 hours ago, goo said:

 

The parts can be submerged in boiling water for a length of time and the oxide will turn blue to dark gray

 

Sometimes after this process, the tsuba can appear ‘dry’ or a bit ‘washed’.  What do you recommend once this process is done to continue to get the color deeper and with the correct ‘sheen’, although that isn’t really the correct word.

[ROKUJURO]

All has been said above. No invasive methods, no chemical treatment, no wax, no cooking in whatever.