Franken Sword....

[Brando]

Is the identity of the sword still the same now that slightly better pictures are provided? Is there anything else to add? 

[Stephen]

you have a good job on the rust, a shinsa team might even be able to give a attribution to school. Pix are better but its very hard to kanti from your photos. Option might be to send to Bob Benson for his thoughts on it, if you go that route please contact  him first.

[Brando]

Thank you Stephen! It cleaned up really nicely. I do believe Ill be making a new ska for it and displaying it in my home. Ill play babysitter to it for the next 30-40 years until the next person finds my pile of dirt Ive accumulated here. Maybe if I keep it nice and oiled it wont end up thrown away next time. Who knows, maybe it will last another couple hundred years...

Thinking about giving it a mouse or mice theme.....should I separate the tsuba from the sword or keep them together? Please let me know your opinions.

Thank you all for your guidance and help. Ill post some pictures of the new tsuka I make for it.

Cheers!  

[Brando]

Making a new tsuka for this old sword....progress pics hishagami drying...

[Dave R]

 You have my admiration sir, folding all the hishigami like that. I confess that I went for the folded strip and cut to shape style of hishigami on my own Tsuka-maki project. I will be trying something different next time.

[Brando]

 You have my admiration sir, folding all the hishigami like that. I confess that I went for the folded strip and cut to shape style of hishigami on my own Tsuka-maki project. I will be trying something different next time.

I think I may need about double what I have pictured, its tedious work for sure. Im glad I took your advice to use them. A little zen music helps while making them haha. 

[paul griff]

It's your's so get to it with the grinder Brando and "pimp it up "...that will raise some pulses..!!

Regards,

Paul..

[paul griff]

Hello Brando,

Sorry,only teasing....Better correct myself before I'm ostracised...! Wife's away so It's the Henry Weston oak aged speaking..! Anyway,welcome.! Good blade to get some experience and learn from...Good luck..

Regards,

Paul..

[Brando]

Hello Brando,

Sorry,only teasing....Better correct myself before I'm ostracised...! Wife's away so It's the Henry Weston oak aged speaking..! Anyway,welcome.! Good blade to get some experience and learn from...Good luck..

Regards,

Paul..

Drinking the Weston makes for fubar hishigami LOL 

Ill keep you-all updated with more pics. 

[Brando]

Im giving this project a mice theme, but decided that Im not going to spend vary much if any money on koshirae. Im just preserving this sword so that maybe it will last a while before being thrown away like rubbish again

So a few yard sales and ebay auction later,... I have mice pins and tie tacks. Like I said in one of my other posts this recent find has re-sparked my interest in the subject and I'm now currently working on three swords at the same time.   I have an array of parts already for the swords I had but never finished and some extra parts as well.

So I dug out a F&K for this sword and slapped a mouse on top of the kashira..this will look better once it gets a patina..

 

Makeing a tsuka from scratch is a bit tricky but if you measure 300 times and cut once, all for the better...planing ahead makes things go together so much better in the end....and coffee..lot of coffee.

Little things like not only measuring and notching out for the kashira, but making room for the shitodome to slide in when its time...

 

Drilling the hole for the mekugi or mekugi-ana is very precise work and getting it wrong could have dire consequences.  Knowing where to drill is only half the battle. I found that drilling the mekugi-ana is best done by removing one seppa first. Starting with small bits and working up in size for safety. I think looking through the mekugi ana one should see an almost full eklipse in relation to the nakago hole. It comes down to about a 1mm diferance so that when the tapered mekugu is driven in, the tsuka is pulled forward onto the nakago wedging the seppa and tsuba in between the fuchi and hibaki for a nice solid, no rattle marriage.  

I have  two 14k gold mice tie tacks that Im going to use as menuki. I think the gold on the black same will look good....Stay tuned for more franken sword!  

 

 

 

[Jamie]

You might want to get some sword oil. Usually choji is used.

For now light machine oil is recommended, like singer sewing machine oil. I'd use one or two of these.

 

If it was free it may be worth your expense to restore it. Others suggested uchiko from Bob Benson and you might consider sending the blade to him also. He can tell you best if it's restorable or not.

[Brando]

Ok, I'm done. Its not the best job, but it was free and I learned allot. I redid the old saya and gave the wak a brand new tsuka. An old sword found in the trash given new hope... Its all about preserving right? I think I have done that and hopefully the next owner after me will see beauty in it and it will stay away from rubbish bins for a while.

 

 

[seanyx11]

Nice!! I guess this was the sword you were asking about the hishigami in the other thread.  I have to say, I'm extremely impressed you were able to restore it to such a good looking condition.  I can only hope that more people have the ambition and perseverance to see a project through like this, in order to preserve more Japanese blades.  Congratulations sir, and bravo

[Brando]

Yes Sir, it was in rough shape when I found it, thank you for the kind words. I know how I went about it wasn't all traditional, but the outcome was what I was hoping for....heck, just about anything done to it was an upgrade, lol.

My neighbor saw me outside working on the saya and we sparked up a conversation...by the end he gave me another "nihonto" its very interesting to say the least....maybe ill post some pics here....

[Greg F]

Well done Brando and cool story about your neighbor, congrats.

 

Greg