Two Questions: Mei Removal and Blade Lengths

[FZ1]

Don't panic, I'm not about to attempt mei removal!  Just asking out of interest 

I've seen comments in the forum and on dealer sites about removing the mei for a gimei blade to pass shinsa.

Being as the No.1 rule is "Don't do anything to the nakago" I'm interested to know how the mei is removed in these cases without wrecking the blade? 

• Does someone get their dremmel out and  just grind it off?  Or is it filed off? OR heated and beaten out?
• How does it pass shinsa as original/genuine if its had so much original metal removed?

 

Second question (well couple of questions): 

John (Shugyosha) posted a thread about the lengths of Katana on a dealer site which generated a couple of questions from me.

• Who decided the modern length of classifications for Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto?
• If the dealers and Japanese people don't hold true to these standards, what's the point of them and are they still relevant?

 

Thanks,

 

Jon

 

[Brian]

Carving mei doesn't remove the metal...it "pushes it aside"
Experts in mei removal will actually push the metal back into place, so it is not like just filing off what was there. It is very specialized.

[FZ1]

Ah! Very cunning!  Thanks Brian.