Dirty Tsuka - Very !

[oldcodger]

Hi All. The pictures show the hilt of a Katana I have. As you can see it is v dirty, ingrained in the ray  skin, and in the binding.  The common approach to this problem, is of course soap and water, plus gentle brush. This approach did NOT cross my mind.

However, there must be a method to make it look more presentable.  Does anybody out there know what that may be ?  Has anybody successfully dealt with something similar ?

 

Thx

 

 

[Kantaro]

Once had a girlfriend like that and I just kept her like she was...she was fabulous.

I would not mess too much with that ancient old artifact either.

[Scogg]

If this tsuka were mine,

I’d just take a soft-bristle toothbrush and gently brush around the dusty/dirty areas.

 

That should loosen any dirt that’s ready to come off; and then I’d leave the rest with the charming thought that “you can’t clean old” .

 

Best of luck,
-Sam

[Shugyosha]

I’d be tempted to leave as is. It looks like there’s already something close to a break in the ito so it’ll need a re wrap if you want to do that. Maybe save it for then and give it a clean at that point?
 

Moisture and old thread doesn’t sound like a match made in heaven to me and I think it would be hard to keep the ito dry whilst working on the same alone and, as Sam says, you wanted an antique right? 

Edited 8 hours ago by Shugyosha

[Tcat]

I will preface the following remarks with the caveat that as enthusiasts or professionals I believe we ought to do what we can to try to preserve these objects. Furthermore, I am not encouraging willy-nilly experimentation, but the deft and sympathetic hand of someone who cares.

 

With that said...

 

In the case of old tsuka cores and itomaki which have become so dusty and beatup as to warrent consideration for recycling, a final lease of life may be given with a few strategically and carefully placed microdots of superglue, followed by a gentle stage-by-stage cleaning of the ito and samegawa with a soft bristled toothbrush.

 

You may be surprised at the results you can achieve with some patience. First nudging the ito around, working with what you have left to get its most appropriate position before tacking it down. Its already broken in a few places and if you want it properly functional again you would likely have to build a new core and rewrap it. Be wary that old silk can become much like a solid powder, similar to a block of ladies' foundation that can be brushed and wiped away into oblivion if one is not careful. Its fragility will depend on its age and storage conditions, but textural integrity is almost impossible to discern from photos alone. 

 

3 hours ago, oldcodger said:

The common approach to this problem, is of course soap and water, plus gentle brush. This approach did NOT cross my mind.

 

Done carefully, stage by stage without soaking it, dabbing a soft bristled toothbrush with a water and mild soap mix, rinsing then drying off each patch with absorbant paper as you go is the only way I know of, and works pretty well. Other solvents are too harsh. After removing as much of the moisture as possible with absorbant paper, to get it completely dry you can just leave it at room temp for a few days rather than any extra heating or airflow.

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Tcat