Danocon

The mune is forged in after the sunobe is formed and before the bevels of forged in. That way the full thickness of what will become the edge can rest on the anvil while the smith hammers the shape of the mune. It does not take lot of force to move this small amount of metal but still it would ruin the shape of the thin edge if done after the bevels are forged in. It is refined later, as is the rest of the blade, with grinder, sen, files, stones etc.. Anyway, that is what I have observed from the few smiths I have worked with and do the same myself.

Here is a modern way to do it. Charcoal fire is more traditional.

I have been buying a few old tosho style tsuba to get a sense of the iron mostly. You could not call this little tsuba tosho but I like it and the price was right. Now that I have it I like it better. I have no idea about age or school but it kind of speaks to me. The birds I would assume are cormorants and a partial boat in the lower right. No idea what the upright copper colored object is. I like the narly iron and the irregularly raised edge. The best part is how it feels. It is kind of silky smooth despite the narly iron. There is really small gold dots in the birds eyes. 6.1cm x 6.4cm x 3.6mm thick

This is key. Tools are tools. Every artist/craftsman makes his/her own decisions how to use the tools available and how to present/sell/preserve their art. For what it's worth-I remember an unusually candid conversation after many glasses of Rebel Yell (yes, you heard me correctly) whiskey in Dallas during the 80's. Acid was not left out of the conversation. The next day, in the sober light of morning-that conversation never happened. This really changes nothing. Know what you are looking at and know who you deal with. I myself do not know enough to comment on the use of acid and the resulting effects, but do not begrudge a master his tools. Is nihonto only nihonto if no power tools are used in the making?

Thanks David, More than the hammer marks I like the granulated look of the plate. I am enjoying the Tosho Tsuba with Gumbai I got from you. Despite the rough texture I was surprised at how smooth and pleasant it feels to the hand.

Kodai Tatara update Creeping along towards the goal. Steampunk sneak peak. and Steam punk Revealed

Not sure if this straying from the purpose of this post but as always I am interested in the quality and character of the plate. My feeling is that the granulation and pits where inherent from the beginning-Albeit enhanced with age. Would this be a true statement? Really appealing tsuba David.

My first time to translate a mei. I used the resources on NMB plus help form the web I read it as Fujiwara Kunihiro.The strokes look crude to me. My guess is it is a forgery of a famous smith. So, I have shared all I can figure out to this point. Any clues as to how to continue to evaluate it?

I have had this blade for maybe 15 years. I don't even remember how I got it. Forgot all about it. I found it digging in a drawer this past week. I had never even taken the tsuka off. Looking at it again the shirasaya was not half bad. One one side a bone? insert was cracked but fairly well done. The other side has badly done replacement. The blade is kind of skinny The habaki is also not half bad. Somebody has taken a power buffer to it but there is some evidence of a hada. No hamon can be discerned.

A word of warning and in keeping with the spirit of protection and guardianship. Sayashi will have a protected area (padded box-etc.) to put the blade when not being used as a pattern or trial fitting. Yes, a poorly made saya can harm a blade but tools and careless handling carry much more potential for catastrophic damage. This would be the single biggest reason I would caution against amateur saya making. The sayashi not only learns the necessary skills to make a proper saya but also the absolutely essential habits to keep the blade safe. It takes only one dropped chisel to chip the edge of an irreplaceable treasure.

Tricky call but I would agree with Brian this is not a how to forum. PMs sent.

Carpenter tools? Usable or collectable? Looking for usable Enquiringly mind wants to know.

Grey, No, just very close examination under magnification. Looking at the character of the iron, any folding of the material and a feel for the texture. Not a huge amount of information but small pieces add up.

I am currently bidding on several inexpensive tsuba on ebay just to examine the iron. Any artistic or collector merit in any of these? All claim to be Edo period.

John, I have gone to great pains to make it fire resistant. Except for the trim and the one door all the walls are either concrete Hardiboard or slate. Floor is concrete and concrete tiles. Besides it is just a fireplace on steroids.