Alex A

Muscle cars, my brother sold a 68 Dodge charger RT 10 years ago for £8000......now would be at least £35000 , an interest topic one day.

Hello Gheorge, please DONT make a new hole in nakago, bad idea. Keep your blade original, "rehabilitate", as you say is the best option, but only if really necessary. Buying a used tsuka to match a blade is not the way to go, likely a bad fit.

New folk wont have knowledge, so if they have bought a sword with papers they have either been lucky or sensible. Im not sure how one might think he could turn a profit when he knows nothing at all about what hes buying. He might get away with one willy nilly purchase, but to go down this route several times without gaining further knowledge would be a stupid thing to do, rich or not. Hopefully the first purchase would satisfy the curiosity, if thats what it was, curiosity. Its only the educated that can take the risk on unpapered blades, this whole hobby being based on knowledge. It is a rich mans hobby, i wont be spending much more money on swords, think its unwise. Now i have started to get a little more knowledge i may look at cheaper swords without papers, or sell to move up a bit, theres only so much time i will drive round in a crappy old fiesta LOL.

Excellent Markus!, thank you very much. , that's the book I will be after next.

Same question in "facts and fundamentals".

Hello Jesper, According to Mr Sinclairs site there where 12 generations of Kiyomitsu in Kaga working up until the Meiji period. A different line of smiths to the one below (Ju ni gatsu). Seems Kaga had its fair share of Kiyomitsu! http://www.to-ken.com/full.php?article= ... &type=home From Fujishiro... you are talking about Kiyomitsu 1st, signature HARIMA NO DAIJO FUJIWARA KIYOMITSU, 1673 Enpo, otherwise known as "Ju ni gatsu" (December Kiyomitsu), from KAGA. http://www.sho-shin.com/smiths1c.htm I get confused when i see ETCHU, 1661 Kanbun Kiyomitsu listed as "December" Kiyomitsu, see it now and again in sword sales. I know ETCHU and KAGA where next door to each other, am i missing something? As you say, there is a link to the Fujishima school http://www.sho-shin.com/hoku8.htm Wish i could add something constructive, but as you know, the internet can take you on a magical mystery tour, more books required.I have an interest in Kaga Kiyomitsu myself, if you find anything, please let me know.

I was wondering about that myself.

Some info on Dotanuki here Vern. http://nihontoclub.com/schools/Dotanuki http://www.sho-shin.com/sai18.htm Masakuni not your guy but still some interesting information. http://www.samuraisword.com/nihontodisp ... Nobuyoshi/ Ps. 作 Saku=Made.

A shame George, I was quite looking forward to seeing that. It appears that this thread seems to have sparked an interest for me in early swords used in WW2.

Sure i can see "Hira orTaira 平", probably wrong, difficult. Edit, i am wrong

Hello Adam, im reminded me of this thread which shows early scrolls with uchigatana. Ps, ignore my expert input at the time. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16175&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=0

I find that in 24 years of being in the trade repeatedly stating the obvious is what makes for an hassle free life :D. If anyone as any questions or as anything in mind regarding this project, its good to mention it. As small as it may be, it could help to prevent a mini catastrophe. To keep this thread on track, i will refrain from replying to any shall we say, unnecessary wording...

Im sure the paper will be fine, lets not worry too much about it. Grey sure as enough books to compare with. If you need another opinion, pop a sample in the post...

If your a DIY kind of guy, think of the lacquered sword stands you could make, a business opportunity

Ye, sure it will be fine, cant see it being anything like that cheap paperback paper.

Hello Brian. If it turns out to be a good quality uncoated paper as i mentioned above then that is fine. If it turns out to be low quality uncoated, the kind you see in paperbacks etc (an example book would be Yumato,s The samurai sword), then i would advise against it, top quality is what your after. As for the technical jargon on drying, these days most offset printers seal their matte printed papers and boards with a sealer coat whilst running on the press, whether black only or colour, so no need for dryers. To keep costs down for some customers we have printed many jobs without sealer, they dry, so im not too sure where their coming from, maybe they have older machinery or machinery that tends to mark a bit. Anyway, all thats besides the point, look forward to hearing about the paper quality.

Hello Brian, ive just had a look over the finch page. Difficult to give an opinion on paper quality without having it in hand. They describe it as smooth, thats usually an indication that it is not a coated stock. That being said, these types of paper are widely used for printing books, usually are very good quality and often its difficult to tell the difference between that and matt coated paper. They usually have a silky feel with a bit of shine, an example would be "The craft of the Japanese sword". As long as the paper is around that range then its ok. Be aware that some paper manufacturers like to over boast about their plain old uncoated, that would obviously be a no no. As Adrian mentioned, best to get samples, the printers should send them out free of charge, the only way to be sure. http://www.limitedpapers.com/finch-opaq ... -8004.html Good of you to give up your time for this project!

Hello Zac, you might want to read this as a rough idea. A skilled job, best to get the finish right. If your in the UK, I could recommend a few folk who do this kind of work. Ps, as mentioned above, not for antique pieces. Also be aware that if you come to sell your swords in the future, as much as you like it, some folk might not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_lacquerware

If you contact a printers regarding a low quantity black only run then you will likely get one response....will you go digital?. Printers who specialize in this kind of work buy modern digital machinery specifically for that task. The offset book your looking for will likely be printed on a large offset press that does not usually pump out black only work, usually will be full colour work. Usually they will shy away from black only work because there is better money to be made, OR to make it worth their while, they will hit you with a price that covers the machine time, as if it was a full colour book they where printing. The cost of the paper between a 150 run and a 500 run book is negligible. Its turned into quite a complicated can of worms, Markus a while back in this thread suggested a revised lulu edition (maybe better stock etc, not sure how far you can go with lulu?), that would certainly make the job a lot easier for folk, no money wories, no delivery hassles, less errors etc etc. As Brian pointed out though, seemed id forgot this book idea was based on top quality printing, just cant help thinking there needs to be a compromise somewhere along the lines. I think with enough searching you will find an offset printers that handles individual shipping, hopefully at a reasonable rate, but in my experience, they usually see that as another money maker. I do hope the offset idea comes to light, some offset printers struggle to compete in the modern age of digital

Interesting read Franco, the frosty reception was understandable, especially now im reminded of the priest from Shogun :lol:, the missionaries back then must have had balls of steel.

Fingers please!

One hell of a clunker he has picked out, then again, could be a short guy...

Manners cost nothing, remember that new collectors are a rarity. One day we might want to get back what we have spent, a task which will be made more difficult if there is a dwindling number of new collectors and lower values. A phrase that springs to mind. shoot oneself in the foot 1.(idiomatic) To act against one's own interests; to unintentionally behave self-destructively

Katana Mei looks like "Hiro Yuki". Edit, didnt notice you already had it.

Especially damp stone surfaces