Martin

Hi Ken, as far as I experienced they always mean the length of the cutting edge (Nagasa). cheers,

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi all, I was wondering why the Hada of this blade is that conspicuous. http://cgi.ebay.com/Japanese-sword-Masa ... dZViewItem Was the sword maybe treated with some etching fluid to better bring out the Hada :? Sorry for this maybe rather silly question :D cheers,

Hi Syd, here is an example of what a polisher is able to polish out: http://www.nihontoantiques.com/restorat ... tiques.htm cheers,

Curran & Paul, thanks for your replies so far. Especially the photography comparison makes it very comprehensible. cheers,

Hi all, maybe a silly question for some members - but what (apart from the tradition of swordmaking) makes the difference between water-quenched swords and those who were oil-quenched? I heard, that the quenching method is even visible on a finished blade and that some Hataraki do not appear on oil quenched blades. But that´s about all I know. - Are there any additional effects on i.e. the cutting ability or firmness of a blade? - And what are optical indicators of an oil-quenched blade? many thanks in advance,

Got my can of Renaissance Wax yesterday and will give it a try. Smells like shoe cream actually... :?

Hi Stephen, the winner of the Tsuba auction is from Germany and periodically sells Nihonto on ebay. I don´t know if he is a member of this board. But that Tsuba was listed somewhere else before... http://www.ricecracker.com/japanese_swo ... e2.htm#T-6 cheers,

Here´s the link to the auction: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=016 cheers,

Hi Brian, that sounds like a quite smart solution :D I also use ivory chips cut off from old piano keys. And as they all have the same thickness your advice with the wooden dowel should work fine. And the greatest advantage of this is that you won´t destroy the Tsuba. thanks for your idea,

Hi all, does someone maybe have some helpful advice on how to handle the small bone pieces best (without getting blisters or a cramp after 15 minutes :D ). Could this tool be of any help here? The only thing I fear here is that the piece of bone maybe moves and that one may hit/scratch the Tsuba surface with the metal tip... best,

Hi Peter, thanks for the fast reply. I know about that as a primary function. But would such a crack mean, that the Samurai maybe exchanged the Tsuba? And how does this sort of damage influence its value as a collectible? cheers

Hi all, I was just asking myself if some sort of "Fatal Flaws" also exist for Tsuba? I recently saw an Owari Sukashi Tsuba that had a crack going all way through a Sukashi wall. It was hardly noticable but may have led to a severe damage in a fight. So are "Flaws" on Tsuba only considered from an aesthetical point of view (rust, nicks chips) or were there also Fatal Flaws in terms of functional defects? cheers,

Is this really correct :? ? I heard and read, that Mizukage does not necessarily mean that a blade was re-tempered. It rather describes a certain way (angle of 45 degrees) on how the Utsuri starts. http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~sumie99/utsuri.html#mizukage cheers,

Ole Nap (:D) as you call him was already born when the French defeated the Corsicans and occupied the island.

Many thanks for your helpful advice Ford ! cheers,

Hi, is this wax ("Restorative Iron Tsuba Wax") also an option? http://www.shadowofleaves.com/maintenance_supplies.htm Do some of you use (this) wax on iron Tsuba too? All I ever heard was NOT to apply any kind of wax or Choji oil when a Tsuba is free from red rust... :? cheers, Martin

Peter, I think this design was also used by the Owari school (see the second link to Danny´s site) - but if there´s no Tekkotsu on the rim and due to the similarity to the piece on e-swords - I would also tend to Shoami. Though yours is in better condition I suppose. Just my 2 Cents - let´s see what others say... cheers,

Hi Peter, a Tsuba of similar design was discussed some time ago: http://www.militaria.co.za/nihontomessa ... php?t=1305 It can either be a spool/spindle or Mon. And some similar designs on some other websites: http://www.e-sword.jp/sale/0610_6083syousai.htm http://www.nihontocraft.com/Owari_Mon.html Maybe this helps... cheers,

Here´s the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0125642733

Hi Milt, what browser do you use? I remember I had that bug once using Internet Explorer. Try Firefox instead. I don´t think it has anything to do with your OS. cheers,

Hi Ford, thanks a lot for your helpful advice I guess you are right and what remained on the Tsuba was some kind of wax. It had a whitish color and also felt like wax when I touched it (in the walls of the Hitsu-Ana). I think I will leave it without wax or do you think it would make the Tsuba look more beautiful? I actually have no experience with wax on tsubas... cheers,

See this Link to Curran´s current auction: http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... :IT&ih=011 cheers,

Hi, I have a brass Tsuba that I believe was once treated with some sort of polish cream. There are some areas on the Tsuba were the remains can bee seen within the deepenings of the waves. I do not want to spoil the patina and therefore don´t know if applying alcohol with a soft brush will cause any damage. Any ideas or advice how to remove these remains safely? kind regards,

I think it´s interesting, that both Mikes and the one Curran posted are of nearly identical design (number of waves and wave tips and their direction), just the shape of the Hitsu-Ana seem to differ from each other. Although I have the impression, that Currans looks a bit older - but this may only be caused by the different picture settings. cheers,