Scogg
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Everything posted by Scogg
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Thank you Grey and Mark, that’s great advice. You've given me a nice little snow-day project. Much appreciated. All the best, -Sam
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Agreed, Alex. I see shirasaya with tape stains often. It’s unsightly, and easily avoidable IMO. Here you can see my example of teflon tape (plumbers tape). It is also unsightly, but it will keep the shirasaya together indefinitely, and when removed it won’t leave any marks. If you’re careful, you can make it look better than my example. Assuming it’s still together, and the split is minor. Cheers, -Sam
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I have a wakizashi in shirasaya that's also starting to split. What I did, was wrap the area with Teflon Tape (plumbers tape). Plumbers tape has no adhesives, so I figure it won't damage the shirasaya. It sticks best to itself, so several "passes" around the area is recommended. Just a temporary fix that looks better, and is less damaging than any adhesive tapes. Could also be used to hold the shirasaya together while the rice glue dries. Best of luck! Cheers, -Sam
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Yes, but beware, this is true only for USA nickels. I'm pretty familiar with scales, because I use them constantly at work. For anything "sword weight" I think any highly rated kitchen scale, drug scale, or jewelry scale will be sufficient. You will want something where the weighing surface stands higher than the plastic casing and readout area. Chandlers advice with a microfiber is good; but make sure nothing being weighed is contacting anything other than the weighing surface. May I ask, why you want to weigh your swords? Is it just an additional data point, or is there information to be gleaned from the steel's weight? Just curious, Cheers, -Sam -
Adding this translation to the discussion for those who aren’t already aware. I have found that learning the Japanese translations of many of these terms can be helpful. All the best, Sam
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You’re the first person who helped me when I first joined, and I still appreciate your help. Thank you for that. I still value your input! -Sam
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It was my understanding that the exercise was to compare quality amongst the three available options. Although I can see how the wording didn’t make that explicitly clear. I’d love to see your interpretation on the exercise. To share three tsuba of varying quality, and see if us beginner collectors can pick out the best one. Maybe we could learn something! Sincerely, -Sam
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I’d choose left, personally
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No doubt about the increase in quality on that one, Colin. Very nice piece! Thank you. For the sake of comparing. I’ve taken some photos from the Nagoya workshop thread to put side by side with our little tanto tsuba. The first three are from this thread, the following are from the Nagoya workshop thread. Looking them over, I will say, I prefer the simple motif, patina, and nanako on our tanto tsuba more than the examples in the other thread. But… I absolutely see what you mean about quality, and am inclined to agree with your Nagoya workshop ID. Thanks again, Cheers, -Sam
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Thanks Colin, that’s an interesting thread! And no spoiling this parade, I got mine for very cheap at a show; and the truth is always the goal. Here’s some more photos of mine incase it helps ID. Curious to see what @Spartancrest thinks! Thanks again, Cheers, -Sam
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Funny coincidence, one kiri is lost on mine too! Any thoughts on the possible age, Jean?
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Good question Edward, I suspect mine to be late edo period. Although, I'm no expert and not really sure... Maybe someone more knowledgeable will chime in, and help us put a date range both of our Tsuba Cheers, -Sam
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Hi Edward, welcome to the forum! What you have there is a tsuba for a Japanese Tanto. It appears to be made out of Shakudo (this is an alloy of mostly copper with a little gold). The dimpling on the Shakudo is called NANAKO. The flower is referred to as a kirimon or Kiri. It's the flower of a paulownia tree (empress tree). I have a very similar tanto tsuba in my collection (see below), but yours looks a little nicer than mine. Cheers, and welcome! -Sam
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Thanks @nulldevice! Ford Hallam has some really incredible youtube videos. I also don't know much about tosogu, but watching his youtube channel is always informative. I should watch it more. He has a way of speaking while he works that's soothing and I always learn a lot. I recommend everyone check out his channel who's interested in fittings. May he rest in peace... Cheers, -Sam
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I googled this for you Dan
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Is engraving the mold and stamping a plate meant to mimic nanako? Or is it a different texture, and with a different name entirely? Not doubting, just trying to understand. -Sam
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I agree about the kissaki, and I'm inclined to believe it's a fake... Although, fakes this good are concerning! Something to consider about 95 blade geometry is that there are reports that some Type32 blades were converted for 95 use. Allegedly they were reshaped and reformed to closer mimic the 95 specs. I have personally never seen an example of this - and I don't think this sword is one. But my point is: judging on blade geometry alone can be tricky. This "brass tsuka" sword is one of those potential fakes that I'd really like to see in-hand. Cheers, -Sam
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I accidentally bought a boys Tachi.
Scogg replied to Ben123's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
Thanks Brian. Here's some more photos for those who cannot open the link Cheers, -Sam
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I accidentally bought a boys Tachi.
Scogg replied to Ben123's topic in General Nihonto Related Discussion
I'm a little confused. This does not appear to be a nihonto. Looks like a modern made sword with some kind of wire brush or etched hamon. I'm not convinced its Japanese at all... Am I missing something? -Sam
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Hi John, I can't speak to the layering, construction, or mei. But, in my opinion, this is a good example of what not to look for in NANAKO. And it was the first thing I noticed. Quality nanako will look almost impossibly precise, and be evenly applied. Whereas the tsuba in your photo looks like the nanako dots are randomly scattered without any pattern. Image of shakudo nanako fuchi from my collection. All the best, -Sam
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All things considered, you've got the most trusted experts available giving their attributions (new and old!); and any perceived "gray" area opens the door for further study on your end. Which I, personally, would consider an exciting and enjoyable exercise to learn from; even if you conclude "the experts got it". Stunning piece!
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Thanks Dee, and Bruce! This one will have an interesting "notes" section in my list . Cheers, -Sam
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That's good to know, thank you! If you still have your decayed grandpas hanger, I'd love to see this new one, and that old one side-by-side when you get it. Maybe you'll be able to spot inconsistencies, or confirm that they're the same. Cheers, -Sam
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Hi Dee, I see more red flags than green lights.. Im not familiar with the leather hangers, but the chain hanger that I have is brass that’s plated. So no rust on the metal components. It appears some red rust is bubbling up from under the plating on your photos. But maybe it’s just the lighting? Maybe they used other materials? I am not sure. @PNSSHOGUN is someone who’s familiar with these, I think. Hopefully he weighs in. Best of luck, -Sam
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Really gorgeous sword, Chandler. I enjoyed handling it quite a bit, and got to thinking after the show, I think it’s the oldest sword that I’ve ever held! I didn’t have the chance to really dive into identifying hataraki, but the dramatic sugata, the ko-kissaki, and the general refinement of the hamon and hada was enjoyable to admire. Your sword really stood out amongst the others at the show as something special. All in all, what’s not to like? Well done! -Sam
