moss

Rich, I don't think Grey is having a go at you. Just how many times do we read the same kind of early posts as yours,where someone is looking for a cheap this and that.... Then posts a little later their disappointment that it is not a Juyo piece at NCO prices The advice given by the board was sound enough,investment quality pieces will require some hard saving so better to start now,a tonne of study and being in the right place at the right time with the right $. Thats alot of variables to bring together,unless of course you fluke the find of the century that everyone else has missed. To have all the koshirae refitted properly I take it you are having that done traditionally/professionally. Cheers Moss

Jason, What David said makes sense....... Shinsa in Sydney in September,plenty to look at and learn. With airfares as low as they are pre-book now and for less than a big night on the slops you will have a nice weekend away. Much cheaper than a stab in the dark with ebay or online sites. Cheers Moss

John , These guys were not critisized for selling low end pieces. They were critisized for the non traditional nature of the polishes,their work is awful. One has to wonder how many reasonable blades they will destroy and as this forum is dedicated to the preservation of nihonto it would be odd if they hadn't been critisized. At least their polish is that bad it is easily recognised and avoided. Cheers Moss

Ron , The pimps ones all have a cigarette lighter in the tsuka. Much handier for karioke nights :lol: :lol: :lol: Moss

Jason, Like any Ebay sales there are the good the bad and the ugly. You need to evaluate on an item for item basis which will require research,probably through books. There is at this moment probably an Ebay seller rubbing his/her hands right now waiting to dazzle you. My advice for what it's worth ,make that seller Amazon or one of the NHMB members who sell books on the board. The sellers you ask about.......one definately is up to no good which one schill it be. Good luck Moss

Lionel, Ebay don't give a rats' The higher the finished price the bigger their commission. I had a recent experience where a well known(At least to the board) seller was caught with his pants down by me. They were schill bidding for sure as the exact same piece I bid on and ended up 2nd. It came back up after 60 days,yep,after 60 days the records are gone unlees you save them. Even had the sellers same ID stock # ,after asking why this happened I was given a very weird convoluted reply about a non-payer. I enquired why no second chance offer then checked Auto bids and could see why...They had been schill bidding from the beginning. After that I was promptly banned from his site. I won't mention who it is ,just that the seller is in Japan. You will work it out,there are enough clues. Now I may do a few annoying questions and answers on my wifes account,anything to waste his time (Will the colour look nice,do you think it makes my bum look big,can I return it if I have a change of mind) Cheers Moss

Brian, This might be a little outside the square but you could message him on Ebay. He goes by ...sambobry. That is perhaps a way or get into dispute resolution(It sends your details as well) and get his Phone number . Make the call reverse charges of course Cheers Moss

Jello, 1 3/8" sori????? That is a typo surely. Looks like showato IMHO,don't be fooled that all showato were heavy clunkers. There were some very nicely balanced and well made showato blades. It would all come down to what you could afford to or wanted to spend. Cheers Moss

Hi Baz, Nice to see the Kaneuji is in good hands. Cheers Moss

That is a nice tidy way Keith Moss

But be careful Chris , There are heaps of chinese knockoffs in disguise as showato gunto. Complete with badly executed arsenal stamps and even worse blades. I reckon a bit more research first would help. Cheers Moss

Not worth the effort, A simple request and a typical wombat answer Jason. For me to bother guessing ,I would have to care.......guess I don't You have the wakizashi to hand,you can believe what ever you like. Kantei away, the only way to truelly know is present it in hand to a team. Moss

Jason, I think your inside shots are better. Once again I'll ask the question that you seem to skirt. How much and who? Cheers Moss

Jason, An SLR will give you another set of problems unless you have more than 2 arms. Maybe a better happy snapper, or change the focal point in the menu. Yep it is hard to get decent shots,it illudes me and I have a very good Digital SLR. Lighting is paramount for sure. Get some cheap halogen work lights and soften the glare with cheese cloth or the like it will help. Just flood it. Just out of interest what does a polish like this cost you Cheers Moss

Post pic's please. Moss

Hello Richard and all, I just had a sword sent from the U.S to Australia. Absolutely no problems,just an extra $9 for additional for security monitoring. David is correct in regards to tanto,and if you wish to import yari you will be in for a ton of paper work and no guarantee on import. There is paper work on a state level and also at a federal level along with waiting for the wheels to turn. The powers that be are of the opinion the any blade with a double sided edge is some form of WMD and make it near impossible. Don't fudge the contents if bringing in a yari or tanto either unless you want to add a $250K fine to your collection. I have recently gone though all of this import garbage and these are my findings. Cheers Moss

And not a moment of regret. Moss

Thanks Paul, For in my opinion, putting this into perspective. I was guilty, like Jock of chasing after a diamond in the rough, or maybe even a piece of quartz would do in a pinch. Yes I collected gunto ,no crime in that and it definately has its place in the history of the sword. But I know for a fact there is little to learn from an out of polish blade ,or a poorly made showato for that matter and it is bloody hard to move it on once you cross over to the dark side Jock ,no harm or malice dirrected to you in any way shape or form but 70 blades in a climate controlled room......hmmmmm.Ha Ha A handful of average blades in polish will teach you more in 5 minutes than you will learn in a lifetime of fixer uppers'. I can't speak for others but I can for myself,I have moved from showato into nihonto ,parts painless others painfull. Do yourself a favour find a great mentor on the board(They are there) but you need to listen to their advise,or of course you can run contrary, as some do ,and then squeal like a stuck pig when consensus dictates your opinions are actually wrong. Jock ,You are very obtuse in answering questions and like to create a fable around your purchases ,as is another ebaynista,there are a thousand and two eyes watching and EBAY is actually" Every Bloke And Yourself" not crookbay.Crookbay is where the shite is sold. Thanks all for putting up with my 2.5 cents worth. Moss Edited due half a bottle of brandy and of course low IQ

John, I was not trying to cast any aspersions on the seller. That said it is mostly lowwer end and there is a market for all levels of quality. Just it looks like hagire! I guess it could be a bit like when a seller photograph's a blade on the carpet with the tip of the kissaki buried....it makes the heart skip a beat It would only be worth asking if you really wanted to buy this sword Cheers Moss

Hello all, What is happening on the kissaki???(The closup shot towards bottom of page) Is it a crack? Or is it just a piece of dust. Moss

Jock, There is a shinsa happening towards the end of next year in Sydney. That might be a good place to catch up with others. Moss

Henry, There is something that appeals to me with this one. Shame we can't bid from Australia on Yahoo JP Cheers Moss

Gidday Henry, Was I close with the description? Seems to be moving a bit now. Cheers Moss

Hello Mark, The description says that the seller feels it is a very old piece ,but unsure. He goes on to desribe the bones visible in the iron and how it is a tasteful piece. The seller says it is the production of Kacchushi,Kanayama,or Syouami and that there is no mei. Size is 68mmX67mmX4mm Nice feel ,I would be more than happy to have that one. Cheers Moss

Gidday Jock, Watched the clip and couldn't resist..... At the start of the clip I saw the tube and thought OH NO .....but it was only a pipe getting the "magic treatment." My basic understanding is potato contains a mild phosphoric acid H3PO4 which I think would act more as rust converter rather than remover ,anyway I wouldn't put a blade anywhere near a potato. Just oil the poor old thing until you get a polisher to cast a critical eye over it. Just because it is old doesn't necessarily make it viable or deserving and there may well be defects not obviously apparent to yourself. Yes I know there are no options available in Aust. for this so you will have to go offshore . Cheers Moss