Hello all, this will be my first post on this wonderful forum, but hopefully not the last. Please be gentle if I do things wrong, as I am new to both the community and to your hobby/profession. Many of the proper terms for both armor parts and for styles/materials/techniques are still beyond me.
I purchased this armor on Yahoo Auctions, with no expectation that it would be a proper antique. Honestly I would prefer if it isn't, as I lack the budget and the ability to do justice to an irreplaceable work of art. If I had one, I'd rather give it to a museum where it can be cared for properly. The price was around $2000 usd.
The first image shows the armor as a whole, the remaining ones show elements that I would like to repair "properly" myself, such as an amateur might. My budget for this repair is low but I could spend maybe $100 on materials.
https://imgur.com/a/RvaR7zM
Of course, if you'd like more images please ask. I have omitted many of the nicer elements to focus on the worst, and I'd be happy to show off the other, better quality areas.
I believe what I have bought is a reasonably high quality reproduction from somewhere in the Showa Era. Even possibly Heisei if it was worn hard. The main elements of the armor show higher levels of detail than in many modern reproductions, particularly on the kabuto, the chest, and the shoulders. However the price is significantly cheaper than newly made armor from the popular shops and it appears to and untrained eye to be more complex than many of the modern reproductions available today. If you think I got swindled I'm happy to hear your opinion, but I'm very satisfied to have this display piece and I have no regrets. I do not intend to wear it for any length of time or activity.
My primary questions are however about cleaning and maintenance and updates:
1) Second image: Cleaning the under-fabric from the arms: The silk (if it is indeed silk) to which the arm plates are sewn has seen better days. I has a nice pattern that is only barely visible. It's clear that the armor was worn and got wet at some point. The pattern is there under sweat lines and grime, but as it is attached to a bunch of plates and chain mail I don't know if I can use the recommended methods from kimono-cleaning for it. Question 1: Do you have a recommendation for how that fabric can be cleaned? Do I just use diluted gentle soaps and a toothbrush? Do I use the same process for the dirty tassles on the front of the chest?
2) Third image: Replacing failing lacing in many places. As you can see in picture 2, some of the lacing on the arm where it ties in the front is frayed nearly to breaking. I want to replace it with lacing of the correct material and weave that matches the rest. The mask and the shin guards need new lacing as well, as their lacing was replaced in the past with stuff that does not match... and I'm not sure if the inner lacing on the arms should be replaced, too, as its brown color does not match the midnight blue of the main lacing, nor does it have the same weave. I don't know if it is supposed to be the same material or not. Question 2: Can you link me to a reputable shop for buying replacement lacing for yoroi? I am not sure where to search for supplies and the shops which supply this undoubtedly are better searched for in Japanese, where my writing ability is not good enough for serious web searching. Question 3: Also is there any guide you can give me on re-sewing the hems on the arm pieces, as the fraying lacing seems to be attached into a seam there. I would like to emulate the same kind of stitching originally used.
Edit: I did find this site for lacing but I don't know if they are reputable or not. https://atelier-miya...36f44e80821905713539
3) Fourth image: Completely reworking the shin guards. As you can see the shin guards look like crap and seem like below the quality even I could do as a first timer. I'm guessing the original set that were meant for this armor were lost or destroyed. The metal was not painted, nor was it cut or filed straight, the fabric looks and feels like cheap denim, and the stitching looks rough, using a wide, coarse thread. Of course, building new shin guards from scratch is beyond the time and skill I have for care and maintenance. However I would like to fix the unpainted metal by shaping it correctly (adding a center bend like the plates on the arms), removing rust, and re-painting and replace the lacing with lacing that matches the rest of the piece. Perhaps I could redo the edges as well in a proper midnight blue/black or brown that again matches better with the rest. I believe matching the lacing and fixing the rusty metal would do that. Question 4: What paint would you recommend for the metal sections? The rest of the armor is in a matte black with little depth to it so I doubt it's any kind of Urushi...but I'm no expert. Would Cashew lacquer be too difficult for a newbie? Would a simple matte black model-making paint with a matte clear acrylic top coating be wrong, assuming my armor has no historical value? There is also a spot or two of rust where paint has flaked on the leg guards that I would like to apply the same process.
Thank you for your time spent reading. I eagerly await your thoughts, comments, and answers.
fleet
