Edo Period Corner Part II

[Bugyotsuji]

Mal X content, thanks for the link. Must have been posted by my evil twin. I was tempted to put the red cross into that thread, actually...

 

On another note, I hope to be updating this thread shortly with regards to the new pan lid/cover for the latest Sakai long gun. I have asked the guy if he can manage to loosen the Bisen breech screw at the same time. (He has some terrible vice, inherited from the old gunsmith.) Stupidly, I told him I am in no rush.

 

Also, the So-Shu Masahiro 'wakizashi' tanto has been away for a while and I'm hoping that this weekend there will be a phone call announcing that the new shirasaya and tsunagi are ready. Stupidly, I told him that I am in no hurry, although that usually puts pressure on people here to speed things up.

[Bugyotsuji]

Point of interest. Asking about the tanto shirasaya and tsunagi, I got a message back saying it should be ready shortly.

 

As to togi though, we face a fine problem. The primary dilemma for the togishi will be how to preserve this blade's sugata throughout any polishing process undertaken. Change the silhouette or geometry, and you could soon have a new kitchen knife. My guess is that previous owner(s) have already agonized on how to best preserve this blade.

[Bugyotsuji]

Today a little birdie told me that the work on the guns is complete, so we will need to set up a collection day.

 

I have one more long gun with a blocked 'himichi' vent that I may ask him to help with. I've tried just about everything I can think of, but every thickness and strength of wire gives up and bends eventually. If I could introduce an angled awl into the breech chamber... and attack the barrel rust in the vent passage from within, that could be a new angle of attack, though.

[Brian]

One thing I have tried before successfully is to put a very short section of cable, such as bicycle brake cable, into a drill, and go slowly. The multiple wires in the front act as a flexible "drill" but take it very easy and use oil.

[Bugyotsuji]

Brian, for some reason I missed your inspirational answer here. I can 'see' in my mind exactly what you are saying; that will be a really great tip for next time.

 

Although I had booked a slot at my friend's house for this coming Saturday, I actually managed the break-through yesterday morning. The wife was out so I had the house to myself, and I decided this thing was not going to defeat me. Altogether, including previous sessions, the whole effort took about six hours, but using Kure 5-56 spray, a tough wire and various pipe cleaners, from outside through the pan vent entrance, and from inside the barrel (angled sunlight showed the inner end of the channel), I started to get a blacker colour of gunge on the wire tip. It was a question of belief, as I could not be 100% sure that it had not been deliberately deactivated. Gradually I began to be able to 'see' what the tip of the wire was doing (the passageway is only one strand wide), as it scratched endlessly and then slowly began to engage; minuscule changes in the colour of what I was wiping off it became my only source of courage.

 

But what a relief! I was dead pleased yesterday, and this morning the same feeling of relief is still with me. This matchlock (the Inatomi-Ryu long gun I was discussing in the translation section) was no more than an interesting decoration when I bought it, but it is now back to full working order. 

 

Lesson learned. Always check everything, including the vent channel; assume nothing.