Habaki Material Over The Ages

[lool123]

Hello,

 

I'm wondering if anyone knows what materials have been used for habaki up through the ages? Which materials in which eras, and so forth?

 

 

The reason i'm asking is becase i have a copper habaki here on a wakizashi i just aquired.

 

Best Regards,

Eric

 

[Geraint]

Hi Eric.

 

Assuming that you refer to koshirae then the vast majority are copper, they may be silver or gold plated, silver, gold or shakudo foiled but the base material is copper.  I have read of a saying that goes, "Gold for koto, silver for shinto," but I can't recall where.  Early habaki were also made of iron, I have only seen one that had been converted into a netsuke.  I have also very rarely seen shakudo habaki with inlay and there are some scarce variations.

 

Hope this is what you were looking for.

 

All the best.

[lool123]

Hi, and thank you for your reply.

 

Koshirae refers to most of the fittings, doesn't it? I only got a blade and the habaki (The fitting that goes into the saya when the blade is sheath, and that keeps it from sliding back out so easily) (I intend to try to make a shirasaya for it, but that's a different matter). I thought i'd read somewhere that the habaki was most often made of solid silver? Well, any metal that was available and had the soft property like gold, silver, copper.

[Brian]

No...seldom made of silver. Copper is standard.

 

Brian

[Geraint]

Dear Eric.

 

I was using the term koshirae to refer to the whole mounts of a sword as opposed to shirasaya.  Brian is right silver is seldom used, though I do have a wkizashi with solid silver habaki.  Silver and gold foil jackets are often used for swords in shirasaya as are copper.

 

All the best.

[lool123]

Thank you for your replies, that answered my question.

 

If i may ask another one, not too disconnected from the current subject; How badly does forged copper corrode? The wakizashi i bought is supposedly a few hundred years old (no certification or appraisal though, just going by the era the guy who's name is on the handle of the blade lived), but the habaki on this wakizashi has near no corrosion at all. I know it depends on how it's been stored, but generally speaking, how corroded would a 300 years old habaki normally be?

[Brian]

Habaki don't usually corrode. Even 500 year old habaki look good with some pleasant age patina. No corrosion expected or desired. Also, bear in mind the fittings are seldom the original fittings. They will have been replaced many times over the life of the sword. A 300 year old sword does not mean 300 year old fittings. They were changed with time, fashions, circumstances and tastes. Habaki would have been changed when it was polished or whenever necessary. Most fittings go back to late Edo period generally speaking.

 

Brian

[lool123]

I see. By the way, how would i go about polishing the copper habaki? It's got some rainbowing when looking at it in certain angles under light, and some fingerprints or finterprint-like patters seem to have become etched into it too...

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Eric,

Probably best to leave the habaki be, or if the rainbow and fingerprints bother you, get it to someone with experience in patinating Japanese metalwork.  Anything you try other than wiping with a soft cloth might damage the patina.

Post a picture to show us how bad it is but unless very bad I'd leave it alone.

Grey

[lool123]

It's not bad, so i think i'll just leave it. The blade and habaki were all sticky when i got them, the previous owner probably used motoroil or something to oil it, so i washed over them with isopropynol alcohol and re-oiled them with Break Free CLP gun oil. The rainbowing has dimmed down from then, and doesn't look bad at all now.

 

(Isopropynol alcohol doesn't have any bad effects on steel or copper, right?)

 

Thank you for you replies, guys

 

Best Regards,

Eric

[pepe]

hello Eric,

maybe some warning on the use of Break Free CLP,

this oil and lubricant has some cleaining substances in itself that dillutes soft metals i think ( such as lead, copper etc)

while top as a gun  !! oil ,  maybe care should be taken for the use on nihonto and especially kodogu ( tsuba, fuchi etc).

 

correct me if i'm wrong gents, maybe someone more specialized than me can answer here

 

greatings pepe  (werner)

[Brian]

Just checked my Breakfree and it seems to be mainly a lubricant, with no real nitrosolvent properties. Most of the firearm bore cleaners act on copper and brass, and are to be avoided. I don't think CLP will cause you a real problem, but just to be safe I suggest cleaning it with isopropyl alchohol and using a pure oil like we use for swords.

 

Brian

[pepe]

thanks Brian for your answer

 

My concern was mainly for the 'C' from cleaning in 'CLP'

 

greetings, and great job  with the new webside

 

pepe

[lool123]

I see... Could you point me to a pure oil that would be excellent for preserving swords and its fittings? Preferably something i can get over ebay, we don't have a lot of (none i know of) shops dealing in this kind of stuff here in norway...

 

It's not even legal to sell pure isolpropynol to private persons, only to registered companies, so my bottle is "borrowed" from work.

[pepe]

it seems light sewing-machine oil whil do the trick,

correct me if wrong guys!

 

pepe

[Brian]

Correct. Light machine oil/sewing machine oil in moderation. Wipe it down, then lightly wipe off the oil.

 

Brian

[lool123]

Alright, thank you for your help guys! I just bought a bottle of sewing machine oil over ebay, and i'll use that for my swords from now on

 

So when using the sewing machine oil i should put the oil on a piece of cloth, whipe over the sword with the cloth, and then with a clean dry piece of cloth whipe over the sword again so almost no oil remains on the blade?

[pepe]

yes eric,

that will be it (not to dry of course), the thing is you don't want any residue oil to gather inside the saya or shirasaya,

you're welcome,

look also one post further 'oil stains in shirasaya'

pepe

[lool123]

I'd heard that with wood some oil is ok, because it can breathe a little unlike for instance leather. As long as i don't drench the blade and subsequently saya in oil because then it would bulge/swell. Am i mistaken?

 

Besides, the wakizashi isn't in a saya yet, i intent to make a shirasaya for it, albeit not out of honoki since i would probably have to import that... I'll see if some carpenter store has some nice wood i could make it out of, like oak.

 

My other katana blades are in sayas though,, i can't say i've noticed anything in their sayas...

[cabowen]

I have many habaki made of solid silver on blades in my keep so it can't be that unusual...

 

I would be careful with which wood I use to make a shirasaya. Stay away from oak, especially white oak, as it has tannic acids that will cause rust very quickly....

[lool123]

Oh, i see. Do you have any recommendations for wood to use for a shirasaya?

[cabowen]

I do not know where you are located and thus what is available to you but I have seen alder and magnolia used in the US. A fine grained hardwood on the soft side would be your best bet.

[lool123]

Ash, Oak, Hazel, Hornbeam, Beech, Linden, Maple, Pine, Spruce, Willow, Birch are all tree species i reckon i should be able to get my hands on here in Norway... According to wikipedia I should be able to get ahold of Alder too...

[cabowen]

From that list, I would look at Birch or alder if you can get it. Stay away from sappy woods like pine, hard woods like Hornbeam, wide grained woods like Ash, etc....

[lool123]

Alright. I hope i'll be able to get some from a woodwork store, otherwise i'd have to go out into the woods and chop down something and dry it myself...

 

I'm not sure when i'll find the time, but  i will do it...

 

Thank you for your help

[Bazza]

Eric,

 

Just a note on your habaki.  You mention "rainbow colours" - these could be from a very thin coating of oil, or from a developing patination after an origianl shakudo colour has been cleaned off by a nuff nuff (not an Aussie term, but I love it!!!).  High quality shakudo when cleaned back to bright copper will self-patinate.  It can occur fairly quickly (months) or with poorer quality shakudo (less gold in the copper - 15 grades of quality I believe) it can take quite a few years.  So my suggestion is to clean your habaki with isopropyl alcohol and keep it scrupulously clean from any oil, including finger prints.  Also, do not oil any of the soft metal fittings, not even iron fittings.  Only the blade.  For temporay storage a newspaper scabbard is a perfectly reasonable way to keep a blade.

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

[Geraint]

Hi Eric.

 

What you call Linden and I call Lime, Tilia Vulgaris from memory, makes a reasonable substitute for Honoki.  You want to select a nice clear piece, it is very easy to work and a joy to carve.  If you don't have "The Craft of the Japanese Sword", by Kapp and Yoshihara it is well worth investing before you start work.

 

Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

All the best.

[Dr Fox]

Hi Eric

 

I am not one to pre-judge your skill set but: a shira zaya is a resting zaya and its construction is an art in itself. Improperly made it will damage the sword, every time it is housed and drawn, that of course is contrary to the purpose of the item.

 

Also as already pointed out, wood choice is very important, wrong choice and your blade can ‘R I P’ (rust in piece).

 

Get some reading on the art of zaya making it is a craft. The Craft of the Japanese Sword. L&H Kapp, is a good reference on several aspects, and includes Kazuyuki Takayama’s scabbard making.

[Dr Fox]

As a guide see what a Japanese Zaya of some age looks like when opened.

This has been opened by a skilled man, to check the cleanliness and re fit after a blade polish.

He was delighted with the original workmanship, both in fit and interior finish. Nothing needed doing.

I am privileged to own such an art work, to house my blade.

[lool123]

Eric,

 

Just a note on your habaki.  You mention "rainbow colours" - these could be from a very thin coating of oil, or from a developing patination after an origianl shakudo colour has been cleaned off by a nuff nuff (not an Aussie term, but I love it!!!).  High quality shakudo when cleaned back to bright copper will self-patinate.  It can occur fairly quickly (months) or with poorer quality shakudo (less gold in the copper - 15 grades of quality I believe) it can take quite a few years.  So my suggestion is to clean your habaki with isopropyl alcohol and keep it scrupulously clean from any oil, including finger prints.  Also, do not oil any of the soft metal fittings, not even iron fittings.  Only the blade.  For temporay storage a newspaper scabbard is a perfectly reasonable way to keep a blade.

 

Best regards,

BaZZa.

 

I took a look on the habaki again now, and the "rainbowing" is gone, i suppose it was just an effect after having cleaned it with isopropynol alcohol, kind of obvious now that i think of it... I'll clean it once more to get the oil off it, and then not mount it on the blade as i oiled the blade in it's entirety after having cleaned it with isopropynol.

Right now i have it on a 3-story sword holder unsheath in anything. Inside a rather dry climate, 22 degrees celcius temperature. Shouldn't i leave it out in the open like that?

 

Hi Eric.

 

What you call Linden and I call Lime, Tilia Vulgaris from memory, makes a reasonable substitute for Honoki.  You want to select a nice clear piece, it is very easy to work and a joy to carve.  If you don't have "The Craft of the Japanese Sword", by Kapp and Yoshihara it is well worth investing before you start work.

 

Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

All the best.

 Alright, thanks. So once i figure out if someone sells these wood types i'll go for linden or birch. Linden is even more uncommon than birch here though, so odds are i will end up with birch... I don't mind posting the results, but it'll probably still be months before i have the time to start the work.

 

 

Hi Eric

 

I am not one to pre-judge your skill set but: a shira zaya is a resting zaya and its construction is an art in itself. Improperly made it will damage the sword, every time it is housed and drawn, that of course is contrary to the purpose of the item.

 

Also as already pointed out, wood choice is very important, wrong choice and your blade can ‘R I P’ (rust in piece).

 

Get some reading on the art of zaya making it is a craft. The Craft of the Japanese Sword. L&H Kapp, is a good reference on several aspects, and includes Kazuyuki Takayama’s scabbard making.

 

 

I have 0 saya making skills or experience. I had intended to impovise untill i had a saya where the wakizashi had a millimeter leeway on the sides inside the saya, and a few more on the front, so the sides and edge wouldn't touch the sides of the saya when drawing/sheathing but rested on it's back. As for the process, odds are i'd google "how to make a shirasaya", and use that as a pointer.