restoration

[John A Stuart]

Hi All, This is for the gunto collectors out there primarily. I am in the middle of restoring probably the only gunto I shall have and have some paint loss on the reddish seppa. This is just paint so is it acceptable to re-paint? I know original is best but it really needs it. As well the brass fittings have a coating that gives a translucent reddish hue. Can this be reapplied and what is its composition/source? Thanks for the previous help. Tassel and sarute on the way. John

[Ed Harbulak]

Your gunto sword looks the way it does because it is over 60 years old and was used in a war. It's natural that some of the paint might be missing and is a sign the sword saw active service. It will always look like it was repainted if you try to make it look like it is new again. If you really don't like the way it looks, then you might be better off finding a sword in gunto mountings that is in much better condition than the one you have and sell the one you are unhappy with. If you look around, you will find that there are still WWII era sword mountings in nearly new condition with minimal wear even though they are some 60 years old. They might have belonged to an officer who sat at a desk or served in a non combat area where his sword didn't get much wear and tear. One difficulty in trying to repaint the fittings is getting the proper color match which is most difficult. In addition, there are probably small dings and dents in the metal fittings that a coat of paint is not going to cover or hide. Repainting is not a good idea.

Ed Harbulak

[John A Stuart]

Hi Ed, I was hoping to minimize the cost. I have a source for new fittings but they are not cheap. I have so far, new sarute, tassel and tsuka. Buying piecemeal is not a cost effective way to do it. Oh well, I agree I'll just have to order replacements. By the way is Kim Jinsoo's site still active? John

[David Flynn]

Unfortunately, Jin Soo Kim closed his site