Has anyone cleaned their tsuka?

[John C]

Hello:

I have a tsuka with old mud and dirt on it. While I know cleaning is generally frowned upon, I don't see the need to preserve the mud. I was wondering if anyone has cleaned their tsuka or ito wrap and if so, how? What are the best methods? I believe the ito wrap used to be white.

Thank you,

John C.

[b.hennick]

I have used a clean older toothbrush and foam soap that is scent free. Easy does it. Let the soap do the work rather than the brush. You do not want to damage the ito. 

[John C]

Thank you, Barry. I saw a similar technique used by the lady on "The Repair Shop" series. She just used the bubbles from the soap to clean something delicate. 

John C.

[b.hennick]

Foam soap comes in a bottle. You press the plunger and comes out. Dollartree sells it.

[Matsunoki]

John, just a word of caution as Barry says you don’t want to damage the Ito. 
It is very easy to damage old Ito. Over time it deteriorates naturally and a toothbrush, even a soft one could probably cause fraying. The “mud” on yours does look a bit like ingrained grease from handling over the many years and if it is then that is really tough to shift. The areas where the Ito is twisted or in the knot high points are especially vulnerable.It’s so easy to end up wishing you’d never started…..

speaking from experience!

All the best. Colin

[Ken-Hawaii]

I had a wakizashi with a nasty stain on the tsuka. After staring at it for a yer, I used my wife's jewelry steam cleaner to slowly & carefully remove it. When it dried, there was no sign of the stain, & no damage, either. 

[John C]

Thank all of you. Didn't think of steam. 

John C.

[1kinko]

I finally watched a video obtained from Namikawa Heibei on tsuka maki by Mitani Shuji. Not surprisingly he uses a non-polar solvent, but surprisingly, he uses benzene. Then he goes through a number of subsequent steps to flatten the cleaned ito, including rolling and singing the fibers that project outward, with an alcohol lamp. Just an FYI on how a master does it. The video has English subtitles.

[John C]

4 hours ago, 1kinko said:

Just an FYI on how a master does it.

Thanks. I'll take a look. Maybe the benzene helps break down the old varnish layer (?). Though I suspect the dirt is fairly recent given the seller.

John C.

[b.hennick]

Benzene is pretty dangerous stuff.

[John C]

1 hour ago, b.hennick said:

Benzene is pretty dangerous stuff.

Agreed. Denatured alcohol works just as well on lacquer.

John C.

[1kinko]

“The dose is the poison” (Paracelsus, about 1500). Benzene is potentially dangerous at high concentrations over a long period of time. Alcohols are polar and pure alcohols attract water. I didn’t recommend benzene, I merely reported what a certified expert reported. The CD is worth watching if you have questions regarding tsuka maki, but it costs @$50.