The Coffee Shop Prop

[Miura]

Yesterday somebody had mentioned that an armor I restored recently looked like a coffee shop prop.  Well..... it is.   The company had no budged so we took apart the $50 momoyama period armor rotting in the window.  It was a basket case.  and I patched a lot of holes. (properly) The restoration is beautiful though and does use 100% traditional techniques. You can also see what an old armor restored multiple times in the past, looks like without its leather and urushi.  The total restoration took less than two months.  So if you think we ruined it, it certainly took less time than 3 years. We are currently having an employee wear it around the city, not only to show the quality of what we sell,  and introduce the company itself, but also to see how the armor ages under wear and tear.    

 

I think as the armor was attacked... or promoted... I guess?  (and not explained) on two different threads,  it would be fair to offer a link explaining and showing the production of our "coffee shop prop"! I even like how that rhymes.  Thanks John!   

The link is not a commercial or business link, it just explains how restorations are done and armor is made. I am considering teaching people how to lace armor on there for free.   Feel free to follow.  Enjoy!

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092385756447

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FrenchBreadPrime]

Is there actually a risk of ruining an armor while restoring it ? From what I've seen the only removal of material that can happen is the removal of lacquer and silk that will flake off/disintegrate over time anyways, and perhaps the removal of metal if a specific part was withering away under rust. Or am I mistaken ?

On Nihonto there's a lot of care about the risk of removing too much metal due to the way polishing works, and a bad polish can ruin the entire blade, but with the way armor is segmented can an armor be entirely ruined anyways ? Even with fake fiberglass parts and filling, can't those be removed and replaced ? 

I might be wrong, but it seems that even in the worst case scenarios, an armor could be restored to its original appearance, with some cases requiring more time than others.

[Miura]

31 minutes ago, FrenchBreadPrime said:

Is there actually a risk of ruining an armor while restoring it ? From what I've seen the only removal of material that can happen is the removal of lacquer and silk that will flake off/disintegrate over time anyways, and perhaps the removal of metal if a specific part was withering away under rust. Or am I mistaken ?

On Nihonto there's a lot of care about the risk of removing too much metal due to the way polishing works, and a bad polish can ruin the entire blade, but with the way armor is segmented can an armor be entirely ruined anyways ? Even with fake fiberglass parts and filling, can't those be removed and replaced ? 

I might be wrong, but it seems that even in the worst case scenarios, an armor could be restored to its original appearance, with some cases requiring more time than others.

Hi There. 

In short, yes. If not done properly.   The "coffee shop prop" armor was a complete strip down.  At the point that I found it, it was in such bad shape, I would never recommend anybody to try to save it. Leaving it the way it was would have resulted in it only getting worse over time.  I had a short time and a zero budget. Rather than make an armor, I took the basket case that was sitting around in the window and made it into something beautiful and representative of the company.  Something that looks like the painting that hangs on the wall. So people could see what an edo period armor would have looked like when it was new done in the same way.   Total re-do and made to look like something else than it originally was.    

To address your query though, yes, armors can be ruined with bad restoration. Especially with epoxies and other things that dont jive well with the original materials.  We have a saying with armor.  Urushi is alive.   urushi expands and contracts with the seasons. Epoxies, resins, fake urushi does not.  What happens over around 5 years is when the urushi starts to "breathe" and the parts dont, then it starts to crack and pop and de-laminate.  The sad part is once this is done, it cant be removed without a total strip down.    Another way to ruin an armor with a restoration is by not knowing what is proper for an armor, sometimes its a cultural mismatch, sometimes its stylistically anachronistic or a mismatch of styles.  If you are well trained you will know and be able to do the proper restoration or replacement.  

 

the armor I showcased here was a re-make more than it was a restoration. Though it was done traditionally.

[Miura]

Dont know about you guys.  Looks prety good to me. If you are interested, you can follow Jess' adventures in samurai culture on Facebook and instagram. 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jessintokyo

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jessintokyo/