Kasumi do.....polishing question

[undermilkwood]

Hello folks,

 

Just wondring where Kasumi-do fits on the spectrum of stones and how is it used, I thought it might be a sub-type of Uchigumori but I can't find information on it anywhere!

 

Would be grateful if anyone could illuminate me with regards to this curious stone.

Thanks in advance,

 

Joe

[Grey Doffin]

If someone has proper training to polish Nihonto he will know which stones to use and when to use them. If he doesn't have proper training he should leave polishing to those who do.

Grey

[undermilkwood]

Thanks for the advice Mr Doffin but I make my own blades and wanted to polish them myself, since they are practice blades (and not even nihonto in a purist sense) I thought it would be quite pleasant to do it as a pastime.

 

I understand your enthusiasm to protect genuine nihonto from the untrained amateur. Personally I find your response mildy offensive.

 

If anyone has any useful advice then please get in touch.

 

Joe

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Joe,

I realized when I clicked on "Submit" that you might take offense with my posting, but the point I was trying to make called for clarity, not diplomacy. This is a forum about Nihonto; I assumed that was what you were getting at. Had you said upfront that you planned to polish blades you make I wouldn't have answered; you can do to them as you like.

Any case, sorry for my share of the misunderstanding.

Grey

[undermilkwood]

It's ok, I apologise for being offended.

 

nevermind,

 

Joe

[Henry Stewart]

Joe

 

I cant find your stone either,but not only that ,I find even more confusing advice when you start to read up.. The Japanese polishing factor Namikawa Heibei sells a sword polishing kit, quite expensive, in which they include "operating instructions". This sheet mentions Uchigumori-do and its use;but no mention of your stone. Yet, when you read 'The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing' it mentions soft and hard Uchigumori,could it be your stone is a varient as mentioned in the book by Togishi Setsuo Takaiwa,as it appears there are several types of Uchigumori. It appears that which book you read,informs only the fact that there are several individualistic ways of using these stones.By the way,got any ideas on how the various types of uchgummori are identified?

 

Hneru

[Henry Stewart]

Joe

 

Its too early, I cant even spell by own name !!!!

 

Henry

[Ted Tenold]

Joe,

 

Kasumi do is a reletively new addition to the professional inventory. It is indeed a lateral type of stone akin to uchigumori stones, but with slightly different composition and properties. Uchigumori stone inventories are becoming increasingly depleated in qualitative supplies.

 

To address your intentions I would say this; There is *very little* cross pollination from traditional polishing to modern metallurgy. What does exist is pretty much exclusive to the synthetic stones which are in great diversity and supply. Modern metallurgy is quite simply a completely different animal, with elements that are *not* ammenable to the capabilities of natural stones like uchigumori. Modern composition steel are made to be deeper hardening, scratch resistant, etc., and natural stones won't provide the same results as when applied to Japanese sword steel. The sword and polishing were (and are) and concurrent development in craft. For the most part, on modern steels the stone just erodes with no appreciable effect, or at least not the visable result that someone looks for in a "traditional" finish on a Japanese sword. Therefore, the stones, which are also precious, end up being used up for no real gain. Adding to this, they are expensive and if not properly cared for and used, will end up being left fallow or destroyed and the money spent on them for naught. Furthermore, even within one catagory of stone such as uchigumori, the stone and steel much "match". There is not one stone for all applications. Polishers carry many types of the same catagory to properly match the age, type, and composition of a sword. So purchasing one stone in the hope of getting one that will work on on a broad scale is a bit futile.

 

Hope this helps.

[undermilkwood]

Ted,

 

 

Thanks for your detailed reply, it's a terrible tragedy for the polishing world that supplies of good stone are becoming dangerously depleted. I also thank you for your advice about modern steels and the use of stones, perhaps I'll just get some rough stones for shaping and then finish using a cheaper method, as I say it's just for practice.

 

Necessity being the mother of invention, I wonder if modern polishers when faced with crisis such as a stone disappeaing will develop novel techniques that ultimately take polishing in a new direction?

 

Anyway, thanks for your advice, it's much appreciated.

 

All the best, Joe

[Henry Stewart]

Joe.

 

I am not a polisher as spoken of in Nihonto terms but am known for experimentation having worked for some 51 years with metals as an engineer (now long retired).

I too wondered as you,whether any contemporary counterparts of the old Polisher had tried anything to see if there was perhaps a modern equivalent.

I will say now that I found many different aspects to polishing one of these swords that it would be impossible to group them altogether,so I looked at each individually. The simplest seemed to me to be burnishing,at least as applied to the Mune and the Ji.

I eventually wound up with a technique which comes from the world of shot-blasting.

Using a very old tired blade which all available opinion was given as scrap,I applied a technique of what can only be desribed as 'rolling-milling',after about 2 to 3 hours the result was visually very pleasing. It shone very well; weight test showed no steel had been removed,and on the Ji Hamon was still visible and present to the same extent as the commencement.

If you want to know further just let me know and I have some photos. The cost, well thats something else!