Restoration help

[Newguymike]

Are there any recommendations for getting my blade restored and the handle tightened up?

[Bruce Pennington]

By "blade restored" do you mean polished?

 

Tightening the tsuka usually is done by adding a seppa or 2 until snug.  You can find the sometimes on ebay.  I've bought some from Crimson Mist Militaria though, right now, he doesn't seem to have many for sale.

[Newguymike]

@Bruce Pennington, thanks. I appreciate it. Any recommendations for sharpening the edge and polishing?

[SteveM]

Check out the FAQ at the top of the page. (linking below). There is a section on polishing. 

https://www.nihontom...geboard.com/faq.html

 

Then check out the links section for information on polishers. 

[Newguymike]

Thanks @SteveM and @Bruce Pennington, I read through your suggestions and I was just looking for a way to remove some rolling on the edge and clean up some scratches, and tighten the handle.

[raaay]

Hi Mike , rolling on the edge does not sound good , i would check to see if the blade has been actually tempered  , a tempered blade would chip IMHO and not have rolled edges , but i could be wrong off course !

[Bruce Pennington]

You haven't told or shown us the blade you are talking about.  Something old? WWII? NCO?  In any case, please don't sharpen or polish this yourself!  Many a blade has been ruined with DIY jobs.  Professional polishers can fix the problems you've mentioned.  Top end jobs will run over $2,000, but some of the polishers can "fix" edges and give lower cost polish jobs.  When I had mine done, there were 3 levels of polishing that I could chose from.

 

I can't get a screen shot of the links, but at the top of the page, click "Nihonto Info", then slide over to "links", then over and down to "Restoration" for a list of polishers.

[Newguymike]

@Bruce Pennington, thank you for the response and I will upload some photos shortly. It is the same sword that I talked about in my other message that you replied in for kanji help.

[Newguymike]

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[Newguymike]

@Bruce Pennington The above photos are of areas that I have concern with, I wanted to ask people that are way more experienced and knowledgeable about them. I have a concern with the deep scratches and the edge roll. The photo of the habaki, shows where there is a bright unscratched finish next to areas of surface scratches. The next photo up, has three scratches and some knicks on the blade, the next photo up- I’m assuming is just showing the grain of the sword where it is darker, the next photo up is a better angle of the blade where the three scratches was in a previous photo, the next photo up looks like a dent or chip, or roll, and the then next two are the same area, different angle; but showing a deep scratch, and finally, the last photo up is the sword tip.

[GeorgeLuucas]

Hi Mike, 

Any chance you can get us a photograph of the tang (nakago)? This will reveal a lot of information about how the sword was made.
Nakago photos will be best with the tip facing UP, and the butt of the tang DOWN, preferably against a dark background - and well focused / clear. 

The reason I ask = is because if this is a traditionally made sword, then theres really NOTHING you should do at home to restore it. Only a highly trained professional should attempt such a restoration. 

Often times with most WW2 swords, there's nothing to be done. They are as they are; a relic from the war - and it's often recommended to leave them as-is. 

 

Just my two cents.
Cheers,
-Sam
 

[Newguymike]

@GeorgeLuucas, sure

[Newguymike]

[Bruce Pennington]

Ah, it's this one with a Showa stamp:

Mike, It's still going to boil down to how much money you want to spend.  If you go for a full polish, it will cost you more than the sword will ever sell for, it you ever plan to sell it.  If you're keeping it, the Showa-stamped blades are usually quite nice and this would likely look quite beautiful after polish.  Otherwise, like Sam said, these marks are part of the "Life of the Blade" and could be kept as-is from a historical preservation perspective.

[Newguymike]

@Bruce Pennington and @GeorgeLuucas, thanks for the advice, I’m not selling; but I do have a lot to think about.