Rodenbacher Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Dear fellow board members, I own this Tsuba for a while and tried to clean it very (!) carefully with a bit of oil, but the coating on the surface is very stubborn and cannot be removed in this way. What is it and what can I do? Regards Peter Quote
Rodenbacher Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 The pictures don't show the real color of the Tsuba, it's a deep black shakudo. Quote
Brian Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 Soft toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol? I don't think it will affect the patina or inlays. But check first. 2 2 Quote
Rodenbacher Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 17 minutes ago, Brian said: Soft toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol? I don't think it will affect the patina or inlays. But check first. Thanks, good idea! Quote
PhoenixDude Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 You can also use bar soap and distilled water. 1 Quote
Franco D Posted August 14 Report Posted August 14 (edited) If this very good tsuba doesn't come clean (as I suspect it might not) using typical methods such as anhydrous isopropyl alcohol, soft wooden toothpicks (to loosen the heavier verdigris), alcohol dipped soft tipped Q-tips, or even mild gentle neutral dish soap (no lemon!) with a soft bristle toothbrush, then, you might have to end up having to send it to a professional restorer (like Brian Tschernega). Which is what I ended up doing several years ago with a shakudo nanako tsuba I bought. In hindsight. The problem is that over time a tsuba like this can become exposed to all sorts of grime, dirt, and chems. In addition to removing the build up of verdigris across the surface of the tsuba I had Brian restore, he ended up having to carefully remove 5 layers of soot that had built up (perhaps from a nearby fireplace where it was being displayed ???). The thing of it is, it is sometimes very difficult to tell just by looking at a tsuba (or other tosogu) what has happened to it. In the end Brian ended up having to strip and repatinate this tsuba once it had been completely cleaned. He even repunched a few of the nanako that had been slightly damaged. And now after more than a year (of aging), the final result couldn't be better. The tsuba looks fantastic and even better yet you cannot tell it has been restored. Regards Edited August 15 by Franco D clarification 6 1 Quote
Rodenbacher Posted August 14 Author Report Posted August 14 Thank you guys, that's really helpful! Quote
Rodenbacher Posted August 18 Author Report Posted August 18 And here is the result after a treatment with isopropyl alcohol! I'm really thankful for your help! 4 1 2 Quote
Jake6500 Posted August 18 Report Posted August 18 9 minutes ago, Rodenbacher said: Wow that looks much better! 1 Quote
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