Rivet instead of mekugi

[Ghoul]

Has anyone seen this before where instead of a wooden mekugi a rivet has seemingly been hammered in? Is it even possible to get something like this off?

 

Seen it online, and I'm thinking it could be a satsuma rebellion sword... (It's in rough shape - not sure what's going on with the habaki either)

 

 

 

[Ray Singer]

All types of strange things were done post-war. It is likely this is the same, a post-war modification. That said, the tsukamaki looks like the type we see in Satsuma rebellion koshirae and the habaki may date from that same time (it appears to be a makeshift piece formed out of a wrapped band of metal).

[Ghoul]

Imagine if that rivet was original to the rebellion though - who knows what's underneath...

 

I can only think that drilling it out is the only incredibly risky option? If original its a shame, but I can't think of any other way someone could polish the blade without removing it (which it desperately needs)

 

[Franco D]

22 minutes ago, Ghoul said:

but I can't think of any other way someone could polish the blade without removing it (which it desperately needs)

 

What little exposed steel there is that can be seen in these images looks like what Yamanaka describes as "lifeless." If that's indeed the case, it makes the question of polish moot. 

 

 

[Ghoul]

Yeah, it's likely not the best piece... 

 

I just can't get over why someone would ever decide hammering a permanent rivet was a good idea.

 

They've thought a little about potential damage by adding a washer to distribute the weight, but I didn't think the mekugi was ever a point of failure during combat? 

 

Perhaps the satsuma koshirae weren't very well fitting, and this was a hasty attempt to fix that?

 

There are one or two other examples of modern rivets on the forum, like this one:

 

 

From here: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/37912-assistance-please/#comment-393113

 

 

And another (but this time a yari) here: https://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/7816-fukuro-yari/#comment-77759

 

 

It's just odd is all 😅

 

[ROKUJURO]

George,

bamboo is readily available in Japan so I don't think that a lack of it was the cause for this rivet. By the way, it would not be a big thing to remove the rivet if you have a basic workshop equipment. Going carefully is the way.

[Kiita]

17 hours ago, Ghoul said:

Imagine if that rivet was original to the rebellion though - who knows what's underneath...

 

I can only think that drilling it out is the only incredibly risky option? If original its a shame, but I can't think of any other way someone could polish the blade without removing it (which it desperately needs)

 

 

From the pictures, drilling it out wouldn't be difficult at all. Center punch with a freshly sharpened punch, clamp it well, then drill it out in a drill press with a short stiff bit such as a center drill somewhat smaller than the pin diameter, which will be far less likely to flex and wander. After that, depending on how it looks, either step up the bit diameter until you've basically got a hollow thin walled tube, which will flex and crush rather than mark the ana, then pull it out from the backside, or just cut out the rivet head on the side you drilled with a countersink and drive it out gently. The first if the pin section of the rivet is deformed and bent, the second if it's straight. Don't try to drive a bent pin through a straight hole.

 

I have unpinned many straight razors with this method, and the pin diameter on those is only 1/16" or about 1.5mm, so the amount of real estate you would be working with here is massive in comparison.

[Shugyosha]

Hi George,

 I once had a tanto koshirae where the mekugi metal and was in two halves that slotted together through the mekugi ana and the tops were decorated and formed the menuki. That might be the case here, or it might be more permanent that that.

[Alex A]

Must admit, this is a riveting thread,

 

 

 

Boo, get him off. 

[raaay]

 I once had a sword with two rivets,  one copper one aluminium , presumed it was for test cutting ?

[The Blacksmith]

Alex, go and stand in the corner facing the wall........... 

 

 

I have seen recently an aluminium hilted NCO's katana with a rivet instead of the normal screw. Possibly, a field repair, but perhaps not and added later.

As Aaron has explained, removing the rivet wouldn't be a problem, but to be honest, it probably isn't worth it, even for curiosity's sake. Perhaps just think of it as a 'battlefield' repair? Which it may even be.