B Ashton Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 I have a Japanese sword that was purchased by my grandparents many years ago. It still has a piece of paper inside, which was likely the receipt or proof of purchase, but over time it seems to have deteriorated. Because of this, when I removed the sword from the case, I couldn’t fully insert it back, as the paper is obstructing the entry. Could you help me with restoration or advise on how to proceed? Quote
Schneeds Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 Are you asking just how to remove the paper? Is it in shirasaya? (plain wood sheath) or koshirae? (decorative sheath). You could try a vacuum but it sounds like you probably packed in there hard. After that I'd probably try a rifle cleaning rod, small caliber. Failing that if it's in shirasay they can be split open but that's not something for a novice. 1 1 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted January 28 Report Posted January 28 B. Ashton, when you wrote "case" did you mean the sheath of the sword? If so, and if you pushed the paper down, you could take a straight piece of steel wire (2 to 3 mm cross section) and bend a small sharp hook at one end. You should then be able to pull the paper out. Please take care not to touch the blade with your bare hands to prevent corrosion. 3 1 Quote
B Ashton Posted March 22 Author Report Posted March 22 I will post a picture of the sheath. My vacuum is not strong enough to remove it from the end of the sheath. Do you know any stores that could fix that or this is something that should be done manually by the owner? Quote
ROKUJURO Posted March 22 Report Posted March 22 Of course a vacuum cleaner will not work unless you cut the end of the SAYA off. Please don't do that! Did you try my recommendation of a wire? It should be very easy! 1 Quote
B Ashton Posted March 23 Author Report Posted March 23 I’ve tried that with a hanger, to be honest, and it’s so far down that I couldn’t reach it. 😢 1 Quote
Kantaro Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 Is that a decorative wallhanger with a non-magnetic blade? 1 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 4 hours ago, B Ashton said: I’ve tried that with a hanger, to be honest, and it’s so far down that I couldn’t reach it. 😢 Well, then use a longer wire! 2 1 Quote
Natichu Posted March 23 Report Posted March 23 25 minutes ago, ROKUJURO said: Well, then use a longer wire! To that end, bonsai wire comes in long spools, is nicely malleable, and is often somewhat readily available. Likely to be much better to work with than a wire hanger. Quote
Brian Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 Use a .177 airgun cleaning rod. Brass at the end usually, you can heat it, hammer it and shape it into a sharp hook. Stiff enough to move around and sometimes it's enough to attach a coarse screw at the end (braze, solder etc) and screw it into the paper and extract. Quote
robinalexander Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 Dear B. Keep working with Jean Collin's idea...it will work. Its the safest and may I say, the easiest. Just adjust the length and fashion a hook from the end to suit. If you have a problem with it, then give it to a capable someone (no offence meant) to have a gentle go. 1 Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted March 24 Report Posted March 24 A wire hanger may be too strong, difficult to bend to the right shape, and possibly damaging to the saya. If you do not have the equipment for Brian's approach, Natthaniel's wire idea may be better. Source a section of the right thickness, and play with different shapes of hook. The thing is to do it in your head first, over a day or two, and wait for the answer to crystallize in your brain. You have to work intuitively. 1 Quote
ROKUJURO Posted Tuesday at 07:33 PM Report Posted Tuesday at 07:33 PM B. Ashton, in case you want to send me the SAYA, I promise to remove the paper in less than 5 minutes! It's not rocket science! 1 Quote
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