KIssaki as per TOMOYUKI thread. Polisher decides

[drbvac]

Further to kissaki's shape and placement of yokote - I had a touch up polish done to replace the yokote and "tidy" this blade. The polisher did as directed or rather far from me to direct - did as he felt he should based on the current state of the blade and placed the yokote line where it was before but at least it is now clear. It was not there AT ALL prior to and it is amazing how easily one can take off the line itself as I was told a bit of silver polish on a cloth is what obliterated it in the first place.

 

In any event the shape of the kissaki may not be geometrically correct within a degree or two and the fukura and ko-shinogi may be off slight parallel - BUT - to make it "perfect" would require such an alteration and removal of enough extra steel to really bugger up the Kissaki on the ura side as it was already done - tough call. It would also thin down the blade so much in this area to be into core steel!

 

Other point is the angle of the photo makes it look longer and further off as the kissaki and the side of the blade are not on the same plane. The kissaki is "going away" and as the blade is signed and dated to 1444 - I guess - do as little as possible.

 

On a "first" polish I am sure even though it all has to be done correctly, the ability to correct slight errors at that time is a little easier than during the 2nd or 3rd "repolish" over several hundred years > I am VERY pleased with what was done and no doubt that the polisher did exactly what had to be done to fix missing yokote!

 

Thoughts?

 

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Thoughts?

 

Hi Brian. Touch up polish is the key word here. As you say, hard to fix things without a full polish. Surely not your fault.

 

This brings up once again the matter that a past bad polish can give us an altered sword beyond any possible restoration, no matter about our efforts, and remind us to use only good polishers to avoid such sad occurrance to the ones that will care for our swords after us.

 

Danger of Shingane shown in the kissaki ? Has to have been messed up quiet a lot in the past. Usually Shingane starts quiet safely away from the tip...

[peter]

Hi Brian,

my blade maybe was not as straight forward as most, my polisher had informed me long before i got it back with a sortness in mono uchi area due to some sort of re heat issue some time in the distant past, so the hamon looses some of it,s power in that area, as for the yokote there wasn,t one visible, and the kassaki well that was so badly pitted i didn,t think much could be done in that area, in saying all this, also because of all this, he cut the price a lot from his original estimate, i have to say you are right about pictures being deceptive and i,m no photographer, i hope this clears things up a little,

Peter

[drbvac]

Thanks gentlemen, as I stated I am positive there was no other way to put the yokote back on without really wrecking the whole kissaki.This is a 37" tachi and worth a fair hunk of change so I am happy - And Peter - I can't take pictures worth a damn either and forget about scanning which I understand is better. The chance of getting a straight on shot of the Kissaki is tough so I may try tonight.

 

I can't get over the fact it was taken off with a wipe of silver polish which will tell you how much it is on the steel - not a line - just a change of direction.

 

I have wrecked some pieces of steel, not nihonto- trying to get a "polish" change of direction line - not a chance !

[drbvac]

heres some more - different angles - flash-no flash, macro -regular and they all look a little different especially those from one side or another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stephen]

Dr B

 

your pms or mail working?, have or maybe now had buyer for your wak