Question about very tired blade beyond polishing

[Jussi Ekholm]

Haven't been really active in this forum, mostly just lurking in the shadows and sucking up information. As I'm beginner and young collector, most of the times I've thought it's better just wait for answers from people with more knowledge. Now that I've gotten little more knowledge during the years, I'll be opening my mouth bit more in future too. Needless to say how valuable resource this forum has been during the years for me.

 

I have this very tired sword that is in really bad shape, it's actually my first nihonto (only sentimental value, since its condition is horrible) and I've had it about 5-6 years now. I already know that it's beyond real polish, the hamachi is only about 0,5mm and the last real polish it had was already started about 1cm away from hamachi. There is really nasty nick on the kissaki, while it doesn't break the boshi now repairing it is impossible since the boshi is already at maximum thinness in the current state. Any kissaki work would destroy it cause there is not enough to do anything.

 

Unfortunately some previous owner was little too eager trying to "polish" the blade... So the blade is pretty much living it's last days now. The amount of pitted rust would have not been half as bad as the scratches that it has now too. Now as bit older and wiser I wouldn't get this one in the first place but at 17-18 for bargain price, I just had to have this.

 

Well onto my question then, is it possible to bring out the hamon a bit more by using only hazuya? I know that this is next to impossible question to ask with few pictures only and not the sword in hand but any bit of information would be helpful to me. I don't dare to touch the blade myself since I don't have necessary skill but I might let one finnish amateur polisher give it a try with hazuya (if he currently has any). I'm just asking here first if it would be stupid move? I have been pondering this for a while now cause there is a nice hamon and you can see it clearly in proper lighting but it's really hard trying to enjoy the details in current condition. Any improvement to the current state of this wakizashi would be a bonus.

 

Now I don't have much knowledge about polishing but with my current knowledge I'd say this sword cannot handle any of the real "shape changing" stones. That's why I thought hazuya would be only suitable choice for this sword that has already had more than it's fair shair of polishes. At some places the hamon is only 2mm wide + the hamachi and kissaki problems... Yet I do not know if only hazuya would be even close to enough to buff the hamon because the overall polish is messed up.

 

Here are some pictures to provide little help regarding my question. You can see the hamon in first 2 pictures, and the 2nd and 3rd really show those horrible scratches and 3rd shows the bad nick on the kissaki. (those closeup-shots really make me feel sad for this sword...)

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4938 ... 163820.jpg

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/8638 ... 164614.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/2889/2 ... 163938.jpg

[Bazza]

Is the blade signed?? Can you put up a shot of each side of the whole tang?? You would be amazed at what a professional polisher can do for a poor condition blade. I have seen worse chips and rust completely disappear and the blade take a Tokubetsu Hozon paper. The caveat always is that the blade must be worth the time and expense in the first place. Well... not always... it depends how much one loves "The Art"...

 

Regards,

BaZZa.

[Jussi Ekholm]

It's only mumei. And even for me this one ain't worth the money that would go on polishing this (eventhough this was my first piece), I'd rather save that money for a finer nihonto.

 

Well I've been reading a lot of polishing information lately. Maybe the sword could take another polish if you'd start it above hamachi if it werent for that kissaki nick... The boshi is just too weak to handle another polish, although it wont show in that 3rd picture I put up it's so thin in the whole kissaki that if one were to even out that nick it would leave an unhardened kissaki. And even though there would be enough boshi left, redoing kissaki is a major job and would cost plenty. And even though those nicks on monouchi seem small, there really aint too much hamon behind them either, like I said in opening post this has been polished almost to the end.

 

Plus the current postal rates in Finland are pure murder, shipping this out of country will cost too much for the value of the sword (this is darn hard country for sword collectors sometimes). And I do not know any professional polishers in Scandinavia so the closest shipping country would be Germany. Just trying to figure out a possible quick fix that I can maybe do within Finland. If nothing almost purely cosmetic can be done, then I'll just try to enjoy this sword as it is now.

 

Here are the pics of the nakago: (the flash lightened up the nakago on 2nd pic, both sides are same color in real life)

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/564/20120118164455.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/5553/20120118163351.jpg

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Jussi,

Looks to me like this blade can be polished; a properly trained polisher can work miracles. Whether or not there is value in the blade to justify the cost of polish is something we'll never be able to say based on a few pictures. If it were my choice I wouldn't give this to an amateur with hazuya; I'd wait until I have a chance to show it to a real polisher.

Even if you had the hazuya job done it still wouldn't be something enjoyable to look at; you'll always wish it was in polish.

If you'd like to know what someone more knowledgeable than you thought of the sword's quality look at the habaki. As the habaki is made specifically for this blade (not necessarily so with the rest of the kodogu), its quality says a lot about the blade's quality. Not a hard & fast rule but often true.

Grey

[Jussi Ekholm]

Maybe I'll give up that hazuya idea, that's just something stupid that popped into my head while pondering possible solutions.

 

Guess nobody thought highly of this blade since it doesn't have a habaki... Just a joke but the sword indeed doesn't have a habaki. The sword had only crude tsuka and saya that one previous owner made for easier keeping of the sword. The condition was the reason I got it so cheap from the seller on another forum, and I wanted it so I could start learning with actual hands on experience. At least years have brought some wisdom as I've mostly just gotten books since then.

 

Well I should say now that if I'd have this polished, I'd have to get habaki and shirasaya too. Although I'd love to commission that kind of project one day, project like that would cost around 4 to 6 times as much as this sword (like I said I got a really good deal for my first introduction piece). And I do not want to make that kind of investment to this sword, as a student saving up for nihonto is not an easy job and currently I have my eye on a certain Nambokucho katana but for sure it'll be gone before I have money for it...

 

Took me many tries as I'm not skilled as photographer but I managed to pull off a decent picture of my biggest concern with this sword. As the nick in kissaki is 1mm in depth, there is only 1mm of boshi left behind it. And as the boshi is only about 2mm wide throughout the kissaki to my understanding that makes the restoration almost impossible.

 

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8595/2 ... 180509.jpg (I have a super macro pic too but this one showed boshi better eventhough it's bit blurry overall)

 

Thanks for the tips so far. Well booking a flight to somewhere in Europe and meeting up with a polisher would be so great. Meeting professional craftsmen is always so enlightening. Saving for a trip to Japan has been a work in progress for me, the bad thing about travelling is that it eats your sword budget. So it's either a trip to Japan or a nihonto... Well I know at least 1 togishi lives in London, Ryanair flight to Stansted and few days stay at the city, hitting some museums and bit of walking around town and shopping on the side doesn't sound too bad. And it wouldn't make a huge gap into my tight budget either.

[uwe]

Hi Jussi,

pic of the mune-side, at the crossing blade/nakago would be interesting.

Uwe

[Jussi Ekholm]

I believe you mean a pic like this one? Had phone and sword next to me so it was a quick shot.

 

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/6972 ... 201919.jpg

[uwe]

Exactly

Lost a bit meat by some polishes, but not so bad in my eyes.

Uwe

[nagamaki - Franco]

Is that mitsumune as it appears to be in the image?

[runagmc]

I don't think it's mitsumune, but just a little rounded over (like all the other edges). This blade would cost alot to have shitaji done, and even if possible, it would end up a VERY tired polished sword at best. Also the quality of the sword may not warrant it, even it it is technically possible. You can have shiage done on a sword, which is only a surface polish to bring out the hada and hamon, but it would still be expensive and the sword is in such bad condition it wouldn't come out looking good, and wouldn't be worth it in my opinion. If it was me, I would probably move on and leave this sword like it is.

[nagamaki - Franco]

I don't think it's mitsumune

 

the point of asking is the very fact that Jussi Ekholm has the sword in hand and would hopefully not be guessing.

[Jussi Ekholm]

It's Iorimune. The rounding of mune is worst near the nakago, it gets sharper when you move 20cm up.

 

Well I guess the best choice might be just leaving this as it is now. My original thought went pretty much along those lines since in my head I knew there wont be a cheap miracle cure but just had to ask to be sure.

 

The sword can still be enjoyed a bit just need to play around with light sources and angles. Thanks for all the tips guys.

[Soten_Fan]

Hi Jussi,

 

Your blade looks like it can be saved to me. Regarding the London polisher, I presume you mean T.N. whom I have used and was pleased with the results. He is not expensive either. You probably need to worry more about the habaki & shirasaya cost-wise. And of course you should be prepared to part with your blade for a year or so before you can see it again.

 

Coming to London on holiday with your blade is not a bad idea either. Apart from meeting the polisher in person, you must make sure that it coincides with a meeting of the TO-KEN Society of Great Britain. That way you will get to show your blade to a bunch of very knowledgeable guys. The next meeting should be around March or something. If you are lucky, you may catch an arms fair too. I believe the next one is also around March.

 

I need to mention that you should check with the airline if it is OK to pack the sword with your luggage. A hard & lockable suitcase usually does the trick. And when you get to the UK, make sure that you observe the law when you are transporting the blade to the meeting or polisher.