Alright...nice to see yer getting into the sword gig. If you had posted this over on the Sword Discussion Forum, I probably would have seen it sooner.
If you want to go old-style, you can make a very simple rice paste. Over time the rice paste will of course be much easier to break than modern adhesives, but if you crack the tsuka core and don't want to buy another skin, it makes it easier to remove the same-kawa.
Wood glue would likely be another alternative and I would probably lean more toward that in modern stuff.
Just be sure you have the skin you like and that the nodules are the way you like them, get it soaked so it's pliable, set it up and let dry. When it dries, the stuff WILL contract a bit, so you might have to practice a little bit to make sure it doesn't pull the seam open and doesn't end up too loose or overlappy. If you have trouble getting a nice even seam, you CAN have the seam completely hidden by the wrap. More professionally, the seam shows on the side through the wrap but nobody will judge you negatively if you don't do it that way until you're comfortable with it. The only downside to this is that the seam of the same-kawa will be close to the seam of the core. This sacrifices a little bit of strength as I'm sure you can imagine, but if you are using a reasonably strong adhesive for the tsuka core, you should have no strength issues, PLUS in 99% of cases (excepting tanto), you will have the ito and the fuchi/kashira to eliminate any "strength" issue the handle would possibly have.
Good luck, and if you need any help feel free to email me or ask here on the forums.
Shinryû.
Addendum...I believe it was Charles Dean who gave a little more detail on an application process. I suggest you take that advice, as it will save you headaches. Again, good luck!
