Japanese sword fittings

[kvolle]

Can any one give me an easier way to make Fuchi, Habaki and Kashiri. i have been making them from copper for years and would like to try brass of steel but the brass becomes to brittle to form and ends up splintering off the ends and steel just isn't friendly when trying to form. i am using simple tools to make my fitting and maybe thats were the problem is. i flatten my copper to a thickness that i desire then i use punches or swedge tools to hammer the copper around to form the oval shape. i then solder or braze and sand, polish etc. i make the cap by forming a oval dome in a piece of hard wood and pien a piece of flat copper until it form the shape of the dome. i then braze or solder that to the aformentioned oval collar. i do the same for the kashiri with just a flat piece that i form to an oval and later cut the slot for the tang. this works wel for me and turns out pretty nice but i am stuck in a rut of using the same materials for every tanto i make. kinda cookie cutter don't you think? can anyone give me some advice on using other materials? i thought of just using a solid block and milling it, but again i only have simple tools.

 

[SAR]

I am no expert on fittings but i do try lots of different materials, I believe you answered your own question. If your tooling is holding you back then maybe you need to invest in something that will help you expand the materials you can work with. Small mills are pretty cheap these days and would do fine on brass, copper and mild steels hell they even work on the hard stuff you just need good cutters.

Not sure this helps but from what I read you need some better or should I say more advanced machinery.

Harbor freight sells a mini mill for something like 300 to 500 something in that range.They will do the job nicely if you take your time.

Spencer

 

[Mike Davis]

If you have issues with the brass becoming brittle, try heating it in a forge(below melting temp) and quench it in water. This in turn normalizes the brass, making it easier to work...Heat, work it and quench...rinse and repeat.