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- Feb 3, 2001
- Messages
- 32,359
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A
Aikuchi - A Small tanto (knife) without a tsuba (hand guard)
Aluminum Oxide - A man-made material commonly used as an abrasive.
Appaloosa - Brown and light colored spots (smooth bone).
Ashi - The band and ring found on the saya (scabbard) of a sword used to suspend the sword from a belt.
B
Backsquare - The part of the blade that rests on the walk portion of he back spring while the knife blade is open.
Bail (shackle) - Metal ring attached to the bolster so the knife can be put on a key ring or tied to a belt.
Black bone - Smooth bone dyed black.
Bladewalk - The portion of the backspring on which the blade rides.
Birdseye - Refers to large rivets on the handle.
Bolster - The metal ends of a pocketknife attached to a scale.
Bone - Shin bone of cattle.
Bone stag - Same as bone with different jigging.
Brass - Brass metal.
Brown bone - Dyed bone.
Buff - That part of the finishing operation that gives metal parts a high gloss; a buffing or polishing wheel.
Buffalo horn - Can be horn from any animal.
Burnt orange - Brownish orange delrin.
Buttermilk - Two-color cream celluloid.
Buke zukuri - A tradtional samurai style of mount.
C
Candy stripe - Red and white striped celluloid.
Carbide - An extremely hard metal used for making cutting tools such as drills, rotary files, etc.
Celluloid - Man-made material with a dull, solid appearance.
Choil - A small notch between the edge and tang of the blade.
Christmas Tree - Celluloid of mingled red, green and black.
Clip - An area on the back of the blade that drops below the straight line in a straight or concave line.
Clip point - The back of the blade line breaks sharply and drops to meet the cutting edge.
Cocobolo - An exotic wood containing enough oil so that it needs no external finish.
Compostition - A man-made material with a dull, solid appearance.
Convex Grind - Generally a sign of amateur or homemade work. Could be appropriate on a heavy knife meant for chopping.
Cover - The outside covering of a pocketknife sometimes called the handle.
Cracked ice - Off-color white.
D
Delrin - Man-made plastic with a petro base.
Drilled - Hole drilled in bolster in order to put a lanyard through.
Drop point - A variation of the spear point in which the point is above the centerline of the blade. Almost always a single-edged hunting knife.
E
Ebony - A very hard, dense wood related to the American persimmon.
Emery - A natural substance used as an abrasive.
Engine turned silver - Metal with uniform knurl lines.
Escutcheon - A shield or plate set into the handle to be engraved with the owner's name or initials.
F
False edge - Sharpened back edge of blade.
Flat grind - Ground flat from edge to back of blade, not hollow ground.
French pull - A type of nail nick commonly called long pull.
G
Gaboon Ebony - A black or dark brown wood that makes excellent knife handles, except for a tendency to check.
Genuine pearl - Mother of pearl shell.
Genuine stag - Antlers of deer.
Gimp - Serrations cut into the back of a blade used to keep finger or thumb from sliding forward; a type of shield.
Gold stone - Gold glitter celluloid.
Green bone - Bone dyed shades of green.
Grit - A term used in the measurement of abrasives.
H
Ha - Cutting edge.
Habaki - The metal collar found in front of the tsuba (hand guard) that holds the blade in the saya (scabbard).
Haft - An operation in the manufacture of pocketknives of smoothing out the rough handle, blending together covers and bolsters.
Ha-machi - The notch on the cutting edge under the habaki (collar).
Hamon - The temper pattern, a line of crystal (martensite) found between the shinogi (ridgeline) and edge of blade.
Harden - A portion of the heat-treating process.
Head - A term used for the abrasive on a polishing wheel.
High art - Photos under clear celluloid.
Hineri-maki - A style of tsuka-maki (hilt wrapping) where the ito (silk cord) is twisted.
Hollow grind - A cross section of the blade would show it to be concave on both sides (i.e. - a straight razor).
Horn - Horn from various animals.
I
Ishizuke - The end of the saya (scabbard), called a chape or drag, found the farthest away from the tsuba (hand guard).
Ito - Silk cord used to bind the tsuka (hilt).
Ivory - Animal tusk.
J
Jigged bone - Machine notched bone.
K
Kabuto-gane - The pommel (metal fitting) on the tsuka (hilt) farthest from the tsuba (hand guard).
Kai-gunto - A WWII period naval sword styled to resemble a tachi using black lacquered saya (scabbard) and ito (silk cord).
Kashira - The pommel (metal fitting) on the tsuka (hilt) farthest from the tsuba (hand guard).
Katana - A sword with a blade length over tow shaku (about 24 inches), mounted to carry the cutting-edge up through the obi (wide belt).
Kissaki - Tip of the blade.
Kogai - A skewer carried in a pocket of the saya (scabbard) on some swords.
Kuchi-gane -Throat of the saya (scabbard).
Kozuka - A knife carried in a pocket of the saya (scabbard) on some swords.
Kurikata - The cord knob found on the saya (scabbard) made of horn, wood or metal.
Kry-gunto - A European-style mount with a D-hand guard and metal saya (scabbard).
L
Laminated wood - Layers of wood pressed together.
Lanyard - Cord or line (usually braided).
Logwood - A substance used for dying bone covers in years past.
M
Match Pull A nail nick with serrations/fine notches for striking Ohio Blue Tip Matches
Mosaic pins Scale pins of different designs, made by inserting different diameter size round and square stock into a larger diameter tube,(usually made from brass)
Machi - The notch found between the blade and the nakago (tang).
Marine pearl - Imitation pearl.
Markside - The right or up side of a pocketknife. The shield generally goes on the mark side.
Mei - The kanji (characters) found on the nakago (tang).
Mekugi - A small bamboo pin placed through a hole in the tsuka (hilt) that holds the tsuka to the blade.
Mekugi-ana - The hole in the nakago (tang) which the mekugi (pin) goes through.
Menuki - The ornament bound under the ito (silk cord) to improve grip on the tsuka (hilt).
Micarta - A trademark of Westinghouse which covers phenolic resin reinforced with layers of paper, cloth, wood; available in burgundy, red, green, black, brown, etc. Also available under other names from the manufacturer. Ivory (bone) micarta is not a true micarta; it is an epoxy rather than phenolic.
Mother of Pearl - Mother of pearl shell.
Mottled - Mingled colors.
Mumei - An unsigned blade. There are no characters on the nakago (tang).
Mune - The back of the blade.
Mune-machi - The notch on the mune (back) used to keept he habaki (collar) from sliding forward.
N
Nickel Silver - A combination of brass, tin and nickel. Whitish in color, used for scales, bolsters and shields. Also known as German silver.
O
Obi-tori - A suspension/hanging ring located on the saya (scabbard) used to place sword on a belt hanger.
Origami - Certificate stating authenticity of the sword issued by a professional Japanese sword judge.
Oshigata - A rubbing of the nakago (tang) signature.
P
Pakkawood - Man-made, pressed-wood appearance.
Peachseed - Jigging on bone appears pitted like a peach seed.
Pileside - Opposite of markside.
Pocket blade - The main blade in a multi-bladed knife.
Pryalin - Man-made, petro base such as celluloid.
Pyremite - Same as pyralin.
Pull - Thumbnail groove on blade for opening (regular pull or long pull).
R
Red Bone - Bone dyed various shades of red.
Red Stag - Stag dyed various shades of red.
Redwood - Wood from the redwood tree.
Rio-Hitsu - The hole in the tsuba (hand guard) on some WWII style sword mounts. The hole is used for a saya (scabbard) retention clip.
Rockwell hardness test - A diamond cone being impressed into metal- the deeper the penetration, the softer the metal.
Rogers bone - Bone processed by the Rogers Company; dark to brilliant red, also green and brown- heavier than most bones.
Rosewood - An exotic wood containing enough oil so that it needs no external finish. Both the East India and Brazilian rosewoods are suitable for knife grinders.
Rough black - Man made plastic "PLASTAG" - 1940.
Run up - The part of the blade that rests on the end of the backspring when the blade is open.
S
Saber grind - A grind having one-fourth to one-half the width of the unground blade.
Same - The skin of a ray. The skin has rounded nodules with a few large nodules.
Saru-te - A metal loop used to affix a sword knot.
Saya - A wooden case for the sword blade- often called a scabbard.
Scale - The metal sides of a pocketknife. The covers are pinned to the scales.
Second-cut stag - Pieces of stag with little or no character or grooves that have been specially jigged and dyed to give the material a stronger stag appearance.
Seppa - Washers or spacers located on either side of the tsuba (hand guard).
Serrated - Saw toothed edge.
Shadow - No bolsters.
Shibabiki - An ornament used to bind the two halves of a wood saya (scabbard) together.
Shakudo - An alloy of copper, silver and gold that has a rich, black patina.
Shin-gunto - The WWII Japanese Army Officer sword mounts/fittings.
Shinogi - A ridgeline located between the mune (back) and ha (edge) of a blade.
Silicone carbide - An abrasive that refractures itself during use, thus always posing a fresh, sharp edge.
Slick black - Man-man composition.
Slope - The bevel on a bolster.
Sori - The curvature of the blade.
Smoked pearl - Dark bluish gray in either genuine pearl or imitation pearl.
Springer - Spring operated (switchblade).
Stag - The antler of a deer. Antler form the sambar deer of India is used in the cutlery industry, as is the red stag of Europe.
Staglon - Imitation stag.
Stained bone - Dyed bone.
Swarth - Buffing compound that has melted and sticks to the part being buffed.
Swedge - The bevel on the back or top of a blade.
T
Tachi - A sword over 24 inches long in cutting length carried attached to the obi (belt) with edge down.
Tanto - A sword less than 12 inches in cutting length with a tsuba (hand guard).
Temper - A part of the heat-treating walk process.
Tommy pin - A projection on the backside of a bolster that is used to attach the bolster to the scale.
Tortoise - Actual tortoise shell, illegal to use now.
Tortoise (celluloid) - Imitation of actual tortoise shell.
Tsuba - The hand guard located just forward of the tsuba (hand guard).
Tsuka - The hilt of the sword.
Tsuka-maki - The art of tying the ito (silk cord) to the tsuka (hilt).
W
Wakizashi - A sword between 12 and 24 inches in cutting length.
Walnut - Wood of walnut tree.
Walk & Talk - That sharp snap that is heard while opening and closing a blade is talk, while the spring tension that causes the blade to spring open or closed is walk.
Waterfall - Translucent material that resembles a waterfall as knife is rotated.
Winterbottom bone - Bone processed by Winterbottom Company.
Wire - Knife frames made from #9 wire.
Wood - Various wood, walnut, ebony, redwood, maple, etc
Y
Yakiba - The tempered cutting edge.
Yasurime - The file marks on the nakago (tang).
Yokote - The dividing line between the body of the blade and the kissaki (point).
Z
Zipper - Switchblade with square release button set into the handle.
A
Aikuchi - A Small tanto (knife) without a tsuba (hand guard)
Aluminum Oxide - A man-made material commonly used as an abrasive.
Appaloosa - Brown and light colored spots (smooth bone).
Ashi - The band and ring found on the saya (scabbard) of a sword used to suspend the sword from a belt.
B
Backsquare - The part of the blade that rests on the walk portion of he back spring while the knife blade is open.
Bail (shackle) - Metal ring attached to the bolster so the knife can be put on a key ring or tied to a belt.
Black bone - Smooth bone dyed black.
Bladewalk - The portion of the backspring on which the blade rides.
Birdseye - Refers to large rivets on the handle.
Bolster - The metal ends of a pocketknife attached to a scale.
Bone - Shin bone of cattle.
Bone stag - Same as bone with different jigging.
Brass - Brass metal.
Brown bone - Dyed bone.
Buff - That part of the finishing operation that gives metal parts a high gloss; a buffing or polishing wheel.
Buffalo horn - Can be horn from any animal.
Burnt orange - Brownish orange delrin.
Buttermilk - Two-color cream celluloid.
Buke zukuri - A tradtional samurai style of mount.
C
Candy stripe - Red and white striped celluloid.
Carbide - An extremely hard metal used for making cutting tools such as drills, rotary files, etc.
Celluloid - Man-made material with a dull, solid appearance.
Choil - A small notch between the edge and tang of the blade.
Christmas Tree - Celluloid of mingled red, green and black.
Clip - An area on the back of the blade that drops below the straight line in a straight or concave line.
Clip point - The back of the blade line breaks sharply and drops to meet the cutting edge.
Cocobolo - An exotic wood containing enough oil so that it needs no external finish.
Compostition - A man-made material with a dull, solid appearance.
Convex Grind - Generally a sign of amateur or homemade work. Could be appropriate on a heavy knife meant for chopping.
Cover - The outside covering of a pocketknife sometimes called the handle.
Cracked ice - Off-color white.
D
Delrin - Man-made plastic with a petro base.
Drilled - Hole drilled in bolster in order to put a lanyard through.
Drop point - A variation of the spear point in which the point is above the centerline of the blade. Almost always a single-edged hunting knife.
E
Ebony - A very hard, dense wood related to the American persimmon.
Emery - A natural substance used as an abrasive.
Engine turned silver - Metal with uniform knurl lines.
Escutcheon - A shield or plate set into the handle to be engraved with the owner's name or initials.
F
False edge - Sharpened back edge of blade.
Flat grind - Ground flat from edge to back of blade, not hollow ground.
French pull - A type of nail nick commonly called long pull.
G
Gaboon Ebony - A black or dark brown wood that makes excellent knife handles, except for a tendency to check.
Genuine pearl - Mother of pearl shell.
Genuine stag - Antlers of deer.
Gimp - Serrations cut into the back of a blade used to keep finger or thumb from sliding forward; a type of shield.
Gold stone - Gold glitter celluloid.
Green bone - Bone dyed shades of green.
Grit - A term used in the measurement of abrasives.
H
Ha - Cutting edge.
Habaki - The metal collar found in front of the tsuba (hand guard) that holds the blade in the saya (scabbard).
Haft - An operation in the manufacture of pocketknives of smoothing out the rough handle, blending together covers and bolsters.
Ha-machi - The notch on the cutting edge under the habaki (collar).
Hamon - The temper pattern, a line of crystal (martensite) found between the shinogi (ridgeline) and edge of blade.
Harden - A portion of the heat-treating process.
Head - A term used for the abrasive on a polishing wheel.
High art - Photos under clear celluloid.
Hineri-maki - A style of tsuka-maki (hilt wrapping) where the ito (silk cord) is twisted.
Hollow grind - A cross section of the blade would show it to be concave on both sides (i.e. - a straight razor).
Horn - Horn from various animals.
I
Ishizuke - The end of the saya (scabbard), called a chape or drag, found the farthest away from the tsuba (hand guard).
Ito - Silk cord used to bind the tsuka (hilt).
Ivory - Animal tusk.
J
Jigged bone - Machine notched bone.
K
Kabuto-gane - The pommel (metal fitting) on the tsuka (hilt) farthest from the tsuba (hand guard).
Kai-gunto - A WWII period naval sword styled to resemble a tachi using black lacquered saya (scabbard) and ito (silk cord).
Kashira - The pommel (metal fitting) on the tsuka (hilt) farthest from the tsuba (hand guard).
Katana - A sword with a blade length over tow shaku (about 24 inches), mounted to carry the cutting-edge up through the obi (wide belt).
Kissaki - Tip of the blade.
Kogai - A skewer carried in a pocket of the saya (scabbard) on some swords.
Kuchi-gane -Throat of the saya (scabbard).
Kozuka - A knife carried in a pocket of the saya (scabbard) on some swords.
Kurikata - The cord knob found on the saya (scabbard) made of horn, wood or metal.
Kry-gunto - A European-style mount with a D-hand guard and metal saya (scabbard).
L
Laminated wood - Layers of wood pressed together.
Lanyard - Cord or line (usually braided).
Logwood - A substance used for dying bone covers in years past.
M
Match Pull A nail nick with serrations/fine notches for striking Ohio Blue Tip Matches
Mosaic pins Scale pins of different designs, made by inserting different diameter size round and square stock into a larger diameter tube,(usually made from brass)
Machi - The notch found between the blade and the nakago (tang).
Marine pearl - Imitation pearl.
Markside - The right or up side of a pocketknife. The shield generally goes on the mark side.
Mei - The kanji (characters) found on the nakago (tang).
Mekugi - A small bamboo pin placed through a hole in the tsuka (hilt) that holds the tsuka to the blade.
Mekugi-ana - The hole in the nakago (tang) which the mekugi (pin) goes through.
Menuki - The ornament bound under the ito (silk cord) to improve grip on the tsuka (hilt).
Micarta - A trademark of Westinghouse which covers phenolic resin reinforced with layers of paper, cloth, wood; available in burgundy, red, green, black, brown, etc. Also available under other names from the manufacturer. Ivory (bone) micarta is not a true micarta; it is an epoxy rather than phenolic.
Mother of Pearl - Mother of pearl shell.
Mottled - Mingled colors.
Mumei - An unsigned blade. There are no characters on the nakago (tang).
Mune - The back of the blade.
Mune-machi - The notch on the mune (back) used to keept he habaki (collar) from sliding forward.
N
Nickel Silver - A combination of brass, tin and nickel. Whitish in color, used for scales, bolsters and shields. Also known as German silver.
O
Obi-tori - A suspension/hanging ring located on the saya (scabbard) used to place sword on a belt hanger.
Origami - Certificate stating authenticity of the sword issued by a professional Japanese sword judge.
Oshigata - A rubbing of the nakago (tang) signature.
P
Pakkawood - Man-made, pressed-wood appearance.
Peachseed - Jigging on bone appears pitted like a peach seed.
Pileside - Opposite of markside.
Pocket blade - The main blade in a multi-bladed knife.
Pryalin - Man-made, petro base such as celluloid.
Pyremite - Same as pyralin.
Pull - Thumbnail groove on blade for opening (regular pull or long pull).
R
Red Bone - Bone dyed various shades of red.
Red Stag - Stag dyed various shades of red.
Redwood - Wood from the redwood tree.
Rio-Hitsu - The hole in the tsuba (hand guard) on some WWII style sword mounts. The hole is used for a saya (scabbard) retention clip.
Rockwell hardness test - A diamond cone being impressed into metal- the deeper the penetration, the softer the metal.
Rogers bone - Bone processed by the Rogers Company; dark to brilliant red, also green and brown- heavier than most bones.
Rosewood - An exotic wood containing enough oil so that it needs no external finish. Both the East India and Brazilian rosewoods are suitable for knife grinders.
Rough black - Man made plastic "PLASTAG" - 1940.
Run up - The part of the blade that rests on the end of the backspring when the blade is open.
S
Saber grind - A grind having one-fourth to one-half the width of the unground blade.
Same - The skin of a ray. The skin has rounded nodules with a few large nodules.
Saru-te - A metal loop used to affix a sword knot.
Saya - A wooden case for the sword blade- often called a scabbard.
Scale - The metal sides of a pocketknife. The covers are pinned to the scales.
Second-cut stag - Pieces of stag with little or no character or grooves that have been specially jigged and dyed to give the material a stronger stag appearance.
Seppa - Washers or spacers located on either side of the tsuba (hand guard).
Serrated - Saw toothed edge.
Shadow - No bolsters.
Shibabiki - An ornament used to bind the two halves of a wood saya (scabbard) together.
Shakudo - An alloy of copper, silver and gold that has a rich, black patina.
Shin-gunto - The WWII Japanese Army Officer sword mounts/fittings.
Shinogi - A ridgeline located between the mune (back) and ha (edge) of a blade.
Silicone carbide - An abrasive that refractures itself during use, thus always posing a fresh, sharp edge.
Slick black - Man-man composition.
Slope - The bevel on a bolster.
Sori - The curvature of the blade.
Smoked pearl - Dark bluish gray in either genuine pearl or imitation pearl.
Springer - Spring operated (switchblade).
Stag - The antler of a deer. Antler form the sambar deer of India is used in the cutlery industry, as is the red stag of Europe.
Staglon - Imitation stag.
Stained bone - Dyed bone.
Swarth - Buffing compound that has melted and sticks to the part being buffed.
Swedge - The bevel on the back or top of a blade.
T
Tachi - A sword over 24 inches long in cutting length carried attached to the obi (belt) with edge down.
Tanto - A sword less than 12 inches in cutting length with a tsuba (hand guard).
Temper - A part of the heat-treating walk process.
Tommy pin - A projection on the backside of a bolster that is used to attach the bolster to the scale.
Tortoise - Actual tortoise shell, illegal to use now.
Tortoise (celluloid) - Imitation of actual tortoise shell.
Tsuba - The hand guard located just forward of the tsuba (hand guard).
Tsuka - The hilt of the sword.
Tsuka-maki - The art of tying the ito (silk cord) to the tsuka (hilt).
W
Wakizashi - A sword between 12 and 24 inches in cutting length.
Walnut - Wood of walnut tree.
Walk & Talk - That sharp snap that is heard while opening and closing a blade is talk, while the spring tension that causes the blade to spring open or closed is walk.
Waterfall - Translucent material that resembles a waterfall as knife is rotated.
Winterbottom bone - Bone processed by Winterbottom Company.
Wire - Knife frames made from #9 wire.
Wood - Various wood, walnut, ebony, redwood, maple, etc
Y
Yakiba - The tempered cutting edge.
Yasurime - The file marks on the nakago (tang).
Yokote - The dividing line between the body of the blade and the kissaki (point).
Z
Zipper - Switchblade with square release button set into the handle.