Sword part installation?

E

eddienyr

Joined
Oct 17, 2004
Messages
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how do the parts on a japanese sword stay on the blade? IE tsuba,tsuka sepp,fuchi,saya,koeichi etc.... :confused:

Edwin
 
Edwin,
The fittings are held in place by the tsuka (handle). The tuska is secured on the tang by a peg called the mekugi.
Regards,
Greg
 
what holds the piece on that they butt up against the blade. I know a peg holds the tsuka
 
yes the habaki, I was trying to figure out how it stays on? Is it a friction fit, glued?
 
It's a friction fit and many makers will make them so that they need a bit of a tap to seat them in place against the notches where the tang meets the blade.

I've been told there is nothing worse than a loose habaki, though I could probably think of a few! :D
 
To my eye, the CS Kobun in the picture still has the molded kraton handle in place under the tsuka-ito wrapping. To mount a habaki to that blade, you would:
1. cut off the kraton handle
2. make the constituent parts for a traditional Japanese handle, including the habaki and drill a hole in the tang for the mekugi
3. mount the parts to the blade and wrap

If I got that wrong, I trust one (or more ;) ) of the bladesmiths here will correct me.

(edit to add) The tsuka-ito wrapping on the knife pictured looks like a nice tidy job. Did you do the wrap-job?
 
RokJok

I planned on either buying a new one or using this one. Yes I had planned on cutting off the grip. I was going to use an exotic wood for the tsuka. By the way thanks for the compliment. Yes I wrapped it, that was my first try ever. I'm alittle ADHD(41years old) but its funny how some things you can really focus on details to the point of being anal retentive :D
 
eddienyr said:
so it is slid over the tang. I see know, so where does it end on the blade side? Here is a picture of my knife do I make it long enough to cover the notch at the base of the blade?
Edwin
Click to expand...
This link pretty much shows how the habaki meets the blade.

Edit: Please disregard the following as I see you posted your intentions while I was typing it. Good luck on your project and please post some photos of it. - Greg

I think RokJok is correct in his assement in regards to a traditional habaki on your Kobun.

However, you could still make a decorative habaki to work with the current handle using thin brass, copper, silver, etc. If the ricasso is wider than the blade you should be able to slide it over the blade and epoxy in place.I would suggest making it short enough so as not to cover the writing currently on the blade. (example)
Regards,
Greg
 
Where can I get the materials to make all of these parts? What should I make them out of? Tsuba,seppa, habaki,fuchi,menuki, all of the metal parts? Also when it says soldering are they talking about soldering with a propane torch ala copper pipe soldering or something else?
I will post it as soon as I'm done I promise.

Edwin
 
Very, very few people even try to make all of the neccesary parts. Each is a traditional craft of its own, and takes a lifetime to master. You can bluff your way through it, but you're better off going with a little help.

Now, that being said, in terms of habaki construction, they are talking about soldering in the proper sense, just like a pipe. You need to be very careful, though, as this one piece is what will make or break the whole job. First of all, it needs to be shaped properly, to compliment the blade. It needs to be work hardend to resist getting squashed by the force of cutting, but still soft enough to not damage the machi.

It will butt up to a seppa, generall called a washer, mopre appropriately called a shock absorber. It will help dissipate the forces into the hard tsuba. The tsuba needs to be done properly, so as not to damage the blade it's mounted on. Then, another, smaller, seppa. This will serve to further insulate the tsuba from damaging the fuchi, which is that first metal collar that you come onto.

Fuchi need to be of the proper size to compliment the blade, which means it needs to work with the habaki, visually. It helps hold both halves of the handle together, as well as significantly reinforce the end of the handle, and keep it from splitting. Remember, these are Japanese blades, they're all about cutting. A pair of menuki will go under the ito, and over the samegawa. Whether you want them in the palms, or under the fingertips is completely up to you. There has been plenty of discussion over which is more proper, and no one can agree on anything, except to say that they both are found historically.

The kashira is going to serve less of a purpose than the fuchi, which is one of the reasons why you'll find them made out of horn, among other things. Generally, their main purpose is to hold the other end of the handle together. So what you wind up with is very, very soft wood (so as not to damage the steel), surrounded by what is essentially a horrid rawhide, bound in tight silk, and capped on both ends in metal. Systematic overkill that took three hundred years to figure out, and remained the same for the next 1,000.

Darryl
 
DA


Thank you very much for the information. can you recommend the materials to make the parts?

Edwin
 
Habaki should be copper. You can use silver, but should stick with copper. You might also consider copper, if you don't get any other suggestions. ;) F/K sets and tsuba can be made from most any metal, and in some cases, mixed metals. I've seen them done in carbon, stainless, and damascus steels, brass (sentoku), copper (yamagane), shakudo (copper / gold alloy), shibuichi (copper / silver alloy), and western bronze. Seppa fit in well in the softer alloys (copper, brass, shakudo, or silver). I use nickel-silver sheet in varying thicknesses, depending on what I'm remounting.

Darryl
 
Thank you very much for the expert advise. I plan on taking my time to do this right.

Edwin
 
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