.......... :dropjaw:
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.......... :dropjaw:
I don't know about you guys....!
(Sorry, I couldn't resist! If this is too offensive, I will remove it)
I officially feel not jealous.... who am I kidding. That is unbelievable work. Just out of curiosity, do you feel that a belgian stone or any other stone that isn't japanese can be useful in your sword polishing? or do you use japanese stones exclusively? thanks.
so the uchigumori is the final polisher and brings out the contrast of the jigane and hagane?
There are several grades,ha-to,used to whiten the hamon and bring out the hada(grain) and ji-to,finer and harder,used to refine and contrast the hada.Both are used to do the final polish in both the stone(toishi)and fingerstone prossess.There is one more polishing prossess that can be done several ways.Sashikomi,hazuya fingerstones are used to whiten the whole sword,jizuya is used above the hamon,then nugui,an assortment of differnt kinds of polishing powders mixed with oil,filtered and applied to the sword and rubbed with a cotton wad,this darkens the ji and contrasts it against the ha without blending out or obliterating the hada if done properly.Another way is Keisho,the sword is whitened from ha to shinoji(ridgeline) with hazuya,then the same with jizuya,then the same with nugui.Then,to accentuate the hamon it is whitened again with the hazuya,small pieces are used to follow the shape of the hamon carefully to give it a sharp,crisp demarcation from the ji.
Greg
this is amazing work, is there a book you could recommend to learn the process? I am sure it will be no where near to experiencing learning from someone but since I have japanese knives that I wish to polish I think that could help thanks.
The Craft of the Japanese Sword is the standard,one of the earliest to publish some general info on sword polish,but also has forging,heat treatment,fitings and scabbards.And a few years back The Art of Japanese Sword Polishing came out,it covers several procedures.
I dont know if you go on Knifeforums,but they have a forum topic"In the Kitchen".what is mostly covered there is Japanese cutlery.
Greg
I'm not trying to be discourteous, preachy, or anything of the sort. I just use carbon steel knives exclusively in the kitchen and deal with this stuff often. Mike, I'm sure could school me backwards and forwards in metallurgy, forging techniques, and anything else having to do with blades in general.