First Kamisori Re-wrap

Ok, so that's a little misleading as the handle wasn't wrapped before—it had one of those blue plastic grips.

But anyway, I bought this Henkotsu kamisori from Tierdaen a couple of weeks ago:

Attachment 123775

Although it did it's job pretty well, I didn't particularly like the blue grip, so I thought I'd attempt to get it off and wrap it in something else.

I knew what I was expecting to be under the plastic handle but—especially not having done it before—I was taking a bit of a risk with something I'd paid a fair amount of money for. Nevertheless, I taped up the blade, out came the Dremel and I cut the plastic grip away (actually after I cut away the plastic along the spine and then half of one side, the rest just slid off).

I sanded down the tang with some wet and dry and rounded the end a bit with a file, then gave it two coats of black, textured Hammerite.

So far so good—this is how it looked this morning, after the paint had thoroughly dried over night (note that you can now see all of the stamping, which was half obscured by the original grip):

Attachment 123777 Attachment 123778

Last week, I had a little look around on old eBay for some waxed cotton cord. So many colours (for the price, I could have bought several just to compare) but in the end I settled on dark red 1mm cord.

I set about wrapping the tang with my cord and this was the result:

Attachment 123776

I was mostly pleased but after some consideration, I decided that the last loop of cord was a little loose and that I'd left too much tang poking out...so I took it off and wrapped it a second time (I did buy ten metres of the stuff)!

So here, after surprisingly little effort, is the second and final wrapping:

Attachment 123779
Attachment 123780
Attachment 123781
Attachment 123782
Attachment 123773
Attachment 123774

I'm really pleased with both, the colour and the way the whole thing turned out.

It was sharp before (I've already used it once) but, just to be sure, I took it to the hone for a few laps, stropped 60 linen and 100 leather and now I'm ready to go and shave with it again!

Nicely done. The red compliments quite nicely.

Very nicely done, I have never been able to get them right :(

Good work. To clarify, the first pic is actually my own Henkotsu, not the one I sold to you. Yours was the following:
http://i.imgur.com/2jyEE8w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5HcCOIx.jpg

I think they're similar enough that it's no big deal. Very glad the tang came out with a good shape for wrapping. It's a cool razor.

Haha...close enough. I didn't realise that wasn't even my one! I'll leave my post how it is, though—it makes little difference.

I will save those pics though!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

Ok, so that's a little misleading as the handle wasn't wrapped before—it had one of those blue plastic grips.

But anyway, I bought this Henkotsu kamisori from Tierdaen a couple of weeks ago:

Attachment 123775

Although it did it's job pretty well, I didn't particularly like the blue grip, so I thought I'd attempt to get it off and wrap it in something else.

I knew what I was expecting to be under the plastic handle but—especially not having done it before—I was taking a bit of a risk with something I'd paid a fair amount of money for. Nevertheless, I taped up the blade, out came the Dremel and I cut the plastic grip away (actually after I cut away the plastic along the spine and then half of one side, the rest just slid off).

I sanded down the tang with some wet and dry and rounded the end a bit with a file, then gave it two coats of black, textured Hammerite.

So far so good—this is how it looked this morning, after the paint had thoroughly dried over night (note that you can now see all of the stamping, which was half obscured by the original grip):

Attachment 123777 Attachment 123778

Last week, I had a little look around on old eBay for some waxed cotton cord. So many colours (for the price, I could have bought several just to compare) but in the end I settled on dark red 1mm cord.

I set about wrapping the tang with my cord and this was the result:

Attachment 123776

I was mostly pleased but after some consideration, I decided that the last loop of cord was a little loose and that I'd left too much tang poking out...so I took it off and wrapped it a second time (I did buy ten metres of the stuff)!

So here, after surprisingly little effort, is the second and final wrapping:

Attachment 123779
Attachment 123780
Attachment 123781
Attachment 123782
Attachment 123773
Attachment 123774

I'm really pleased with both, the colour and the way the whole thing turned out.

It was sharp before (I've already used it once) but, just to be sure, I took it to the hone for a few laps, stropped 60 linen and 100 leather and now I'm ready to go and shave with it again!

---

Just landed here. Amazing how this turned out, been wanting to remove the wrapping on my Iwasaki (it's not well done) and do my own.

How did it perform? I see it was done last year :)

Did you glue underneath or just tightly wrap it?

Just wrapped tightly. It's the same now as it was a year ago. I don't use it as much as I'd like to, though -- the edge has never felt quite right, no matter what I do with it. I want to send it for pro honing but haven't gotten around to it yet.

What about the end points? Just tuck them underneath and apply some glue? I guess if I find a nice chord one day I can give it a try.

Just don't know what to expect underneath my original wrapping.. Might need to sand it off.

But I know what u mean about the edge, had a Wacker that gave me hell until I got it done right. It was very difficult because of its hard steel

The ends are wrapped underneath -- you can see it in some of the pictures. Shouldn't need any glue.

Somebody had a good diagram showing how to do it, somewhere.

Is Known as a whip finish,people who tie flys know it well.
Whip Finish: the natural way

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

Just wrapped tightly. It's the same now as it was a year ago. I don't use it as much as I'd like to, though -- the edge has never felt quite right, no matter what I do with it. I want to send it for pro honing but haven't gotten around to it yet.

---

Hey PigHog! It darn near kills me that you don't shave with it. Maybe because I know exactly how you feel!

I too had a kami which I ended up rehandaling (used leather) only to find I couldn't hone it worth a bean. I did the three to one thing, I did... well I did all kinds of things that got close, but it always felt like I was shaving tree trunks.

Anyway I put it away for a year or so and then just recently, decided to go for it again. Using only Nani Superstones, I ran the blade very quickly back and forth on one side till it "felt right" then flipped and did the same thing. After that side felt right, I stropped it on the stone equally between sides for about 10/20 back and forths. Did that all the way up to 10 k spending almost as much time on the 1k as the others combined.

Then off to the strop and low and behold!!!! Butter!! Unorthodox maybe? But the shave... Oh the shave.

I know this works for mine as I just did it again after I got silly later on and tryed to put an even keener edge on it via a natural which ultimately killed the edge.

I hope that may help or at least encourage you to trytry again. I am so happy with my kami now, I have to force myself to use my other blades.

Do you have a picture of it from head on so we can see the bevels from that angle??

Best of luck mate!

I do use it, just not as often as I'd like to because it never feels right...

On the train at the moment, but I'll take a pic when I get in.

Did you dull it down first or what?

I can't get a sharp photo head-on but here are the sides a bit closer up:

Attachment 162628

Attachment 162633

Hmm...not much use really!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

Hmm...not much use really!

---

No that works!!

From what I can tell, it looks like it may take the 50\50 honing as well as mine did?? I don't want to give you bad advice because ultimately I haven't a clue what I am doing , and my discovery was born out of frustration and a complete uncaring as to if I did bad by the blade. But somehow your plight bothers me lol!!

I hope this discussion prompts some of the more experienced to pipe up! Maybe you could even start a thread on it if inclined - "how do I hone this" lol!!

But if you and I were the last blokes on the planet, and that was the only blade we had - I would go for it... with tape on the spine lol!

Of course the other option is to send it out with the provisal that the dude doing it told you what he did lol!

Anyway - hopefully some others will pipe up!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

I do use it, just not as often as I'd like to because it never feels right...

On the train at the moment, but I'll take a pic when I get in.

Did you dull it down first or what?

---

Oh and yes. I did dull it down buy running it on a corner of my stone.

Thanks for your concern! I might go and try again from the beginning, now.

I emailed Neil about it around Christmas time but that was when he was ill. Don't know if he ever saw the message. Perhaps I'll email him again, too

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

Thanks for your concern! I might go and try again from the beginning, now.

I emailed Neil about it around Christmas time but that was when he was ill. Don't know if he ever saw the message. Perhaps I'll email him again, too

---

I guess its just that now that I am seemingly getting the most out of mine (and loving it) with the tools I have, I want everyone to lol!

Best of luck!!

What stone progression are you using?

1, 3, 8, and 10k. No pastes or linen afterwards, just leather. Smooth....

But I'll say this: I take more time with the blade. I think about half an hour or so!!! Yikes! But I refuse to not get 100% from each stage and that took some time off the 1k.

Here is mine - it's a no name :).

Attachment 162645
The Ura

Attachment 162646
The Omote

Attachment 162647
Head on.

Not that that necessarily helps at all lol.

Thanks, I'll have another go at mine over the weekend.

I have a beginner question on that type of razor. Does it require more skill to use a fixed handled razor than the traditional folding ones? Cuz that razor is mean looking and id love to get one like that. Looks even more like a lethal weapon!

Not really, just a slightly different method.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Swanny21

I have a beginner question on that type of razor. Does it require more skill to use a fixed handled razor than the traditional folding ones? Cuz that razor is mean looking and id love to get one like that. Looks even more like a lethal weapon!

---

Depends on how much of a traditionalist you are Swanny. If I recall correctly, you are to only bring the blade up to your face omote side in. So you would need to be ambidextrous. I cheat lol.

But that also means you should be using different angles on each side of your face... I just go by feel lol. I don't really even think about it honestly.

That and as you may have noted from this thread - they aren't always the easiest things to hone lol.

See this is where I don't understand the terminology.

In my mind, omote refers to the stamped side -- the side of the blade that you see and that should face outwards when shaving.

Ura, therefore, refers to the reverse of the blade, that is hidden when shaving.

I don't see why the branding would be stamped to the 'back' of the blade. By comparison, one would assume that it would be the same as a sword, where the omote is the side that faces out when worn, and the ura, the side that faces in. Incidentally, the maker's signature is always stamped on the omote, which also makes sense for a kamisori.

The amount of different opinions on which way kamisori should be used or honed based upon mixing up omote and ura makes everything rather difficult!

If you shaved with omote facing inwards (closest to your face), surely that would make it ura by definition?

Maybe you are right!! I just blurted that out when I was posting the pictures! I mean it means nothing to me anymore because I just go ahead and use both sides and don't hone with a 3:1 or 7:1 ratio. Moreover, mine isn't stamped!

But actually, I think you are right! We really need a mod who's into Kami's to get involved lol.

Attachment 162674

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by earcutter

Maybe you are right!! I just blurted that out when I was posting the pictures! I mean it means nothing to me anymore because I just go ahead and use both sides and don't hone with a 3:1 or 7:1 ratio. Moreover, mine isn't stamped!

But actually, I think you are right! We really need a mod who's into Kami's to get involved lol.

Attachment 162674

---

Ya know guys,all this stuff is explaned By Glen (GSIXGUN?) in multible vids,It is here for you to see.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Ya know guys,all this stuff is explaned By Glen (GSIXGUN?) in multible vids,It is here for you to see.

---

Yeah, I've seen them, but then someone comes along and says something different again!

Sorry man :(.

Ha, not your fault (not entirely, anyway)!

I've spent ages on a 1k, honing perhaps a tad toe heavy, annoyingly. And it's as dull as anything!

Can't seem to get it to cut hairs and the edge feels somewhat ragged to the touch...not sure what to do...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PigHog

I've spent ages on a 1k, honing perhaps a tad toe heavy, annoyingly. And it's as dull as anything!

Can't seem to get it to cut hairs and the edge feels somewhat ragged to the touch...not sure what to do...

---

I am a bit gun shy at this point so I'll just say that I think you should start a new thread asking. The honing guys might be "avoiding" this as its not labeled a honing thread.

But because I can't help myself... If you are getting a ragged edge that's not cutting, I would venture a guess that you have over-honed it a bit. Try lightly stropping it on the 1k for a couple of strokes (note that's not something most people would recommend) with a couple of forward strokes afterward, and move on to the next progression and see what's going on.

If you can't get it to cut on the 3 or 4k, then you have a problem.

Hmm, yeah. I'll try that and mess about a bit more tomorrow. If that fails I'll start a dedicated honing thread.

Well, it seemed to be the 1k having very little effect...

I moved on to the 4k and it got a bit better, and really progressed once I tried a 4/8 pyramid. Moved on to a 8/welsh slate pyramid to see what would happen. Finished up with very light laps on the slate alone. About 5 laps on crox and 150 on leather.

Will be shaving with it later.