SteveShimanek

Look up Namikawa Hebei, they have stones for all levels of polish, both naturals and man made.

I had a similar problem with the original wheel on my RadiusMaster; it didn't explode, but had extreme goo....the maker said that there were some bad batches of urethane that caused the issue. The replacement wheel has held up for the last 6 years or so in my hot humid environment.

Sorry Dave, losing a family member is hard.

Condition issues place this in the artifact realm, unable to be restored; it is possible based on what remains of the shape that it was an older pre WW2 sword, but hard to say definitively due to corrosion. The fittings were WW2 era. Cool rusty relic.

I moved to American Samoa in 2013 on the promise of free family land on which to build and farm; less than a year in, other "family" members began using the village structure to try to take away our land and ability to build. The corruption runs deep here, to the highest levels of government. As a result, my house never got finished, and I am living in my workshop since August, looking at the power hammer I built and having limited access to tools due to the living situation. I am trying to get out of here soon via my sailboat, as there have been no passenger flights since March and none in sight. The COVID thing struck right when i was trying to sell some of the Japanese swords i had restored, bad timing indeed. All of my investment in time and other resources has come to naught; bladesmithing is on the back burner for the time being. I still check on the forum here regularly.

Dave, my boat is here in Pago Pago harbor, American Samoa; it is a 1980 Lancer 36 designed as a IOR racer/cruiser. It was cheap, so you know how much goes into THAT! I have been working on it since February and just got to sail it for the first time the other day; plan is to leave to sail north in October/November time frame if all goes well.

Nice project, coming along great! Still working on my boat as well, a 36 foot sail boat; we are heading back to Hawaii in the very near future.

Price seems high....

A death grip on the handle causes a lot of damage to body structures; the hand and arm should guide the hammer and let it hit, but a looser grip is needed. The shape of the handle is important as well, most stock handles are too thick and not indexed. I profile mine like the profile of a samurai sword grip, like an oval with square sides.

When using very fine grits after establishing the shape and foundation polish, it is better to go in one direction (along the length and back) while ensuring coarser scratches are not left behind; this is all wet sanding with water with baking soda added to minimize flash rusting, and a lot of rinsing and changing water at each grit change.

Sorry, I wasn't too clear...use the highest grit that affects the scratches on the blade effectively, then move to higher grits. Your surface is already fairly clean, so keep your sanding direction along the length, all in the same direction. Clean carefully when changing grits, change water, and add some sodium bicarbonate to keep flash rust down.

If you go the sandpaper route, start with the highest grit you can, and treat the entire surface the same to avoid any dips or waves; use a backing pad of something firm and flat. The kissaki area is finished perpendicular to the rest of the blade. If this is a Japanese sword, the value will be lost by an amateur "polish"; as a maker who also has done some restoration work on antique swords, i can state it is not an easy process to learn. If this is just a Chinese replica, have at it. Please respond as to the origin of this sword?

If this is a Japanese sword, the value will be lost by an amateur "polish"; as a maker who also has done some restoration work on antique swords, i can state it is not an easy process to learn. If this is just a Chinese replica, have at it. Please respond as to the origin of this sword?

Worth a try, nothing to lose but time and some fuel.....and you might learn something.

Bet he didn't have eye protection, either....the rice straw bundle is for diverting most of the flux spray, but how many have been blinded no one knows?

No kissaki on tanto.....

Glad to see you posting again, Dan....I wondered what you have been up to. Nice work!

working on the 40 year old sail boat, mowing the lawn, polishing and making shirasaya for a Japanese spear....the usual.

Garry, you are doing some very fine work there! I wonder if you would be interested in doing a wood trade...I have a Hawaiian Koa rifle stock blank that i would trade for an equal amount of NZ swamp kauri, if you are interested. I did not see a private message button on your profile anywhere, so put it here.

Mild steel has worked fine for me.

The steel plates probably effectively quenched the tang; you may need to temper to blue or hot stamp your mark earlier in the process.

Not bladesmith related, but I have been teaching myself to TIG weld aluminum, as i repair numerous corrosion holes in a diesel fuel tank from my 40 year old sailboat. Aluminum is a very different animal than steel, but I am making progress. Boat work has taken precedence over shop work lately, but i have some sword polishing backlogged that i will be back to soon.

Very nice work!

That cannon pattern is rocking; have you cast it yet?

Very nice indeed!