Rick, Thanks for the tip on the glue. I'll take your advice, and do the minimum.
Ian, the line marking the gangya is chiseled in. It came from Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1
The fact that no one I recognized bid on it worried me a little, but it turned out great. It's very similar to another piece that I got a while back. A picuture is here
http://photobucket.com/albums/v163/s...isoverall2.jpg. Thanks for your insights.
Zelbone! Thanks for the tip. I'll probably leave the hilt alone, as the wrap is tight enough for casual handling. It's just that one thing I require from any piece in my small collection is that it is functional. Thanks.
Tom, I didn't mean to mislead. Those were just the issues I was thinking of when I wrote. It would be great if this thread would broaden to discuss conservation in general. The gangya is definitely one piece with the blade. But the workmanship as a whole looks very good. The fuller looks like it was ground in with a wheel, then finished with a coarse stone. Thank you for your comments.
One thing I noticed is that it's a differnent "hand" than my 2 other sundang that have scabbards. This one looks "right handed". Made to be carried on the left side of the body, with the decoration facing outward, and drawn with the right hand across the body. The other two are opposite.
Thank you all for your comments and insights.
Steve