multi-cultural

Lee · 31st July 2008, 10:51 AM

This yari also lost its long tang:

http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000158.html

Jeff Pringle · 31st July 2008, 05:38 PM

Interesting Yarifish, Lee! The carving’s stylized realism incline me to agree with the trend of the thread in thinking it was modified somewhere close in to Japan. I don’t think I have ever seen a fish face carved quite like that one, if I do I’ll let you know.

Gav, if the auction photo above isn’t making it clear, you’ll have to take my word for it – there is no resemblance to a hachiwara in the form of this item.

The curve of the blade was damage done long after the piece had ended its useful life, the associated edge damage is very fresh and indicates five or six strong swipes at an immovable object in the hands of someone unfamiliar with edged weapons; a cluster of them too close to the grip with a few wild blows as the destroyer found his range. Really, more tragic than the cut down tang.

Evidently, the spear saw significant service as a sword, the forward edge has been re-sharpened enough to bring it a sixteenth of an inch (1.2mm) closer to the ridge than the back edge in the area of the center of percussion.

Andrew · 31st July 2008, 06:58 PM

Jeff is it worth trying to rework that blade and straighten it out again before you polish it?

Jeff Pringle · 1st August 2008, 05:17 PM

It is to me, and it would need to be straightened to do the polishing correctly. Since the major warps were unfairly installed (if I’m reading the damage correctly, of course), and since with Japanese blades you can pin down the time and place of manufacture, even the individual smith, by looking in to the polished steel – it feels like the right thing to do.
It can be a risky operation, since you never know when metal fatigue will cause a blade with a long history of flexing to snap, but I was able to coax it through and it is mostly straight now, just a couple minor adjustments left.

Andrew · 1st August 2008, 05:30 PM

Nice! Are you going to try and heat treat it again, or leave well-enough alone? What about the mountings?

Love to see pics when you get a polish going. Any chance you could take pics along the way as you restore it?

Henk · 1st August 2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew

Love to see pics when you get a polish going. Any chance you could take pics along the way as you restore it?

I'm convinced many members would like to follow the process by pictures and explanation. A great project to restore a magnificent piece to its old glory.
We are ancious to see the results.

Jeff Pringle · 5th August 2008, 10:07 AM

No desire to re-heat treat the blade, since I’m interested in what’s left of the original heat treating and it feels like that would be a final insult to this blade which has already had a tough life. The hilt could get some surface-level help, but not ‘til after the blade is in better shape. I don’t think I’ll disassemble the grip, which will limit the scope of work on that area.
A photo essay sounds like a good idea, though this isn’t a front-burner project so it might go on for a while! The final result will be far short of the blade’s former glory, though, it is too far gone to be more than a shadow of its original self. I’m thinking of splitting the difference between a conservation and restoration, restoring it back to a possibly imaginary point just before it fell into the hands of people unaware of basic sword care – but there is a lot of deep rust and other damage that will remain.

I used a manual press to remove the bends and ripples, since it has good control at the high force levels needed to take out that curve. There were also a lot of bends, so it was helpful in isolating them one by one. I held the blade against a flat surface and marked where it touched, then used blocks of wood at those points to transmit the force in the right direction.

5th August 2008, 10:07 AM	#7
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	No desire to re-heat treat the blade, since I’m interested in what’s left of the original heat treating and it feels like that would be a final insult to this blade which has already had a tough life. The hilt could get some surface-level help, but not ‘til after the blade is in better shape. I don’t think I’ll disassemble the grip, which will limit the scope of work on that area. A photo essay sounds like a good idea, though this isn’t a front-burner project so it might go on for a while! The final result will be far short of the blade’s former glory, though, it is too far gone to be more than a shadow of its original self. I’m thinking of splitting the difference between a conservation and restoration, restoring it back to a possibly imaginary point just before it fell into the hands of people unaware of basic sword care – but there is a lot of deep rust and other damage that will remain. I used a manual press to remove the bends and ripples, since it has good control at the high force levels needed to take out that curve. There were also a lot of bends, so it was helpful in isolating them one by one. I held the blade against a flat surface and marked where it touched, then used blocks of wood at those points to transmit the force in the right direction. Attached Images

31st July 2008, 10:51 AM	#1
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 932	This yari also lost its long tang: http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000158.html

31st July 2008, 05:38 PM	#2
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	Interesting Yarifish, Lee! The carving’s stylized realism incline me to agree with the trend of the thread in thinking it was modified somewhere close in to Japan. I don’t think I have ever seen a fish face carved quite like that one, if I do I’ll let you know. Gav, if the auction photo above isn’t making it clear, you’ll have to take my word for it – there is no resemblance to a hachiwara in the form of this item. The curve of the blade was damage done long after the piece had ended its useful life, the associated edge damage is very fresh and indicates five or six strong swipes at an immovable object in the hands of someone unfamiliar with edged weapons; a cluster of them too close to the grip with a few wild blows as the destroyer found his range. Really, more tragic than the cut down tang. Evidently, the spear saw significant service as a sword, the forward edge has been re-sharpened enough to bring it a sixteenth of an inch (1.2mm) closer to the ridge than the back edge in the area of the center of percussion.

31st July 2008, 06:58 PM	#3
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	Jeff is it worth trying to rework that blade and straighten it out again before you polish it?

1st August 2008, 05:17 PM	#4
Jeff Pringle Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 189	It is to me, and it would need to be straightened to do the polishing correctly. Since the major warps were unfairly installed (if I’m reading the damage correctly, of course), and since with Japanese blades you can pin down the time and place of manufacture, even the individual smith, by looking in to the polished steel – it feels like the right thing to do. It can be a risky operation, since you never know when metal fatigue will cause a blade with a long history of flexing to snap, but I was able to coax it through and it is mostly straight now, just a couple minor adjustments left.

1st August 2008, 05:30 PM	#5
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	Nice! Are you going to try and heat treat it again, or leave well-enough alone? What about the mountings? Love to see pics when you get a polish going. Any chance you could take pics along the way as you restore it?