How to tighten a Kaskara hilt?

blue lander · 24th January 2014, 08:50 PM

I picked up Kaskara off e-bay recently. I assume it isn't particularly old and the blade has no markings on it. Other than being a little rusty it's still decent good condition and dangerously sharp. The blade wobbles a bit, though it doesn't feel at risk of sliding out of the hilt. Is there any recommended way to tighten it back up? It looks like hilt is stuffed with fabric/cloth on both sides of the blade to act as shunts.

Edster · 24th January 2014, 10:26 PM

I've never tightened a kaskara hilt, but on "first principles", I'd proceed as follows.

The blade and hilt are held together by two wooden pieces that forms the basis of the grip all wedged together. Some blade tangs have a hole in it and the wood and blade are joined by a pin through the wood pieces and the blade tang that also secures the hilt. The leather grip wrap could be removed and the assembly "structure" could be assessed. Even though the grip wrap appears to be "modern" and not of the period of the hilt and blade, I wouldn't recommend going this way at first.

You mentioned a piece of cloth stuffed up into the area between the blade and the hilt "struts". I believe this is a hilt tightening technique. (I have two kaskaras with what looks like thin leather stuffed into this space. Both have tight hilts. Also, I have another that is tight as well, but without any stuffing.)

If the stuffing is leather, a few drips on leather preservation oil might replace the original moisture content and make it a tighter fit. If that doesn't work, I would remove and repack the stuffing to see if it does the trick. Can't hurt. As a last resort and if I was confident I could properly re-wrap the grip, I'd remove the wrap and investigate the guts of the assembly.

Let us know how any of these approaches work.
Ed

blue lander · 24th January 2014, 11:18 PM

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. It looks like it's stuffed with yarn of some sort, I could try picking it out and repacking it.

Also, you mention the hilt and blade look older than the leather wrapping. Do you have any sense of how old the hilt and blade might be? The seller didn't have much information, they described it as "WW 2 sword", so I assumed it wasn't much older than the 40's. On the other hand they listed it in the Japanese sword category, so I don't exactly trust the seller's expertise.

The blade has some bend to it, but it's much stiffer than my Takouba. It's a little stiffer than a good machete.

trenchwarfare · 26th January 2014, 10:52 PM

This may be considered sacrilege but on some loose hilts, I just fill the thing with white glue. Watch for, and seal off any areas where it might escape. Then drive some appropriate sized wooden wedges in to tighten the whole thing. In this case, you could probably drive them deep enough, to replace the fabric wadding. This one might be tricky, with the leather being so light colored. The wetness of the glue, will darken the leather. With, or without glue, I'd still use wedges. Cedar works well, cuz it's soft, and conforms to shape. It also snaps off clean.

blue lander · 27th January 2014, 04:47 PM

The yarn is as hard as a rock, so I think somebody might have already poured some sort of adhesive down there. I'll try to remove it and replace it with some cedar shunts.

Edster · 27th January 2014, 06:27 PM

Can't say about the age. The hilt has a little taper and is indicative of being "older" than the 1960's or so. The "X" isn't necessarily diagnostic.

Does the blade have any markings? A blade made of lorry leaf springs would would be pretty springy. Based on the current info I don't think the age can be determined with any confidence. Others may have better insights.

Ed

blue lander · 27th January 2014, 07:27 PM

I don't think the blade has any markings. I attached a picture of what looked like markings on the blade at first, but I think they're just failed laminations or flaws in the steel. They're only on one side of the blade. The hilt does taper, but the ends aren't very well shaped.

I don't know if you can tell anything from the kind of rings used on the scabbard, but I included a picture anyways. They have a channel running down the middle of them.

Edster · 28th January 2014, 01:45 AM

I have a feeling that the blade is "locally" made from ferrous metal other than spring steel. How does it sound when you tap the tip on a hard surface; a kind of a ring or a dull thud-like sound?

Scabbards are made by a separate craft guild from sword and knife makers. The rings are likely made from scrap metal even nails bent in a crude circle. Your rings are interesting, but probably not diagnostic. Likely made from what useful metal on hand.

Take care,
Ed

blue lander · 28th January 2014, 03:49 PM

It rings a little, but it's mostly a dull "thunk". The very loose hilt might be contributing to that, though.

24th January 2014, 08:50 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	How to tighten a Kaskara hilt? I picked up Kaskara off e-bay recently. I assume it isn't particularly old and the blade has no markings on it. Other than being a little rusty it's still decent good condition and dangerously sharp. The blade wobbles a bit, though it doesn't feel at risk of sliding out of the hilt. Is there any recommended way to tighten it back up? It looks like hilt is stuffed with fabric/cloth on both sides of the blade to act as shunts. Attached Images

24th January 2014, 11:18 PM	#3
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. It looks like it's stuffed with yarn of some sort, I could try picking it out and repacking it. Also, you mention the hilt and blade look older than the leather wrapping. Do you have any sense of how old the hilt and blade might be? The seller didn't have much information, they described it as "WW 2 sword", so I assumed it wasn't much older than the 40's. On the other hand they listed it in the Japanese sword category, so I don't exactly trust the seller's expertise. The blade has some bend to it, but it's much stiffer than my Takouba. It's a little stiffer than a good machete. Attached Images Last edited by blue lander; 25th January 2014 at 12:48 AM.

27th January 2014, 07:27 PM	#7
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	I don't think the blade has any markings. I attached a picture of what looked like markings on the blade at first, but I think they're just failed laminations or flaws in the steel. They're only on one side of the blade. The hilt does taper, but the ends aren't very well shaped. I don't know if you can tell anything from the kind of rings used on the scabbard, but I included a picture anyways. They have a channel running down the middle of them. Attached Images

24th January 2014, 10:26 PM	#2
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 408	I've never tightened a kaskara hilt, but on "first principles", I'd proceed as follows. The blade and hilt are held together by two wooden pieces that forms the basis of the grip all wedged together. Some blade tangs have a hole in it and the wood and blade are joined by a pin through the wood pieces and the blade tang that also secures the hilt. The leather grip wrap could be removed and the assembly "structure" could be assessed. Even though the grip wrap appears to be "modern" and not of the period of the hilt and blade, I wouldn't recommend going this way at first. You mentioned a piece of cloth stuffed up into the area between the blade and the hilt "struts". I believe this is a hilt tightening technique. (I have two kaskaras with what looks like thin leather stuffed into this space. Both have tight hilts. Also, I have another that is tight as well, but without any stuffing.) If the stuffing is leather, a few drips on leather preservation oil might replace the original moisture content and make it a tighter fit. If that doesn't work, I would remove and repack the stuffing to see if it does the trick. Can't hurt. As a last resort and if I was confident I could properly re-wrap the grip, I'd remove the wrap and investigate the guts of the assembly. Let us know how any of these approaches work. Ed

26th January 2014, 10:52 PM	#4
trenchwarfare Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 385	This may be considered sacrilege but on some loose hilts, I just fill the thing with white glue. Watch for, and seal off any areas where it might escape. Then drive some appropriate sized wooden wedges in to tighten the whole thing. In this case, you could probably drive them deep enough, to replace the fabric wadding. This one might be tricky, with the leather being so light colored. The wetness of the glue, will darken the leather. With, or without glue, I'd still use wedges. Cedar works well, cuz it's soft, and conforms to shape. It also snaps off clean.

27th January 2014, 04:47 PM	#5
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	The yarn is as hard as a rock, so I think somebody might have already poured some sort of adhesive down there. I'll try to remove it and replace it with some cedar shunts.

27th January 2014, 06:27 PM	#6
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 408	Can't say about the age. The hilt has a little taper and is indicative of being "older" than the 1960's or so. The "X" isn't necessarily diagnostic. Does the blade have any markings? A blade made of lorry leaf springs would would be pretty springy. Based on the current info I don't think the age can be determined with any confidence. Others may have better insights. Ed

28th January 2014, 01:45 AM	#8
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 408	I have a feeling that the blade is "locally" made from ferrous metal other than spring steel. How does it sound when you tap the tip on a hard surface; a kind of a ring or a dull thud-like sound? Scabbards are made by a separate craft guild from sword and knife makers. The rings are likely made from scrap metal even nails bent in a crude circle. Your rings are interesting, but probably not diagnostic. Likely made from what useful metal on hand. Take care, Ed

28th January 2014, 03:49 PM	#9
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	It rings a little, but it's mostly a dull "thunk". The very loose hilt might be contributing to that, though.