Damn dude that's pretty badass. I binge watched your build process on this really nice work. I can't imagine what your blades will look like in a couple of years.
That is absolutely clever Wes! Your fit and finish has improved markedly. I only saw a couple of minor where the metal fittings aren't quite as tight to the adjacent material as they should. You should have given us a better look at the blade! In the daylight! Really good job Wes! Thanks for sharing! Albert
I'm not too happy with the fittings, either. I might have to make a new tsuba and seppa. The scabbard mouth and the top handle piece are close, but they don't match, so I am thinking of making another one that is slightly larger in diameter than the fittings, but not quite a guard.
Traditional lacquering techniques use different materials to create textures, but natural urushi lacquer turns everything dark. Modern lacquer is not reactive and seals the material, so I thought it would be cool to seal the natural color of fall leaves on a scabbard.
Wow. This tanto looks much better then the previous ones. Tsuka and saya look amazing, very interesting color. Did you dry the blueberry leaves before using? Why the powder has a red color?
The leaves were picked during fall season last year. They turn a vibrant red, so I slowly dried them in a microwave, making sure not to overheat. The leaves were then crushed up in a mortar and pestle. I made a mixture of rose and hydrangea leaves that was a bright purple, but I never used it.
Thanks for the quick response! That's very interesting to see how it purple mixture will be look like, when applied. Wish you success in your art research! How do you consider - is the durability/toughness of ishime coating depends on the type of the filler (tea leaves, blueberry leaves, etc.)? Or it depends only on the type of the lacquer? What kind of the lacquer do you use? And also I'm waiting for another interesting video:)
I use a modern oil-based lacquer, I believe Minwax brand. The toughness depends on the lacquer, not so much the filler. If you use traditional urushi lacquer with organic material, the leaves oxidize and change color. Modern lacquer does not react with the leaves, so it seals the leaves from oxygen, preserving their color. This can be done with just about any type of leaf, so if you see a bunch of flowers with interesting colors, pick them and carefully dry them in the microwave. Too fast and they will turn brown! I would say 10 seconds at a time and let them cool. Once they can be easily crushed with your fingers, grind them up and put them in a plastic bag with all of the air pressed out.
Thanks for the advice! This is exactly what I was worried about. I'm going to use yacht varnish, it's very durable, elastic and also has UV protection. Will see whats happen.
Some of my forged blades dont get sharp on some areas on the blade. The edge kind of brake of wehn i try to sharpen it. I am using hss high carbon steal. Do anyone have an idea wy that happens?
Damn dude that's pretty badass. I binge watched your build process on this really nice work. I can't imagine what your blades will look like in a couple of years.
Thanks!
Very nice 👍
That is absolutely clever Wes!
Your fit and finish has improved markedly. I only saw a couple of minor where the metal fittings aren't quite as tight to the adjacent material as they should.
You should have given us a better look at the blade! In the daylight!
Really good job Wes! Thanks for sharing!
Albert
I'm not too happy with the fittings, either. I might have to make a new tsuba and seppa. The scabbard mouth and the top handle piece are close, but they don't match, so I am thinking of making another one that is slightly larger in diameter than the fittings, but not quite a guard.
That's what I like about you Wes! Always willing to take critique well, then do something about it.
Good job as always!
AAR
That's so cool looking! How did you come up with the idea?
Traditional lacquering techniques use different materials to create textures, but natural urushi lacquer turns everything dark. Modern lacquer is not reactive and seals the material, so I thought it would be cool to seal the natural color of fall leaves on a scabbard.
That things smart, didn't take you long to realize working for some corporation should just be a way of escaping its clutches. Staying tuned mate.
Can i use any clear lacquer found in local hardware?
Wow. This tanto looks much better then the previous ones. Tsuka and saya look amazing, very interesting color.
Did you dry the blueberry leaves before using? Why the powder has a red color?
The leaves were picked during fall season last year. They turn a vibrant red, so I slowly dried them in a microwave, making sure not to overheat. The leaves were then crushed up in a mortar and pestle. I made a mixture of rose and hydrangea leaves that was a bright purple, but I never used it.
Thanks for the quick response! That's very interesting to see how it purple mixture will be look like, when applied. Wish you success in your art research!
How do you consider - is the durability/toughness of ishime coating depends on the type of the filler (tea leaves, blueberry leaves, etc.)? Or it depends only on the type of the lacquer? What kind of the lacquer do you use?
And also I'm waiting for another interesting video:)
I use a modern oil-based lacquer, I believe Minwax brand. The toughness depends on the lacquer, not so much the filler. If you use traditional urushi lacquer with organic material, the leaves oxidize and change color. Modern lacquer does not react with the leaves, so it seals the leaves from oxygen, preserving their color. This can be done with just about any type of leaf, so if you see a bunch of flowers with interesting colors, pick them and carefully dry them in the microwave. Too fast and they will turn brown! I would say 10 seconds at a time and let them cool. Once they can be easily crushed with your fingers, grind them up and put them in a plastic bag with all of the air pressed out.
Thanks for the advice! This is exactly what I was worried about. I'm going to use yacht varnish, it's very durable, elastic and also has UV protection. Will see whats happen.
Some of my forged blades dont get sharp on some areas on the blade. The edge kind of brake of wehn i try to sharpen it. I am using hss high carbon steal. Do anyone have an idea wy that happens?