Here we go again! Shirasaya custom

[andysoard]

Hi everyone I not too long ago bought a shirasaya here at SOM as well as some leather ito. I decided to use the fittings of a cheapie sword I bought when I was first starting to collect swords except for the tsuba, I bought that from SOM a while back. Anyways this is a rough, and I do mean rough custom of what it will be, Im still waiting to buy some rayskin instead of the fake rayskin that it has on now. Oh and the reason why it is only on one side I did not cut the ito so what is left over is moving from the top of the tsuka to the bottom of the wrapping I have done on the saya.

Before, just the shirasaya

http://www.swordsofmight.com/images/view.aspx?productId=621 (http://www.swordsofmight.com/images/view.aspx?productId=621)

and here is what I have done to it:

first I cut off the horn where the fuchi would go so I could add a tsuba, then I filed and sanded the tsuka down till I could add the fittings on the saya and the tsuka.
Here are the results.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/andy_soard/Custom4001.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/andy_soard/Custom4003.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/andy_soard/Custom4004.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g134/andy_soard/Custom4007.jpg

Thanks for reading. As usual any input will be accepted, good or bad (hopefully good).

[knightkat1]

Lookin' nice Andy! I have that same one also. Think this is the first I've seen of someone posting about using the blade for a project, or even the whole sword itself. Giving me ideas for mine now! :-? Wondering, is that the original tsuka that came on it?

[andysoard]

yep its the same tsuka. infact other than this one,the other three I have done only came with either just a blade or a blade and I used another saya.

[the blade master]

hi andy
that saya wrap looks neat im just not sure about the finish on the tsuka tho
mick

[andysoard]

Hi Mick,
Like I said before this is just a rough custom Im going to finish the whole thing whenever I get some real rayskin. I was thinking of painting the saya a hunter green, and maybe paint the furniture black but still undecided on that.

[the blade master]

here you go andy i once had a bike this colour metalic dark forest green with black fittings nice:ohyeah:

[Mako]

here you go andy i once had a bike this colour metalic dark forest green with black fittings nice:ohyeah:
I think somebody just stole the bike Mick. http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8192/unsure1.gif (http://img341.imageshack.us/i/unsure1.gif/)

[the blade master]

you know j i wondered where it got to andy i want my bike back=))=))

[wolfhound]

Wow, that looks very different & quite unique, well done!

[andysoard]

Oh sorry mick I couldnt help myself =) just too easy. now where did I put that bike at? :-?

[Maynar]

I've come to appreciate that narrow style of tsukamaki, I see it on replicas of shin gunto, and the like. It looks good.

Have no idea what it's called, however.

Still great work, Andy. *thumbs up*

[andysoard]

thanks maynar. Im not sure if I should leave it that way or traditionally wrap it, havent decided yet.
As I have said before any suggestions will be appreciated.

[Caliper]

Good job there Andy!
Nice to see you finish the custom you've been planning for so long!!

that maki must have been a pain doing it since it's leather

[andysoard]

a little, I made a mistake once and cut the leather too short but I studied how they put the whole piece together and now I got the right amount by placing the piece back together with super glue I figure if it could glue my fingers together it could glue the pieces of leather back together ;).

Ok update: I tryed cutting with the kat wrapped like on the pic and the cap came off, soI decided to wrap traditionally :-<, but still havent decided completely, I may try a full european like wrap >:). ok I dont know about that, but suggestions I will take on how to wrap it.

[knightkat1]

first I cut off the horn where the fuchi would go so I could add a tsuba, then I filed and sanded the tsuka down till I could add the fittings on the saya and the tsuka.


Andy, I was wondering if yours was the newer version, with the horn fittings both on the tsuka and the mouth of the saya, or the older with just the horn at the mouth of the saya? I have the older version before the added both pieces of horn. Your customization of your shirasaya has influenced me to do mine, and possibly even my tanto. I was just wondering exactly what modifications you had to make on tsuka and/or saya to accomidate the fittings. On mine, I'd like to keep the original mekugi ana both in tsuka and nagako, if at all possible.

[andysoard]

Well knightkat my shirasaya was a newer model, with horn on both saya and tsuka, all I did was used a saw and cut between the horn on the tuska so I could put a tsuba onto the sword. As for getting the fittings on, it only required filing the wood/sanding to make the fittings fit onto the tsuka and saya. If you take the piece off the saya you will still see the horn.
I was actually suprised that this wasnt a real hard task, the only problem Im going to have is to keep the paint nice and even with no droplets left on the saya.