Sword Repairs / Sharpening
DO NOT SHIP BARE BLADES - VERY
DANGEROUS!
It is important to keep your swords properly maintained. Using a
chopstick meguki peg replacement or continuing to use that split saya can be a
costly mistake. If the specific repair service is not listed here, just
email us at info@nihonzashi.com to get
a quote. We will also be glad to give you advice if you want to tackle the
job yourself. We offer a lifetime 1/2 Price Sharpening and 1/2 Price Repair on any Shinken or Iaito you purchase at Nihonzashi
(click here if you qualify).
Don't let a dull sword make the difference between success and failure! We have been sharpening katana for over 10 years and know what
makes a great cutting sword. We only sharpen katana / wakizashi that were
designed for tameshigiri (test cutting). We will not sharpen decorative
stainless steel blades sold as "battle ready" or antiques (we will sharpen gunto
of known value). We offer a lifetime 1/2
Price Sharpening and 1/2 Price Repair on any Shinken or Iaito you purchase at Nihonzashi
(click here if you qualify).
Bent swords are a standard part of tameshigiri training. Shinken are
designed to bend and not break. As long as the hardened edge has not
cracked, the sword can be straightened. We will use wood straightening
jigs to get bends and twists out of your swords. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Maintaining good bamboo mekugi pins is essential to keeping your sword safe.
If the mekugi pins are deformed, notched, or crushed - they need to be replaced.
We used special hard bamboo to custom fit mekugi pins to your sword. Please order any
repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
If you handle wrap becomes loose or the kashira knot becomes
un-done - we can probably fix your sword without re-wrapping it. Loose Tsuka Ito (handle
cord) is adjusted and treated with a special penetrating fixative. The
Tsuka Ito can be removed later so the Tsuka can be rewrapped. Please order any
repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Changing the tsuba is
the easiest way to change the balance of your sword or personalize it to fit
your taste. The tsuba opening is hand filed down for a
perfect fit or brass shims are used when tsuba is too large. This does not
include the cost of the Tsuba or extra seppa that may be required.
Click here to see our current selection of tsuba and
seppa. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
his is the most common repair needed for katana. The blade is turned
before completely leaving the saya causing anything from thin cracks to huge
gaps. While a repaired saya is usually not as strong as the original, a
re-enforced version of this repair is also available. This repair does not
replace the buffalo horn koiguchi. Epoxy resin is used to replace any
missing wood/horn or fill gaps. Wood glue is used to repair the split
where appropriate. The re-enforced version of this repair uses copper wire
covered in epoxy. We suggest our economical enamel refinishing service to
bring the cosmetic appearance back to your saya. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
The habaki should fit snugly into the koiguchi of the saya. It should
keep the sword from sliding out, but not be difficult to draw. The mouth
of the saya can be re-fit to the habaki of your sword to get the proper fit.
Birch veneer inserts are added and filed down to make a perfect fit for the
habaki. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
f your saya has been repaired or you just want a new color, we can put on a
new lacquer finish. Fittings are masked and the saya is sanded and primed.
Lacquer finishes are durable
finishes. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
The mouth of a saya usually has a water buffalo horn ring that reduces wear
and helps keep the saya from splitting. This is replaced by plastic in
lower end saya. We will replace (or add a new) water buffalo horn koiguchi
that is custom carved for the saya. Please order any repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Kojiri are the end-cap of the saya. These are metal fittings or water
buffalo horn that protect the soft saya from damage. Saya have to be made
to fit metal kojiri, but we can fit buffalo horn kojiri to your saya. This
is done to replace a cracked kojiri, or replace a lost or damaged metal kojiri. Please order any
repair services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Sharpening is not a cosmetic polish but does affect the whole surface of the
blade! It is not intended to make the
sword look good. It makes the sword cut better. One of the basic requirements
for Tameshigiri is a sharp well shaped katana edge. If you are not sure your
katana needs sharpening, check out our "Is my Sword
Sharp?" page. The blade surface must be
polished (not cosmetic) and the geometry correct. Most
practitioners make the mistake of trying to sharpen their own blades with
products designed for knifes. It is the whole surface and not just the edge that
makes the katana cut well.
We can optimize the edge for soft or hard targets. Soft
targets include tatami and beach mats. Bamboo is considered a hard target. We
use a series of Japanese water stones and diamond polishing abrasives ranging from 80 to 10,000 grit to put a
razor edge and polished surface on your katana. A standard sharpening only
sharpens about 14 to 16 inches of the blade which is used for cutting. This is
normally the only part that becomes dull. We will also sharpen the
kissaki.
We also offer a sharpening polish that removes all of
the diagonal scratches from the water stones and
continues the polish to 40,000 grit. While this
does not improve the cutting ability of the sword, it
does make it look much better. A Hybrid Polish
includes cleaning up all surfaces of the blade and
enhancement of the hamon. This will make your
sword like new.
The katana should have a removable tsuka. Please email us if
you wish to sharpen a sword with the tsuka permanently attached. We will remove
the tsuka and straighten the blade as part of the normal process. Swords
should be shipped with saya and fittings to protect the blade. The tsuba
can be removed to reduce the dimensions of the sword, but the sword should be
shipped with the tsuka and mekugi peg to keep the blade from being forced into
the saya and splitting it.
Bent swords are a standard part of tameshigiri training. Shinken are
designed to bend and not break. As long as the hardened edge has not
cracked, the sword can be straightened. We will use wood straightening
jigs to get bends and twists out of your swords. Please order any sharpening services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
A standard sharpening only sharpens about 14 to
16 inches of the katana which is used for cutting (including the kissaki). This
is normally the only part that becomes dull. The sharpened half of the
blade may vary from the rest of the blade and there may be some faint scratches
left from coarser stones. Please order any sharpening services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
A whole blade sharpening includes the cutting
edge back to the habaki. This type of sharpening is useful for dodan cutting which
uses the entire length of the blade. It also produces a uniform finish over the
entire length of the blade but there may be some faint scratches left from
coarser stones. Please order any sharpening
services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
A sharpening polish sharpens the whole blade including
the cutting edge back to the habaki. This type of
sharpening produces a uniform finish over the
entire length of the blade. It also refines the finish further than the
standard and whole blade sharpening using abrasives
going to 1/4 micron. Please order any sharpening
services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
A hybrid polish adds clean-up of all the blade
surfaces and cosmetic enhancement to the hamon. It
sharpens the whole blade and polishes all surfaces using
abrasives going to 1/4 micron. It also includes a
light chemical etch to further bring out the hamon
(hardened edge).
Chips and nicks in the blade can be removed as
long as they do not go past the hamon. Chip and nick removal over 1/64th
of an inch are an
additional charge to standard and whole blade sharpening. Chips and nicks
are removed by reshaping the blade on a slow speed wet grinder before
sharpening. A large part of the blade may need to be reshaped to keep a
proper blade geometry. Please order any sharpening services using
the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Reshaping can be important for katana that have
poor edge geometry. We can optimize the edge for soft or hard targets. Soft
targets include tatami and beach mats. Bamboo is considered a hard target.
The edge is reshaped using a slow speed wet grinder before sharpening.
Please order any sharpening services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
A kissaki can be reshaped to repair a broken tip.
The kissaki is reshaped using a slow speed wet grinder before sharpening.
Please order any sharpening services using the
Katana,
Wakizashi, or
Tanto price lists at the bottom of this
page and remember to include return shipping.
Nihonzashi Sword Store & Dojo
5980 66th St N, Suite M
St Petersburg FL 33709
727-329-9679
Repair costs should be pre-paid.
Please include return shipping with your
payment. Please send a copy of your Paypal receipt and any special instructions
with the sword. Swords will be returned in their original packaging. Normal
repairs will take from 4 to 8 weeks.
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