UBC Custom inspection

[noodlesman12]

yes as impakt750 said there is and its safer/more respectful to use it

[Jeeperrandy]

@noodlesman12 impakt750, like yourself, is a punk gamer with no real experience. If you had ever taken apart dozens of swords, like I have , you would know that the cheesy little brass peg and hammer do little to remove a mekugi, particularly if it has be notched a bit by wear against the nakago. I did nothing 'disrespectful'. Go back to your video games.

[noodlesman12]

@Jeeperrandy you over-reacted to my comment

[Jeeperrandy]

@noodlesman12 My apologies. I react because I've seen too many misguided comments regarding 'respect for the sword' from neophytes. I helped to design this sword and the tsuba itself is 100% my design. I own dozens of katanas and other various swords and am president of United Backyard Cutters, and international sword interest group and forum. I know what respect for the sword is, and using a small claw hammer to tap the mekugi out is perfectly acceptable. Again, my apologies.

[gamerx112]

I looked at that and I was like wtf thats no katana, then i realized how big of a moron I was to not recognize that it was just the sheathe.

[impakt750]

BTW theres a pin in the top of that brass hamer whitch is used for removing the pegs

[usasanarchy]

a question what kind of oil do you/ should one use? #2 where can one find this oil. and btw REALLY NICE SWORD COLLECTION!

[Jeeperrandy]

Hanwei ,makes a sword oil. Traditional choji oil for swords is simply mineral oil, available at drug stores, with a drop of clove oil added for color and smell. Plain mineral oil works fine.

[SPQQKY]

I'm afraid some people just don't get it. Genuine nihonto from Japan cost a lot of money. Like jeeper said, tens of thousand or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. To make a tsuka an exact fit would take someone the better part of a day and that would, at the very least, double the price. As far as the shim....I don't like them and it should be made of wood. But as long as the nakago is snug and the mekugi are tight and in good shape, the katana should be fine for cutting.

[BushidoDevildog]

Swords in the "tens of thousand or even hundreds of thousands of dollars" price range are (or should be) art/museum quality blades. The price range for a decent shinken for Iaido/tameshigiri is about $2000-6000 here in Japan. The cutter in my videos cost me ¥450,000 = $5000 @ ¥90/USD exchange rate. It is shimmed with copper in the tsuba and super-thin bamboo inside the tsuka to tighten up some "gata" (+looseness) that is a natural result of it being used for cutting.

[omagaphenix]

is trying to get a katana that is not horribly expensive but can aculy by used any one no of a good site to buy one

[annyonghaseyo90]

are these katanas chinese? i just dont see the point if they are chinese....

[Jeeperrandy]

About 90% of all katana made today are forged in China. All popular production katana like Cheness, Hanwei, Dynasty Forge and others are factory produced in China. Real nihonto cost tens of thousands of dollars. What is your point ?

[Jeeperrandy]

All the fuss about the 'cardboard shim' and it really isn't even cardboard actually, just a slip of heavy paper, kinda like the stuff manila envelopes are made of.

[MarcKaden]

Absolutely the sword is fine to cut with... shims of one form or another are used by every production company... regardless , if they want their tsuka to fit properly. For the price of these swords , there is NOWAY a dedicated , fitted core will be made for each one. Certainly one would expect a custom fit properly, but one would be hard pressed to get a custom for $3300 much less $330. The word custom is bandied about too much these days. A production kat with a rewrap is NOT a custom.

[Jeeperrandy]

Thanks very much for your comments Marc. I would consider you much more an authority on modern production katanas than I am.

[RobbyDoom]

"Certainly one would expect a custom fit properly, but one would be hard pressed to get a custom for $3300 much less $330."

I beg to differ.

I am having a custom James Raw blade and a custom ho and saya by Skip Gardner made, and for far less that $3300.

The word custom is put forth by many in the sense that they are "customizing" their sword. So in all honesty. A production katana with a rewrap IS a custom. Like customizing a car. "This is my custom honda civic"...lol civics...ew!!!

[Ianflaer]

Thanks for the Vid Randy. when I did my review I kind of just skipped right over the shim because I thougt it was no big deal. in fact I was glad to see it because it means they tok the care and time to make sure the fit was individual to each sword. Hanwei sometimes uses shims to make their tsuka ho fit properly on the makago but they use very thin wood and glue it to the ho. they can be hard to see sometimes. the way to get a perfect fit is to have it custom made no; production sword has that

[RobbyDoom]

Great video Randy.

I seriously wouldn't be impressed at all with the shim.

I mean if you send you get custom blades made at any cost, you'd expect the quality to not be sub-par. Perhaps it was due to the mush mash of all the tsuka, being removed and not put on the right blade. The ho should always fit the nakago perfectly. None the less, I personally, would not cut with that blade, I'd treat it like a cracked ho (ho = tsuka core, not a crack whore, LOL!!).

[Jeeperrandy]

I wouldn't consider it 'sub-par'. Many production katanas don't have good tsuka fit. Many feel solid, but if the mekugi are removed you will find play ( = dangerous) and many are jammed so hard onto the nakago that the wood is already stressed and cracking ( = dangerous). The fit of this tsuka, with the shim, is perfect and the tsuka is high quality. I have no problem cutting with it.

[RobbyDoom]

I mean you're opinion of the matter is yours, but the basic physics of it states its own safety issue. It is like taking a wooden box that has something hard inside that fits the box snug on all sides except the top, then putting something softer on the object ,like cardboard. Then putting the lid on it. What is going to happen?

[RobbyDoom]

The lid is going to crack or brake. Sure your tsuka won't break in the next 50 cuts, but sooner or later it will. It may also turn out to be a dangerous event.

I've moved, shipped, and received many packages both personally and professionally(Manager of shipping outlet in T.O) and I know that the strength of the basic physics of this shim application is not safe by any means.

[Jeeperrandy]

With the shim, it is a better fit than almost any katana I've taken apart., therefor safer. I'll trust the opinion of the more knowledgeable swordsman on this matter. This 'shim' is thinner than matchbook cardboard. It's more like heavy paper. There is no reasonable basis for thinking it is in any way unsafe, based on what I have seen.

[RobbyDoom]

"I'll trust the opinion of the more knowledgeable swordsman on this matter."

Knowledgeable swordsman or not, it defies the basic principles of physics, plain and simple. None the less, still your opinion. I'd like to consult someone whom builds swords over someone whom just swings them.

[MarcKaden]

Really? What principals of physics are those? One of Newton's laws? Perhaps string theory? Ive owned and cut with more katana than I care to admit, and seen shims on DF, Oni, Kensei, Hanwei, Bugei, MAS, not to mention cheaper brands... its just a fact of life....

[MarcKaden]

"If there is play the tsuka is either cracked *or* simply needs some properly placed shims to bring it back to tight ("Looseness happens"). "

"On my inspection runs I'm often spending time either cleaning up the fit, adjusting it a bit, sometimes carefully placing a shim, etc. It's hard enough on high end work to get a good fit that stays good across environments -- that is compounded when you get into production level work. "

Quotes from Keith Larman... a "sword builder."

[RobbyDoom]

Sure, placing a shim is satisfactory, if needed. Although it shouldn't be needed, if you've done your job right. Which I willing expect from production swords, and don't deny the use of which. What I can guarantee you is that, the shim Keith Larman is using on his repairs, if you will, isn't made from cardboard. That is the point I'm making. It is mostly likely/logically made from wood, of, or equal to the strength of the ho itself. That is the point I'm making.

[RobbyDoom]

Plain and simple, this cardboard shim is a travesty, and I would have sent it back. If they took the time to have a proper repair, so be it. In order to keep business alive, the manufacturer, too should make the proper sacrifices for safety.

[Jeeperrandy]

Well, apparently none of the actual owners of these katanas feel the way you do. Perhaps if you actually inspected one in person you would realize what a minor issue it really is. We have offered to replace, resell or otherwise rectify the shim issue to any of the owners. None has taken the offer. Nobody feels it is as big a deal as you seem to think it is.

[RobbyDoom]

word

[stonehartfloydfan]

I do not see how the shim is such a problem. I have come across them in some of my own Katanas tsuka before and I understand the reason for the need. It would only become a problem if you got your tsuka extreamly wet at which point a damp shim is about the least of your problems.

[Insanesr]

Nice vid Randy,

I'd love to have a daisho of these.

I was told that a hamon like that is called

"YAKI-OTOSHI'

I own a Ryumon blade that has it.

[wizzbangtg]

Nice video Randy. I seen and heard that there was some complaints about that hard board shim. A shim in that manner is absolutely acceptable. The tsuka is quality mass produced, they made it fit right for each blade. I thought the Ito was silk when I felt it at the Moyoushi.

I don't understand why these people are griping about, especially at the price that was accepted for these UBC Katanas. They are a far better sword than one of a comparable price. Wish I had the money for one then.

[Shadowhowler42]

Kensei uses nickle for the silver habaki and seppa I belive.

[suirllinddracus]

A shim is a good idea if the blade is loose, I cant believe I didn't think of that when my friends katana got loose. So we just ended up in a disaster. He went to cut a bottle, the peg broke and the blade went flying like a spear... No one was hurt but we never found the tuba... lol

[SirJabsAlot]

Cool sword, I guess if everything is nice and tight. The cardboard shim doesn't matter.

I like your set up :)

[xXVisionaryXx]

beautiful sword :)