Making a San Mai Tanto - Chapter #3: The Tsuba (25 pictures here)

[ArielSalaverria]

Making a San Mai Tanto - Chapter #3: The Tsuba

Here's the previous installment:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=351281


Piece of flat copper stock to make the tsuba.

Placing the piece of copper on the oven til it gets hot, making it easier to punch (about 850C)

Taking it off the oven and placing it on the anvil to punch a hole on it with a piece of steel mimicking the shape on the tang.

Hammering the hole on the copper.

Ending the hole punching process.

Fine adjustment of the hole shape with a small file. This piece won't be glued or welded to the blade in any way, so it has to have an exact fit.

 

[ArielSalaverria]

Marking the desired shape and cutting the rectangular piece of copper.

Using the bench band grinder to take the rectangular piece of copper to the proper oval tsuba shape.

Copper tsuba ready to be enameled.

Splashing the copper piece with an aerograph with destiled water so it retains the powdered enamel.

Placing red powdered enamel on a regular coffee strainer.

Powdering the red enamel on the copper piece, sifting it through the strainer.

Splashing the enameled copper piece with an aerograph with destiled water one more time, so it retains the new layer of powdered enamel.

Powdering yellow enamel on the copper piece, again sifting it through the strainer.

Powdering translucid white enamel on the copper piece (I had to use the aerograph with destiled water one more time, just like described above).

 

[ArielSalaverria]

Placing the powdered tsuba on an electric over at 900C until the powder enamel aquires a liquid and shiny consistency. I use that inverted U shape piece to insert and retrieve the piece from the oven easily, with just a steel bar. I use a screw to hold the piece in the air because I need both sides of the copper to be enameled properly.

Tsuba just taken out of the oven. Proper colors will be achieved once cold.

Carefully grinding the borders of the almost finished piece to get rid of displaced enamel and temperature oxidation spots.

Finished tsuba.

Regards,

Ariel

 

[silver_pilate]

Lord that is beautiful. This knife already spoken for?

--Nathan

 

[ArielSalaverria]

Nathan,

Not spoken for

A client of mine has "first right of refusal" on this, but drop me an email if you're interested on the final piece.

I'll make the handle in orange and black micarta and the sheath in wood, in the "traditional" Japanese style.

Ariel

 

[silver_pilate]

Ariel,

I'm definately interested. Check your email. The address I'm using is nathan.burgess@gmail.com.

Thanks, and keep up the good work. If this knife gets sold before I can make a bid, I'll definately be contacting you about some custom work.

--nathan

 

[ArielSalaverria]

Nathan,

I just replied your email, thank you for your interest

Regard,

Ariel