Restoration of a WW2 Katana...

[26Intrepid]

Hello all....

If this subject makes you queasy or upset... sorry.

Long story short... I purchased this sword about two years ago in an online auction, sight unseen. I knew it was in bad shape but it didn’t bother me. After removing all the rust and junk from the blade, I realized how badly pitted it was. A huge part of me wished I would’ve left it alone.

After two years of looking at this awful blade... I decided to do something about it. I’m sure most of you will agree, after looking at the pics, that the blade is practically worthless due to all the damage. My thought is... why not try to make it look better? What’s at stake? NOTHING!

It almost looks like somebody sprayed/ dropped acid on the blade... weird that most of the pitting/damage is on the cutting side of the blade... extensive damage and a sad ending to this sword... well... hopefully I can change that.

I hoping that I won’t get too much negative feedback. No, I’m not a swords smith and I don’t have the knowledge or skill in refinishing a knife or sword. I have refinished a lot of wood and metal pieces... so I’m applying my skills to this blade. Spending $100.00 an inch to have it professionally restored wasn’t in my budget, and quite frankly, this sword isn't worth that kind of money (IMO).

I’ve finished the hard sanding on one side and 1/3 done on the other. I will them begin the finishing part. It’s very hard work... in 2-3hrs I’m able to smooth out about 2-3”... this metal is very good... very strong metal!

In my opinion... it looks 100% better already... you can actually see a hamon line now, before I started this project you couldn’t.

I posted this sword a while back for the smith maker... I will update as I go. This isn't a job I would recommend anybody to due

First photos will be of the sword when I received it...

[26Intrepid]

Now, these are the pics after cleaning the blade of all that rust...

[26Intrepid]

Lastly, this is my progress so far...

It’s really difficult to photo this blade... but you can see the crazy hamon coming to life again. I’m hoping that the final sanding and polishing will make it stand out more.

[26Intrepid]

And by the way... this is all block sanding. Very hard on the old hands!! That blade is still very sharp after all these years too! Hopefully, I won’t be missing any digits at the end of this restoration!

All pitting is gone from where it’s been refinished... very happy about that. It’s actually starting to look good again...

[rbminis]

IMO, do not polish, you will lose all traces of the hamon.
Increasingly finer grades of sandpaper until you can almost not see any scratches.
Even well used sandpaper still works.
Ralph.

[26Intrepid]

Thanks Ralph... that’s my plan exactly... it’s kind of funny... that a little oil really makes the hamon pop! It’s gonna take about a month to complete.

Hope you’re doing well,
D

[ghp95134]

Also, make sure you do not round off the ridge line between the edge/back -- that ridge line should be very crisp. About 30 years ago I did this type of "final polish" with hazuya and jizuya stones under Onozaki sensei's supervision (I'm no expert by any means). Your sword is perfect for beginners -- I did it on an IJN stainless blade ... very tough to get done.

If you use the thumbnail-sized stones I mention, it is important to smooth out the stone's face by rubbing it against another fine-grade whetstone with some water to create a paste. Use the paste as if it were brasso, and use the hazuya stone inch-by-inch. I suppose you could use a super-fine sandpaper or emery cloth once you get down to the final-polish level. I've not used sandpaper.

hazuya for beginners

Add some baking soda to the water you'll be using to retard rust.

-- Guy

[26Intrepid]

Thanks for the info Guy.

Yes, I’ve been very careful in the sanding. You’re absolutely correct, not an easy job. I don’t think I will do this again! Grin

[26Intrepid]

Well... after about 20hrs of working on this sword and 30 sheets of sandpaper... I’m starting to wind it down. All in all I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I would’ve love to take a little more off in spots... but... you can only take off so much without compromising the integrity of this beauty.

Would I do it again... hmmmmm probably not. It was a lot of work (and sore hands!).

It’s really hard to get photos... sorry.

D

[26Intrepid]

I finished this project last night and put her all back together. Now... it will sit in this rack until there’s a new owner (Hopefully not for a long long time). Many of you may not like to see them stored this way... I prefer to see the blade and not the scabbard. Plus, I like having them out in the open to minimize any trapped condensation.

Thanks everybody for the support... onto the next project!

I added two photos.. the project Katana will be the third one down (Actually 4th if you count the one on top of the rack)”