Price List
Japanese sword work
Personalization, customizing and repair to Japanese style swords
Budget Tsukamaki
$5 per inch
Hoso to katate maki, shonai zuka, hira katate maki, hira maki, akemi katate maki/katate maki coil (requires full wrap of samegawa)
Customer must provide the ito. At this point I do not recommend leather ito because none of them are sufficiently strong and typically snap during the wrap or must be wrapped too loosely to avoid snapping. If customer chooses leather anyways I am not responsible in the event that it snaps.
Middle price Tsukamaki
$7.50 per inch
Hineri katate maki, Mitsubitama maki, karami katate maki, yori maki, shonai zuka with hineri at top and bottom, gyu kawa kumiage maki (Christian wrap)
Customer must provide the ito. At this point I do not recommend leather ito because none of them are sufficiently strong and typically snap during the wrap or must be wrapped too loosely to avoid snapping. If customer chooses leather anyways I am not responsible in the event that it snaps.
Premium Tsukamaki
$10 per inch
Hineri maki, shonai zuka hineri maki (hineri maki with menuki exposed),
Customer must provide the ito. At this point I do not recommend leather ito because none of them are sufficiently strong and typically snap during the wrap or must be wrapped too loosely to avoid snapping. If customer chooses leather anyways I am not responsible in the event that it snaps.
Polyurethaning Tsukamaki
$20
A mixture of polyurethane & mineral spirits is applied to the tsukamaki to make it more durable & wear resistant. The polyurethane acts like glue & makes the whole tsukamaki even stronger. When polyurethane is applied the ito will become somewhat darker and harder. I can apply 1-3 coats, after 3 coats there’s no considerable difference. 1 coat will still give you the texture of the ito, 2 will fill in the fibers & 3 coats will fil them in even more. This can be done to cotton or silk ito.
Lacquering Samegawa
$10
If the samegawa on your sword is dirty or you just don't like the color it is now it can be lacequred another color. Can be lacquered just about any color.
Thinning Down A Thick Tsuka
$20
A thick tsuka can be thinned down from the edge and spine sides of the tsuka if you are more comfortable with a thinner tsuka. This is great for those with smaller hands.
Retying End Knots
$20
Sometimes tsukamaki end knots come undone. I can retie the end knots, keep in mind if the Tsukamaki is too loose then you will be better off just having the whole tsuka rewrapped.
Shortening Tsuka
$60
Tsukamaki end knots are untied, tsuka core is shortened, end of tsuka is reshaped and tsukamaki knots are retied. If shortening the tang is neccessary then the end of the tang will be ground into a round shape unless otherwise specified.
Making Brass Or Delrin Mekugi
$10 each for delrin and $20 each for brass
Mekugi are typically made of bamboo but I can make one out of brass or delrin. Keep in mind if you want a brass mekugi you will have to send me your sword and the mekugi hole may have to be reshaped before fitting the sword for a brass mekugi. Brass is only suggested for the 2nd mekugi (the mekugi on the (kashira end of the tsuka) not the top mekugi (mekugi on the tsuba end of the tsuka)
Tapering & Chamfering Mekugi Holes
$15 per hole
Often times on mass produced swords the mekugi holes are not properly tapered, in that case they can be fixed. While the holes on both the tsuka and nakago are being tapered it is more the holes on the tsuka that generally need the tapering. Mekugi holes from the factory often have burrs that should be chamfered as well, the burrs have a change to cut you when the sword is being taken apart and put together for maintenance as well as not looking great so I suggest chamfering the holes.
Chamfering Mekugi Holes On Tang
$5 per hole
Often times on mass produces swords the mekugi holes will have sharp burrs, in cases like that it is best to chamfer the holes which will take away the sharp burrs and give a much more refined look.
Drilling Second Mekugi
$55
Second hole is drilled, hole is chamfered then tapered and you have your choice of a bamboo, delrin or brass mekugi.
Shimming Tsuka
$20
Sometimes after many times of taking a sword apart and putting it back together the tsuka will work it’s way loose to the point that the mekugi are the only things holding the blade from becoming a projectile which is obviously a very dangerous situation. However it can be fixed by shimming the tsuka so that’s it has a nice snug fit again.
Fitting Tsuba To Sword
$25
If you have a sword that has a Tsuba that doesn’t fit properly I can fit it to the sword so it's no longer a problem. If the tsuba is too loose I will make little dimples on the tsuba that will be covered by the seppa when the sword is assemble. Depending on the quality of the tsuba damage may occur. It is not likely that damage will occur but if it does I am not responsible. If tsuba is too tight it will be hand filed to fit.
If need be I can also fit seppa and fuchi for an additional charge.
Custom Tsuba
Email for pricing
I can make you a Tsuba out of metal plate with or without cutouts.
Custom 2 Dimensional Menuki
Contact for price
I can make menuki in 2 dimensional shapes like rectangular bars, ovals, elongated octagons, elongated hexagons, lightning bolts, elongated hearts, etc. Can be made of copper, brass, horn, aluminum, g10 or most other materials. If you have a different material than listed in mind than include that in the message as well.
Custom Shaping To An Existing Habaki
$25
If you want your sword to have a little more custom flare then customizing the habaki is an easy way to do it. Currently only custom shape being offered is the asymmetrical V shown in the picture above but more options are on the way.
Shimming Saya
$15
The saya will sometimes work it's way loose after a lot of use. This can be fixed though by gluing shims in the saya to tighten up the fit.
Refinishing Saya
I can give a saya a woodgrain finish, solid finish, 2 tone finish, stained finish, I can do a matte, semi gloss, satin or flat finish.
Repairing Split Saya & Reinforcing With Steel Wire
$65
Depending on how bad the saya is split it can be repaired. I will reglue the saya where needed, use wood filler if needed then wire wrap the saya to strengthen that area then I will spray paint the wire so that it doesn't rust with use.
Installing Horn Kojiri
$50-$70
Saya is shortened so it's only 1" longer than the blade and a custom horn kojiri will be made.
Repositioning Kurigata
$70
Kurigata is removed, old slot is filled in with wood filler, new slot is cut and kurigata is glued back in place. This does not include painting the wood filler or refinishing saya. It is suggested to have the saya refinished or at least having the top 6"-10" refinished which I can do for a charge.
Custom Kurigata
$25-$60
Kurigata can be made of horn, steel, copper, brass or micarta. Other materials can be used as well. This is for the cost of the kurigata alone, cost of install is an additional $3
Softening Sageo
$10
If you have a sageo that needs softening up it can be done as long as the sageo is made of silk or cotton. This makes it much easier to tie knots or just for general use.
Tying Sageo Knots
$10
I can tie a sageo into a variety of knots including ronin-musubi, variants of ronin-musub, cho-musubi, etc. Keep in mind these knots can kink your sageo and I also straighten out kinkedageo.
Shortening Sageo Or Retying Ends
$25 to shorten sageo or $10 if retying ends
Often times swords are sold with ridiculously long sageo so if you want your sageo shortened I can do that. While shortening the sageo you have the option of not having tasseled end or having tasseled ends and you also have the option of length of the tassels up to 3”.
Removing Wearing Finish From Fittings
$20 to do this to a Fuchi and Kashira set and $30 to do this to a Tsuba. Can be done so that the old finished stay in the crevices for more depth or fitting can be completely bare.
Paint Filling Bohi Or Horimono
Email for quote
Modern Polishing Sword Blade
$6-$18 per inch of blade
If you want a blade polished up to a mirror finish this will do it. This is not a traditional polish done with traditional water stones and is not recommended for antique blades, but for modern blades this is a great option that is faster and way less expensive way to get a nice mirror finish on a blade. Please be aware that if you choose this option on a blade with an acid etched hamon you will more than likely loose the hamon.
I can also do satin finishes if you prefer.
Removing Wire Brush Hamon
$1 per inch
Other than not looking particularly attractive compared to a real hamon or even an acid etched hamon one problem with a wire brush hamon is because it is a series of rough scratches made with a wire wheel it can create extra drag and can also make the blade more prone to rusting in that area. Luckily a wirebrush hamon can be removed though. If getting wirebrush hamon removed you will need to get the blade polished.
Satsuma-age On Damaged Blade (Can Also Be Used To Shorten A Blade)
$50
Steel on blade near tip is slowly ground away to shape a new point while maintaining a hardened tip while keeping the blade water cooled. This can be done on a longer blade to make it into a Wakizashi or Tanto. I can do traditionally shaped satsuma-age which gives the tip a shape that is more like a seax such as in the picture, a more tapered point or a clip point. Steel where ground may or may not match the rest of the blade polish but will be smooth.
Unsharpening A Sharp Sword
$20
A shinken (sharp sword) can be unsharpened to make it into an Iaito/habikito which is a practice sword. Can be done to make a budget practice sword or to have a practice sword that is exactly like their sharp sword. You may also want this service if you have children and the sword is just for display. This can be done to any blade you want unsharpened for practice. If you want the tip rounded I can do that as well for no extra cost.
Sharpening
$1 an inch to touching up edge and $2 an inch if grinding out damage or to sharpen a blunt blade
Edge will be sharpened to a hair shaving edge
Straightening Bent blade
$20
Can straighten bends and twists as long as the edge isn't cracked. Bends will be fixed with wooden straightening jigs.
Koiguchi-kun
$20
Koiguchi-kun helps prevent the koiguchi from prematurely loosening.
Chinese sword work
Repair to Jian, Dao, Miaodao/Zhanmadao/ Dandao, Dadao, hook swords, butterfly swords, etc
Ming Dynasty Handle Wrap
$10 per inch
Currently only doing the style of wrap shown in the picture. if you have another style you would like done feel free to email me to see if I can do it. Keep in mind this is the price not including wrap material. You must provide the wrap material. Polyurethane can be applied to make it even more durable and wear resistant for an extra $2
Han Dynasty Handle Wrap
$5
Shimming a scabbard
$15
If you have a sword that has a blade collar or ricasso, a blade that doesn’t flair and the scabbard falls right off I can shim the scabbard so that the scabbard has a snugger fit.
Lacquering ray skin
$10
If the ray skin on your sword is dirty or you just don't like the color it is now it can be lacequred another color. Can be lacquered just about any color.
Polyurethaning handle wrap
$20
A mixture of polyurethane & mineral spirits is applied to the wrap to make it more durable & wear resistant. The polyurethane acts like glue & makes the whole wrap even stronger. When polyurethane is applied the wrap will become somewhat darker and harder. I can apply 1-3 coats, after 3 coats there’s no considerable difference. 1 coat will still give you the texture of the wrap, 2 will fill in the fibers & 3 coats will fil them in even more. This can be done to cotton or silk.
Reshaping handle
$30-$50
If you don't like the handle shape on a sword you have than generally speaking it can be reshaped unless the handle is wrapped in rayskin.
Making new handle scales for dadao
$50-$100
If you have a dadao that you'd like the handle scales replaced on I can do that. I can make them permanently affixed or removable. I can also make them out of either wood or a more modern material like G10 or micarta.
Modern polishing sword blade
$6-$18 per inch
If you want a blade polished up to a mirror finish this will do it. This is not a traditional polish done with traditional water stones and is not recommended for antique blades, but for modern blades this is a great option that is faster and way less expensive way to get a nice mirror finish on a blade. Please be aware that if you choose this option on a blade with an acid etched hamon you will more than likely loose the hamon. If you want a blade polished up to a mirror finish this will do it
Grinding a point on a damaged blade (can also be used to shorten a blade)
$50
Steel on spine near tip is ground away to shape a new point. Steel where ground may or may not match the rest of the blade polish but will be smooth. This is for single edged blades, if your need this done to double edged blades it can be done but will be repaired differently.
Sharpening single edged swords
$1 an inch to touching up edge and $2 an inch if grinding out damage or to sharpen a blunt blade
Edge will be sharpened to a hair shaving edge with a Ken Onion Work Sharp.
Sharpening double edged blades
$2 an inch to touching up edge and $4 an inch if grinding out damage or to sharpen a blunt blade
Since there are 2 edges to sharpen the price is double that of sharpening a single edged blade. Edge will be sharpened to a hair shaving edge with a Ken Onion Work Sharp.
Sharpening a false edge on a dao
$2 per inch
Unsharpening a sharp sword
$20
A sharp sword can be unsharpened to make it into a practice sword. Some do this for a budget practice sword or so they can have a practice sword that is exactly like their sharp sword. You may also want this service if you have children and the sword is just for display. This can be done to any blade you want unsharpened for practice. If you want the tip rounded I can do that as well for no extra cost.
Straightening bent blade
$20
Can straighten bends and twists as long as the edge isn't cracked. Bends will be fixed with wooden straightening jigs.
Leather Dadao Sheath
$100
Misc. sword work
Services that can be done to pretty much any type of sword no matter what it is.
Grinding a point on a damaged blade (can also be used to shorten a blade)
$50
Steel on spine near tip is ground away to shape a new point. Steel where ground may or may not match the rest of the blade polish but will be smooth. This is for single edged blades, if your need this done to double edged blades it can be done but will be repaired differently.
Sharpening single edged sword
$1 an inch to touching up edge and $2 an inch if grinding out damage or to sharpen a blunt blade
Edge will be sharpened to a hair shaving edge with a Ken Onion Work Sharp. Can also sharpen machetes.
Sharpening double edged blades
$2 an inch to touching up edge and $4 an inch if grinding out damage or to sharpen a blunt blade
Edge will be sharpened to a hair shaving edge with a Ken Onion Work Sharp. Can also sharpen machetes.
Unsharpening a sharp sword
$20
A sharp sword can be unsharpened to make it into a practice sword. Some do this for a budget practice sword or so they can have a practice sword that is exactly like their sharp sword. You may also want this service if you have children and the sword is just for display. This can be done to any blade you want unsharpened for practice. If you want the tip rounded I can do that as well for no extra cost.
Sharpening the false edge on a sword
$2 per inch
If you have a sword with an unsharpened false edge it can be sharpened
Modern polishing sword blade
$6-$18 per inch
If you want a blade polished up to a mirror finish this will do it. This is not a traditional polish and is not recommended for antique blades, but for modern blades this is a great inexpensive way go get a nice mirror finish on a blade.
Reshaping handle on full tang sandwhich construction handles
$10-$30
If you have a that you don't quite like the shape of the handle than it can be reshaped.
Straightening bent blade
$20
Can straighten bends and twists as long as the edge isn't cracked. Bends will be fixed with wooden straightening jigs.
Light saber hilt wrap
$32.50-$65 on 6 1/2" of wrap
Can polyurethane the wrap for an additional $10
Tameshigiri/ test cutting
Handmade cutting stands and hand assembled tatami soaking tubes
Tameshigiri stand
$50-$75 base price
Center body and legs are made from pine or oak. Legs are made of 2X6, Center body is made of 4X4 or 6x6 depending on what is requested. Spikes can be made of red oak, poplar or pine. Legs are held on with decking screws and legs are numbered for which side they go on. Staining, burn patterns or engrave on the stand are available for an additional fee.
Tatami soaking tube
$50
Tatami soaking tube made out of PVC. Will hold very big and tall a tatami mats and is great for soaking the mats without making a mess in the house and without monopolizing the bathtub. Can be filled outside with a garden hose. Tube will be 4" long and include a short length of PVC pipe to push the mat down so it remains completely submerged. Inside of tube is 6" wide.