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Japanese Art Sword Polish Restoration
Services & Prices

www.swordpolish.com

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FINISH POLISH (Shiagetogi): Some times referred to as a "touch-up", this polish is for blades that are in reasonably good shape, but need fixing up do to a low grade Showa era polish or just an old worn out looking Japanese polish. Service includes: some nagura stone work, uchigumori stone work, finger stoning of ji (hazuya and jizuya), nugui to clear the ji and bring out ji-hada, hadori to whiten the hamon and bring out details of yaki, narume-dai to define the yokote and give the kissaki a fresh matte finish, and final burnishing of shinogi-ji and mune. Basically the finishing steps of polishing are applied to all the surfaces of the blade. No other work is included with a basic finish polish.

This is very good at bringing out hada and revealing all the details of the hamon. It will remove some fine scratches and discoloration and it can make a blade that was in good condition to begin with look like it has a brand new full polish in some cases. The better the blade's condition before finish polish, the better the end result will be.

This will not remove deeper scratches, pits, or chips. It does not include straightening as this often causes centipede wrinkles that require heavier polishing to remove. It does not include point reshaping. It will make a blade slightly sharper if it all ready has a good edge, but otherwise does not include sharpening. This polish will have little to no effect on a rusted or amateurishly polished blade as these techniques are very fine and subtle and generally will not remove deep flaws or defects in a blade's shape. These techniques are not strong enough to remove most scratches from sand paper. A finish polish will do little to improve "finger print rust" or patches of "oxidized" steel. This is where the steel is not really "rusty", but no longer has a smooth even surface. The blade should have a smooth surface and at least the remnants of an original Japanese polish. Any rust or scratches that are clearly visible before finish polishing will probably still be there after finish polish. If you think your blade is in too rough a condition for a finish polish it probably is.
Prices as on January 1, 2007 for Finish Polish shipping not included:
Under 10" = $295
10" - 15" = $395
15" - 20" = $495
20" - 24" = $595
24" - 28" = $695
28" - 32" = $795
The LENGTH is measured as the overall length of the blade from the mune-machi (notch where the spine meets the tang) to the point, basically the overall length of the functional portion of the blade.

After many requests from customers I have decided to add extra options to the basic finish polish. Cost is based on the amount of extra work needed.
BROKEN POINT FIXING

STRAIGHTENING

EXTRA CLEANING

SHARPENING
The finish polish carries no guarantee as the final result depends completely on the original condition of the blade. It is simply impossible to remove many types of flaws using only fine finishing techniques. If you want the most flawless finish possible, then you should go for a full polish.

FULL POLISH: This is the full complete traditional Japanese hand polishing. It can take 2 weeks or more to finish a single blade. This includes everything that can be done to restore a blade such as straightening, removing chips, pits, re-shaping, bringing out ji-hada, hamon, and complete finishing. The current cost for a full polish is $69/inch + shipping. Blades with horimono or grooves add an additional 25%. Naginata, nagamaki, and some of the more complex shapes may need to add up to 50%. Sorry, but these more complex shapes require A LOT of extra work and additional stones which must be specially shaped for the blade. Full Polishes need to be scheduled well in advance.

FOUNDATION POLISH or MARTIAL ARTS POLISH (Shitajitogi): This is exactly the same as the first half of a full polish. It includes all of the work of a full polish up to the first uchigumori stone. This will remove all the defects that a full polish will. This is good for martial arts blades and for blades that may not warrant a full polish, but need to have active rust stopped or chips removed or a broken tip fixed. This will leave the blade with a very fine texture of lengthwise stone scratches on the surface. It includes some basic finishing to bring out the hamon, boshi, and possibly some hada. The blade will be very sharp. The shinogi-ji will be shiny, but unburnished. No other finishing work in included. The current cost for a foundation polish is $35/inch + shipping. This polish can be upgraded to a full polish at any time in the future for an additional $35/inch + shipping. I always use a minimalist approach to all foundation polishing, always considering the long term well being of the sword as primary. Foundation polishes need to be scheduled well in advance.


Please note the blades featured on this web site are not currently in my possession, do not belong to me, and are not currently for sale.

Feel free to contact me by e-mail if you have any questions or to schedule work,

David S. Hofhine

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Please feel free to contact me at the following address:
E-mail:hofhine@worldnet.att.net

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