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Information about rayskin

by Vann
(Cambodia )

Full rayskin wrap from the Project X series swords with emperor nodes

I'm new to the katana!! I learned about fake rayskin, so i was wondering if the black rayskin is real or not? (Or any other color as well!)

Another thing in mind is T10 steel better than 1095? Looking forward for an answer!! Thank you !

Comments for Information about rayskin

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Sometimes..
by: Paul

Hi Vann,

Good question - while looking for some pictures to help illustrate this for you I stumbled upon some videos from the original trip to Longqyan showing how REAL rayskin is used on a sword, what it looks like in its original - pre-applied condition - and how it is typically attached to a modern production katana.

You can see the video below

As you can see from the video, it is expensive stuff (that sheet I am holding costs over US$70) so it is no surprise that fake rayskin is used quite commonly on production swords. It can and is often dyed different colors, so just because it is black does NOT mean it is fake. However, it IS easier to fake black rayskin than white and sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference (quite often people mistakenly see black rayskin and think it is fake, when in fact it is the real thing)..

For the novice though, the only way you can tell is to buy from a reputable company. Some sword lines have no problems telling you their lower end swords use synthetic rayskin - the Hanwei Practical and Renshu series swords all are quite upfront about using synthetic rayskin to save money and keep the price down on their swords. Other sellers/brands, well - you need to trust them at their word so it really depends on WHO they are if they CAN be trusted or not.

As a side note, the reason for using rayskin is to help bind the handle and the bumpy surface helps the ito grip to the handle as well. In the old days they often used a FULL wrap of rayskin, but they DID actually also use panels like most production swords today. Few modern day Katana use a full wrap as it takes an entire skin and adds significantly to the end price..

Finally, with regards to the differences between steel types, best to read our full article Sword Steels 101 here

Hope this helps!

- Paul

Thank you
by: Vann

Thank you for spending time explaining everything I wanted to know !! I saw all of your video in YouTube ,I've collected information from YouTube (T10 test in hongkong) and read (Steel 101) but i want to report that the video that you have sent to me isn't playable (It says private video) hope you can fix it soon !! Thanks again.
Vann

Should be ok now
by: Paul

Yeah, not sure why that happened - but the video should be visible now. :)

rayskin
by: pambudi

rayskin have many type :
1. raw hard skin bleached
2. raw hard skin unbleached
3. raw hard skin horn

some of costumer ask about rayskin with colouring, and some sanded.

please see at www,karyodumadi.com

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