UK Japanese blade polisher? Prices?

by Michael
(United Kingdom)

So, I bought a new katana (not traditional Japanese made, Chinese made but not a real cheap one.) a couple days back and it arrived with a small spot of rust on the blade, just above the bohi, towards the habaki. I thought it'd be a simple removal job, but it wasn't as simple as I thought. I have managed to get pretty much all of it off apart from the tiniest bits, but as a result from my amateur polishing job, and the fact that it was in a rather awkward place, there's a few scratches/marks and the polish seems a little uneven now.

I don't want to try polishing away further unless I absolutely have to, seeing as I have little experience in polishing. Scared of messing up the blade or accidentally dulling the mirror polish too much, or the hamon or something since this is the best in my collection so far, so I am curious - are there any reputable polishers around in the UK, and what would a small polish to clear up and marks and stuff cost?

I'd get some pictures but the only camera I have is awful haha.

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Oh my..
by: Paul

Hi Michael,

There are not that many sword polishers around, and I am afraid that those that do offer their services tend to only be economical if you are restoring an antique Japanese sword as the cost of their service is often going to cost as much if not several times more than the cost of buying a new production sword..

Here are the contact details of a couple of guys in the U.K. you can contact - but otherwise, I am afraid you will have to use the technqiues described on our site here to buff out the polishing yourself..

If possible, it is best to practice on something really cheap (if no sword is available, a knife will do) so you make your mistakes there..

Wish I could offer something affordable, but because it is quite a niche market and it is very time consuming, it tends to be super expensive to engage the services of a professional..

Sword polishing
by: Michael

Hey Paul,
Thanks for answering my question! I completely understand about polishing services being expensive, with the time taken, tools required and all. I'll practice on my polishing methods on a cheap blade I have, and learn from my mistakes then I'll try again once I'm confident enough in polishing. Or perhaps buy another since it's only production, and keep this as a project blade or something since I've been interested in remounting a blade.

Anyway, I'll have a good read of those techniques on the site and try them out. Also, thanks for the contact details for the polishers in the UK! If I ever do get an antique Japanese sword that needs a polish, I'll have to get in contact with them, it may be expensive, but worthwhile when it comes to antiques and Japanese made Nihonto.
Thanks again though!

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