Dick Bonham Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hi, Here is a miniature sword I just finished. The piece was created to replace a missing sword on a 19c. Japanese bronze of a samurai. The pieces were fabricated carved and engraved then brazed where needed. They were then assembled and everything was silver soldered together. The piece was then colored to match the original figure. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 This is amazing! I just cannot imagine how you work so small with so many little pieces! It is nice to see you here again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kelso Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 Very nice Dick. Do you have a photo of the sword with the bronze? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Rediske Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 nice work, did you alloy your own bronze? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sanders Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 Did you have photos of the original (before it went missing) to go from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Bonham Posted April 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 Hi everyone, Thank you. I actually use brass to make the pieces. I find I can get an exact match of color to an old bronze. If I need to show excessive wear areas with a bronze color I clean the piece after soldering in sparex which has been contaminated with iron. This solution gives me a nice bronze color. This can normally be a pain and hard to remove but in this case it is a good thing. The bronze color can be removed with a mixture of peroxide and sparex. I didn't bring the bronze to my studio because of the size and weight. The samurai nobleman has a falcon in an upraised hand. The falcon needed to have new wing feathers because the original feathers were broken off. I used my best judgment as to the sword to make since the original was lost. I knew that it was a tachi because the attachment loops were on the figures belt. The original sword would have been cast while my piece is fabricated, however, the cost of fabricating is much less than casting. Since a cast sword would need to be sculpted in clay or wax, a rubber mold made, a wax poured into the mold and that wax cast into bronze. After casting the piece would have to be chased. It is much easier to fabricate in metal. If done correctly you can't tell the difference between a fabricated piece and a casting. Cost is always a factor when restoring antiques for dealers. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ford hallam Posted April 5, 2006 Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 Hi Dick, I tried to post a comment last night but something went haywire anyway what I wanted to say was that you never cease to amaze me, I thought that was a fantastic job, I could have done with your help on a few projects in the past. I assume that you could'nt find a dwarf ray to skin, to wrap on the hilt . Tidy engraving on the saya too. cheers, Ford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Bonham Posted April 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2006 Hi Ford, Welcome Back! I bet it feels wonderful to be home. Thank you for the complements. I would have enjoyed helping you. I love challenging projects. It was hard enough finding a dwarf samurai let alone a dwarf ray. Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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