I would like to share a little about the processes and materials I use here.
I create my own alloys in house. Combining metal elements to form various authentic Japanese alloys. While molten the metal is poured into molds to form Ingots. The ingot I use is a fairly thick chunk of metal which has to be further processed by forging with a hammer to condition the grain structure. At the same time the metal's thickness is reduced and the ingot is drawn out in length. I adjust the final thickness with a rolling mill to create uniform sheet stock of precise thickness. Once the conditioning and sizing is done the resulting plate is the starting point for the various fittings for be forged from. The hammering and rolling process will reveal most physical flaws in the material. This allows only the best quality material to be selected for the fittings. It is very important to have a flaw free raw material both for the forming process and for coloration.. Parts are generally formed cold with a combination of Dies, Pushers, Hammers, and Punches. I also have a hydraulic press that is used to save time in some of the less detailed stages of forming operations.

Once parts are formed the decoration can begin. This can be as simple as a plain textured surface with a nice patina to raised carved inlay using Shakudo, gold, and a Roshuko induced patina. I use a Classical set of Tagane (chisels and punches) Some of which were past on to me by Ford Hallam who has been very generously shared some of his older hand made Tagane with me. Besides the gifts I make all my own Tagane. . I really enjoy Japanese Techniques the old fashion way. In my inventory of tools I also have a GRS Gravermax (basically a power assisted chisel) that I use sometimes when removing larger amounts of material from carvings. It is the same type of tool that many modern engravers use to decorate firearms and belt buckles. I also have a Belt Grinder which I use for bulk removal of metal and scalping ingots. Though I have time saving modern equipment their use is limited to more primitive aspects of the craft. Power tools and equipment actually do not save time when over used and can ruin the flavor of the piece. To produce the correct look for Classical Japanese metal work I must use Classical techniques and tools. Since I don't have apprentice to work for me the Rolling mill, grinder, and band saw are my labor saving underlings.

Classical patina
I use Roshuko to color nonferrous alloys (non iron). I primarily use it for Shakudo and Copper. This is the Authentic classical "soft" metal finish used by the Japanese. This finish requires very laborious surface preparation involving considerable stone and brush polishing by hand. The prepared part is rubbed with Daikon Radish and submerged in a boiling solution of Roshuko and Ryusando until the desired color depth is reached. Roshuko will bring out the grain structure of properly prepared metal. It reveals the character of the metal if there is any to be revealed. This finish works on Copper, Shakudo and a variety of Copper silver alloys. It does not color gold or fine silver which is a good thing. Roshuko develops a deep bluish or purplish black color on the Alloy Shakudo. This patina on Shakudo is actually self repairing. It will re grow on it's own over time. For copper the color is more of a very attractive terra cotta and can be quite orange. When the patina wears it comes back a more natural color like that of an old penny. The same thing happens with a variety of soft metal alloys where the color is worn but grows back a different shade. The care of these finishes is to not worry about it so much and let them wear and age as they will. as with all of the finishes talked about on this page they all wear if you use them. You can wax Soft metals to help preserve the finish. For display pieces a gentle wipe down after handling with a soft cloth will keep it looking new for a very long time.. Never clean them with a tarnish removing product or metal polish. Patina is essentially a type of controlled Tarnish. Any type of anti tarnish product will ruin the finish.

Sabi (rust)
This is a very practical solution to preserving iron when you lived on a tropical island. It is a form of stabilized rust. Fine layers of rust are grown on the surface and rubbed down. The process is repeated for many days until a dense uniform layer of rust is formed. This is then boiled in a tannic acid solution made from trees. The process converts the rust into a more stable form. After sealing with wax and giving more rub-downs the iron will take on some wonderful earthen tones that ideally will look like moistened river stone. It is a fairly straight forward process, but it takes a lot of time and patience to achieve good results. Generally the more time it takes the better the results. With handling the finish can look better and better as it continue to mature. You could not ask for a more practical finish on parts that will get handled frequently. This finish is not immune to further rusting, but the maintenance is simply to fondle it! If you love iron this is not hard to do.

Durability of the finish?
There are no guarantees on any of the finishes I use. There is no telling what they will be exposed to or how they will be treated or neglected. I want my work to look its best at all times and I strive to do all I can to ensure that, but ultimately once it leaves my shop it is out of my control. Damage can occur from unique exposures to environments found all the world. Strange polluted atmospheres that might be found in a certain room of the house, city, Bay, or industrial areas.. Touching parts with strange hand lotions on your skin can leave chemical traces that alter or even destroy patina. There is the dreaded Acid skin people of planet earth. These uncommon perfectly harmless looking people have a body oil chemistry that can literally strip the patina from parts. Leaving a slightly delayed path of patina destruction where ever they touch. Ironically these people seem to be more touchy feely than the average person so beware! They simply are not compatible with this genre and must use cotton gloves to handle Japanese metal work. Many inexperienced mounters and sometimes experienced ones have accidents while doing their end of the work. It is the nature of the beast. Choose your mounter wisely. Amateur mounters may not have the experience and knowledge to know what they can and can't do to a part without harming the finish. I have had more than one set of fittings come back to me pretty mangled. The finishes I use are just as durable as the originals, but not really any more so. The goal for me here is an authentic result. So parts should be treated as you would an antique.

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