Japanese Art Sword Polish Restoration
Services & Prices

www.swordpolish.com

PRICING: First off, it is important to understand that NO polish is always better than a BAD polish. I know that professional traditional Japanese sword polishing is a little pricey, but it is worth the cost. An unskilled polisher will damage and possibly even ruin your blades and certainly decrease their value. If you can't afford proper restoration, you are better off just keeping your blades clean and oiled and preserving them as is. A rusty sword with its original geometry, lines and metal intact is more valuable than a sword that has been crudely ground out of shape by an amateur polish.

I often spend up to 3 weeks or more working on a single full polish for a large blade. To put it in perspective, imagine what it would cost to get a mechanic to work on your car or your dentist to work on your teeth for 3 weeks straight! I had to raise prices some a few years ago. This was primarily due to the dollar hitting a fifteen year low against the yen causing the price of polishing stones and supplies to go up as much as 80% over the last several years. I am also hoping that slightly higher prices will keep the waiting list from growing to completely ridiculous proportions. Finally, I'm in my forties now, and all work is done by me personally, so I can only finish a very limited number of blades per year. It is uncertain how many more years I will be able to keep at this very physically demanding profession, so get while the getting is good. I offer the lowest prices in the country for this level of work. Many people consider my current work to be better than a lot of the work coming out of Japan these days. See this RECENT WORK page for detailed examples.

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 since January 1, 2010

Finish Polish:
Under 10" = $295
10" - 14" = $395
14" - 18" = $495
18" - 22" = $595
22" - 25" = $695
25" - 28" = $795
28" - 32" = $895

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.

You can also add extra options to the basic finish polish such as the following:

-BROKEN POINT FIXING
-STRAIGHTENING
-EXTRA CLEANING
-SHARPENING

Cost is based on the amount of extra work needed.

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 up to 3 weeks 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 $79/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 time and 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. It also includes some basic finishing to bring out the hamon, boshi, and possibly some hada. 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 some very fine lengthwise scratches on the surface. The blade will be very sharp. The shinogi-ji will be shiny, but unburnished. No other finishing work in included. The current cost for just a foundation/martial arts polish is $43/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.

FREE Identification and Translation: Accurate identification, translation of tang inscriptions, etc. for FREE! Most basic identification as to type, age and maker can be made from good digital photos (both sides of the tang, the tip, and one of the entire blade) so it is possible to have all of your swords identified for FREE without the cost, hassle and risk of shipping.

Please note, the blades featured on this web site are not currently in my possession, do not belong to me and are not for sale as far as I know. An absolute minimum number of blades (usually just one or two unmounted and unpolished) are kept on hand at all times to minimize liability. -David Hofhine

Please feel free to contact me at the following address:

Japanese Art Sword Polish Restoration Services & Prices

www.swordpolish.com

Japanese Art Sword Polish Restoration
Services & Prices