mini-review: KC Bingo Mihara bare blade 29 inch

[David Stokes]

I figured i would post this here, since its not an all out review, more of a first impression.
I got my 29" Bingo mihara bare blade in today from Kris cutlery. My first thought was , well bout the same as when i got my 26" standard katana, i was pretty impressed with the craftsmanship. Since i have the new KC standard katana, i will compare the Bingo Mihara to it. First off, these are two different sized blades so im not sure if the 29" standard is more comparable.
First off is overall geometry is totally different. The Bo-hi is very consistant and well done; no wavyness. The blade is tapered towards the kissaki, and the kissaki is far better defined than the standard to even have a decent yokote. I will scan the kissaki if anyone is interested. It also has good distal taper.
The thing most people are interested in is the polish, it is fair better done than the standard, in fact its WAY better than the standard, but my only complaint about the blade is that the hamon is barly visible, but i must say that Cecil told me about that, and that the batch that this sword came out of (it was the last of that batch) had nonvisible temper lines. I dont really see it as a big deal, i may possibly etch it because i can actually see it and i think, with some etching it would be pretty nice.
I must note that this is a fairly light blade, im sure it has to do with all the taper it has, lengthwise and distal, as well as the bohi, so i would not consider it a heavy cutter, although, like every KC product i have held and heard of , it is WICKED SHARP.
the removable white bronze habaki is nice, but when they mean white they mean WHITE. its almost silver in appearance, and has made me rethink my other fittings.
This blade is in no way what id consider to be a traditional sword in appearance because it lacks hada, although, as i say that, some areas of the sword around the edge are polished better and faint grain structure is visible. if this is true hada or not, i really dont know.
All in all i think this is going to make a beautiful display peice that i might actually do some cutting with. first things first , im gonna have to file on the paul chen tsuba i have to make it fit this rather wide tang!!
If you want to see pics, or scans; beg, and i might just do it!

[Eric Litton]

Thanks for the review, ive been interested in this blade.

I remember awhile ago, Bawko did a polish to his old KC blade and found a grain structure. He found out that its not true hada (folding) but something called alloy banding. His was rather pretty

As far as cutting, if its anything like my espada, witch is both skinny in width and in thickness but it performs rather well at cutting even though you wouldnt expect it too. So I have a feeling it will cut more than you expect.

Originally posted by David Stokes
I figured i would post this here, since its not an all out review, more of a first impression.
I got my 29" Bingo mihara bare blade in today from Kris cutlery. My first thought was , well bout the same as when i got my 26" standard katana, i was pretty impressed with the craftsmanship. Since i have the new KC standard katana, i will compare the Bingo Mihara to it. First off, these are two different sized blades so im not sure if the 29" standard is more comparable.
First off is overall geometry is totally different. The Bo-hi is very consistant and well done; no wavyness. The blade is tapered towards the kissaki, and the kissaki is far better defined than the standard to even have a decent yokote. I will scan the kissaki if anyone is interested. It also has good distal taper.
The thing most people are interested in is the polish, it is fair better done than the standard, in fact its WAY better than the standard, but my only complaint about the blade is that the hamon is barly visible, but i must say that Cecil told me about that, and that the batch that this sword came out of (it was the last of that batch) had nonvisible temper lines. I dont really see it as a big deal, i may possibly etch it because i can actually see it and i think, with some etching it would be pretty nice.
I must note that this is a fairly light blade, im sure it has to do with all the taper it has, lengthwise and distal, as well as the bohi, so i would not consider it a heavy cutter, although, like every KC product i have held and heard of , it is WICKED SHARP.
the removable white bronze habaki is nice, but when they mean white they mean WHITE. its almost silver in appearance, and has made me rethink my other fittings.
This blade is in no way what id consider to be a traditional sword in appearance because it lacks hada, although, as i say that, some areas of the sword around the edge are polished better and faint grain structure is visible. if this is true hada or not, i really dont know.
All in all i think this is going to make a beautiful display peice that i might actually do some cutting with. first things first , im gonna have to file on the paul chen tsuba i have to make it fit this rather wide tang!!
If you want to see pics, or scans; beg, and i might just do it!

[Kmark]

I wouldn't mind seeing a scan of that kissaki, as well as scans of other parts of the blade...

[B.Sweet]

Hey David how did the handle look and feel? I understand what you say with the hamon, when Cecil got his 1st batch of the clay tempered katana blades I did a little work on one of them to bring out the hamon, not much luck on it but it was there faintly I should have gave it much more time and gone back to my original way of bringing out the hamon. The clay tempered wakizashis that I purchased from KC came out great! So, the hamon should be able to be more bold with a little work... So no begging from me I have seen the blade the white bronze sounds good...love the looks of it when it ages... congrates on the katana!

[David Stokes]

Handle? No Sweet, i bought the BARE BLADE not the whole katana. As much as i like this blade and i think its worth every dime i paid for it, there is no way i would pay the $700 that the fully mounted bingo costs. I dont think the fittings are worth it, especially with painted bronze instead of same? no way. so i went with the bare blade.
I am going to start a new thread about this, but does anyone know a good way to etch it? i want to use the vinegar and dish soap people talk about, but i dont want to actually have to heat the blade, i fear i might damage it.
I have already bought a paul chen crane tsuba for it like the one on Bugei's new sword, and I plan on buying some crane menuki and some simple Higo fittings from fred lohman. I plan, also to do a katatemaki style tsukamaki wrap with black laquered same and navy blue ito. The handle making and wrapping will just be work, but i cant wait to get to the saya, i have a wicked paint scheme i am going to try...............wish me luck.......and if anyone wants to donate fittings.......

[Eric Litton]

I havnt used Vinager and dish soap but as far as heating your blade, you just want it warm to speed up the reaction but nothing that would hurt your hands let alone hurt the blade.

Originally posted by David Stokes
Handle? No Sweet, i bought the BARE BLADE not the whole katana. As much as i like this blade and i think its worth every dime i paid for it, there is no way i would pay the $700 that the fully mounted bingo costs. I dont think the fittings are worth it, especially with painted bronze instead of same? no way. so i went with the bare blade.
I am going to start a new thread about this, but does anyone know a good way to etch it? i want to use the vinegar and dish soap people talk about, but i dont want to actually have to heat the blade, i fear i might damage it.
I have already bought a paul chen crane tsuba for it like the one on Bugei's new sword, and I plan on buying some crane menuki and some simple Higo fittings from fred lohman. I plan, also to do a katatemaki style tsukamaki wrap with black laquered same and navy blue ito. The handle making and wrapping will just be work, but i cant wait to get to the saya, i have a wicked paint scheme i am going to try...............wish me luck.......and if anyone wants to donate fittings.......

[David Stokes]

how do i go about heating the whole blade equally? i have seen on Antonios site , he used a small torch......that is a bit dangerous as far as damaging the blade, i would think......

[David Stokes]

The Kissaki scan will be up soon, i have to take all of the oil off the blade that i JUST put on there!!!
but its alright, ill do it just for you guys!!
heres one of the habaki while you wait!!
see! im telling you, the things just about silver.....Instead of gold toned fittings, im think i might go with silver instead.

[David Stokes]

as you can see above, there are a few grimmy almost rust looking marks on the habaki so i got some "mother" polish on it, and wow! it turned really shiny silver colored!! hard to beleive this is any kind of bronze. Im not metalurgist, but could someone explain what element is added to make white bronze, white?

[Nathan Robinson]

David, I wish I could answer your question but I'm just as curious. That white bronze is really sweet looking and gives me a lot of ideas of my own. Nice indeed.

[David Stokes]

oh yeah, when i saw it i completly rethought my koshirea. I am going for all silver. Sort of in the footsteps of Antonio's Howard Clark L6 katana. But i will be useing blue ito.
I polished that habaki a bit more, and its practically indistinguishable from silver. Its funny how things work out, I always knew this project would be interesting, but it is kinda leading itself. By the way, this sword, thats yet to be made already has a name, not very original but its the Blue Crane, based on the tsuba style and overrall color of the ito and future saya. I can tell you this, whenever i finish it, it will be unlike anything you have seen. Actually it will remind you of peices you have seen, but it will be original. wish me luck, and pray it doesnt take forever. I have alot of carving ahead of me!!!

[David Stokes]

for the fun of it, heres a pic of the tsuba i will be useing........and i will have to file out that hole so the tang will fit in it.

[Patrick Hastings]

Originally posted by David Stokes
as you can see above, there are a few grimmy almost rust looking marks on the habaki so i got some "mother" polish on it, and wow! it turned really shiny silver colored!! hard to beleive this is any kind of bronze. Im not metalurgist, but could someone explain what element is added to make white bronze, white?

There are a variety of "white bronze" alloys. To be a bronze it must be primarily composed of copper. what is comercially available today is white from the addition of nickel and tin. it can be done with other white metals such as zinc or silver. "Nickel silver" is considered a white bronze (and contains no silver hehe) White bronze buffs up nice, but is much darker than sterling when put side by side. It develops a light flat gray tarnish over time and will develop a powdery corrosion similiar to lead or alluminum if not cared for.

One up side is its a naturally stiff alloy and would make a good cast habaki. Its naturally stiff similiar to a properly work hardened forged habaki from silver or copper.

[Einar Drønnesund]

Originally posted by David Stokes
I figured i would post this here, since its not an all out review, more of a first impression.
I got my 29" Bingo mihara bare blade in today from Kris cutlery. My first thought was , well bout the same as when i got my 26" standard katana, i was pretty impressed with the craftsmanship. Since i have the new KC standard katana, i will compare the Bingo Mihara to it. First off, these are two different sized blades so im not sure if the 29" standard is more comparable.
First off is overall geometry is totally different. The Bo-hi is very consistant and well done; no wavyness. The blade is tapered towards the kissaki, and the kissaki is far better defined than the standard to even have a decent yokote. I will scan the kissaki if anyone is interested. It also has good distal taper.
The thing most people are interested in is the polish, it is fair better done than the standard, in fact its WAY better than the standard, but my only complaint about the blade is that the hamon is barly visible, but i must say that Cecil told me about that, and that the batch that this sword came out of (it was the last of that batch) had nonvisible temper lines. I dont really see it as a big deal, i may possibly etch it because i can actually see it and i think, with some etching it would be pretty nice.
I must note that this is a fairly light blade, im sure it has to do with all the taper it has, lengthwise and distal, as well as the bohi, so i would not consider it a heavy cutter, although, like every KC product i have held and heard of , it is WICKED SHARP.
the removable white bronze habaki is nice, but when they mean white they mean WHITE. its almost silver in appearance, and has made me rethink my other fittings.
This blade is in no way what id consider to be a traditional sword in appearance because it lacks hada, although, as i say that, some areas of the sword around the edge are polished better and faint grain structure is visible. if this is true hada or not, i really dont know.
All in all i think this is going to make a beautiful display peice that i might actually do some cutting with. first things first , im gonna have to file on the paul chen tsuba i have to make it fit this rather wide tang!!
If you want to see pics, or scans; beg, and i might just do it!

I'm sorry, I'm not really into the Japanese sword lingo, so the only thing I understood about this post was hamon.

Is this the new bare blade with the fuller?

Pleeeeaaaase post pics of the blade.

Einar

[Einar Drønnesund]

I see the bingo katana costs $700.What does the bare blade cost?

Einar

[Eric Litton]

Yes its the blade with the fuller.

Bare blade is $225

[Einar Drønnesund]

Originally posted by Eric Litton
Yes its the blade with the fuller.

Bare blade is $225

Hmmmm... maybe I should pick up one of these bad boys myself...

Einar

[David Stokes]

Im pretty sure the scanner distorted this alot, the coloration is all off and you can barely see the bohi, bu heres a scan of the kissaki. the good think is you can see the length of the kissaki and the definition of the yokote. could anyone tell me, is this a "real" yokote?

Edit: It must be noted that this is a TERRIBLE scan. I tried a ew times but it gives it that same blueish ugly color to it. Please note, that this blades is just about mirror finished. few scratch marks can be seen.
yes, this is the bare blade that sells for $225.

[Andy S]

sweeet kisaki, ooooh-kisaki
the yokote looks real to me, though I might be wrong

Andy

[Chris Holzman]

Originally posted by David Stokes
Im pretty sure the scanner distorted this alot, the coloration is all off and you can barely see the bohi, bu heres a scan of the kissaki. the good think is you can see the length of the kissaki and the definition of the yokote. could anyone tell me, is this a "real" yokote?

Edit: It must be noted that this is a TERRIBLE scan. I tried a ew times but it gives it that same blueish ugly color to it. Please note, that this blades is just about mirror finished. few scratch marks can be seen.
yes, this is the bare blade that sells for $225.

The question of whether its real or not, is if the kissaki is geometrically defined... ie, if when you oil the blade, and you're pinching the blade between your fingers, moving up the ji, towards the kissaki, and you pass the yokote, does it have a solid, defined line, at which the blade takes a change in angle, into the point.. or is it more of a curve? If you look closely, you can see vertical marks along the kissaki, vs the horizontal marks along the rest of the blade... That is one way you can make the appearance of a yokote - by putting masking tape from the shinogi to the ha, and sanding vertically along it - then etching. It would be easier to guess at whether its real or not, by having a scan aligned with the ha.. My guess is it might be sort of real, sort of not. A huge amount of time and expense goes into the polish of a really well done kissaki, So much that I've seen Ted Tenold comment on Bugei's forum that it would cost most of the blades cost to really do a proper yokote on the chen blades.. so for $225, I'd guess at no...
It does look pretty nice though..

chris

[C.J. Ferraz]

Hey guys,

A question about the price of this blade.
Kris cutlery just quoted me $125 for a bare blade but you say the Bingo blade is $225.Is the cheaper price reflecting a cheaply made blade ( i.e. the std. K/C sword's blade) or the Bingo without the fuller?
What's the extra $100 for??

Cliff

[David Stokes]

I could quote, but i figured this might help more. hope it answers some questions

[Einar Drønnesund]

Originally posted by C.J. Ferraz
Hey guys,

A question about the price of this blade.
Kris cutlery just quoted me $125 for a bare blade but you say the Bingo blade is $225.Is the cheaper price reflecting a cheaply made blade ( i.e. the std. K/C sword's blade) or the Bingo without the fuller?
What's the extra $100 for??

Cliff

Thats probably the older model, with no fuller and generally simpler and less traditional. Sorry, not into the japanese lingo. Someone else can probably explain a lot better.

Einar

[Kmark]

The bare blade for the regular KC 29 has a hamon extending 2/3 of the blade...from the tip of the kissaki down toward the nakago. That means there is a portion of the cutting surface that is unhardened (bottom part of the blade if you hold the blade point up).

This does not make the KC 29 any less of an effective cutter because the unhardened portion is not used for cutting anyway. The hamon was placed over the entire cutting portion on traditional blades for aesthetic purposes.

Other differences contributing to the $100 price jump is probably the polish, the bo-hi (grooves), and the level of attention to the shaping of the blade.

If I were to choose a bare blade from Kris Cutlery for a katana project, I would definitely get the Bingo Mihara blade at $225 instead of the cheaper and less traditionally-made normal KC blade.

[David Stokes]

again, ill say, its worth it...........

Oh and i wanted to say something. the proper way to measure a katana blade is basically just the edge, although there was a rumor that KC was measureing from the tip to the tsuba. I put a measuring tape on this bingo mihara and the blade without habaki, measures just at 29 inches.......its a pretty long blade......for me anyway......