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Handle Wrapping Tutorial v.2
Published: 2008-06-18 06:03:37 +0000 UTC; Views: 63178; Favourites: 939; Downloads: 1541
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Description
The revised handle wrapping tutorial. This time, you can learn how to do the ending knot too, just like in actual japanese swords! Recommended for swordmakers, duh.The wrapping material I used here is craft ribbon, 9mm wide. It can't compare to the proper handle wrapping tape, but it still has a great feel and an authentic look. My advice, if you're looking to use ribbon: get the textured ones instead of the smooth ones for a better and stronger grip.
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Comments: 86
this is areally good tutorial. i will definately keep it in mind for future reference... that knot looks really hard, though!
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Haha yup! I'd have to agree. The knot part is really hard to do.
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how many tries did it take you to get it right?
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Honestly, I think I forgot. ^^" When I pulled the ribbon through, the existing wrapping kept getting messed up. Considering the number of pull-unders, thats quite a few mess ups..
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Very useful! I have a different method. Now one question. Where did you get the ray skin?
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Haha, the 'ray skin' used in this tutorial isn't ray skin. Its plastic. The whole handle is one piece, with ray skin texture on it. Got it cheap at 100yen at some weapon shop in Japan.
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Oh well there's always Google. Thanks anyway
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D'you know if ribbon comes in "Ichimaru blue"? I'd been thinking about wrapping my Shinsou with blue painter's tape, but Chioky's tape tsukamaki takes a lot of penciling and time. Problem is, I don't have blue ribbon or a cap for the pommel.
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I'm not sure about the availability of that colour. I got my ribbon from an art store. I just get the colour that is closest to the actual thing. For Ichimaru's, try a really light, light blue.
As for the cap, are you referring to the hole part? If so, here's what you *may* wish to do. Its one of my methods, but I haven't been able to put it to use yet. Create the pommel as usual. I suggest this tutorial: [link] . After that, measure around half a centimeter away from the away from where the pommel and handle meets, and drill a hole through the pommel. After filing a bit, you should have a 'cap' with a hole big enough to insert the wrapping through.
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I'm talking about maybe a painter's tape blue; I had actually been thinking of just using the tape to do it, but I wasn't sure how much I'd be allowed to use. And I've already finished the grip; it's oak fastened with dowels and wood glue onto aluminum. Any ideas on how to do an easy pommel cap for that?
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I guess painter's tape could work too. To calculate how much tape you'll need, measure the length of your handle in inches, add 4 to that number, and change it to feet. An 8 inch handle should require 12 feet of tape. If your tape is less thick than usual though, you may need more.
For the cap, you could do what I suggested just now: drill a rectangular hole at the end of your handle, and shape it to look like a cap. Alternatively, you could carve out a cap from a cube of wood. I wouldn't recommend this though, as it'll be really time consuming. One more method is to gather small pieces of wood and glue them together to form the cap, but it may not be as strong as the other methods.
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12 feet of tape!? There's no way I can use that much. As for the drilling part, it'd be kinda hard to drill through about an inch and a half of oak and aluminum. I do, however, have a plastic pommel cap from one of those cheap carnival katanas; it's silver, but I could use the same gold paint I used for the guard. I just checked it out, and it fit perfectly, or as close as it could get.
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Yep, believe it or not, thats how long it has to be. And that cap sounds good. Go for it!
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You mean that's how long it has to be for *your* method. I think it'd be kinda hard to use a ribbon tsukamaki tutorial for painter's tape. I'm tempted to use Chioky's method, but it looks complicated and involves a fully wooden grip.
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For traditional methods, yes, as most of them are similar. Other non-traditional methods may use less tape.
Could you describe your handle? Which part of it is aluminium? Chioky's method should still work, even if the handle is part metal. What you're doing is just taping tape onto the handle, after all.
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3/16' aluminum in between two 1/4' pieces of oak; oak is fastened with two dowels, both about 9/16' from either edge. Hope that's detailed enough. It's not really that it has metal in it, it's that it takes a lot of marking up, and the overall method is complicated; the lengths for his Shinsou's grip might not be the same as mine.
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Well, I'm not really sure what to say, other than don't think so hard, and just give it a go.
Not sure if I can describe it properly, but heres you might wanna do it:
Draw 1 line straight down the middle of the handle.
Measure ~0.5-1cm from each edge, and draw 1 line each, straight down the handle.
For each of the side handles, measure ~2cm from the guard, and draw a small line across.
Repeat this until you reach the end of your handle.
For the line in the center, measure 1.5cm from the guard, and draw a small line across.
Then, measure 1cm from there and draw a small line across. Repeat until you reach the end.
The parts where each small line intersects the big line will be the guidelines for where to align your tape.
From here, just keep pasting your tape until you're done.
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so far the worst part of my katanas has been the tsukamaki, but after i'll use this, my swords will be much better 
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Haha, yep. I did try cloth tape before. It was in my original handle wrapping tutorial [link] . The problems with tape though, is that it has a 'sticky' feel. It also retains any folds you've done on it, so if you messed the wrapping and want to redo it, the fold lines will be visible. But either way, its still a good alternative.
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just thought of notifying in case that you didn't know this trick yet
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I'm happy you liked it. Thanks for the fav too!
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i also watched you XD and i mentioned your tutorial in my newest sword
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Your wonderful tutorial has been featured here.[link]
Thank you for providing the gallery with such awesome Resources.
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I think I'll try it some day...
really a great tutorial!
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I recommended this in my most recent journal, Swordmaking - The Next Level. I really like this, I'm going to use it.
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