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Thread: Pumice Powder

  1. #1
    Yudansha
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    Pumice Powder

    Looking for anybody that has purchased pumice powder from a Canadian supplier. I have tried a lot of places, but nobody either knows what I am asking for or knows who supplies it.

    Thanks

    Navyguy
    John "Capt" Kuehnl-Cadwell

    St Catharines Kendo Club

  2. #2
    Member
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    If I can ask, what does pumice have to do with iaido?
    Vancouver Eishin-Ryu Iaido Club

  3. #3
    Knee problems... Webalistic's Avatar
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    He probably wants to use it to clean/lightly polish his shinken (daily maintenance). If i'm correct it's the stuff inside that 'bag on a stick' used to dust the blade when cleaning.

  4. #4
    Yudansha Manuka's Avatar
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    A grinding/polishing agent should not be used for maintenance. It would be used for light repolishing, removing fingermarks or very slight rust if the sword was of relatively low value and not worth the cost of sending to a professional polisher.

  5. #5
    We are fine, thank you. pgsmith's Avatar
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    If i'm correct it's the stuff inside that 'bag on a stick' used to dust the blade when cleaning.
    You are not correct. Pumice is extremely abrasive. The stuff inside the "bag on a stick" (uchiko) is actually a soft sedimentary stone powder. It is made from grinding down the uchigumori stones, which are the final softest stones used in sword polishing. Uchiko from Japan is almost non-abrasive in nature. I personally can't see any connection at all between pumice powder and iaido.
    Paul Smith

    ... there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

  6. #6
    Mohawk Grenade Mr. T.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pgsmith
    You are not correct. Pumice is extremely abrasive.
    Pumice and swords

    Sounds like a lesson form the crash course "how to ruin your sword"
    Tijs

  7. #7
    Yudansha
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    Thanks For Your Concerns

    Well actually this is not for me, but it is for an iaito. The sword has a "small nick" in it and my wife's sensei told her to get some 200 mesh pumice powder and slowly over the course time slowly polish the nick out.

    Once she gets the powder, he is going to show her how to do it properly. Her sword is not the "best" that you could buy, but to her it is worth putting the time in to remove the nick. Perhaps it is a type of "you deserve this for putting a nick in your sword" thought. Her sensei in not out to lunch and I don't think he would suggest something that would damage her sword. I believe he has taken some training at the University Of Guelph in polishing but I cannot say for sure.

    At any rate, if anybody has a place to get some nearby that would be helpful.

    Cheers
    John "Capt" Kuehnl-Cadwell

    St Catharines Kendo Club

  8. #8
    Yudansha Manuka's Avatar
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    Pumice is a grinding/polishing agent, but most iaito's are chrome plate over the Alum/Zinc alloy blade. If the nick has any depth at all you do risk removing the chrome at that point. Once the edge of the chrome plate is exposed ...ever seen the chrome peeling from an old car bumper.

    Might be better living with the nick.

  9. #9
    RIP James Oliver RigneyJr Charles Mahan's Avatar
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    I just wouldn't worry about the nick, unless it sincerely impacts the structural integrity of the iaito. It's just a training tool.
    Charles Mahan

    Iaido -
    Breaking bad habits
    and building new ones.

  10. #10
    Science mercenary
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Mahan
    I just wouldn't worry about the nick, unless it sincerely impacts the structural integrity of the iaito ...
    In which case I'd be looking for a new iaito. I'd vote for ignoring it too - a lot of work for no meaningful improvement, at best ...

    John

  11. #11
    Knee problems... Webalistic's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by pgsmith
    You are not correct. Pumice is extremely abrasive. The stuff inside the "bag on a stick" (uchiko) is actually a soft sedimentary stone powder.
    Ok, thanks for the info, i stand corrected. Translating wordsinto your own language doesn't always work out properly ;-)

    They're both types of ground up stone anyway and it was indeed intended to be used on a sword, so I was at least thinking in the right direction :-)

  12. #12
    Trying to patent my waza Alex_McGrady's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Navyguy
    Well actually this is not for me, but it is for an iaito. The sword has a "small nick" in it and my wife's sensei told her to get some 200 mesh pumice powder and slowly over the course time slowly polish the nick out.

    Once she gets the powder, he is going to show her how to do it properly. Her sword is not the "best" that you could buy, but to her it is worth putting the time in to remove the nick. Perhaps it is a type of "you deserve this for putting a nick in your sword" thought. Her sensei in not out to lunch and I don't think he would suggest something that would damage her sword...
    I vote we post a photo of the nick and cast a ballot on whether or not it should be polished out... well, seriously, how did the nick come about?

    Alex
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