Thank You

spasibo

This is still an amateur level. Study options are essentially limited to studying old components. I am a blacksmith, not a professional tosogu and koshirae maker. So there is still room for improvement. Really high-quality processing of details requires much more time. I don't have much of that, so I prefer utility level. A few questions: 1. What brand of solder do you use? I don't know, the high proportion of silver is important. So that the melting point is not too high. 50% is in the one I use, I think. 2. Am I right that you use liver of sulfur to patina copper? Did you try historic recipes for applying different colors to the metal? It's some kind of chemical preparation for patination of copper. Manufacturer in the Czech Republic. I'm buying it ready made. 3. Did you try to make copper alloys for sword fittings on your own or do you prefer pure copper? I tried shibuichi. It was interesting. Really unpleasant hardware material. It tears when forging. I finished a fuchi and a tsuba for one sword from this material. I prefer to use copper. As I already wrote. I'm a blacksmith and I'm interested in these things, but it takes a lot of time to master them well. And the resulting work is then significantly more expensive. But I like to experiment sometimes.

Thank you! Compared to your level I am an amateur's apprentice's junior apprentice level 😂 I hope some day I'll dare to make something more complex than kobuse tanto from scrap steel. I used several types of solder for my fittings: Harris phosphorous copper, the cheapest of them all, works fine on pure copper and brass; several silver compositions including silver-tin, with different melting points for assembling complex stuff. Finally, I used what looks like your case - flux-coated SSF-6 rods, 56% silver, the flux looks pinkish, they work perfect even on stainless steel. I experimented with several alloys, copper, copper-silver, copper-silver-zinc and other stuff, to make some small parts to decorate fittings. That's why I used all those different melting point solders. All I can say - unpredictable :) One time the result looks silver, another time the same composition looks more like brass but works like copper. Maybe that's what makes this hobby so exciting :)

Please tell me what is the best way to darken copper?

@@dlkravcov1973 I myself use liver of sulfur, "серная печень", but results depend on exact composition of copper in question. You can use pure copper or it can be "tainted" with some percents of zinc or silver (shibuichi) and results may vary. Another thing is the temperature, hot solution works different from cold one. You may also try rokusho (buy ready-made or mix yourself, recipes are all over the net), su-tanpan or various niage solutions to get different colors. As always - experiment is the only way to the truth ;)