Could be the material itself. My oldest cotton wrap is Tozando, my newest iaito is from swordstore but I got it rewrapped.

Indeed, all three are in use and I think it's very much up to personal preference.

Splice, I have seen those hairy situations on the cheaper Paul Chen swords. But like you, my cotton wrapping is still smooth and tight.... but my kashira is starting to come off... any suggestions?

I personally don't like leather because it tends to slip in my hand if I begin to sweat. But I do know others who swear by it.

The kashira is starting to come off? You mean that the tsuka ito is coming undone or that the actual metal piece is somehow coming off? Because it's supposed to be tied rather securely by the wrap.

If the wrap is coming undone, there isn't much you can do as far as I know. You won't be able to retie it yourself, it should have been cut at just the length needed for the knot with nothing left to spare. Hard to redo the knot in that case.

I would personally get it rewrapped but you know your situation better than I do. Maybe the wrap is still tight and not likely to come undone? I don't know, but good luck.

Thank You

well.. the kashira is loose, and yes it is tied to the tsuka-ito so i guess it is the wrapping itself thats loose... how much does it cost to rewrap? is it possible to do it by yourself? does anyone know who rewraps tsuka-ito?

I suggest you ask around your dojo for suggestions. I know someone up here in Canada, but that would probably be too much trouble for you.

Rewrapping is something you can learn for yourself if you like, but it will take you many months of practice to get a nice, solid wrap. I wouldn't recommend trying to learn to save money.

A rewrap shouldn't be very expensive. About $100 total maybe? Of course the better the work the more expensive it will be. Fred Lohman charges $200 for a handle rewrap I believe.

If nothing else there is Thomas Buck at www.tsukamaki.net, and he's not so far away (Minnesota I believe). You would send the handle to him and then get it back in a month or two. Of course this supposes you can take your sword apart and put it back together again, which may not be so simple if it is shimmed and everything.

You should ask your sensei, I am sure he could give you good advice for this.

Fred Lohman in Portland, OR does a great job on re wraps. Have a look and see what you come up with. I actually sent him the entire sword and got it back reworked. I was very pleased with it.

Thomas Buck, which I mentioned above, did all the tsuka restoration work for Fred Lohman from '91 to about '96. Now that he's independent his price is very reasonable.

Fred Lohman and his company seem to do very good work, but the prices are a bit up there, at least in my opinion. I am sure it is worth it to those who are willing to pay for it.

huh.. i forgot that I would have to take the tsuka off... I never got one of those kits with the little hammer thingy and all that jazz... even with it my sensei said if I do take my sword apart chances are ill loosen everything and have to spend some time with the shimmying... so I guess ill hold off until it gets really bad or I have the time to spend making sure everything is solid again.