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Manufacturing of Tanabe Tools

Tanabe company has maintained our manufacturing tradition since our foundation.
We will pass on this tradition to the next generation.

Manufacturing of Tanabe

Tsubamesanjo is well known as a place that produces some of the finest metal ware products in Japan.
There are many factories in Tsubamesanjo with incredibly talented artisans (blacksmiths). The origin of Sanjo blacksmiths date back to the Muromachi period about 430 years ago.
In the early Edo period 390 years ago (around 1620), the poverty of farmers became extreme due to frequent flood damage.
In order to help Sanjo during these disasters, Sanjo invited a Japanese nail craftworker from Edo to teach the people of Sanjo about manufacturing, and it began to spread blacksmithing work in Sanjo and Tsubame.
As the blacksmith industry developed, hardware wholesalers als o played a major role.
Fukuo Tanabe first learned blacksmithing techniques while working as a peddler in the Russian Kamchatka peninsula.
That was the beginning of Tanabe Co., Ltd.
There were various kinds of smithing techniques, but carpentry was most popular at the time.
As society and technology change with the times as it has during our 80 years since our foundation, our mission is to pass on blacksmithing artistry and technique to future generations.
We hope our commitment to Tsubamesanjo metalworks continues to promote blacksmithing products into the future.

Forging the scissors from start to finish

  1. Raw material

    2. We have 2 types of materials.
    The body is steel, and the cutting edge is high carbon steel.

  2. Attach steel

    3. Process of attaching steel to high carbon steel.

    1. We put a bonding agent on the steel material to attach the high carbon steel.
    2. We attach the high carbon steel to the steel with a bonding agent.
    3. While both attached materials are being fired, we hit the scissor until the steel and high carbon steel are melded.
  3. Forging
  4. Stretch the material

    5. Process of extending part of handle.

    1. We hold the material which melded by heating 900℃～1000℃ with steel tongs and extend it with a crankshaft driven hammer.
      We insert the tip of the handle into a tap and extend it with steel tongs.
      The tap then changes the handle from a square shape to a round shape.
    2. We adjust the scissor so that it is easy to grip and fit into the tap.
      We heat the handle of the scissor to about 800℃.
      Then we bend the handle along the mold.
  5. Molding

    6. We hold the handle of the scissor by steel tongs and heat.
    Then we hit it with a crankshaft driven hammer.

  6. Bend material

    7. We put the handle of the scissor into the furnace at 800℃.
    This is the process of bending the handle along the mold while the material is hot.
    We use a special gauge for this process.

  7. Making the hole and grinding the scissor

    8. We drill the hole for the bolt which becomes the center point of the scissors.

    We then grind the scissor to remove the rough pieces.
  8. Polish the surface

    9. We polish the edge with a grinding wheel.

  9. Harden the material

    10. Hardening

    The process of harding the edge by rapidly cooling in oil.

    1. We hold the scissor with tongs and put it into a furnace.
    2. Then we put it into the oil box to rapidly cool.

    Then we change to the water box before the scissors cool down.

    Tempering

    The process is done again and we add it to the heat and adjust the hardness and strength of the steel.

    1. We put the scissor into the oil box.
    2. Then take it from the oil box and take off the oil.
  10. Polish the surface

    11. We polish the blade of the back of the scissor edge.

  11. Completion