These are before and after pics of a tanto tsuka that I recently finished for an individual in Florida.  The original maki style was a variation of Irochigai Jabara-maki which was a fancy mid to late Edo maki that used multiple colors in several different patterns.   When this was new, the colors were a creamy ivory and a navy blue.

The maki style selected by the client was a variation of Hosomaki which a type of string wrap that uses four sets of silk string ito, each set being comprised of two cords twisted in opposite directions.  A couple of interesting points from these different styles are the first cross-over on the ura side (above) is braided instead of layered, and the first three sets of cord are braided on the omote side (below).

Both of the style vary from one Tsukamaki-shi to another...  Let me know what you think.

I regularly receive all kinds of questions about tsukamaki... here are a few recent ones:

Q. Do you glue your ito before and after each twist or crossover?

A. No, I only use glue on the final knot.

Q. What is the white stuff on the handle?

A. Same' or Rayskin. 

Q. Is the core always wood?

A. I've never seen anything else.  Even on the machine made NCO blades of WWII, the aluminum tsuka has a wood core.

Q. What is the most important aspect of a good handle?

A. Tightness of the tsuka's fit on the nakago, and tightness of the ito on  the handle's surface.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about any of these, or any other topics, let me know.