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Post by LittleJP on Oct 10, 2010 1:13:58 GMT
So, how do you guys maintain your swords?
Sharpening, rust preventation, cleaning?
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Post by Midori Kawakami on Oct 10, 2010 5:43:53 GMT
We make our own choji oil here and use 91% isopropryl (rubbing) alcohol to clean the gunk off our swords. If the sword is one that is used a lot, it gets cleaned and oiled after every use. First, we dry-wipe it to get gunk and old oil off, then, wipe it with the alcohol. After that we dry wipe again to get excess alcohol off and oil it with a very small amount of choji, dry wiping it again if we use too much oil. If it's a sword we don't use often, it gets new oil once every two months. This also serves to inhibit rust.
For other types of rust prevention, there's a few things we do. We add baking soda to the water the tatami mats soak in, and wipe our swords down after every thoroughly killed mat or water bottle. We clean them right away after tameshigiri sessions so the likelihood of tarnishing is kept to a minimum. Despite this, it still happens from time to time. Our first line of action is to use Noxon 7 or Flitz, and if the stains are still there, to use high-grit sandpaper or to repolish the sword, depending on the severity.
We don't sharpen our swords all that often. They don't require it very often; at most, when we're very active with cutting, they might get sharpened once or twice a year.
There's also other things we do; making sure the ito is still tight, the mekugi are where they're supposed to be, and checking the fittings for any play. It's good to know your swords inside and out, no matter what types of blades you're into. It's easier to tell if there's a problem and just exactly what it is if you do.
I know not everyone will agree with our maintenance routine; everyone has their own, and it seems they're all different, haha. But that's ours, for what it's worth. ^^
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TomK
Member
Senior Forumite
Posts: 2,377
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Post by TomK on Oct 10, 2010 14:12:28 GMT
Midorisan, that is one of the best and most concise descriptions of good maintenance I have ever seen, you get another point added to your considerable karma stack for that ma'am.
I would like to add, that if you are not a very traditional minded person you don't have to use choji oil, house hold 3-in-1 oil, sewing machine oil, Remington gun oil, or any other light oil will work just fine. some people like silicone sprays and silicon impregnated gun clothes and I am one of them. I do find that silicone can sometimes diminish the appearence of hamon in some swords, so if you are a katana guy you might want to try it out but have a light oil back-up plan. if the silicon does reduce your hamon it is pretty easy to clean off with wd-40 or warm soapy water, and then alcohol to get rid of the Wd40 or water before oiling again.
there are also other products I hear about that I havn't tried: Renwax, and Balistol to name two but I know there are more eluding my memory at the moment. basically, if it protects the metal of other things from rust it will likely serve well for your swords. modern technology has given us many options. in the end the old traditional oils are a sure thing and will not steer you wrong.
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Post by chrisperoni on Oct 10, 2010 15:15:36 GMT
making your own choji is fairly easy- it's just plain mineral oil and clove oil. 99% mineral / 1% clove. My personal recipe is choji free... so all I do is open the mineral oil and I'm done  From what I've read the choji is ther just for its scent- so you can tell your oils apart (but maybe there's something more too it that I've not heard of) Mineral oil is a natural laxative so you don't want to accidentaly cook with it for example. You can pick up mineral oil at hardware stores (maybe) or pharmacies- they sell both light and heavy types- other than the consistency the oil itself is the same. I think people recommend the light type- I've tried both and find for me they both work fine as long as you leave just a thin layer on the blade. (oh- sewing machine oil is great too- I think it's just light mineral oil by a different name) I will dry off my blade during cutting as needed- I keep a towel at my side for this. As soon as I'm done I wipe the blade down and rub clean with mineral oil as needed, wipe the oil used for cleaning off, then give it a really light final coat of oil again. If more vigorous cleaning is required I turn to Mother Mag and Aluminum Polish following the directions on the jar. After using Mothers you need to use something like alcohol to clean the blade or the oil will not sit right as the polish leaves a slight film. I use plain rubbing alcohol, others use windex (I think it's the ammonia there that does the trick). So yeah, the pharmacy should be all you need for regualr day to day. Mineral oil, rubbing alcohol, and some paper towels. |
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Post by Cold Napalm on Oct 10, 2010 20:08:36 GMT
I actually started moving away from mineral oil and choji oil. I much prefer the silicon gun oils that come in spray cans. They protect WAY longer, don't gunk up as much and are easier to apply. I know Tsafa's WMA teacher feels the same way after a set of his armor rusted with mineral oil after a month long trip.
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Post by RicWilly on Oct 10, 2010 23:34:54 GMT
I sharpen my swords with a 1x30 HF beltsander. I use nevrdull, mineral spirits and steel wool to clean my blades and I use a cheap spray type silicone to prevent rust.
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Post by Midori Kawakami on Oct 11, 2010 0:23:37 GMT
Chris: I haven't seen the light mineral oil in a pharmacy; they generally carry the thick stuff. However, you can find it at the hardware store (labeled as mineral oil for chainsaws or 'wood oil') or as sewing machine oil at most craft and notion stores. The thick stuff isn't as processed, and you have to be careful not to use to much of it, or it'll bead on the blade and could seep into the wood of the saya or scabbard. If this happens, the saya could eventually weaken and split. I greatly prefer the thinner stuff.
Tom: Thanks! ^^
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LiamBoyle
Member
Fechtmeister the Clueless of H.A.S.C.
Posts: 478 
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Post by LiamBoyle on Oct 11, 2010 23:09:00 GMT
Given, my household just recently got actually swords and we are no longer a "waster only" family. I'm developing a routine using Flitz polish, rubbing alcohol, and 3 in 1 oil. It's basically the same routine I used to do with my knives using MAAS polish, alcohol, and Honing Oil.
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Post by MuerteBlack on Oct 13, 2010 19:28:29 GMT
I clean and re-oil my swords after every use or handling. I take a cotton cloth and 91% rubbing alcohol to clean the blade, then use a second cotton cloth that I keep saturated with homemade choji to wipe the blade. I re-saturate the oily cloth every few weeks as needed. My blades have never rusted before, but the crossguard and pommel of my Windlass Longsword sometimes develop slight stains from my skin oil that I polish away using Mother's Mag. Every few months, I touch up the edges with the smooth side of my leather strop using TomK's method.
Sometimes if I feel that my blades need a more thorough cleaning (or I happen to be feeling especially lazy that day) instead of the normal cleaning and oiling, I give my blade a spray and wipe with Windlass Rustblocker, which really works wonders, but is too expensive to use every time.
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Post by chrisperoni on Oct 14, 2010 3:07:49 GMT
Yeah, I only found the light stuff at one chain of pharmacies- Rexalls.
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