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Post by deftones2 on Apr 4, 2011 11:57:17 GMT
I have no machine or gun oil. SO what can i use at home. Some site wrote that i can use olive oil to maintain carbon steel blade.
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Post by S. Thomas on Apr 4, 2011 12:46:19 GMT
I`ve used olive oil for carbon steel knives. It`s worked very, very well. One particular knife I oiled about 17 years ago, then put it in it`s plastic lined leather sheath for about 17 years. I checked up on it periodically, and the oil was still wet and slick on the blade. Mind you I didn`t drench the blade, just put some on my fingertip and wiped it down. The knife remains rust free to this very day. I have it here on the bookshelf beside me. In "ancient times" there was no such thing as gun oil or machine oil. At the grocery store you could spend $4-5 and have a fairly large bottle of olive oil to use. I can only speak for myself, but I don`t see why I myself or you couldn`t use olive oil, or even canola or corn oil for your blades. For sharpening, I have used BMW Synthetic 5W30 I found abandoned at work. No particular reason for this; it was just a half empty bottle of motor oil the guy left behind which I put to convenient use. Now I just use a Nicholson Fine Lathe File held in a gloved hand by the tip, or with the tip wrapped in a piece of cloth to facilitate it`s being used as a draw file for sharpening swords. It doesn`t scratch up the finish on my blades like a sharpening stone of the "Carborundum" type does.
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Post by Neil G. on Apr 4, 2011 13:14:17 GMT
You should be able to pick up some 3-in-1 oil cheap at any local hardware store. That stuff works well, is cheap and readily available. I've always been a bit leery of using organic oils instead of mineral ones.
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Post by deftones2 on Apr 4, 2011 15:49:49 GMT
Thanks S. Thomas, i'll use olive oil when i'll maintain the blade. Maybe later i'll get some mineral oil.
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Post by chrisperoni on Apr 4, 2011 16:23:40 GMT
Mineral oil sells at most pharmacy stores (check the laxative ailse). Costs about $5 for a 500ml bottle which is a lot.
I would also not normally use olive oil- some vegetable based oils can act funny with different steels- and sometimes get sticky- I personally wouldn't sheath a sword in a wood/leather scabbard with veg oil on the blade.
St. Thomas- was the knife carbon or stainless?
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Post by frankthebunny on Apr 4, 2011 20:37:06 GMT
I would not recommend using olive oil, or any other vegetable oil as these can go rancid and cause damage to your blades. I wouldn't use wd40 either as this can break down rapidly and leave your blade unprotected and can even leave water behind. there are some good synthetic oils or lubricants out there but read the labels carefully to find out if there are components that could eventually cause a problem.
I would highly recommend using light mineral oil. you can even add some clove oil to it and make your own choji oil. great for protecting the steel and very affordable. as it was mentioned above, you can get mineral oil at the drug store and most even have the clove oil as well.
actually, here is an excerpt from a trusted source(imho):
The K.I.S.S. rule (Keep it Simple, Silly) is perhaps the number one rule when it comes to oiling swords. Real swords are generally made of a medium to high carbon steel and low-alloy in nature. Unlike stainless steel (which is high alloy in nature) the simpler steels are vulnerable to oxidation, and thus a thin coat of oil would prevent this.
The ancient Japanese have been using choji oil. This is made of 99% mineral oil and only 1% of clove oil for fragrance. This is incorrectly referred to as "clove oil", however, and the mistake has caused some to purchase clove oil from a pharmacy and the result is that their swords have suffered from oxidation (rusting).
Japanese choji has literally worked for centuries and is completely time-proven: just examine some Japanese swords today - swords hundreds of years old look as they did the day they were made!
An alternative to Japanese choji oil is just pure mineral oil. A common theory is that a drop of clove oil was added for fragrance because mineral oil is a laxative. Without the distinguishing smell of cloves, the Samurai's wife might have accidentally used it for cooking oil and, consequently ruined dinner for the poor Samurai!
Mineral oil can be purchased from any pharmacy quite inexpensively, again would be marked as a laxative on the bottle. Traditional Japanese choji is more expensive and is available in most Japanese woodworking stores or online stores that deal with Japanese sword supplies.
An alternative to both these two oils is gun oil. Because gun oil does not have nearly the same centuries-old track record as choji oil, it is hard to recommend it for expensive antiques. However, for inexpensive swords or replica swords in general, any gun oil without corrosive agents may be used, but consult with the manufacturer. In my own personal experience, Remmington Oil works well (i.e. RemOil) but I find that Break Free CLP (as opposed to just "Break Free" - a different product, same brand) coats a bit better.
Be careful not to get oil under any cracks or openings at the hilt where it can potentially trap moisture. With Japanese swords, it is advisable to remove the blade from the hilt, to clean and remove all the old oil before applying the new. With European swords, sometimes it is not possible to disassemble the sword without unpeening the tang, so proceed with caution.
A few drops will do, and spread it with a lint free clean towel. All you need is an extremely thin layer of oil that serves as a micro-thin protective layer between the steel and the elements.
Avoid vegetable oils, as they can go rancid and attract dust. Some use olive oil, but I discourage that because it can "gunk up" when the sword is within its scabbard. Again, stick with what is time-proven. In this case, pure mineral oil or Japanese choji oil is good and will work for Japanese and non-Japanese swords.
Also avoid WD-40 as a protector. It's primary usage is cleaning; however, its distillates will evaporate and leave the blade unprotected. Also when using it, be sparse; excess amounts can run into cracks or openings at the hilt.
For Japanese swords, antiques, etc. it is advisable to avoid Tuff Cloth, waxes, silicone-based gel, vaseline, petrolium gelly, Cosmoline, etc. Some of these contain chemicals that attack blade steel. If not, avoid them for the reason that they are more work to remove and can trap moisture. Once you coat up a blade with the aforementioned and sheath the sword, the scabbard interior will be very hard to clean.
Again the golden rule: keep it simple. Very simple. The simpler the solution the better the protection.
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Post by Alexander on Apr 5, 2011 12:35:02 GMT
Rem Oil, This is hands down the best oil I have ever used. It has Teflon in it that does a great job of protecting steel or any other metal. I usually use WD 40 in my cleaning and then finish with Rem Oil. WD 40 has solvent properties that is great for breaking down gunk and penetrating rust. I once used Rem Oil on some sticky aluminum windows. After that the windows would slam down if you didnt hold on and I didnt ever have to treat them again the entire 10 years we we were there.
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