Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 11:50:33 GMT
Hi guys! Seeing as how I'm a beginner, I thought I'd post this here rather than in a dedicated sword maintenance thread or something. Thing is, I'm trying to figure out what type of oil to best use for day-to-day sword maintenance. I'm not talking about long-term storage vaseline/renaissance wax type of materials - just the sort of stuff that Hanwei markets as 'sword oil' (my free spray can is running low ;-) . I did read several threads (and the very heplful sword mainetance pdf on this site, thanks) but most of the brand mentioned are US brand which I cannot find in my local (Dutch) stores. Yesterday, I talked to someone who's into motorcycle restoring, and he had a 60 liter barrel of the stuff he uses to coat his tools and parts. He gave me about a liter of it to try out. From the barrel, I figured out it was called Stemkor-178, some kind of BP steel coating oil. Found a website which gives the specs: ylmclube.com/en/?ContentID=122. Now I doubt if any of you use the exact same product (seeing as how it's apparently industrial scale stuff), but I wonder if anyone who is deeply into the whole chemical data could tell me, based on those specs, whether this is something to use of avoid. I've already tried it on one sword, and it looks like it does the job, but obvioulsy there's no telling what the long-term effects might be. Anyone?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 12:32:21 GMT
I looked up the details of Stemkor-178, it's a 'slushing oil', it's what hey use it to treat sheet steel in storage so it doesn't corrode. The link provided tell nothing about the ingredients, and neither do other manufacturers of many machine oils unfortunately, so it's hard to tell the difference and if there's anything in there to be wary of. If in doubt, just use sewing machine oil instead, which is classed asa light machine oil.
There are so many possible chemicals that can be mixed with a mineral oil base to crete a slushing oil, typically they use sulphonates and carboxylic acids, though there are many more compounds employed for this purpose. Since the base is always a mineral oil, a mineral oil will do the job.
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Post by mcapanelli on Sept 23, 2012 12:33:26 GMT
I know I may be lambasted for this as it's a no no but I use 3-n-1 oil. I've used it for years and never had rust problems even in the humid NYC summers. Mind you I only have experience with mid to high level production Euros so don't quote me on Asian sword as I really have no knowledge in that department. I've used coji (SP) oil, hanwei sword oil, oilve oil, and a olive oil beeswax blend, and I always end up going back to 3-n-1. It's easy to find, cheap, and goes on easy. I still use olive oil on my small knives I use for eating though. Again, no rust problems there but it probably helps that their stainless steel outers with a carbon steel core.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 23, 2012 13:00:41 GMT
No problems, think outside the box
"Stemkor 178 has been formulated to meet the requirements of the major industries both applying and using/fabricating this type of product, including the automotive manufacturers."
Wide variety of industry means different levels of protection, ergo product safety.
"Stemkor 178 can be applied by spray, roller coating, roll transfer and electrostatic methods. "
Wide applications including air.
"A minimum coating weight of 0.6 g/m2 is recommended (ideal range 0.8-2.0g/m2). The temperature range of application is from 30 to 50°"
Stable at higher temps, high flash point.
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Sam H
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Post by Sam H on Sept 23, 2012 14:11:49 GMT
Militec-1 oil www.militec1.comWorks better than anything I've found out there. Either that or just use automatic transmission fluid. That's pretty good stuff too. Best thing is both options are dirt cheap! I do prefer Militec-1 though.
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Post by KentsOkay on Sept 23, 2012 14:44:15 GMT
I've always used Rem-Oil on my sword, smells nice too :mrgreen:
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2012 15:05:19 GMT
Mee too, Remington Rem-Oil, using it for years, no problems!
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Post by demonskull on Sept 23, 2012 15:56:39 GMT
I generally use regular mineral oil from a pharmacy. I've just recently tried Miltec. I've never had a problem with mineral oil and I've been useing it for about 20 years on swords and before that 3in1 on knives for another 20 years.
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Post by mcapanelli on Sept 23, 2012 15:59:59 GMT
That's what it was called. I got a free sample a while back and it worked great but I forgot what it was called. I'll be ordering some soon. Thanks man!
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Sept 24, 2012 0:31:42 GMT
Silicone sprays and silicone gun cloths are also excellent options for day to day sword maintenance And long-term storage. I have never had any rust using a silicone gun cloth even in as humid an environment as Pennsylvania. They are cheap. They are easy to find at sporting goods stores/gun stores. They last a long time. And the protection lasts at least 3 months (that's the longest I have allowed my swords to go without a wipe-down). I disassemble all my blades that I can and wipe down the innards once a year as well. They also go on clean. No worries about dripping on anything.
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Post by aussie-rabbit on Sept 24, 2012 2:57:28 GMT
True, I've run out for the moment but have used it in the past, now days I seal coat mine which works well too.
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Post by ineffableone on Sept 24, 2012 3:15:46 GMT
The big question for this stuff, is the viscosity of it. Typical sword oil is light mineral oil, which is nice and thin and coats smooth and evenly. The mineral oil usually found in pharmacies is often heavy mineral oil with too much thickness to work effectively. Thick oils pool and tend to collect particles and even trap moisture in them. The second question for this oil you were given is what else is in it and can it harm the metal of your blades. From what info has been given it seems like it might be ok.
The best source for pure light mineral oil is sewing machine oil, the reason is the oils for a sewing machine need to be nonstaining for use with fabrics. So Sewing machine oil tends to be just pure light mineral oil or with minimal additives that are also nonstaining. It can usually be found quite cheaply. I would imagine the Netherlands has plenty of sewing machines, and you could find a sewing machine shop that sells the oil for the machines. There are also many online sources for sewing machine oil and a bit of searching around you could likely find a decent source for it.
Most lubricating and protecting oils tend to start with a base ingredient of light mineral oil. They then start adding other ingredients to make it unique, and patentable. Why bother with the oils that have these other ingredients when you can usually find pure light mineral oil through sewing machine oil and it is often cheaper through such a source.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2012 20:54:37 GMT
Wow, thanks for all the replies, guys. Good stuff. A few notes:
1. I liked the idea of 'thinking outside the box' with this stemkor stuff; besides, how harmful can any additives be to the steel of my swords, seeing as how its stated application is exactly what I'm using it for (or very close at least ;-) . However, I think ineffableone might be correct: it may be slightly too thick. I applied as thin a coating as I could, and this morning I noticed some trapped impurities.
2. No doubt the gun oil / gun cloth option is a good option, but here in The Netherlands they're hard to come by given our strict gun laws. Probably not impossible, as no doubt there's a few sporting/hunting stores, but none near my location at least. I indeed saw sewing machine oil in my local hardware store, but didn't consider it - to me it seemed too specific a product. But judging by what was posted here, it might indeed be a very good option. I'll go pick some up.
3. I had considered Rem-oil before, but was advised against it because it was supposed to be a water-attracting oil (?) rather than a water-repellant one. Now I'm not sure if that true (or even physically possible) but it kinda turned me off it. But many posters seem quite happy with it, so it might be worth a try.
I guess I'll go pick up some options and make this a longitudinal comparative study ;-)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2012 23:49:29 GMT
I thought of the difficulty in finding gun oil, so sewing machine oil was going to be my suggestion. 3-in-1 oil was mentioned, and is not that different. They are both light machine oils. I would go for sewing machine oil first and foremost though.
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