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Post by ironsmith on May 30, 2016 12:43:14 GMT
Hello everyone, I just picked up my first TFW blade. One thing worth noting, however is I have no idea how to maintain it in a place like Chicago where sometimes it's humid as hell and other times it's like a desert. I know Kult of Athena mentioned keeping the rattan oiled, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to apply it or what kind of oil. Any advice?
-Ironsmith
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Post by MOK on May 30, 2016 13:57:15 GMT
I've used boiled linseed oil. Brush it on, let it sit for maybe an hour and wipe off everything still left unabsorbed; if there's none left on the surface, apply some more and wait again, repeating until there is some excess left. Repeat the whole thing every now and then, like once a year to once a month depending on climate, often enough to keep the material pliable and stop it from absorbing moisture.
For the blade, a few drops of light mineral oil should suffice under most circumstances (in fact, you could probably get away with using it for the rattan and wood, too); spread it all over with a clean (aside from the oil) piece of absorbent cloth or chamois, making sure to cover absolutely every square millimeter of steel, then wipe off everything that will come off. If the blade looks or feels oily after that, there's too much oil left. You only want an imperceptibly thin, airtight layer clinging tight to the steel.
If the oil proves insufficient, you could try something like Renaissance wax. And if you have some silica gel packs, putting them where you store your blades can also help deal with atmospheric moisture.
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pgandy
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Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on May 30, 2016 14:42:55 GMT
As MOK pointed out linseed oil is good. However, teak oil, and tung oil will work well also on the wood. Mineral oil will work on the metal as well as the wood. I prefer one of the three forgoing on wood although I’ve used mineral oil many a time. Do not restrict it to the rattan and metal but if the scales are wood oil also. Apply as MOK suggests and keep your fingers off of the metal.
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