The Proper care and feeding of Nihonto

[USMC-LCPL]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a "Shadow Box" (read: Wooden Case) to keep my Shinto era Mino Wak in... and I was wondering...

 

Is there something I can place inside of the box to ward off moisture? I have yet to get a functioning Saya for the blade, so this is a matter of some urgency for me.

 

Do you know of any "dehumidifiers" that I can place inside of my Shadow Box to protect my blade from rust? BTW, I'm in Hawaii, so moisture and humidity are both HUGE problems.

 

Thank you all for your assistance!

[John A Stuart]

Hi, May I suggest silica gel packs. They can be purchased in large pouches and when drying effect is lost can be re activated by a time in the oven. Some packs have moisture indicators built in, usually colour, blue- dry, pink moist. Cheapest. There are electric heater bar dehumidifiers used for gun cabinets but that requires wiring. John

[USMC-LCPL]

Thank you for the suggestion! What kind of store would I purchase these packs in?

 

And I know about the cost of Dehumidifiers... that's one of the reason's I'm trying to find a cheaper solution :?

 

Thanks again,

[Brian]

Charles,

 

You can get them from any gunshop. Used in gunsafes to protect the metal inside.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of dessicants. They do the job well, but by taking moisture out of the air, they can dry out wood and leave it prone to cracking. Just don't use too many, and you should be ok.

There are too many brands out there. Just call your closest sporting goods store, and they should be able to hook you up. Camera shops might also have them.

Look up dessicants online, and you should fine hundreds for sale.

 

Regards,

Brian

[aeguy]

USMC-LCPL,

 

You can also perform a search for, "silica dessicant pack" on ebay. Prices for current auctions offering these dessicants for sale didn't appear prohibitively high and the bonus is it would be delivered to your doorstep.

 

Alternatively, you might want to consider stopping by any nearby auto-body/auto collision repair shops and asking if they have any of these dessicant packs lying about. The windshield and autobody sealants used in these repair shops typically comes in "caulking tube" type dispensers and a little silica dessicant pack is often included in the tube base. These sealants usually need water vapor to cure and harden, and by including a little dessicant pack in the tube base manufacturers ensure their sealants won't harden before they are used. Accordingly, these shops will have alot of small dessicant packs lying about, and they're usually just swept up and thrown out with the rest of the trash that accummulates during a day's work.

 

Either way, it's up to you. I just wanted to let you know there are other options available where you can obtain these dessicant packs. I hope you find this information useful. Bye for now......

 

Best Regards,