Sword oil

[w.y.chan]

Hi all,

 

Sorry for bringing up this very old subject but I feel there is something worth mentioning. Due to an experience last summer when we had a record breaking heatwave in the UK I have now found that much of the problem I experienced with choji abura was down to the "fact" the clove ingrediant in the oil (mineral?) actually sucks up moisture at an alarming rate. This can of course causes blade to rust so can you imagine if you live in a moist climate. There is also a tendency to leave stains of orange and blue when the oil dries albeit when the choji oil absorbs moistures from the air and off the wooden saya. Applying choji abura in dryer summer season and watch how the oil settles on the blade surface is very different from the "bubble" effect you see in moist season.

 

I have conducted an experiment were I simply add some choji abura to a cotton and left it dried over a fireplace for a few hours, then use the cloth to oil the blade. The consistency and how easily the oil coat the blade now very much like how it was during the dryer season. There is another thing I notice is how the oil dont accumulate as much when placing the blade on a stand but when using choji straight from the bottle the oil keeps on building up on the blade probably the result of the clove attracting moisture.