EastCoast

Oshy, I wonder how heavy it was applied. It should go on very thin. When applied like this it comes off very easy with mineral spirits. That's what I've noticed at least. Time will tell.

I've been happy with the results and have now coated everything less armour sets. I'll update with pictures. No hazing, rust, or spots. Plan to update on a monthly basis moving forward.

Wal, That is odd. Why would they do that?

Applied to a neck gaurd as well. I'll let this sit in direct light.

I've applied it to a blade. Before you view the pictures here are some observations. If you have ever waxed a car, correctly, you will know that you must apply it very sparingly. This makes the removal or reapplication much easier. Same is true for RW. It goes on like oil if applied properly. It does not mask the hada at all. If anything it bring it out! This is hard to tell from the first picture (Cleaned) and the fifth picture (AfterWax1). I could not recreate the lighting and angle. I added some side shots that are much better, but not great! Feel free to ask any questions or post any concerns.

Oshy, I agree it is not a solid test. At this stage I am hestant to introduce additional hearsay from users on other boards that have had success. I'm willing to test and research the topic further. Can you please share any sources you have? I've seen only one scientific paper on the topic, but it raised more questions than answered. Again, to be clear. My usage would be for a 6 month temporary display at a university. I'm not proposing or suggesting anything longer without a more controlled test.

::UPDATE:: I've stripped the wax from the knife. I used tissue and a little bit of mineral spirits. I noticed that the luster has gone back to the original state. It was not hard to remove the wax. It required very little pressure - similar to removing oil. I think the key was the very lite application, as is described in other forums. Now to test this further, I decided to try this on a piece of plastic. The goal was to test how much residual wax is left after cleaning if any. Based on these results, I feel this may be a viable solution for displaying blades in an exhibit like setting. Please let me be clear that this was never meant to be a torture test. I am not going to leave things out in the rain or anything of the like. I find those types of tests to be extreme and unrealistic, considering how most of us care for our collection. Next I with try this on a blade with a hagire that is in good polish. Pictures in order: 1. Knife\Blade cleaned with MS and tissue. 2. Handle cleaned with MS and tissue. 3. Plastic piece cleaned with Windex. 4. Plastic - Wax applied lightly prior to buffing. 5. Plastic - Wax buffed using a tissue. Buffing in straight lines like you would when cleaning nihonto. 6. Plastic- Clean with MS.

After doing some research, they say to use mineral spirits. There has been some talk on the board about using MS, but it doesn't sound like anyone has tried it. People use the combination on some high end firearms with great success. As for appearance it looks brighter to me. To my eye it looks significantly better and the pictures do not do it justice. It doesn't have that same filmy look like the high end oil I use.

Yes, rather course. This was to see if the wax would be visible in the scratches after the application, within one week, and finally after removal.

I think protection has been validated. I'll apply to a carbon steel blade.

So this is far from a true scientific approach, but here is what I did. I decided to use a butter knife as my base metal (stainless steel M.I.J.). The blade part was rough sanded using 320 grit paper. The pictures and descriptions have been included in order. I attempted my best to keep the lighting and angles the same. Unfortunately, I do not have time to combine these for a side by side comparison. I'll try to get to that tomorrow. Looking forward to reading your observations, questions, and other ideas. 1. The full knife prior to cleaning. 2. The blade after cleaning with soap and water. 3. The handle area after cleaning with soap and water. 4. The blade after cleaning with 100% alcohol. 5. The handle area after cleaning with100% alcohol. 6. The blade after applying wax. 7. The handle area after applying wax. 8. The blade after very gently buffing with tissue paper. 9. The handle area after very gently buffing with tissue paper. 10. Final shot with the wax.

Barry, What's odd is that they went out and were dispatched back. They were sold directly by Amazon and it originated in CA. My guess is that this may be related to flight disruptions. I reordered and this time it is showing it as originating from VA. Should be here Friday. Best, James

I kid you not. What strange times we live in.

Folks - Amazon canceled my order. Apparently there are more important things they need to get out. I've replaced the order and will see what happens.

Ken, They have mastered those displays and lighting for sure. All - I ordered the wax and some metal blocks. It will be here Tuesday. I hope this ends up benefiting the group. Should I maybe start a new thread?

Maybe I am getting my exhibits mixed up. I can see a no picture sign in the background of the second picture you posted, but that's a different location altogether. That is one thing that really miffed me. I can understand no flash, but reagular pictures.... really?

How did you take that picture? There was a sign to the left that said no pictures. I got yelled at by the gaurd. LoL

Grey, I'm not sure that is a valid argument. For example, choji has been proven to not properly protect againt rust. In fact, this has been known for at least a century. This is why many collectors now use high quality machine or gun oils. Maybe tradition is the problem here? Perhaps it was just a matter of practically? Who knows? That is what is great about science. We push the bounds of tradition by testing hypotheses and are sometimes able to then propose a theory. Best, James

That is an interesting thought! Ok, here's the plan. I'll take a scrap piece of metal and sand it with different levels of fine grain sandpaper to simulate the hada. I'll let it sit for a week then attempt to remove it using denatured alcohol or mineral spirits. I have to order this stuff, so it may take time to gather and post the results. If anyone else has any ideas to test this, please let me know.

16K, I may use it on an old out of polish blade to see how it goes. Theoretically it would negate the need for a shirasaya for a blade on display with proper application. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.

16K- Someone in the conservation department at the Smithsonian here in DC mentioned that same product. I mentioned a Juyo blade with a high ranking polish and they then shot me the 'are you nuts' look. I'm torn here. Best, James

All, Thanks for the feedback. I also use Kurabara, but cannot find that balance were no oil is visible; especially in a display setting. Bugyotsugi - you more or less confirmed what I thought. They are displaying without oil. To Ken's point though, even at 30% humidity that is enough moisture to cause rust quite quicky. I've tested myself and seen the results. My original thought was some form of carefully applied wax, but this too would haze over time. No oil, especially in Japan, even under controlled settings can still be very risky. In the event of a catastrophic failure of the safegaurds. I think this is all very interesting and important information for those of us loaning our collections for special exhibits. Best James

Totally unrelated, but Samurai Cat on Amazon is a very entertaining and family friendly show. Great for introducing some basic concepts to young children. My daughter loves it. Best, James

All, On my last trip to Japan I attended the Bizen exhibit as well as visited several temples with swords on display. It was my observation that there did not appear to be any oil on these swords. In talking to a woman at one temple, that houses one of Oda N's sword, she mentioned they haven't moved or touched it in years. It appeared in good polish. It was in a rather ordinary display. I could not identify anything that appeared to control the climate either. How is this possible? What the heck are they using to do this? My motives in trying to determine this is that my collection will be placed on temporary display at a university in a similar fashion. Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this matter. Best, James

Does anyone know what Ray uses for his backdrop or have recommendations for something similar? Best, James