Looking for a good cleaning/Maintenance kit for my sword.

[oneshot onekill]

Some kits I see online are around $10 and others are around $50, maybe more. I can only assume the cheap ones are cheap for a reason. I'm looking for the real thing. Does anyone here sell them or can you point me to someone who does.

Thanks in advance!

John

[Grey Doffin]

Hi John,

All you need is white, unscented facial tissue for applying oil and micro fiber cloth for removing it. The kits contain uchiko puffs but those have fallen out of favor.

Grey

[cju777]

Grey is spot on you don't need much to start.

 

When I was starting out... which I still very much am, I modeled my maintenance kit off the one Darcy and Ted provided to Juyo clients. Most items can be found off Amazon and other retailers, any case will do. Plenty of discussions on the forum on the various oils if you search. I went with the Okamura Heibei Shoten brand choji oil but might switch once it runs out, but I have been happy with it. Plenty of discussion on the use of uchiko on the board, I avoid it.

 

My setup is in the photo and assembled with stuff I had around or found on Amazon or random shops, plus a box of unscented tissues and rubbing alcohol when I remove the previous oil coat.

 

Case, microdear microfiber cloth, choji oil, smaller cloths for oiling (these were actually fabric samples, but tissue works fine too), mekuginuki, sword pillow

 

Hope that helps! 

[Bazza]

Chris said "rubbing alcohol".  Is this methyl alcohol aka methylated spirits or metho??  If so it might have water in it.  The best alcohol is 100% isopropyl alcohol in a small hand-spray container.  I buy mine at the local (Mitre10) hardware store.

 

BaZZa.

[cju777]

BaZZa - good point, yes 100% isopropyl alcohol!

[oneshot onekill]

Thanks for the responses! I learn every day here.

[ribendao]

Do not clean a sword in polish with uchiko. I made that mistake with my first nihonto. 

[oneshot onekill]

18 hours ago, ribendao said:

Do not clean a sword in polish with uchiko. I made that mistake with my first nihonto. 

I assume because it will scratch it? 

[ribendao]

1 hour ago, oneshot onekill said:

I assume because it will scratch it? 

Yes