kcroc16 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Posted July 9, 2011 I'm a noob and was wondering the best way to maintain a WW2 Officer Sword. I am sure you should oil the blade every now and then- what kind of oil should I use? Also, any other maintenance practices I should follow? Thanks in advance! Quote
Grey Doffin Posted July 9, 2011 Report Posted July 9, 2011 http://www.nbthk-ab.org/Etiquette.htm is a care and etiquette brochure that should answer your questions. Grey Quote
truelotus Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 I'm a noob and was wondering the best way to maintain a WW2 Officer Sword. I am sure you should oil the blade every now and then- what kind of oil should I use? Also, any other maintenance practices I should follow? Thanks in advance! several do and don'ts regarding old blade : 1. never clean the rust using sandpaper, 2. never use power buff / similar stuff to make your sword shiny ... Japanese swords are never intended to have mirror polish 3. never clean the nakago 4. never touch the blade with your bare hand ... oil and acid from your finger may and will stain the blade ... 5. never try to test whether a blade is sharp by pulling your thumb over the cutting edge ... you may end up with nasty laceration what should you do take 96% alcohol and clean white cloth, wipe clean the blade to remove excess oil, dirt, etc make sure your fingers are safe from cutting edge buy mineral oil or best choji oil, put some drops on clean white cloth, and gently wipe the blade surface evenly ... no need to use a lot of oil here ... just a thin layer of oil will do repeat every 3 months or after the blade been used for practice enjoy :D Quote
loiner1965 Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 if you cannot locate choji oil i am sure most members here recomment light oil...ie sewing machine oil is sufficient Quote
Jamie Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 Choji isn't hard to find. Lohman has it, as does artswords.com Quote
kcroc16 Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Posted July 12, 2011 I have read you can make choji by mixing in a very small amount of clove oil (for smell) with mineral oil. I am personally planning to just using mineral oil if that is ok... Quote
drdata Posted July 12, 2011 Report Posted July 12, 2011 Regular mineral oil from drug store should be fine. Its sold as a laxative, btw. But, oh how nice that clove smell is. Regards Quote
truelotus Posted July 13, 2011 Report Posted July 13, 2011 plain mineral oil will do ... I once tried sewing machine oil and it's not too good - I mean it accumulated on the surface of the blade as droplets instead of making a thin layer of oil like it was supposed to be so I'm back to choji :D Quote
truelotus Posted July 13, 2011 Report Posted July 13, 2011 camelia oil ? hmmm ... this is new to me is it any good ? as I have a friend, who once tried chrysanthemum oil for his blade and he ended up staining the blade and fittings luckily the blade can be saved :D Quote
David Flynn Posted July 13, 2011 Report Posted July 13, 2011 Has been used as an alternative in Japan for ages. Quote
truelotus Posted July 14, 2011 Report Posted July 14, 2011 ... and I bet it smells better than choji ?? :D Quote
sanjuro Posted July 14, 2011 Report Posted July 14, 2011 Choji oil that is commercially available for use on nihonto is often a mix of camellia oil with a few drops of clove oil in it. The sensitivity of Japanese blades to some oils actually boils down to the ph level of the oil being used. PH neutral oils are considered better. Vegetable oils such as camellia oil are safe. Some mineral oils however will stain a blade (motor oil is a no no because of the detergents etc that are added to it). Clove oil on its own will also stain if left on for a long period of time since it is slightly acidic as oils go, and it oxidises over time. Oils that actually dry to a sticky substance are also bad news for obvious reasons, and some vegetable oils will be unsuitable because of this, or because of the salt levels contained. Peanut oil is not too good and canola oil is better left alone. Someone mentioned that an oil he used beaded on the surface of the steel. This is most likely because the blade surface was saturated or it had become too shiny from constant cleaning. You may notice that a newly polished blade will hold oil on the jigane below the shinogi line but it will bead slightly on the burnished surface above the shinogi. The shinier the steel, the less it will accept oil without beading. Oil with a higher surface tension will also bead rather than form a film. The more you inquire into this the more complex it can get. Best to stick to choji IMHO. :D Quote
truelotus Posted July 14, 2011 Report Posted July 14, 2011 woah ... a very thorough explanation ... thank you very much ... it gave me new insight ... and as usual, I always stick to choji ... its capability to preserve sword for hundreds of years speaks for itself :D Quote
ububob Posted July 14, 2011 Report Posted July 14, 2011 truelotus, a custom and courtesy observed on this forum is signing of all posts with a real name as Keith did above. You can make that change in your profile. ...and welcome aboard. :D Quote
truelotus Posted July 21, 2011 Report Posted July 21, 2011 truelotus, a custom and courtesy observed on this forum is signing of all posts with a real name as Keith did above. You can make that change in your profile....and welcome aboard. :D thank you, Bob ... for the warm welcome :D ... and I already add my real name in the signature Quote
w.y.chan Posted September 6, 2013 Report Posted September 6, 2013 The latest I've heard from a Japanese website regarding choji oil is that it act as an insecticide with a highly concentrated smell implying that choji was traditionally used to keep insects way from your swords. I'm not sure if they mean all "choji oil" or they mean the ones they sell. Quote
runagmc Posted September 6, 2013 Report Posted September 6, 2013 Anyone ever had problems with insects infesting their Nihonto? I've always heard the clove oil is added traditionally just for the nice aroma (although some people dislike it)... Quote
w.y.chan Posted September 6, 2013 Report Posted September 6, 2013 Anyone ever had problems with insects infesting their Nihonto? I've always heard the clove oil is added traditionally just for the nice aroma (although some people dislike it)... It is not that unusual to have bugs living inside old scabbard I suppose. I have had insect half eaten a horn koiguchi on a shirasaya I didnt check for 6 months, BTW the blade was not treated with choji oil as I had avoided using. Years ago while inspecting a sword up close after drawing it from the scabbard I found a microbe comming out of a pitting on the blade. I suspect it came from within the scabbard even though it was newly made and the sword was newly polished. I believe plant oil such as camellia was the traditional oil popular in pre-industrialise Japan. I found this particular oil being mention as made from the old ways, the price is extortionately high yet I'm told plant oil such as this is not as good as mineral which are a lot cheaper http://www.taibundo.com/gallery/yougu/y004.html Quote
Rich S Posted September 6, 2013 Report Posted September 6, 2013 My home has a pretty constant temp and humidity, so I store my swords dry - no oil. I uchigo them about once a year. Never had any rust problems in over 40 years. I suspect an NCO sword would require even less in the way of care unless you live in a very humid climate. Rich Quote
kusunokimasahige Posted September 13, 2013 Report Posted September 13, 2013 I had some kind of insect eating away the full horn handle of my Kukri knife. Still dont know what it was. KM Quote
w.y.chan Posted September 13, 2013 Report Posted September 13, 2013 I had some kind of insect eating away the full horn handle of my Kukri knife. Still dont know what it was. KM Carpet beetle could be the culprit. They are mostly unseen in daylight and does serious damage to clothes too which were wrongly attributed to moths. Museum curators apparently knows them well. Quote
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