Looking after a sword

[Galadriel]

Hey guys,

after training with your weapon (in this case a straight sword), what should you do to it??

Wipe it off and put some sort of oil on it??
How about Ballistol oil?? Its used in Germany to keep firearms in good condition??


Galadriel

[JWTAYLOR]

How often do you train with the weapon. It isn't neccessary to oil the weapon if it is used regularly. Wiping it clean is good enough.
JWT

[Galadriel]

ABout 4 times a week.

But even so, wouldnt it need a bit of treatment now and again??

Galadriel

[JasBourne]

Even though I'm nowhere near serious weapons training level, I do like to practice my baat jam do (twin butterfly longknives) form every now and then. I wipe the blades down when I'm through, and about once every few months (because of the humidity where I live) I will spray a little WD-40 on a paper napkin and run it over them lightly.

[Highlander]

It is very important to remove all the blood after practice. Blood is very corrosive. Also, it is not a good idea to store a blade in a sheath. The chemicals that preserve leathers and some some woods are not good for metal.

[Ray Pina]

I live at the beach, a nighmare for metals. I've lost a CD player, a screen door and a number of wind chimes to the salt air.

This is what I do: Mineral Oil. Not every time. Once a month is more then enough.

Also, if you find rust, get one of those purple brillo type pads, I forget the name but will check, and go up the entire blaid. Do not spot treat.

This info was e-mailed to me after I e-mailed a top polisher in Japan for a cheap guy way of caring for a so so blade.

So far so good. IF it works at sea it shoudlw ork anywhere.

[JWTAYLOR]

Evolution Fist's suggestions are just fine if you practice with your blade regularly.

JWT

[Mutant]

Yes listen to EF's advice r/e treatment, but i think you can also use wd40 or gun oil, you should wipe it down to get the sweat off it after each use and oil once in a while when it needs it. If you don't then your blades will rust, i was lazy and this happened to me, now i need to do some serious brillowing.

[Ray Pina]

I'm in the market for a so so Katana. I have a kris broadsword which I like, but I now prefer the two handed Katana.

Any suggestions. Its hard to resist the Kris for the price (the Paul CHans are rediculous expensive) but I am not too stoked on the blade to handle ratio. I'm looking for a bit of a longer handle, as well as a traditional job with the handle laces. I'm a sucker like that.

I have a feeling I'll be calling Kris anyway though.

Also, any info on where one could learn to make swords. Blacksmiths in NYC?

That's got to be a cool way to make a buck.

[Sam Wiley]

It's a pity about those wind chimes, EF.;)

Persoanally, I use gun oil. My favorite is that military grade oil, medium thickness. It leaves a thick protective film over the blade. It doesn't look too pretty, but it's great for protection, and wipes off easily if you are going to do a demo. Right now, I'm out of that stuff, and have been using a commercial gun oil called CLP. Works just as well, but doesn't last as long on the blade. An added bonus to it, though, is that it cleans dirt and residues off, which is pretty cool. I've been meaning to pick up a can of this stuff Museum Replicas recommends for coating suits of armor on display. Supposedly, it adheres to the metal so well, you don't even have to worry when people leave their fingermarks on the blade, because their finger oils don't get to the metal. I'd love to have some of that stuff, because every time someone examines one of my swords, they leave their nasty fingermarks on the blade and I have to go and clean and oil it again. *******s.:mad: The problem is that you can never say "don't touch the blade" quick enough. And if you do they never seem to listen.

Anyway, If I don't practice with my swords for a month, I take them out, wipe the blade dry, oil it, wipe it dry again, and then put on a protective coat of oil. I always do the same sequence after practicing with them, every time. Oil is cheap and goes a long way, but blades are expensive (good ones, anyway). Generally, I practice with my swords at least once a week. To date, none of my swords have rusted while in my care.

A note here: if you have a leather scabbard for your sword, just throw it away. Leather is one of the worst things you can store your swords in. The blade will rust over night, and you will end up with stains if you're lucky, a piece of garbage if not. I bought a pair of swords a couple of years ago that had a wooden scabbard, but the scabbard had pieces of leather inside the throat to keep the swords snug. After I got them home, the first thing I did was take those **** things out. The part of the blades nearest the hilts had surface rust on it, and they're stained to this day.

I think the comment about blood above was a joke, but if you happen to cut yourself and get blood on the blade, you should wipe it off ASAP. Blood will rust the blade as well.

[Ray Pina]

Thanks for the tips about leather -- I didn't know that. It sounds like you have a nice collection going. I have never been in a position before where I wanted to get heavy into weaponry, maybe deep inside I questioned the realisticness of the training I saw being done by seniors.

My new teacher is different. Sometimes I show up early and he's going to town with a disciple. My teacher had us purchase those bamboo kendo swords and Lacross gloves. We got into it for a while and now we have changed our focus. One day, when I'm more comfortable with the Ba Gua/Hsing-I/E-chuan hands, I'd like to focus on the sword -- a childhood fantasy I guess.

I'd also like to get a collection one day myself, but the pricess -- my God. Anyway, they have some blades at the Museum of Modern Art out here: beautiful. I dream of getting a job sweapin gup there and somehow replace them craftly and export them in a poster container. Ah, one can dream I guess.

Anyway, thanks for the tips. I'll keep an eye out for those leather scabards.

[Sam Wiley]

Good swords cost a lot. The lowest I have paid for a good sword (actually the pair I mentioned earlier) was US$115 or thereabouts, after tax. My Jian cost me a little over $350, if I remember. You might even see really good ones going for about $1000. I would recommend getting a wooden sword, or a cheaply made version until you have practiced for a while. That way, you don't ruin your good one, and you don't cut your own hands off or something. I used to laugh at this, until I nearly cut off one of my own fingers. I have a wooden broadsword to practice with until I get used to the thing, and then I'll look into gettign a real one. I learned my lesson the hard way.

If you order stuff online, you might want to check out the Museum Replicas website (http://www.museumreplicas.com) . Their stuff is pretty good, if pricey. They have only a few Chinese blades, but this is where I go for real swords. I have ordered swords from some places, or bought them in stores, and walked away with what I thought was an okay sword but turned out to be a piece of crap. One of them literally fell apart. I stick to the familiar now.

I have seen some websites that supposedly have good practice swords, but to me they looked like chrome plated poo. So I generally avoid martial arts supply websites and the like. There are some people on the net who travel to China regularly, and supposedly come back with nice weapons. You might want to ask around when you get ready to buy a good sword to see if they can help you out.:)

[GLW]

Simple things:

Keep a clean rag with you for your sword (doesn't matter what type of sword or color of rag :) )

Buy a small spray can of WD-40 and carry it with you as well.

After practice, wipe the blade off. Then spray the cloth or the blade with the WD-40 and wipe it again. Then put it in the scabbard or away from harmful elements.

The lungchuan or 'real' blades can corrode or rust from body oils. Good practice with short sleaves will often put your body in contact with the sword...and sweat from a good practice is corrosive to the blade. So...follow the above.

In China, my teacher would do the same but use light machine oil instead of WD-40...and that goes back to the 1930's.

[Ray Pina]

I ahve a Boken now, and there's the bamboo Kendo stick I keep at school, but I feel its time to start working with a live blade.

I think I've been to that site but didn't see any katanas. I'll check again. I hear ya with the MA sites. Even the stores. The blades in Chinatown are terrible. All WuShu steal or some such crap. There's got to be an underground place.

Anyway, I've found some decent stuff on E-bay. I got my old teacher a cool pare of twin daggers from the late 19th century. They shared a sheath, enetering from opposite ends. One handle was wood, the other bone. The blades looked as if they were used.

Maybe they were knock offs .. one never knows and I'm always skeptical. But the quality was good and my old sifu liked them a lot. It was B-day gift. I got them for like $80. That was the best I've ever done there.

Peace