Sword cleaning - mistakes to avoid

[Will M]

Originally Posted by werecow

I'm usually pretty conservative with them but at one point early on, I tried brushing a bit of the deepest black off of a fingerprint on this tulwar. Now I'm left with this ugly sheen whenever the light hits it at a certain angle. It glares at me from a distance as if to say "You did this to me! Behold your shame!".

800-1000 grit water paper can easily remove that shiney spot. Best to do the complete blade under running water with the paper. If you don't like that finish try a wire wheel with 0.005 wire or try an acid. I would use the water paper.