sword maintenence
 

does everyone use preservatives for their blades? ive been thinking about getting some linseed oil to coat mine with, as ive heard its enviromentally freindly.


what was/is "naval jelly"?

just curious as to what everyone uses for their own weapons upkeep.

Oils Gather Dust
 

Rennaisance Wax .

Rick

Ren wax for my non-Japanese items; choji oil for the Nihonto.
Simple 3 in 1 oil for some misc stuff.

DON"T USE NAVAL JELLY!! It is a gelatinized phosphoric acid -
it will eat you blades - literallly.

Rich S

Yes wax is the way to go even a good car wax will do.

Lew

A steady dry enviroment is an obvious important factor. I find that a good rub with a light oiled cloth (not leaving the blade oily as it'll attract dust and airborne particles, just removing any hand grease) and my swords are generally fine. The big enemy is the inquisitive fingers of visiting friends. Someone with acidic sweat can leave a permernant corroded fingerprint in good steel overnight.

Rub the steel with newspaper to remove any grease or dirt, then a lightly oiled cloth, then a clean cloth.

I have seen more sword blades and chain mail trashed with navel jelly than anything else.Rennaisance Wax is very good but expensive. A cheaper alternative is butcher's bowling alley wax. linseed oil never dries and collects dust.

I have been using lanolin grease with good results. Not too expensive.

Cheers
Chris

mineral oil is good for just about everything, discolors leather tho. is food safe if used on every day knives, camellia oil is also good i hear, but i can't find any in bulk here in gloucestershire. i generally wipe everything down once a month. i generally wipe wood down with a few coats of virgin olive oil, i does dry after a while. lanolin is good for horn grips. ballistol is good for steel, wood, leather but discolors brass. it's also edible. i've used paste waxes before but gravitate back to mineral oil.

naval jelly as above is nasty stuff, keep it at least a mile from any weapon. fine for eating the rust off 12" armour plate on a battleship, but has no place for anyone who posts here. do not flush down the drains either unless you want a big plumbing bill....

Ok

On pamored keris I use mineral oil mixed with jasmine on wootz I also use mineral oil if you use waxes on wootz there is a danger that the wax could strip the finish. For all others with cleaned light patina blades I use Bri-wax.

Jambiya=Briwax or Renaissance wax.

Keris=mineral oil

Axe with patina=Mineral oil

Wood=Briwax or Kiwi neutral paste shoe poliish sometimes brown to touch up badly weathered wood.

Horn=Renaissance wax or mineral oil very light coat wipe off after about 15-30 minutes.

Ivory=mineral oil. In the winter apply once every 6-8 weeks.