Comments on: Caring For your Katana: A brief guide to cleaning your blade

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:23:00 +0000

If it’s a low end / cheap one you can alwyas check this tutorial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkegWu5aGw0 and give it a try but as with most things in life.. there are skilled people/experts out there who can achieve something far better (without screwing up) than what you can do

By: McKenzee Chestnut

McKenzee Chestnut — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:54:00 +0000

Is there a way you can sharpen your sword at home with the right stone? Me and my dad are big on blades and guns, so we have good stones to use. If so, what kind of stone would you need plus oil, and is it smart to do it at home or would it be better to take it to a professional.

By: My_Blood_Is_Black

My_Blood_Is_Black — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:56:00 +0000

Can we use this same technique on all blades or is this specifically for katana? I’m a blade collector of all types, and I found this extremely useful for my tachi, but can it be used on say fantasy knives and Renaissance swords?

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:46:00 +0000

It depends a bit on the ‘storage circumstances’ but just make sure there’s always a very thin coat of oil covering the blade..

By: Quinnon

Quinnon — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:37:00 +0000

Also Brooke, I would suggest you don’t even sell your swords. If you’ve got sons (wouldn’t really know, not a stalker) and you think they’re responsible enough, pass them on to them. Chances are they would love it, and you can’t put a price on history. Best thing to do would be go to a professional, they would know how to properly restore the swords without destroying the value of them, but i would try someone like Smokey Mountain Knife Works if you live somewhere in the surrounding States of Tennessee. Otherwise, keep checking this site, I guess. (sorry but I have to know this) Also, are there 2? if so, is one a katana and one a wakizashi?

By: Quinnon

Quinnon — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Ok, so i just got this brand new katana. I already know NOT to EVER touch the blade without a cloth in between(obviously it says in the article), but how long, if you want to keep your katana in the condition you bought it in, about how long should you wait to re-oil and just generally maintain your sword periodically?

By: Brooke

Brooke — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Ok, so I have my grandfathers WWII samurai swords. They are in terrible shape! I want to sell them how would you suggest I clean them. I need something heavy duty, as they have been packed up since 1944. Any suggestions?

By: Laurie

Laurie — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:46:03 +0000

I had unintetionally left my sword packed away for too long (time flies), won’t make that mistake again. It was coated with oil (from the kit) but still developed some small rust spots).

My sword has been done with a special polish so that you can see the fold lines in the blade. Any abrasive cleaner will ruin the look of your sword, possibly destroying the hamon, or at least leaving big ugly scratches on it.

I used CLR (calcium, lime, rust) to clean and treat the rust spots first with cotton buds. I then cleaned the whole blade with CLR and wiped it all off. I then polished the whole blade with Brasso metal polish, which will not scratch a shiny steel surface (I tested it on a kitchen pot first), and wiped it all off. To finish, of course, I oiled the blade.

Discovering those spots gave me a heart attack, so you can be sure I will keep a closer eye on it. Although CLR is acid based and actually treats the rust, the rust may still come back.

By: woodro

woodro — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:07:15 +0000

Thanks Joseph, good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:05:50 +0000

@Tracy Rainey

Storing your sword in its saya is actually hard on the blade. Moister builds up, and rust will start to form. The best way to display a sword is out of the saya. If you must display the sword in it’s saya (i think it looks better) then you need to oil it a lot more. Make sure your not just coating the blade, as then you’ll get moister from that, and it will damage the saya. If you can get a thick grease, and but that on the blade, it will do wonders. Also, if rust is building up in one location, that generally means there is rust in the blade. You need to get fine, fine steel wires and rub it. If you can get it professionally done it would be better. I believe ColdSteel is one company that will do it for you.

@woodro

Honestly, anything soft works. Rice paper is soft, yet grainy enough to actually rub oil against the blade. Diaper cloths (i think that’s what they are called.) work very well. Just find a cloth that is not ruff, but not “flat”. Some hand rags are acceptable because they are grainy, yet extremely soft.