Derek

Hi Bill, I used Low carbon hot rolled steel. I have some blanks for welding. I ground off the top layer, sanded it with 220, and cleaned it thoroughly. I oiled each section very well, wiped off the excess, and let it dry for ten minutes. I added a drop of 1% saline, then pressed in with my bare thumb. Again, I was trying to imitate a person touching my nihonto with a sweaty hand without my seeing it, then seeing what oil offered protection. Not a perfect test, but I thought it would be interesting. My first test seemed to show that choji oil (From a reputable source) does an excellent job. Rem oil was a bit better. Collector was good, but it had a very sticky residue. Eezox was the best protector, but smelled strongly. Not perfect, but interesting. I will try to replicate these results. Maybe others will try. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to use, just testing what's out there.

Thank you to all who have responded, both here and privately! I know that it's not a perfect experiment, but it's interesting to me. I'm a bit of freak when it comes to this stuff.... I know that choji oil has been used forever, and I respect tradition. On the other hand, uchiko has been used forever, and I think microfiber is a much better option. (As Darcy points out ) Also, as Jean says all the time, many climates don't require oil at all. Our summers in WI are quite humid, so my collection requires oil. I also worry a ton about my Muramasa coming home from Japan with a thumb print from a customs officer... I will be running this whole thing again to verify, but I have already observed some interesting things: Old fashioned choji oil (at least from the big Japan vendor) is excellent. Rem oil did very well on the first run; it offered better protection than choji oil, but with the same thickness. Breakfree collector is very nice, and seemed to offer better protection, but it is really thick and seemed to attract dust. Eezox is intriguing.... It went on easy, no sticky residue, and was the only sample to have no rust. It has a strong odor though, and that odor stays on the metal. I can honestly say that none of the other tested products will go on my nihonto. Next round of tests to come.

Photos at 36 hours. This is last in series. I will grind down steel, move sample sites, and try to replicate.

This will be my last check, completed at 36 hours. Control was very rusted. 3in1 and Tuf-glide next with medium rust. M-pro7, Machine oil, Hoppe’s, and Choji next with light rust. CLP and Rem-oil next with heavy discoloration Collector with some discoloration. Eezox showing no visible change. Photos to come later tonight....

Final update coming, which I just completed. (36 hour) Darcy- I will take your advice, and redo experiment, and post results here. Stephen - I know that this is not a perfect experiment, but lend me a polished nihonto, and I will gladly try my rust experiment! Arnold - I appreciate your comments. I know most of us will never have conditions like this, but I wanted to test worse-case scenario. I always worry about my swords going through customs...

Big changes at 48 hours…. Control untreated surface shows advanced stage of rust. 3in1 machine oil, Hoppe’s, Tuf-glide, Singer machine oil, and M-pro 7 all have about the same level. I will call it medium rust. CLP has a very light rust started. Choji oil is next. No rust yet, but definitely discolored. Rem Oil has a very light discoloration. Breakfree collector has barely any discoloration. Eezox has no change visible.

At 16 hours, the 3in1 machine oil had a small rust spot. The sections with previous discoloration had light rust. All other sections had no visible rust. At 24 hours, the control was very rusted. The singer machine oil, 3in1 oil, and Hoppe’s had more rusting. The Choji oil, and M-pro 7 had discolored areas. Tuf-glide had very slight discoloration. Rem oil, Eezox, and both Breakfree products had no visible issues. At this point, I would like to make a general observation. It appears that a similar pattern is developing. First, a slight discoloration begins, almost like a foggy patch. This then escalates to a very distinct contrasting discoloration, then actual signs of orange rust.

I will update with 24 hour results soon. I will mention that I am not affiliated with any of these products. I am not a vendor, just a nihonto collector looking for the best product.

After 8 hours, I checked the steel for signs of rust. The untreated control had obvious rust already. The Singer machine oil section, and the Hoppe’s section both had a large spot of discoloration. All other sections had no visible rust. Photos to follow....

Stickiness: This one was very difficult to judge. I wouold put them into three groups: Choji oil, Rem Oil, Eexoz, Marine Tuf-glide and Singer Machine oil as no stick. Hoppe’s and 3in1 oil as very little, but definitely noticeable. CLP, collector, and M-pro 7 as sticky.

Smell: Choji oil had a pleasant, very light clove smell. Hoppe’s, Rem Oil, Singer Machine oil, and m-pro 7 all had little or no smell. CLP and Collector both smell like oil, but not overpowering. 3in1 oil smells like a strong motor oil. Marine tuf-glide smells like plastic and light oil. Eezox has a distinct smell. Maybe a mixture of oil, alcohol, and soap?

Clarity: Some oils were completely clear. Choji oil, 3in1, Rem Oil, and Singer Machine Oil. Eezox, and Hoppe’s are a very light yellow, almost clear. Both Breakfree products are darker, definitely yellow. M-pro 7 is a butter color, and cloudy. Marine tuf-glide is brown like Soy sauce. Once applied, all these products were not visible.

I have been using Choji oil from a Japanese sword dealer on all my swords. I clean them with a microfiber cloth, and a bit of denatured alcohol. All of my swords are in polish. I started using Breakfree collector on one of my swords, and although it seems to work well at preventing rust, it is very thick and seems to attract dust. I wasn’t sure if it was the oil or my perception. Since I am thinking of trying other oil, I started researching alternatives. I have been looking at oil tests available online, but found that they are geared towards guns. The usual tests show someone treating a piece of metal with oil, spraying it with salt water, then leaving it out in the element for weeks. This seems like a good test for a gun which may be out in the elements for a week of hunting. My issue with these tests are that the conditions tested aren’t really what I’m concerned about. My main worry is someone touching my treated blade (either customs, a guest, sword show, or my own negligence) then being left unnoticed and then developing rust. I am also concerned about the oil attracting dust with sticky residue. My other minor concerns are oil staining the shirasaya and unpleasant smell. I developed a test based on these ideas, but focused more on nihonto. I used the same piece of mild steel. 36” long by 2” wide. I separated the steel into 11 equal sections, using 1” duct tape. I thoroughly sanded and cleaned the steel, then treated each section with a different type of oil. I left one middle section unoiled as a control. I used 10 different oils in my test: Choji oil from a well-known nihonto dealer in Japan. 3-in-1 multi-purpose oil. Breakfree CLP. Hoppe’s elite gun oil. Rem Oil. Eezox. Breakfree Collector. Marine Tuf-glide. Singer All-purpose Machine Oil. M-pro 7 gun oil. After liberally applying the oil, I wiped off any excess with a new cloth. I then set aside the steel for 10 minutes. I created a saline solution of 1%, which is similar to sweat, blood, and spit, any of which may end up on our swords. I applied saline solution to each section, then wiped it with my bare thumb. All of this was to simulate a situation where someone touches the bare blade. I then left the steel inside on a table to measure rust. I also put a sample of each oil into a zip-lock bag to judge color and smell. Finally, I treated separate knives with oil, let them dry, then touched each one to judge stickiness. Results to come!

Added more content lately. I now have 34 examples, with 250 photos. (Including a ken!) Please check it out, if you are interested in Muramasa nihonto. My oshigata project is still in progress. I have a few, but if anyone has a large sample of Muramasa oshigata, and is willing to share, please let me know! I am always looking for more examples of papered swords too. One of our members was very generous in sharing many photos of his Muramasa. If anyone else has one, and is willing to share photos, please let me know. I will keep your privacy. My Muramasa katana has just finished polish. I will share photos as soon as I get it home! Thank you.

Same. Perhaps I should have made my sarcasm clearer.....

Perhaps it is already in Japan.......

Very sad news indeed. RIP