Splidge

Hello all. I often wonderd if I had a spare £5000 what that would buy me? I would at least get some thing I would be proud of owning :D Then I found this, come on know how many of you would spend that amount of hard earned cash on a blade like this. I know I have only just started but am I missing some thing with this blade http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Samurai-Sword-Spi ... dZViewItem

Well thanks for such a healthy debate, I am no longer confused in which cleaning agents to use, I am well aware of the out come of these chemicals if used unwisely as I have spent the last 28 years in the emergency services and have access to most of the haz chem info anyway, seems as though I will go the alcohol way :D I am sure Ive got some good Bourbon or Potcheene in the house, many thanks for your advise though.

Thanks Steve for the welcome much appreciated. The book "The Samurai Sword a Handbook" is the first book I bought, thanks for the tables Steve realy helpful. Thanks all for the suggestions in which chemicals are available only now Im confused which is probably the best to use. I have been told that I could also use a mixture of charcoal and meths? but would'nt that create a mild abrasive Going back to the chemical way what about application, cotton wool bud or small artists brush? I was told not to use the cottonwool bud?

Hi all. I am a complete novice having only just started in this field as a hobby. I have read with interest a lot of the posts in this forum regarding starting out, read, study, more books, more study, but you know what its like you get that “I want one syndrome†Well that’s what happened to me anyway just so I could say “I got one†Any way 4 different pieces later I have told the wife I would behave now, till I’ve saved enough pennies for something good. My first purchase was a Wakizashi from Japan (off e bay) I can hear the groans! But you have to start some where don’t you? Any way I would much appreciate your help with a couple of questions. I was told that the Mei on this Wakizashi read Kane Yoshi? I cannot find the first caricature used on the blade from any of the books I have at the moment, (looking for more). The second question is about cleaning a blade, I have also purchased a rather nice Tanto but it has some dried oil on it, it was suggested that the use of 100% alcohol was the stuff to use, unfortunately here in the UK you need a licence to purchase this and I don’t have one, so a colleague of mine suggested I use ordinary meths and a linen cloth, I then talked to another person who said if you cant get hold of the alcohol then a good substitute would be a substance called Proponol, what do you experts use? Please any help you could provide would be appreciated.