Choji VS other oils

[drbvac]

For 10 years I have been carefully as directed in countless books applying Choji oil to my blades and while surfing the other night discovered this

 

"1. Generally, Chyoji oil has been used to treat Japanese swords. This is a sticky vegetable oil traditionally used in cleaning swords. It promotes ozidization of the blade that will result in rust in the future. In our opinion, and based on our experience. We not advise you to use chyoji oil. We suggest that you use high-quality machine oil on your sword. This is the same type used when maintaining guns or sewing machines, and it is the only oil that we use with our swords at Aoi Art.

 

 

2. A kind of Japanese paper called nugiu-gami can be used to wipe off the swords, but we find that high quality tissues work just as well. [Make sure if you are using tissues that they are free of any sort of additive (such as scented, aloe vera, vitamin E facial tissues, etc)]."

 

I have no doubt that Tsuruta san has handled more Nihonto than I can even imagine and the vast majority more valuable than my best - I have heard others say the same but no one with this status! I know in many cases what is used today is what has been used forever forgetting that 400 years ago there were no alternatives! We don't use whale oil in lamps now!

 

What is the opinion of the group.

[Brian]

Sorry to throw links at you, but there is already quite a bit on this here:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1648

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1397

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1229

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2482

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2225

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1709

 

Pure choji is clove oil...and we don't use pure choji. Just a few drops are added to light machine oil to give it that familiar scent. That is the stuff in most kits.

 

Regards,

Brian

[drbvac]

Thanks Brian - So I have probably been using teh right stuff all along!

[Guest nickn]

i read somewhere that the nearest thing to the oil used in modern choji oil was automatic transmission fluid

[Brian]

I think whoever wrote that was wrong...but let them play with it while we use the good stuff and keep our swords in good condition.

Proof again that not everything written is valid or true

 

Brian

[remzy]

  drbvac said:

Thanks Brian - So I have probably been using teh right stuff all along!

Yup!

I dont think you could find pure choji oil at your grocery anyday, not where i live anyways!

[Stephen]

you can get oil of clove from you pharmacy ...but dont...it can and will give your blade a purple to blue tint. for you gun guys out there theres a oil called golightly gun oil....scent free....cleans the old oil off well and for all you ninjis out there your foes wont smell you blade coming...

[Guest nickn]

i rang the manufacturer of dextron automatic transmission fluid ,the stuff used in gm gearboxes amongst other, and was told by there technical department that it is just very high grade mineral based machine oil with a red dye added that turns brown under certain adverse conditions ie overheating , bands slipping etc they also said the red used is inert .i have rebuilt many a borg warner auto box and the insides are always nice and shiny

so i guess its the same stuff as any other high grade machine oil

[Brian]

I don't know much about oils, but I do think there is a significant difference between normal machine oil and the type of light machine oil that is commonly recommended such as sewing machine oil? Can anyone elaborate?

The stuff I bought in Japan from a knife dealer has the consistency of water, and works very well.

 

Brian

[Guest nickn]

i used very old singer sewing machine oil as you say brian its like water and doesnt bead up much .the bottle is glass and very old it might even be whale oil

[Guest Lee]

Hello,

 

Use pure carbon-60, Never oil that sword ever again.

 

Lee

[Walter]

Anybody has used the Renaissance Wax on Nihonto?

I use it on my German and other countries daggers and swords from years and it works fantastic, however never tried on Nihonto.

I'm following the care & conservation tips and use only the choji oil so far.

 

What's the Renaissance Wax?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

[John A Stuart]

Walter, Like you I use it on my collection of European swords, but, I suggest not using it on any Japanese sword or tousogu.. It is microcrystalline and very inert and would be a devil to get off to oil a blade. John

[Walter]

  John A Stuart said:

Walter, Like you I use it on my collection of European swords, but, I suggest not using it on any Japanese sword or tousogu.. It is microcrystalline and very inert and would be a devil to get off to oil a blade. John

Thanks, John.

That's what I was thinking - it's too sticky.

How about Simichrome? Have you ever tried it?

[John A Stuart]

No, The name scares me. John

[Stephen]

Simichrome....NEVER, just light machine oil...no more no less

[Walter]

  Stephen said:

Simichrome....NEVER, just light machine oil...no more no less

Stephen,

I fully agree - the traditional methods are much better than any "modern", chemical stuff.

However I can't resist temptation to try something unorthodox when I get in my hands something that requires improvement.

 

Right now I've finished the first pass of Simichrome on recently purchased waki with lot of gray spots and some fingerprints on the blade.

Believe me or not - it looks better than before.

Fingerprints are almost gone, few gray spots are much smaller and hamon looks even more pronounced.

Anyway I plan to send this waki for polishing, so in case of any harm done the polisher will deal with this.

 

What REALLY scares me it's the so-called "hybrid polishing" method ... I'd NEVER touch the Nihonto blade with ANY sandpaper!

[w.y.chan]

Choji or clove oil in Japanese sword maintenance is just a by word and dont really meant what it actually is, maybe just the smell. In the olden days they use Tsubaki or camellia oil sometimes called tea oil use for womens hair, small percentage of clove may have been added? These oil look yellow but when dried tend to get rather sticky. I heard sewing machine oil is good. The best ones I have used are the clear Fujishiro oil most likely mineral which leaves little to no stickiness and easily wipe off, they also sell tsubaki oil.