Bazza Posted February 21, 2023 Report Share Posted February 21, 2023 Franco wrote: > An electronics grade 99.9% anhydrous isopropyl alcohol will work to remove sword oil, but take full precautions as it is nasty stuff Franco, could you please elaborate on the 'nasty stuff' angle??? Petrol is nasty, carbon tetrachloride is nasty, a lot of stuff is 'nasty', but as a user of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning swords I'm aware you don't sniff the stuff or get too much on your hands. What else is there?? BaZZa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac49 Posted February 21, 2023 Report Share Posted February 21, 2023 Thank you very much for these useful recommendations! I will regulary clean up the blade with grade 99.9% isopropyl alcohol and treat it with oil afterwards during the following months/year and will be very careful with the nakago. Not rushing the process is not a problem of course, especially for such traditional objects, but thank you very much for detailing, as I could have lost patience at some point without this information. I will try to send pictures in a few months to share the evolution. Again, thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franco D Posted February 21, 2023 Report Share Posted February 21, 2023 (edited) 19 hours ago, Bazza said: Franco, could you please elaborate on the 'nasty stuff' angle??? Petrol is nasty, carbon tetrachloride is nasty, a lot of stuff is 'nasty', but as a user of isopropyl alcohol for cleaning swords I'm aware you don't sniff the stuff or get too much on your hands. What else is there?? Hi Bazz, Yes, many, many, things are far nastier. None the less, don't breath, wear gloves, vapor is a strong eye irritant, highly flammable. This stuff vaporizes into the air very quickly, be prepared. That's all, but isn't that enough. Regards, Edited February 22, 2023 by Franco D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Mahle Posted July 27, 2023 Report Share Posted July 27, 2023 It’s a shame people think just anyone can do this. sincerely Edward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted August 18, 2023 Report Share Posted August 18, 2023 On 2/20/2023 at 4:46 PM, Mac49 said: am sure that everyone would benefit from it if amateurs like me would have a (for us) understandable answer on why "it is better leave our blades to rust, than to remove its rust", even One of the really import thing to understand when considering iron and steel is what rust is and how it works…a really simplified set of rules is that there are different types of rust to consider there is stable rust type and unstable rust…your aim is prevent any rust or if you have rust make sure it’s only stable rust. Red rust..this is bad rust it’s essentially active destruction and if not managed will destroy the iron/steel item. It’s Hydrated oxide Fe2O3•H2O (high oxygen/water exposure) with another contaminant such as salt, its a sign that the environment itself is very corrosive it’s usually uniform….the classic example is an unprotected iron tool left in a garden shed. yellow rust..this is bad rust rust from iron oxides that is very soluble and is creates in high water environments…a bike left out in the rain will form this yellow rust. Iron oxide-hydroxide FeO(OH)H2O (high moisture) it will run and will have run marks. brown rust..another bad rust,this forms in low moisture high oxygen environments..Oxide Fe2O3 (high oxygen/low moisture). This is the sort of rust that a unprotected iron object will get in a family home. It tends to be spotty and will be propagated by contamination on the iron ( from a finger print etc). now we have good rust…BLACK rust…this is rust that forms in a low oxygen and low moisture environment environment, Iron (II)oxide – Fe3O4,also called magnetite. it tends to take longer to form than other rusts and can actually form as a layer under other rusts, especially brown rust…now the great thing about black rust is that it’s stable and does not propagate but more than that it forms a layer that protects against active rust types ( red, yellow and brown)…for old artefacts made of iron and steel ( swords and other weapons ) black rust can be a savour and preservative…very old European swords will often be covered in a coat of black rust and You do NOT EVER remove this black rust from these artefacts ( unless your a philistine) as it’s the patina of age and authenticity and protection all in one..Japanese swords are a bit different in that the collectors aim to have the blade in Polish and free of any rust ( to see and study the steel) but even Japanese swords preserve that black rust on the tang ( again to show the age ) the act of collecting and and appreciating Japanese swords is actually a bit of destructive process to gain access to the steel in the polished state ( no other area actively removes metal from artifacts…as a collector of old stuff it took me a while to get my head around the Japanese sword collection paradigm). So with a blade like this that you are not going to likely get polished by a professional Polisher your best bet may be to follow a more European sword collecting approach which is to stabilise and protect only ( until you can get an expert opinion on the worth of polishing). so your aim is to stop the red,yellow, brown rust and stabilise to only having black rust. The way you do this is to remove oxygen and moisture..so first oil…second oil and third oil. A good machine oil is best such as sewing machine oil ( I use singers sewing machine oil it’s cheap and easy to get hold of)…if it’s heavily red rusted I tend to actually give it thick layer of oil for a good few days…this really helps the oil penetrate the rust…carefully cleaning with good quality lint free cotton cloth and 99% ethanol …then it’s a case of thin layers of oil and clean every few days after a while you should have nothing left but black rust…then it’s just maintaining protection which is a very light ( no beading) layer of oil and leave that black rust well alone unless your sending it to a polisher….resists using acids and rust stabilisers on Japanese swords or any historic artifact for that matter. 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2023 Excellent summary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baka Gaijin Posted August 19, 2023 Report Share Posted August 19, 2023 Excellent, worth separating out and pinning in the info section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted August 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2023 Good idea Malcolm. I have edited a little and added it to the FAQ. Thanks Jonathan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
althesmith Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 I'm not playing Devils advocate, but I know that everyone practicing cutting in Japan is using a traditionally made shinken, literally by law, and many outside Japan as well. I can't see them getting a full art polish after each cutting session. So are they getting a " martial arts " grade polish or doing their own maintenance to take care of scuffs and scratches, bends etc.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catty Posted July 25 Report Share Posted July 25 On 4/23/2021 at 8:36 AM, Andrew Ickeringill said: The most basic requirement is to put in the necessary effort yourself. Guys, I've emailed every professionally trained polishers I can find, local are not a accepting new work and no Japanese polisher has bothered to reply to my emails. Some direction would be greatly appreciated. I feel that many may resort (Out of desperation) attempt to polish their own. Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted July 26 Author Report Share Posted July 26 Being in Australia, I assume you checked with Andrew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis B Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 44 minutes ago, Brian said: Being in Australia, I assume you checked with Andrew? Andrew is swamped. And for good reason. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PNSSHOGUN Posted July 26 Report Share Posted July 26 You will need to go through an agent for polishers in Japan. Paul Martin and Robert Hughes come highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catty Posted July 31 Report Share Posted July 31 On 7/26/2024 at 5:35 PM, PNSSHOGUN said: You will need to go through an agent for polishers in Japan. Paul Martin and Robert Hughes come highly recommended. Thank you for the recommendations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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