Cosmoline and dried blood on Authentic sword.

[acasubtime]

I finally had time to carefully scrape some of the different deposits off from my authentic B.O.S. sword. Most of the deposits were a sticky substance with what looked like small bamboo fibers mixed in..... but some of the others looked exactly like dried blood. I tested all the samples with Luminol for blood. 3 of the smallest scrapings glowed with signs of blood. I was very interested to find out if I was correct about the blood, but now I feel I need to clean the blade free of all stains and deposits. What is the best method or substance I should use to clean the blade without causing any damage?

Thanks,

Jesse

[loui]

Wow, very interesting, anything on the handle?

 

I bought a sword that came from a Canadian POW held in Japan during the war, he took it from an officer when the war ended. The fella that got it from him in 1950 said that when he took the sword out of the saya it smelled like "guts", and took him many cleanings to get rid of that smell.

 

What is the story behind your sword? Any pics of the blood?

[acasubtime]

I can't see any visible blood on the handle, primarily the blade has blood stains here and there. My grandfather who has now passed gave me this sword that he had brought back from Japan during the war. When I first recieved it, I asked him about the substances on the sword. He said that when he obtained the sword that was already on the blade, he never packed it in cosmoline or anything else for that matter. I am probably going to scrape more of the blood off and put into a vial for keepsake. I want to then bring the blade back to clean, it is in great shape for an old sword. doesn't look to have any rust and is still razor sharp.

[Takahashi]

Hi Jesse,

 

I am not sure if you should really scrape off the stains on your sword, it could damage the blade's surface . If you want to clean it, I suggest using 100% vol. alcohol. I discussed this with chemists and they assured me that although the alcohol cleans the blade from stains, it will not react with the steel. I tried it on a wak and I am pretty happy with the results.

 

Cheers,

[acasubtime]

By 100% Vol. Alcohol are you talking about rubbing alcohol or something different? After cleaning the blade with the alcohol what is the best anti rust oil I should lightly apply? Thanks so much for the information! I am thinking the blood on the blade is from when a Japanese officer was using this sword in WW2, there is a gunto tsuba on the sword now.

[Stephen]

there's a commercial product out there called Opps, I and a local curator at the Gold star museum used it to take off a black coat of cosmo and it worked wonders. id get some mineral oil or choji oil and use it very sparingly as not to gum up the inside of your saya.

[Jean]

Jesse,

 

you should add your first name to your profile/signature thus avoiding to forget to sign your posts (only the first one is signed).

 

Go to "User control pannel" then to "profile" and then to "edit signature". Here you can add your first name and it will be automatically added at the end of all your posts

[Jean]

I tested all the samples with Luminol for blood. 3 of the smallest scrapings glowed with signs of blood

 

I am very interested in this kind of scientific test. Chemically speaking, An oxidising agent is necessary to obtain the Luminol luminescence. In the case of blood, Luminol luminescence is due to the presence of iron in blood. Iron is the oxidising agent. So fifty years later, how can we say it is blood?

 

Not being a chemist, I would like to have this kind of analysis validated by a specialist on the Board if any . Cannot it be oxidise by some kind of active rust?

[Ted Tenold]

I am probably going to scrape more of the blood off and put into a vial for keepsake.

 

There are certain things that should not be preserved and lend no asset to an item in either value or historic significance. This is one such thing.

 

Preserve art and beauty. Death is *always* ugly.

[raaay]

I think Ted has hit the nail right on the head

 

 

ray

[acasubtime]

I agree! So to get the blade completely clean... I am still curious is the 100% vol. alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol? Also, another post recommended Opps cleaner... I cannot find this anywhere online only a cleaner called Oops? Is it possible that oops is correct?

 

Thanks,

Jesse

[Stephen]

http://www.homaxproducts.com/products/o ... index.html

 

be sure to use this one not the waterbased spray.

[nagamaki - Franco]

Hello Jesse, using the "search" feature at the top of this forum, search "alcohol". Suggest that you have a good sword oil on hand to use following a thorough cleaning to prevent any active rust from forming.

As for dried caked-on blood found on nihonto, the problem with this scenario is that blood is highly corrosive to the surface of the blade and a blade would begin rusting within a very short period of time anywhere blood came in direct contact with the steel, especially if it was not removed/cleaned off shortly afterwords.

[Takahashi]

I am still curious is the 100% vol. alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol?

 

No, it is not the same! Rubbing alcohol may consist of 100 % vol. but some manufacturers sell even 70 % vol. as rubbing alcohol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol). Therefore you should explicitly ask for 100 % vol. alcohol (I got mine at a pharmacy).

 

Cheers,

[Jean]

Just to precise my thought on Luminol: in the test the oxidising reagent is hydrogen peroxide (other reagents could be used). The iron in the haemoglobin is the catalyst. Certain organic enzymes and other chemicals can catalise this reaction, so it isn't positive for blood only.

So only an expert can determine if the stain can be blood or not after other analysis ...

[acasubtime]

I understand what your saying, and I also understand that not just blood can cause luminol to "light", but based on what I've seen and the scrapings that I took, I can tell you for certain it is not rust, and I have seen aged blood before, and that I was 99% sure prior to the luminol test. Thanks though.

 

Jesse