Nihonto Maintenance

[Curgan]

  Brian said:

Keith,

That was more in direct reply to the post above mine:

  Quote

PS Where can one get high quality clove oil and uchiko powder in the EU..

High quality clove oil is just asking for someone to go to their pharmacy and buy and use pure clove oil, no?

 

Brian

 

Unfortunately, not where I live ... I have to order everything from Japan and pay a consequently increased cost because of customs...

(Not to mention that there are virtually no nihonto enthusiasts, so we can share experiences/opinions/methods etc even for the simplest subject. Luckily, there are books, SFI and NMB for this ...)

[Curgan]

After some time of idleness I note that subjects like dealing with rust spots, storing the blade in shirasaya, koshirae or bare, selection of storing place for blade and koshirae are not discussed at all. It is hard for me to accept that these subjects are irrelevant to nihonto maintenance...

[Brian]

John,

It's not that we choose not to discuss them, it is that they have been discussed so many times before

Do a bit of searching and I am sure you will come up with plenty of info. I have been working on a Nihonto FAQ for a long time now, but my time is so limited, I just haven't finished it yet.

 

Brian

[Curgan]

  Brian said:

John,

It's not that we choose not to discuss them, it is that they have been discussed so many times before

Do a bit of searching and I am sure you will come up with plenty of info. I have been working on a Nihonto FAQ for a long time now, but my time is so limited, I just haven't finished it yet.

 

Brian

I did my research at the forum and found nothing on a subject most interesting in my opinion, but if you say so it means that these info should be somewhere in the forums...

[John A Stuart]

There are many threads found under 'sword care' also you can visit, http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/care.htm John

[Curgan]

  John A Stuart said:

There are many threads found under 'sword care' also you can visit, http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/care.htm John

 

Thanks John. I am familiar with NBTHK guide, what I lack is experience exchange and applied theory.

 

I have added in the search engine sword+care and got no results. I added care/maintenance and got a lot of irrelevant. What am I doing wrong?

[John A Stuart]

Hi John, Maybe if you ask specifically what it is that you need information on. I expect we could help you. John

[Curgan]

Well, after a lot of reading and research I got my first 2 nihonto and I am expecting them in a month (after the paperwork is done). Although I am quite experienced with modern blades -european and Japanese styled- I am very anxious with the nihonto. There are no sword clubs or nihonto enthusiasts, where I live to seek counsel. I have learned a lot from books, but now I have found no book to help me.

 

What I would like to find out is how to take proper care of a nihonto, by using the example of more experienced forumites. It is hard to explain in detail but it could translate to two vast chapters; storage (where? in a bag and closet, in a zerust gun case -this is my method- or maybe in a display case? keep the blade in shirasaya, koshirae or bare? is there an ideal temperature and humidity?) and maintenance (is there any special treatment or special product I should use? how should I protect tsuka and saya from wrapping if laid bare, for example I use rice as a humidity remover, what about dust? or ito? or samekawa? can nuguigami replaced with silk or cotton cloth or even a quality tissue? what if a minor rust spot appears?) and many other issues -specific for nihonto I might be unaware, like dangers from uchiko, reaction to specific oils or products, eg RenWax/Silicone spray and polishing).

 

I thought that it would be a very interesting and educational subject that would attract much attention -especially from the more experienced- and I didn't find any older theads on this. Maybe I am still unfamiliar with the search engine, but I 'd bet this topic is not discussed in specific. Anyway, my apologies if I started an already discussed topic...

[John A Stuart]

OK I see what you are asking. I will give you my opinion and others can revise as they wish. It is good that certain procedures are followed to preserve your swords for posterity.

1) Storage- you want to provide the most stable environment as possible, keep the sword in its' koshirae or shirasaya (if it has one) and in a sword bag laid horizontally in a drawer (preferably one made of non-laminated wood), at a medium humidity, a display case is fine if it fulfills the same criteria

2) Temp and Humidity- room temperature is fine and a RH of 40-50%

3) Dirt and Dust- Keep the grime from your hands and environment to a minimum to keep the ito clean. I use cheap white cotton gloves for swords I do not use.

4) Proper high quality oil only for oiling the blade, I use the cotton cloths provided by sword shops to apply the oil, bore cleaning swabs are just as good. A microfibre cloth is better for removing old oil than using uchiko, if uchiko is used ensure high quality from licensed polishers and delicately, ensure body oils do not remain on the sword- fingerprints etc., I do not use paper anymore.

5) If the above is followed you should never get a rust spot, if you do it is a polishers job.

6) No Renaissance wax on Nihonto or any other sprays, polishes or etc.

7) Shirasaya- If at all possible have the sword in shirasaya and the koshirae mounted on tsunagi and in a sword bag as well.

John

[sanjuro]

I would echo what John has stated in every way, and possibly add that an older sword which has not been recently polished is more stable than a newly polished blade. Newly polished swords are more susceptible to rusting and require more frequent oiling due to the fact that the minute interstices in the steel surface have been filled with water during the polishing process. It is necessary to replace this fluid with the choji oil by more frequent re oiling of the blade in the initial few weeks following polishing.

As a general principle, waxes and polishes of any variety, regardless of the manufacturer's claims, should never be used on a Nihonto.

The key to maintenance is really in regularity and the observance of simple common sense principles and methods which once adopted will ensure the greatest possible health and longevity of the sword.

[Curgan]

Thanks, for your help.

 

It seems to me that a nihonto needs the "standard" traditional sword care that is used in every sword applied reguraliry and with high quality products. No innovations there.

[John A Stuart]

Yes, the tried and the true. John