Cleaning Choji oil from blade

[DARREN]

Hello to all, would like to call on member's experience please.....

 

What is best used to clean the oil from a nihonto?.I know the traditional way is with the use of Uchiko but have read that this is very slighty abrasive and can,over time,dull the polish of a blade.

 

I have also read about the use of denatured Alcohol....is this the same as methylated spirit sold in your DIY shops?.Does anyone know of any possibility of long term damage to the steel using this solvent?

 

All opinions welcome.

 

Many thanks,

 

Darren W.

[Basho12]

I'm no expert, but I was an industrial chemist (paint) for twelve years, and the problem with any alcohol is that they tend to pick up atmospheric moisture, which can rust a blade. Personally, I wouldn't use alcohol for this.

[DARREN]

Does Alcohol not evaporate quickly Richard,would not have thought moisture to be a problem on that score?

[Grey Doffin]

You can use microfibre lens cloth to clean off old oil. I start with white, unscented, not made from recycled fibers facial or toilet tissue to get the most of the oil and then go to the microfibre. Once the microfibre gets too oily it can be tossed in the wash.

Grey

[Basho12]

The more times a bottle of alcohol is opened and used, the more moisture it can retain. Even if the alcohol evaporates quickly you would be repeatedly exposing the steel to moisture percentages higher than the atmospheric rate. No problem if you dry the blade very thoroughly, or, as I've seen suggested elsewhere, only use an opened container of alcohol once or twice but no more. Why take the chance? Grey suggests using microfibre, and I think that would be less risky. I've tried it myself and it seems to work very well.

[jason_mazzy]

I have heard of Acetone helping to dissolve old oil. I will leave this as a question to the more knowledgable so here goes:

 

Because of the extremely fast evaporation of, and the properties that acetone has in affecting oils, is it a safe application for use on a nihonto blade?

[Lindus]

A friend who had two newley polished swords from Kenji Mishina used Lighter fuel (Petrol), damn near died when it stained the blades....avoid.

 

I find that just plain Uchiko works, if old and dry a commercial de greaser is also good {as used in the motor trade} as it has some oil, the chap, on the Kashima sisters site has some views on Choji oil worth reading.....

 

I was recomended that the use of oils was not good, this from a chap,conservator at the V&A, he suggested that blades in polish but not recently polished be treated with Renaissance Micro crystalline wax polish instead..

 

Roy

[sanjuro]

Wax????? On a Nihonto??????? And this from a so-called conservator???????

 

Wax attracts dirt and fine grit and holds it..... What a delightful way to foul up the internals of a koshirae or a shirasaya!!!!!!! Of course its really good for the blade as well, being dragged over all that abrasive rubbish that cannot be removed every time the blade is withdrawn or resheathed!!!!!!!

 

:rant:

[raven2]

If you are going to be using Uchiko, I would reccommend using a very fine one for your polished blades. Bob Benson makes his own and it is very, very fine and thus less likely to dull the polish.

[Jean]

Hi Darren,

 

Browse the Forum, this subject has already been dealt with a few times

[IanB]

Roy, Microcrystalline wax has been the standard amongst museum conservation staff for years. Its use on metalwork in the museum world is almost universal and for general use I would endorse it 100% - but obviously not on Japanese blades. On such objects as European armour it has the advantage of being invisible, non-sticky and protective. Dust can be just brushed off and the surface is protected against corrosion for a considerable time. Important in that world, it is also reversible and can be removed with a simple solvent. No doubt the conservator in question fell back on that product as a stock answer.

Ian

[Veli]

I would not recommend using acetone for cleaning. Industrial grade acetone is full of contaminants. If you let a drop of acetone dry on a clean glass surface, you end up with an ugly stain of solid residue. High-purity ethanol should be OK when used in a dry climate.

 

BR, Veli

[DARREN]

Roy,I feel for your friend,thats exactly the nightmare I'm trying to avoid.Strangely enough,another well known sword seller based in Japan,Aoi Art, dont recommended the use of Choji oil either...it really makes you wonder!

Jean,I will have a good look around the threads to gather more opinion.

 

 

Mmmmmm....I think I will err on the side of caution with the tissue and microfibre cloth method.

 

 

Thanks to all.

[loui]

I am constantly adding and removing oil from blades, I use mineral oil with a couple of drops of clove if I want the nice smell. To remove the oil I use a nice soft tissue paper with no skin softening additives, I add a some fresh alcohol (70 percent) to the tissue and that removes most of the oil - the remaining oil I remove with high quality uchiko that I make myself - the same method used by most polishers (yes fully trained polishers in Japan). It is very important that the uchiko is used properly, if over used, improperly used, or poor quality uchiko is used then you will be into some problems, most people dont use uchiko properly (over use, too much pressure, obscuring the yokote etc etc.).

 

I find the microfibre cloth doesn't remove all the oil completely and like any other cloth the ability to pick up contaminants is possible, I have one but rarely use it.

 

I've never had alcohol problems (sword related), mineral oil issues, or uchiko issues, all recommendations I am passing on have come from polishers (fully trained bla bla bla, for the picky ones).

 

Regards, and enjoy.

 

Louis

 

EDIT, please do not use acetone on your swords.

[Wickstrom]

Personally i use an uchiko from the Bob Benson and a couple of Outer's Gun patches. Seems to work just fine.

[nagamaki - Franco]

With a number microfiber clothes on the market, please note that MICRODEAR microfiber deluxe cleaning clothes are the kind originally being recommended. Be careful when washing to use detergents that do not leave harmful residues behind.

[loui]

Ah yes Microdear - that is what I have.

 

Louis