Blade Care

Let's face it, if you are going to have a collection of edged weaponry that you want to be proud of, you are going to want to keep them in the best possible condition that you can. This is true even though your collection may only consist of two or three specialty knives and / or swords or just that one great folding pocket knife that you just don't feel quite dressed without.

The following steps are for fixed bladed weapons, but can be adapted for locking blade pocket knives, too.

Cleaning of New Blades

When you first receive a new blade, there is a good chance it has been coated in a thick water-proofing gel that was designed to protect it while in shipping and warehouse storage. Although great for rust protection, it is extremely difficult to remove with regular cleaners. While some folks recommend the use of regular Mineral Spirits, we've found out that using lacquer thinner is the best way to remove this goo. We'll take you through a step-by-step process of cleaning and protecting your blades.

First, make sure your work surface is covered with several layers of old newspapers because this is a messy operation. You'll need gloves, paper towels, q-tips, lacquer thinner, a container to toss your used paper towels in (an old coffee can works just fine), metal polish, paste wax and plenty of soft cloths.

As you can see, this Nepalese Kukri blade is loaded with this goo. We're told that instead of the good stuff, some companies will even substitute plain old Vaseline for this. In any case, begin cleaning the blade with a paper towel lightly soaked with the thinner. You will need to use several new towels during this process to remove the last traces of the protectent. Make sure that you do not get any of the cleaner up under the guard or the grips since it could cause rust to form. When you're finished with the paper towels, drop them in an old coffee can to dispose of them.

Now, a quick word about using this lacquer thinner. To say it is dangerous, poisonous and flammable would be understating the obvious. Try to take a moment to read the warnings on the back of the can and to use it in a well ventilated area without any open flames or static sparks nearby or this may be the last sword you clean. As an example, SwordGuy dropped the lacquer thinner soaked paper towels he was using in an old coffee can when he was finished with them. Afterwards we took them out to the back and threw a lit match in to see just how volatile this stuff was and were rewarded with a "whoosh" of flame. Of course it didn't take but a moment for Skippy to try and see what would happen when you squirt more thinner into the flames as you can see in the last picture...

Skippy's eyebrows should be growing back in another couple of weeks.

Protection of your New Blades

Now that your new sword, knife, or sharp edged what-have-you is cleaned, take a few minutes to give it a good shine and remove tarnish with a low abrasive polish such as Flitz or Metal Glo. If the blade is badly scratched or rusty you will need to use more extreme measures such as Scoth Brite pads and several different sets of steel wool. Once you get all your metal to gleam you will now need to protect it from the ravages of our environment. All carbon steel blades will rust, all brass and bronze fittings will tarnish and all wood and leather will dry out and crack. It is an on going battle to keep your blades looking healthy and new, but the effort is well worth it.

You can coat all the metal surfaces with a coating of light oil such as WD-40 or even mineral oil. This works quite well except that dust will stick to it and soon your prized possession will take on a slightly fuzzy look. Instead, we suggest using a coat of paste wax. That's right, paste wax, just like what you can buff your furniture or floors with. Just use a soft cloth to rub on a light coat and then use another to buff it off. This will seal your metal against the elements help help prevent rust and tarnish. As an additional bonus, the paste wax will bring a warm, rich glow to any wooden furniture and leather on either the hilt or scabbard and will protect them, too.

Remember to re-apply the wax every three months or so, even more often if your collection gets handled by your curious friends (keep telling them... "Don't touch the metal...Don't touch the metal!") or if your blade is a working item, try applying after each heavy use. But other than that your blade is now ready to mount and display with pride.

Keeping that Bright Finish Bright

"Into every life, a little rust must fall". OK, that was terrible, but in the case of carbon steel, all too true. Unless the only reason you bought that new sword or knife was to put it in a display case and lock it away, you are going to want to take it out from time to time and show it to your friends, use it for a practice kata on your back porch or even to trim an overgrown Wisteria bush in your backyard (ok, I'm guilty, but that bush had it coming to it). When you do this, you will eventually need to clean, polish and even remove the occasional scratches from it. All it takes is the right tools and a little "elbow grease". OK, a lot of elbow grease.

You will need: scouring pads like "ScotchBrite", several grades of steel wool (lots of 0000 grade for the final polishing stage), a brass cleaner like "Brasso" and a polishing compound like "Flitz". It wouldn't hurt to have an electric bench polisher with 8 inch buffing wheels, but since we don't have that here, we get to do it the old fashioned way. Besides, it makes for a good upper body workout.

     Start by carefully removing surface scratches and light rust stains from the blade. Be careful of any etched detailing like the simulated temper mark on mass produced oriental style blades. If your blade has an anodized coating, you just may be out of luck, the best you can hope for is to repair the damage and check your local yellow pages for a shop that can re-coat it without charging you an arm, leg or other appendage.

     If your blade is scratched, use the scouring pads first, they can really help remove most scratches and work even better when you add Brasso. Now everyone who has ever had military training knows that the entire military machine would come to a grinding halt if Brasso ever went out of business. Yes, there are other cleaners and polishers out there, but there is something magical about taking a tarnished piece of brass, an old rag and a little Brasso and creating a gleaming masterpiece! Anyway, keep working the metal with the scouring pad or your steel wool (start with 00 wool) till you've removed the scratches or rust stains.

     Next, start using a finer and finer grade of steel wool till you are up to the 0000 grade. You may only need a bit of Brasso on the 0000 steel wool for your brass if it is not too badly tarnished. Remember, brass is a soft metal, do not use the heavy abrasives on it.

At this point, start using "Flitz" polishing compound with the 0000 grade steel wool. You will really start seeing the shine come through now. Don't use too much, "Flitz" costs a bit more, but the results are really worth it. When you are happy with your efforts (or are now quite tired of all the polishing) you can either stop now or go on to a final buffing of the blade with only the compound and a rag and a finish buff with a clean, soft cloth. Remove any leftover compound with a cleaner like household ammonia then protect all your hard work with a paste wax seal and polish.

There, we told you this wouldn't be easy, but now take a minute and look at what you've just done. You've taken a scratched and tarnished piece of metal and returned it to its former beauty. Congratulations on your good work!