Sword Care and Maintenance
Now that you have your new sword or are thinking of buying one from Buying a Sword, let’s make sure you take good care of it! In many ways our swords are superior to the originals, they require responsible use, care, and maintenance.
Basic Sword Maintenance
All metal parts of your sword, including the wire wrapped handles, should always be covered with a light coating of oil to prevent rust. Your sword comes to you with either a light plastic spray or a heavy coating of grease to protect the blades in transport across the ocean. You can remove these coatings with the use of a good solvent such as lacquer thinner or mineral spirits. Once you’ve finished this, apply your light coat of oil or a silicone spray, to prevent it from gathering rust, when the sword is not in use. Do not use vegetable oil as it will go rancid. If your weapon is made from stainless steel you need not keep it oiled. You can also wipe it with a silicone coated gun/reel cloth. In many respects, the gun/reel cloth is preferred as there is less of a tendency for dust to accumulate and trap oxygen to cause pitted areas in the blade. If you wish to lacquer your blade and it arrives with an oil coat (you will know the difference) use lacquer thinner to first clean the blade and let it air dry. Test by wiping with a cotton cloth. It should be completely clean. Lacquer thinner will work far better than paint thinner, alcohol, acetone or other solvents. You may then put 4-6 coats as above. Wooden handles may be treated with a light coating of lemon oil or tung oil to help prevent cracking.
Scabbard and Sheath Maintenance
Leather scabbards and sheaths as well as leather covered handles should be treated with a good paste wax. The scabbard can also be treated with neatsfoot or mink oil for waterproofing, although this is not recommended for gripping surfaces. Do not store your sword in its scabbard for long periods of time since the leather traps moisture which can produce rust spots on the blade. One final note, the single most important thing when storing or displaying your sword or dagger is, if it has a leather scabbard, do not leave it in the scabbard. This goes even for stainless steel blades. It is, of course, fine to use a scabbard when carrying your weapon, but it simply should not be left in the scabbard for long periods of time, because it traps moisture and some tanning chemicals can have adverse reactions to metal over time.
Damascus Blade Maintenance
For Damascus blades, use a light oil only. To remove rust spots, sand with emery paper of about a 600 grit, then promptly reapply a light coat of oil. Wooden handles may be treated with a light coating of lemon oil or tung oil to help prevent cracking. Leather Sheaths and scabbards as well as leather covered handles should be treated with a good paste wax. The scabbard can also be treated with neatsfoot or mink oil for waterproofing, although this is not recommended for gripping surfaces. Do not store your sword in its scabbard for long periods of time since the leather traps moisture which can produce rust spots on the blade.