Simple Sword Care
How to Ensure Your Blade Lasts for Years
A good practical sword is made from medium to high carbon steel. Therefore it will rust if not taken care of properly.
While proper storage is essential, so is continued, proper maintenance.
Proper Blade Storage
Swords should never be stored in a sheath. Such a container is for transportation only, and not for long-term storage.
- Sheaths can trap moisture and dirt, allowing it to get at your blade, corroding it or scratching it. This makes it wear out faster.
- It is best to store blades in a dry location, with the blade outside of the sheath! Many collectors will store the blade with some cotton in a box. The cotton then draws any moisture away from the blade.
Your sword should be well oiled before storage! There are several oils that one can use. Clove oil, magnolia, and camellia are excellent for the preservation of all metallic and many organic materials. We recommend gun oil for most applications, as this is specifically formulated for metal. And if it’s used on gun barrels, you can be assured that it will be good for your blade!
- Note that many sword dealers will sell you proper oil for your sword. Make certain to apply these with a soft cloth after cleaning. This will help ensure a longer life for the blade of your sword. These are excellent oils, and cost the same as any of the previously recommended oils. Plus, buying directly from your sword dealer is rather convenient.
Proper Cleaning of Your Blade
Swords should always be cleaned and oiled on a regular basis.
- There are traditional Japanese cleaning kits that can easily be purchased, such as the kits that include rice paper and clove oil. Most kits even include abrasive powder of "uchigomori" mudstone, which can be dusted onto the sword to wipe out fine scratches and abrasions. Use of this is not necessary for every cleaning.
- Western (European) swords are often cleaned simply with an oilcloth. This traditional cloth is leather soaked in oils designed specifically for metals. It cleans the sword very well, getting rid of fingerprints and dirt.
- Traditionally, European swords were cleaned with a warm (not hot) solution of soap and water.
- An abrasive cloth, often called a woolcloth, was used for really tough cleaning (today we use synthetic materials, such as nylon scrubbing pads). They were then dried with a very soft cloth, and oiled with the oilcloth before storing.
- In some instances, they were stored in their scabbard, but these were special scabbards used only for storage (not battle), as they were kept clean of dirt and were heavily oiled, made pH neutral due to the types of woods they were made from, or the cured and oiled leather.
With proper care, maintenance and storage, your blades should last for many years, possibly even a few generations.
European Swords
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