Real
sword blades are made of high carbon
steel, and need care to keep them rust
free. To keep a blade rust free,
applying oil on the blade is the most
popular practice today. There are two
types of oil one can use: natural or
synthetic. Natural oils like mineral
oil, camellia, and clove oils all work
great. Silicone, which normally comes in
a spray can is an excellent synthetic
oil. But a machine oil such as 3 in 1
works well, too. If your
weapon is made from stainless steel you
need not keep it oiled.
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 as the scabbard can
trap moisture against the steel. Also
the chemicals involved in tanning
leather can hasten corrosion if kept in
contact for extended periods of time.
Before you begin, I
suggest wearing some gloves (I use an old pair
of leather ATV riding gloves) for a little
protection, and to help keep skin contact off
the blade. The most common time an owner will
cut themselves is during sword maintenance.
Taking as many precautions as you can helps
prevent accidents.
To oil the blade,
first clean it with cloth or a paper towel. You
can clean your sword with a common kitchen
degreaser or WD40. I find that a kitchen
degreaser (comes in a spray bottle) works really
well to get any gunk off. Once you get your
sword to an acceptable cleanliness, you're ready
to apply a little oil. You want to apply the oil leaving only a thin film. This
procedure should be repeated every 1 to 6 months
depending on the storage area and humidity. A
humid climate will require more frequent
cleaning. Minimize touching the blade, the acids
on your skin will etch the carbon steel. If
acids from your skin come in contact with the
blade, clean the area, especially if your sword
is not going to be cleaned any time soon.
It is recommend that you have a professional
knife sharpener handle the sharpening of your
sword. Often though, a professional will charge
you more than the sword is worth, and learning the
skill of sharpening a sword becomes a necessity
if you're going to be using one. So if you
desire to sharpen your sword yourself, you can
do this with a course steel file, some finer
files (heavy, medium & fine), and some hard work (30
minutes to 3 hours, depending on condition and
skill). The following is for an unsharpened
sword; First, establish the
cutting bevel with the use of a coarse file.
Each side of the blade needs to meet exactly in
the middle, so you will go back and forth from
each side, gradually taking off some metal. When
you get close to meeting on both sides, shine a
flashlight along the edge to tell if you have
filed off all of the flat edge, and that the two
angled edges are meeting. The flashlight will
reflect off of the flat edge, and when you see
this you will understand what I'm writing about. Since swords generally have stronger, more
chisel-like edges than knives, your sword edge
should be filed at an angle between 30 and 35
degrees. After the cutting level is established,
go back over the edge with a heavy, then medium file to remove
the coarse file marks, and make the edge much
easier to achieve. Then with the
fine file, touch up areas that are a little
rough, and apply the final edge. To define your
edge even more, go over your edge with a AccuSharp Knife Sharpener a few times to make sure
your edge is long, and straight. Your final
step will be to go back over the flat part of
your newly created edge with 3 grades of
sandpaper. 600, 1000, and 2000 grit. This will
smooth out the look and give your sword a clean
looking edge. For sharpened blades that need
re-sharpened, refer to the part discussed
about after the cutting bevel is established.
Below you see
images showing a proper edge profile (click to
enlarge). This sword was
sharpened using the technique as illustrated in
our sharpening pictorial section.
Emphasis on
the geometry of the blade
It is important that
you take equal amounts of metal off of each side
of the blade, and that the edge runs precisely
down the middle. If it wavers, or is closer to
one side than the other, you will get
inconsistent cutting results. You want to
achieve an equal angle on both sides, with a
smooth, long, straight edge running down the
middle. If you're getting inconsistent results
after sharpening, check your geometry of the
edge.
Do
not attempt to chop down a tree with your sword.
Yes, we are guilty of doing this as well as
attacking bricks and cinder blocks. Though we
have proven that the swords we offer will stand
up to such abuse you do run the risk of damaging
your sword and such actions will void the
warranty.
Such an activity is guaranteed to damage your
sword. Axes and machetes are well designed for
this with the weight of the steel concentrated
over the point of percussion. When you strike a
firmly fixed object like a tree or a thick
branch with a sword, a great deal of the blade
projects past the object being cut, causing the
blade to bend or torque. It should be pointed
out that the Japanese, who believe in a great
deal of practice with the sword, used thick
bamboo. The bamboo was resistant to a cut, but
didn't have the rigidity of a tree, and so it
would not have damaged a valuable blade. For a
Japanese warrior to cut into a tree would have
been unthinkable.
It is not recommended that you bang your sword
against another sword. Do Not hit your sword
against any hard object to test its strength or
the sound of the steel as it hits a solid
object. In fact, do NOT strike your sword
against any object, unless you are a trained
professional in the art of sword fighting. No
matter how tough or strong the steel sword is,
it will nick or break when struck against
something equally hard or against a stronger
force object.
In stage use, theatrical swords with wide, thick
edges are typically used. The edges are flat and
often as much as 1/16" wide. These swords are
designed to take the flashy looking punishment
of banging edges together. Your sword is not a
theatrical sword. Your sword is a real weapon,
designed so that they could fight in the manner
of the originals were actually used. Since the
cuting edges could easily be sharpened and were
often important for slashing, parries were made
with the flat of the blade (not the edges) or
were simply avoided altogether. Real swords were
never used for the theatrical style of sword
fighting that the movies or stage plays rely on
to liven up the action sequences.
Do not swing any edged weapon carelessly.
Remember this is a real weapon and must be
treated with the same respect. When you wish to
experience how it felt for warriors to wield
these weapons in battle, make sure you are well
away from others and breakable objects. These
weapons are heavy and could slip out of your
hands. Be careful not to endanger yourself or
others when you manipulate these swords.
Even an unsharpened sword can cause serious
injury and if precaution is not used easily
break bone. In fighting with sword on sword, the
opponents blade should be parried with the side
of the blade.
Edge to edge sword blows will nick both weapons
no matter what the steel or temper. Also
slapping with the side of the blade should be
avoided as a very hard slap can break, or bend
the blade.
On that final note please use common sense and
sound judgement, use simple care and maintenance
of your swords and medieval weapons will make
your collection last for many years.
Questions? Call: Toll Free
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their original creator. Copyright 2007
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a few times to make sure
your edge is long, and straight. Your final
step will be to go back over the flat part of
your newly created edge with 3 grades of
sandpaper. 600, 1000, and 2000 grit. This will
smooth out the look and give your sword a clean
looking edge. For sharpened blades that need
re-sharpened, refer to the part discussed
about after the cutting bevel is established.
