Oil for kukri = bad for leather?

E

eoghan

Joined
Mar 6, 2007
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3
So I'm trying to figure out how to best care for my new BAS. My first Kukri, perfect for camping!

I've been doing lots of research and it sounds like any of the following will eventually break down or rot (bad for leather):
petroleum jelly
mineral oil
olive oil etc.

Is there anything I can use to keep the blade oiled that won't be detrimental to the sheath?

Bees wax is good for the sheath, but can I use it to keep the rust off the blade? WD-40 breaks down over time, but is it bad for the leather?

Thanks in advance folks. -e
 
mineral oil and ballistol seems to be very popular for the blades...
treat the leather as you would any good leather... there are many leather care products out in the market.

i use kiwi shoe products since its readily available. :)
 
I use mineral oil for my blades and i cheat with the kiwi on the leather. i use the liquid scuff guard for the most of my black leather and parafin for natural or brown leather.
 
I read that camellia oil is used as a favorite traditional tool treatment. It don't have smell. Samurai is said to oil their katana using camellia oil. Camellia oil also used to moisturize and condition the skin, hair and nails. Logically it will be good for steel and good for leather as well. I still couldn't get camellia oil so I couldn't refer to my own practical experience. Anybody out there have any experience with Camellia oil.

I remember last time Rusty used to mentioned about "Kamasutra Oil" but I am not very sure about it's real name.

I have clove oil but I think I don't like it's strong smell. Clove oil also is used as a traditional blade treatment. Anyhow it might have effect on leather.
 
I use choji oil (very light mineral oil with a hint of clove) a lot of times on my kukris (both blades and handles). Never had any ill affects from it, and the smell is great (IMO).
 
Mohd,
I use Camellia oil extensively on my blades, and on me. I buy it by the quart from Ebay, it's much cheaper that way. Of course with you being so far away, that's not an option. I add some sandalwood oil, and some jasmine oil just for fragrance. My keris seems to like it.:) It also works well on dry skin in the winter time. I suspect that it would work on horn and leather, but haven't done any experimentation.

Steve
 
I use mineral oil on the blades, handles, etc. Its cheap and it doesn't smell. It won't "hurt" the leather either, but it may soften and discolor it to some degree.

I don't think its a big deal with the khukri sheaths, as they are wood lined, but too much mineral oil on a plain old leather sheath could make it too soft and lose its shape.
 
Ballistol is a good all around product good for wood, steel, leather, superficial wounds and just about everything and it isn't unreasonable to buy either.
Pala, Yangdu's father simply used Kiwi shoe polish on his scabbards and it has worked for combat boots for years and years and is still working AFAIK. I've used Ballistol on a couple of tighter scabbards but I don't use it on every one, that's what the Kiwi is for.;) :D :cool:
Mineral oil is fine for handles and steel IMO but different strokes for different folks is what makes the world go around. YMMV.:p :D ;)
 
Ok sounds good. I've got some mineral oil for the steel and the handle, and I'll get some kiwi for the sheath eventually. I'll just treat that like a pair of boots.

I think I was most worried about the horn handle. I can get rid of rust easily and sheaths can be replaced, but if the horn cracked it'd be a very tricky glue surgery.

thanks again!

BTW, is there a list anywhere of all the types of HI khuk's and what they're used for? Gelbu vs. Chitlangi etc.
 
Skyler R. said:
I use choji oil (very light mineral oil with a hint of clove) a lot of times on my kukris (both blades and handles). Never had any ill affects from it, and the smell is great (IMO).
Click to expand...

When I first started with blades I didn't know anything about them, so I ended up using 3 in 1 oil. As I progressed in knowledge I ended up experimenting with different oils and such. In the end I decided mineral oil worked the best. (as many told me it would :P) Then I got a katana and a cleaning kit with it and in it was CHOJI OIL.

Choji oil is the way to go when it comes to protecting your blade. As Skyler said - it is mineral oil with a little clove oil. I know a lot of people ask "Why cloves?" and a lot of people will answer with various things like: "Because it pulls stains from the metal", "Because it helps the oil adhere to the metal easier", "Because it's magic", etc. To be completely honest, it's just to help differentiate it between regular mineral oil and choji oil. Basically, from what I understand, mineral oil and choji oil (which was used almost exclusively on blades) were kept side-by-side in a home. When a person needed mineral oil, for whatever purpose, they could simply smell them and tell which was which.

You can buy choji oil online or, if you live in a community active with martial artists, from a popular dojo. (Most serious dojo have bottles, but they're for in-house use only) If you buy it online try to buy a little bottle. You can always buy more! DO NOT BUY A GALLON SIZE BOTTLE! YOU WILL NEVER USE IT ALL! YOU WILL PASS IT DOWN TO YOUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN! Seriously. Those are for dojo. Some people will buy those and actually go through them, but they're just wasting it. When you clean with choji oil you only need about three drops or so from a standard eye-dropper. Three drops is usually enough to coat both sides of my katana and then some.

Now my khuk is a different matter. To get all of the gunk off of it I put a couple of drops on a piece of cotton gun paper and scrub it until it's shiny again. Then I wipe it down, then coat it in uchiko (powdered limestone used to clean up any excess oil (and some argue it's also used to micro-polish the yakiba (skin)) then I put a light coat of oil on it. All in all, 6 or 7 drops for both sides.

Well, I kind of got side-tracked there... For those of us saving up for our khuk's next little brother or sister ;) you can make your own choji oil. Go to the pharmacy and buy a regular bottle of light mineral oil and a small bottle of clove oil. You may also wish to buy an eye dropper. This will be much cheaper than buying a bottle online (I'm talking like 60 dollars cheaper) and you'll have more than you should ever need.

Choji oil is essentially 99% mineral oil and 1% clove oil. Clove oil is bad for your blade. However, you do not need to get the exact measurements right. Just put a small drop of clove oil into your bottle of mineral oil and shake it up, then smell. The smell should be subtle (I like mine strong), but noticable enough that you don't have to search for it. Adjust until it's got a good smell, but don't put too much in.

Also, though I took a long time getting to it, I have never had a problem with choji oil and leather. Choji oil has been used for hundreds of years on priceless nihonto (authentic japanese swords) with excellent results. It doesn't gunk up your saya (sheath), it doesn't run off the blade, it keeps stains from setting in, stops rust (obviously), etc.)

I'm I got something wrong. :P Feel free to edit and correct me guys. I'm still learning also. ^^

Cheers,
Krimson Draegon
 
Don't buy too large a bottle of mineral oil either...Tom Linton will tell you why.
 
I've used just about anything that you can imagine at what time or another. I've since standardized on Ballistol for the reasons Yvsa gives above -- it's not quite the best for anything but it's pretty good for everything, and slopping a little extra on the handle or scabbard will only help things. I used CLP in the service as that was what was most available. It also did the job.

BTW, I used Kiwi on my scabbards when I was active duty and it worked fine. For those of us who have an ingrained obsession with polishing black leather it's almost a necessity. I still hit them with Ballistol occasionally as the Kiwi will protect the leather and leave it looking nice but it doesn't "feed" the leather like Ballistol does IMO. I apply extra Ballistol to the belt loop to keep it pliable, as this is not a part that I'd want to see dry out and crack.

One last thing: I've been told that the reason for the scent in choji is that it looks a lot like cooking oil, and frying your dinner in mineral oil is a potentially uncomfortable mistake. ;)
 
I think Spiral was said to use mineral oil on blades, handles, and sheaths. I could be mistaken. But in a similar vein I just use a big bottle of baby oil on everything too. I've also been told that talcum powder works well for long-term blade storage.
 
Baby oil and Talcum powder...don't be childish.

Sorry...Bruise would have had something more clever to say.
 
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