sword (katana) maintenance

[dbreeze225]

hey guys does any one know what kind of oil to put on the blade before you put it away everyone says "light" mineral oil....i know it is made but i am having a real hard time finding it all i can find is the "laxitive" type of mineral oil wich is thicker than the light will it still work i dont want to damage the sword in any way only other thing i can find is mineral spirits and i think that is completely different any suggestions are apreciated
-Dave

 

[Jason B.]

The oil your looking for is Camelia oil.

 

[dbreeze225]

nice ill try it thanks jason

 

[NihontoEd]

Here is a link where you can purchase the correct oil, Choji (clove) Oil:

http://www.japanese-swords.com/pages/x5.htm

 

[dkb45]

Honestly Vaseline will work just fine. Sure, it isn't the proper traditional oil, but it does the job.

 

[Jason B.]

SC, thanks for the correction.

There is also the use of uchigomori powder but I'm not sure how it compares to oil.

 

[NihontoEd]

Jason,
Uchiko is used when cleaning the sword. It is applied along the blade to remove old oil residue, then wiped off and new oil applied.
Not really necessary for reproduction swords.

You can read more as the discussion has been re-started in the sword forum: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1226084-My-first-quot-functional-quot-katana