Just got a Katana and motor oil doesnt seem to do the trick.
Do any weapon owners out there know the best way to make it look new again without harming the blade?
Just got a Katana and motor oil doesnt seem to do the trick.
Do any weapon owners out there know the best way to make it look new again without harming the blade?
if you dont want to go out and get a polishing compound, toothpaste works well
Before I can give you an answer I must ask you a question. Is the sword your standard "mall sword" that is made from something like 440 stainless with a fake temper line imported from china or is it a genuine hand forged blade with real temper line? I currently work for one of the top Japanese sword collectors in the US and deal with antique swords dating back to the 1400s regularly. Using the wrong compound, paste, powder, or even cleaning cloth, brush, etc will destroy the value of a real hand forged sword.
In that case a washcloth or one of those green plastic/felt type scrubbing pads and some silver polish should work just fine. If you do not happen to have silver polish then take some of the gel type hand sanitizer and put it on the areas you want to clean while leaving it to sit for just a few minutes. Once it has sat there for a bit you can use the washcloth/pad to do a circular motion over the area which should take care of it. Using a decent razor blade held at about a 30 degree angle (again with the polish or sanitizer on the areas) to get off any of the tough stuff as well. Even on mall swords though do not use something like steel wool as the effects will not be reversible.
You just got it and it's rusting? Take it back.
Just beware that the blade you are buying isn't a Chinese knock off as they are getting quite good at faking blades and mounts. If you are interested in blades that are 100% real you could check out http://shogunorientalarts.com/japanese-swords-c-40.html. I take most of the photos for that site as well as admin it but it is still a work in progress so the website may act funny at times. Though I would not suggest buying a REAL quality sword without first thoroughly educating yourself about Japanese blades. If you are looking for any information about real blades in general you can check out Richard Stein's website http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm.
Id try ketchup or that crap they use to polish silver (cant think of it).