How Do You Prevent and Repair Damage to Your Katana Japanese Sword? 

How Do You Prevent and Repair Damage to Your Katana Japanese Sword? 

Swords are eye-catching and glossy handheld weapons that play an important role in enhancing the look of elegant decorations and collector items. Whether you are investing in a Katana Japanese sword for decoration purposes or for practicing martial arts, it is vital to take good care of them. These are valuable assets that should be maintained and cleaned properly. By doing so, you can ensure that your precious and costly Katana is free from physical damage and is in perfect condition. 

In this piece of writing, we will explain how you can prevent and repair damage to your Katana Japanese sword in detail. So what are you waiting for? Let’s begin with our article!

How to clean a Katana?

If you are a blade enthusiast and just bought it for decoration purposes, then it’s vital to take great care of it. Whether you use them or not, you should clean the Katana sword often. In this section, we will explain how you can clean the sword in order to increase its shelf life. 

Equipment required:

• Rice paper
• Lint-free cloth (optional)

Procedure:

1. When you buy your Katana from a collector or factory producer, you will notice that the sword is shipped with a thick coating of grease or oil. After receiving the sword, it is important to get rid of that thick coating. You can remove this greasy thick coating via rice paper. 

However, if rice paper is not available, you can go for alternatives including lint-free cloth. Be careful while cleaning the blade. Start from the bottom and continue to the tip. Make sure not to put extra pressure on the tip. Start in one direction and continue that until you get rid of grease or oil. 

Tip: If rice paper and lint-free cloth are not available, you can also go for cheap options including Coffee filters. 

2. However, cleaning with a lint-free cloth or rice paper is not enough to achieve a neat and glossy blade. In order to effectively remove the dust or dirt, apply a very minute quantity of lacquer thinner onto a different paper or cloth and gently rub the dust off. Please note that, use the same one-directional straight motion. If in case you apply extra lacquer thinner, then you can remove it with another lint-free cloth. 

3. It is worth noting that the Japanese swords including Katana require different types of cleaning materials as compared to steel swords. For efficient cleaning, ensure that the lacquer you are using contains an adequate quantity of benzene in it. 

4. After cleaning the blade with lacquer thinner containing benzene, use a coffee filter, another piece of cloth, or rice paper to completely clean the blade from moisture. This will remove the cleaning solution (lacquer thinner) and any additional dust. In order to protect the blade from rust damage, it is important to keep the blade dry. 

No doubt, a dry sword is less prone to rust. But, we should take extra care so there is no possibility of damage to the blade due to rust. 

How to Prevent the Blade from Rust?

The most effective way of preventing the blade from rusting is by keeping it dry and regularly oiling it. Oil acts as a security barrier between blade and rust. After thoroughly cleaning your blade, it is important to apply oil on it to protect it from rust. Here’s how you can do it:

Equipment Required:

• Choji oil
• Lint-free cloth

Procedure:

1. Take a lint-free cloth and apply a small amount of choji oil on it. Or you can also apply the oil onto the blade instead of cloth. Carefully spread the oil onto the surface of the blade by protecting your hand. Again, follow the same directions. I.e. one-directional movement and straight motions

2. Apply a light coat of oil on the cloth or blade. Do not pour excess oil which results in the dripping of oil off the sword. Make sure that the oil layer is even and thin 

Tip: Choji oil is traditionally used for cleaning Japanese swords including Katana. You can also use any type of mineral oil including sewing machine oil, camellia oil, etc. 

How Often You Should Clean and Maintain Your Sword?

In order to keep the Japanese Katanaswords Katana blade in its best condition, it is important to regularly inspect, clean, and maintain your sword. It is necessary to repeat the oiling process every 10 days to protect the blade from rust damage. If you are living in a humid area or there is excessive humidity due to any reason, it is important to reapply the oil after every week. 

However, if you are living in an area where there is dry weather, then there is less chance of damage to the sword by rust. In that case, you can repeat the oiling process after thirty days or whenever you think it’s time to apply oil to your precious sword. 

Does Sword Handle Require Care?

The Katana sword handles are less prone to damage compared to the blade. But, it’s important to take care of them as well. You can apply a thin layer of lemon oil on the handle after every 6 months or whenever you think it is necessary. Furthermore, if your Katana sword has a handle made up of leather, then you should apply leather wax to the handle. This will protect the handle and prevent it from cracking. 

How Can I Protect Katana in Storage for a Long Time?

If you are not using Katana for decorative purposes and not using it either for practice, then you can coat it with Vaseline, wrap it with many rags layers, and keep it in a safe location. Furthermore, if you think Vaseline will not be able to provide that high-grade protection, then 

 You can use Renaissance wax for professional-grade storage.

Tip: Renaissance wax is an expensive wax that is often used to store equipment including swords in museums. It is a perfect wax for protecting the Katana for the long term.