[bad_dad_brad]

I recently purchased a Cold Steel Katana Warrior series.

I am very impressed by this blade. I have some pictures for THR members, but also a question.

The saya (scabard) is made of wood. I have treated the blade with CLP Breakfree, but I have this feeling that the blade should not be stored long term in the saya as wood soaks up moisture like a sponge.

Comments? What is the best way to store your carbon steel prone to rust Katana?

Picture #1:

[bad_dad_brad]

Picture #2:

[bad_dad_brad]

Picture #3:

[JShirley]

Listen to whatever hso says. You can also use some type of wax- do a quick search at the Himalayan Imports forum at Bladeforums.com. (Here (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302179&page=1&highlight=store) is one such thread.)

This is not traditional for katana, but your use of CLP already shows a willingness to dispense with tradition in favor of practicality.

John

[bad_dad_brad]

Thanks John,

Opinions vary but I cannot imagine protecting 1050 carbon steel with the sometimes suggested vegetable oils, canuba wax, car wax, motor oil, etc. A purist I am not. I prefer a modern solution that works.

I have found CLP Breakfree quite amazing in the anti-corrosion game. It may not be the best cleaner or lube, but for my money it is the best oil at staving off oxidation.

For instance:

Any lock I ever once treated with CLP, years and many many winters later, still opens smoothly, even cheap gym locker combination locks.

I had a piano hinge on my bathroom med cabinet that was constantly rusting no matter what I treated it with, till I put CLP on it 5 years ago, and I have not treated it since. 3 in 1 oil - it is crap, WD-40 - an evaporating joke. But CLP always did the job.

An ancient (100 year old) transom linkage on my front door was rough and hard to open, but one treatment of CLP and it's operation is as smooth as a baby's skin.

I have a lot of Glock field knives, very sharp, made of carbon steel, all treated with CLP and not a drop of rust and I have heard lots of stories regarding corrosion on this blade.

I have complete confidence in CLP but again, I am wondering, is it okay to store your Katana in it's wooden saya (scabbard) even CLP treated?

[JShirley]

Brad,

I'll wait for more experienced folks to weigh in. My blades tend to be weighted towards heavy users- EDMF, HI, etc. I do believe Nihon-to are traditionally treated with clove oil and talcum powder, and kept in saya, but this is not my forte.

John

Edit- I'm pretty sure this is someone who should know (IIRC, he has a good rep): http://www.japanese-swords.com/pages/handling.htm

The only rec especially of interest is two scabbards, dress and user/storage versions.

[mete]

They ,the japanese,use a light mineral oil which has a small amount of oil of clove added so they won't mistake mineral oil for cooking oil they'd notice the clove smell....You could use mineral oil from the drug store,apreservative grease such as RIG, or a wax ,the best wax would be Renaissence Wax which was designed to preserve museum items. If you store ouside the scabbard you could wrap it in rust inhebiting paper. Inspect on a regular basis.

[mattf7184]

I also recommend the way you store it. You may want to get a good sword stand. My dad left a few of his swords standing up (handle up) and he left them for around 10 years or so. Now besides rust, the swords are all bent on the blade (slights curve along whole length).

[Damon]

A very non-traditional suggestion is Sentry Solutions Tuff Cloth.

[hso]

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48851&highlight=rust

Briwax has tested as the best at preventing rust.

I use White Lighting or White Lighting with 3 in 1 oil. Apply the WL3n1 mix to the blade with a light brush (boar bristle shaving or good artest type). Make certain that the mixture gets down into every nook and cranney. Let it sit for an hour and wipe off with a clean freshly laundered cloth diaper or other SOFT clean cloth. Apply White Lighting directly from bottle to steel until it is completely coated and allow the WL to dry in place, ~4 hours. Wipe with clean soft cloth and put up.

[MrAcheson]

I've been using Marvel Oil from walmart. Its a 3 in 1 and works great on the carbon steel blade of my bastard sword. Plus its cheap.

[Drjones]

Check swordforums.com and they can tell you more than you want to know.

:)

[Gabe]

Go with the mineral oil suggestion. You can find them in most drug stores. I would personally buy a proper katana care kit. Half the fun of owing them is taking the time to oil them up and powder them down. Otherwise it's like owning a Ferrari and never handwash it yourself.

Tuff Cloth works great if you don't feel like doing any maintainence for a long time. It's not pretty though. The silicon coating makes the blade look dull and you can't take the sword out to simply appreciate the aesthetics.

[Soap]

I use choji (clove/mineral oil) on my newly purchased Practical Plus Katana. I've used it for years on my iaito with good results. I use my katana for tameshigiri but if I were to do some more long term storage I would use Briwax or Renaissance Wax.

[bad_dad_brad]

Thanks guys for all the traditional suggestions.

But my Katana Cold Steel blade is not traditional.

I will continue to use CLP Breakfree on my blade sans any sort of traditional treatment. My 1050 carbon blade is simply immaculate with this treatment. I think I can safely store it in the wood saya without worry as long as it has a blanket of CLP around it.

P.S. A Master lock I treated with CLP two years ago, then outside in the snow and rain, turned the key just the other day without effort.

CLP is the pooh so take a whiff.

[Clean97GTI]

Perhaps treating the wood of the saya with tung oil would be a good idea. Wood does like to soak up moisture and this should help. Keep coating it with CLP to keep the carbon steel nice, but catching at the source would by my approach. Tung oil isn't the cheapest, but it works and really beautifies wood.