Eezox for Tool Steel Katana?

[Bennyb747]

I just picked up this beautiful katana the other day. I know I should probably maintain it the traditional way, but I was thinking about coating it with Eezox since Eezox works so well on my guns. What do you guys think?

The sword is a Munetoshi "6 series" T10 tool steel Kigan, I got the version that is a "Kill Bill" Replica. I had been wanting one of those replicas since the movie came out but they were all crappy ones, until I found this one. This thing is just beautiful and it has a really nice hamon.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Clove Oil?

Well, well.

That's a fairly serious piece of cutlery.

What's the going price for something like that these days?

I can't imagine that it's at all cheap.

I believe clove oil is the traditional stuff used to keep the blade rust-free and shiny.

I don't have any exposure to Eezox but, if you're not looking to go all 100% authentic, a good durable lubricant/protectant that doesn't go rancid should be fine.

 

[Winston_Smith]

I use Eezox on all my fine cutlery

 

[Bennyb747]

You can get one for about $300-$900 depending on where you look. I got this one on sale for $270 regular price $400. I'll tell you one thing it sure is sharp, I've had plenty of knives that could shave the hair off your arm but this is the first sword that can! It came with a traditional care kit (it's the wood box in the sword case) but I think I'm going to try some Eezox because it's not as oily to the touch.

Here's a few more pics to drool over.

 

[shockwave]

Going rate is $600 - $1200 for basic blades. The kind of things you'd train with. I take Iado so we shop for these frequently. This is an area very specialized and worthy of the sort of in-depth discussion we have here regarding firearms.

 

[hso]

There's no reason to use traditional methods for preventing rust as long as what is used doesn't stain the steel.

 

[Shadow 7D]

interesting, clove oil is also a powerful numbing agent, so I would be careful of polishing the blade because you could cut yourself with out knowing it.
As for easy OX, lots of gun guys swear by it, I think there was a thread a few years ago where a member had his house flooded out by a hurricane and the guns he used easy ox on were in the best condition.

 

[inherentical]

I use Eezox on my Katana, just because I don't want it rusting up when it sits in the safe without being looked at or used.

 

[CWL]

Choji or Clove Oil, as used by the Japanese for corrosion protection is just a combination of 99% mineral oil and 1% oil of cloves. I suspect that the actual clove oil portion is to reduce mold/mildew growth as well as to keep away insects.

While I have clove oil which I purchased in Japan, I prefer more modern products to protect my historic Japanese blades, modern knife collection and firearms. I currently use Renaissance Wax because it stays in place and forms a moisture shield until I want to remove it.

 

[RyanM]

Choji or Clove Oil, as used by the Japanese for corrosion protection is just a combination of 99% mineral oil and 1% oil of cloves. I suspect that the actual clove oil portion is to reduce mold/mildew growth as well as to keep away insects.

This. Choji is mineral oil with just a couple drops of clove oil, not pure clove oil.

I really don't think mineral oil can grow mold or attract insects, can it? It's a petroleum derivative. Maybe the bacteria they use to clean up oil spills.

IIRC, the reason for clove oil is so that the samurai's wife wouldn't accidentally use the choji for cooking. Mineral oil is a laxative, so that would be bad.

 

[CWL]

I'm not talking about the mineral oil content getting rancid, I'm talking about the wood, cloth and leather that traditional Japanese edged weapons are mounted and carried in.

Japan is a very humid place, depending on the season, mold/mildew is a big problem. Not something you'd want growing on the inside of your wooden sword/spear sheath.

 

[RyanM]

Oh, that makes more sense. IIRC, the "user" hilt and scabbard would be stored seperately, and treated with something else. For storage, the katana blade would be mounted in, I forget what it's called, but basically just a plain, bare wood hilt and scabbard, with no guard or anything. Sometimes those fittings have been misrepresented as "sword canes" or something, but it's really a storage condition.

 

[hso]

shirasaya

I use White Lightning, which I've found to behave like liquid Ren Wax. It is available in bicycle shops.

 

[Max C.]

(Not sure about how the mods feel about self promotion but I can post a links later if they're ok with it)

I work at the store that sold Kill Bill their "show" katanas. Basically anything they didn't actually swing (those were Aluminum blades, some done by our friends at Renegade Effects) came from our store plus whatever they happened to have in their prop house. We sold them Paul Chen Practical Katanas and Practical Plus Katanas and they made some modifications to the Tsuba, wrap, and other things, on some of them. If you want a training blade you should pick up one of those so you don't nick the etching or hurt the finish of the sword.

We usually don't recommend Choji oil because it seems to yellow some blades. Some people like this because some old blades will have that sort of patina. I'm not really sure why some blades yellow (could just be a very light, minor case of oxidation) but it does seem to happen.

As previously mentioned, Renaissance Wax is excellent. It's better than oil in many ways because it doesn't attract dust or sawdust from the saya. The only issue is that it takes longer to apply than oil, so if you do a lot of test cutting or training, you may want to use oil during periods of consistent use and if you take a month off from using it you can throw the wax back on. If it's just a show piece, don't sweat it, use the Renaissance Wax.

In terms of other types of oil we do like and recommend, just about any acid free petroleum based oil will be just fine. Most branded "sword oil" is nothing but decent quality sewing machine oil. Hanwei Sword oil is the one usually sold with Paul Chen Katanas and happens to be the one we carry. I'm sure just about every other maker has their "specific" oil to pair with it.

 

[mfcmb]

Given my experience with Eezox on my guns, I'd have no problem using it on a katana. I regard it as a product of modern chemistry that will perform better than traditional oils.