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| Care for your Swords, Armor & Daggers, Sword Safety, Sword Polishing, Sword Rust
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Instructions for sword care and sword safety.
Many of our blades are made of high carbon steel and need care to keep them rust free. First of all, DO NOT LEAVE A STEEL BLADE IN A SHEATH FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME OR IT WILL RUST. To keep a blade rust free, applying oil on the blade is the most popular practice today. There are two types of oil one can use: natural or synthetic. Natural oils like mineral oil, camellia and clove oils are very good. Silicone, which normally comes in a spray can is an excellent synthetic oil and we highly recommend it.
To oil the blade, first clean it with cloth or a paper towel. Then apply the oil leaving only a thin film. This procedure should be repeated every 1 to 6 months depending on the storage area and humidity. A humid climate will require more frequent cleaning.
Minimize touching the blade. Acids from the fingers etch carbon steel. For long term storage, keep or display your blade out of the leather sheath. For swords in wood scabbards, leave them inside to prevent the scabbard from warping.
Wooden parts of the sword, such as the handle and the scabbard can be protected by lacquering, varnishing, or waxing. Furniture lemon oil is good for cleaning the wood.
A good product for waxing both the blade and other parts of your sword can be found Here. See below for other products.
We recommend a professional knife sharpener to handle the sharpening of your sword BUT if you should desire to sharpen your sword yourself, you can accomplish that with a couple of files, a stone, and some hard work. First, establish the cutting bevel with the use of a coarse file. Since swords generally have stronger, more chisel-like edges than knives, your sword edge should be draw filed at an angle between 30 and 35 degrees. After the cutting bevel is established, go back over the edge with a fine file to remove the coarse file marks and make the edge much easier to achieve with a sharpening stone.
Do NOT bang your sword against another sword in a theatricla-style duel. Do NOT bang your sword against any hard object to test its strength or the 'sound' of the steel as it hits a hard object. In fact, do NOT strike your sword against ANY object - unless you are a trained professional in the art of sword fighting. No matter how tough or strong the steel is in any sword, it will nick or break when struck against something equally hard or an a stronger force object.
In stage plays of in movies, theatrical swords with wide, thick edges are used. The edges are flat and often as much as 1/16" wide. Such theatrical swords are designed to take the flashy looking punishment of banging edges together. Your sword is not a theatrical sword. Your sword is a real weapon, designed so that they could fight in the manner of the originals were actually used. Since the cuting edges could easily be sharpened and were often important for slashing, parries were made with the flat of the blade (not the edges) or were simply avoided altogether. Real swords were never used for the theatrical style of sword banging that the movies or stage plays rely on to liven up the action sequences.
Do not attempt to cut down a tree with your sword. Such an activity is guaranteed to damage your sword. Axes and machetes are well designed for this with the weight of the steel concentrated over the point of percussion. When you strike a firmly fixed object like a tree or a thick branch with a sword, a great deal of the blade projects past the object being cut, causing the blade to bend or torque. It should be pointed out that the Japanese, who believe in a lot of practice with the sword, used thick bamboo. The bamboo was resistant to a cut, but didn't have the rigidity of a tree, and so wouldn't damage a valuable blade. For a Japanese warrior to cut into a tree would have been unthinkable.
Do not swing any edged weapon carelessly. Remeber this is a real weapon and must be treated with the same respect you would give to a loaded firearm. When you wish to experience how it felt for warriors to wield these weapons in battle, make sure you are well out of reach of anyone. These weapons are heavy and could slip out of your hands. Be careful not to endanger yourself or others when you manipulate these swords.
Even an unsharpened sword can cause serious injury and if precaution is not used easily break bone. In fighting with sword on sword, the opponents blade should be parried with the side of the blade.
Edge to edge sword blows will nick both weapons no matter what the steel or temper. Also slapping with the side of the blade should be avoided as a very hard slap can break the blade.
These simple truths go for not just our weapons but for any sword that was ever made and no doubt for any sword that ever will be made
The simple care and maintenance of your swords and daggers will pay off for many years to come. Thank you for selecting Swords of Honor as your Sword store.
*** Safety ***
*** IMPORTANT ***
These instruments are NOT toys. The use of these instruments requires the training and supervision of a qualified instructor in sword use, fight choreography, or fencing, as appropriate. The use of these instruments in ANY other form (i.e. chopping trees down in the backyard, swinging carelessly, etc.) can result in severe injury to the user and to the instrument, and such use voids any and all warrantees by SwordofHonor. If you are not qualified, DO NOT attempt to use these instruments before securing qualified instruction. Owning an instrument such as this carries with it a responsibility to gain the instruction needed to become proficient and qualified in its use. Users should contact a qualified instructor to receive proper training. Proper use is not as easy as it appears and books and/or videos do NOT provide the necessary training. SwordsofHonor and its employees assume no responsibility for injury, damage, or loss incurred by use of these instruments. We cannot stress too strongly that, without exception, the user of these instruments must get the proper training to insure their own safety and the safety of others.
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Disclaimer
RELEASE, ASSUMPTION OF RISK, AND WAIVER OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT.
By purchasing any item from Swords of Honor (SOH), whether by mail, phone, internet, or in person, the buyer warrants that he is in compliance with his local and state laws and is legally able to purchase these items. Swords of Honor may not be held responsible for any non-compliance with these laws.
The term "battle ready", when used to describe a sword, means that the sword is made of high carbon spring steel - a very strong and flexible steel.
If you place an order for one of our replica weapons (swords, maces, axes, etc.), you agree that you are at least 18 years old and have read our
Sword Care and Safety section and you will be responsible for your weapon's use or misuse.
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