Sword Forum Bugei

I have a couple of quesions regarding the type of oil used on swords. Is there really any difference (other than the nice smell) between clove oil and mineral oil? Is one really better for the sword than the other? Also, why are modern gun oils not typically used on swords?

Thanks,

Steven Wood
Washington, NC

Hi Steven -- although authenticity is nice, plain LIGHT mineral oil is exactly what goes into choji oil. [the light oil is typically used for makeup removal...heavy mineral oil is generally a laxative and is too thick and sticky].

The effect of modern gun oils on the wood and silk and other materials in sword tsuka is unknown and is therefore you are taking a bit of a chance using them...choji has been used successfully for centuries and is dirt cheap, so why not stay with it?

Mr. Anderson makes a great point, what's referred to as "choji" oil is actually light mineral oil with a tiny bit of clove oil added for scent.

To answer your question about gun oil, I use it all the time and have never had any ill effects. I like getting a bunch of the gun oil wipes that you can usually find in tubes of 50 to 100 wipes. I use them especially when cutting. After cleaning my blade, I wipe it down with one of these and put it away (after each mat typically). At the end I'll do a full cleaning with noxon (if needed), uchiko, and a final coat of choji. I have left my sword coated in gun oil in the saya for weeks on end and have yet to have any problems.

Hope this helps!

The guys over at aoi-art i Tokyo suggested using 5-56 oil, I use this and it works very well, exept the area of my country I live in now have extremely moist air(been raining straight for 3 months), then I should use the oil every day. Nice scent too.
I have also heard wd-40 is good, but never tried it.

WD-40 has a high vapor pressure and added solvents that can damage lacquer. It is about 50% solvent (that will dissolve most lacquers) and 15% mineral oil. I would not use WD-40 with a japanese sword if it has any lacquer work whatsoever, so I really wouldn't use it.

WD-40 is TERRIBLE stuff for any kind of protective/preservative use. I've had guns rust in humid weather just a week after treatment with WD-40.

David K: My recommendation against modern gun oils is more on a long-term basis...decades, maybe generations. I've used Breakfree CLP myself with no [apparent] ill effects. However after making up a half-liter of choji for about $3 that will last a couple of decades, I've put my CLP back in the gun locker.

Definitely. I like the oil wipes when I'm cutting primarily because of how handy they are. I've let the blade sit coated in it for some extended periods, but never more than a month. I do typically use traditional oils once I've cleaned my sword. I figure, it's worked for centuries, why change what works.

I use the traditional oils on my blades... as it kinda feels wrong not to in my opinion and I greatly enjoy the smell as well..

B Shaw

WD-40 has been discussed here as well.

Absolutely DO NOT use WD-40!

I have three oils that I use: Choji oil, mineral oil, and Birchwood Casey Barricade. I originally got the mineral oil as a low-cost alternative to choji oil, but I don't like to use it much because it's too thick. Being too thick doesn't make it unusable, but it means I have to put more work into wiping off the excess and it will bead up more than choji oil.

The Birchwood Casey Barricade (previously called Birchwood Casey Sheath) came highly recommended by Dr. T, a longtime member of this forum. Barricade goes on much thinner than choji oil and is supposedly much better at rust protection.

My swords are only for display. I don't do Iaido or a similar art. I oil my swords once a month, alternating between choji oil and Barricade. This way I will at least have remnants of Barricade on the swords providing superior rust protection, but I still get the occasional pleasure of using choji oil.