Sword Maintenance
SWORD MAINTENANCE
General Tips for Sword Maintenance and Care
- Avoid touching the blade of your sword with bare hands as the acids from our skin can react and cause corrosion of the metal over time.
- Depending on where you live, it is important to ensure your sword is kept out of humidity and water, as this can affect the blade and its parts over time. Never store your sword in a scabbard when wet.
- For high humidity areas ensure that your sword is stored properly to avoid rust, this includes keeping it outside the scabbard for long term storage, particularly if you have a leather scabbard for your sword. Our sword display stands are an excellent way to display and store your sword outside of the scabbard. Explore our display stands here.
- To remove fingerprints from the sword, use a microfibre cloth and buff gently in circular motions for best results.
- Be sure to dust and wipe down your sword regularly. It is important to remove dust as it can naturally attract moisture, helping the oxidisation and rusting process.
- To help protect the blade, when not in use ensure it is dried thoroughly and thinly covered in a light oil to help prevent rust, this is particularly important for carbon steel blades. Periodically clean and wipe down your sword and scabbard with a lightly oiled cloth for long term protection.
- If not maintained adequately, metals, including stainless steel and carbon steel, will rust to varying degrees if they are exposed to the elements.
- Please be careful when cleaning and caring for your sword, particularly if you have a sharp blade as injuries can occur.
Stainless Steel Swords
Stainless steel blades may require less maintenance than their carbon steel counterparts, however, it is important to ensure that you continue to clean and care for your sword regularly. Ensure that whether stored or on display you regularly wipe down your sword. A microfibre cloth can help remove dust and fingerprints from the blade. Once clean wipe down the sword with a lightly oiled cloth to help protect it from rust and remove other contaminants from the blade surface.
If storing your sword for the long term, it is not generally recommended to store it in a scabbard. For alternative storage, you may wish to use a sword display stand. For shorter storage or if you wish to store the sword in the scabbard ensure the blade is clean and dry before storing.
Carbon Steel Swords
Carbon steel swords are more sensitive to their environment and may require more care than stainless steel swords. As carbon steel swords can rust more easily in high humidity or if wet, it is important to ensure your sword is displayed or stored in a clean and dry environment. It is important to avoid touching the blade when handling as the natural acids and moisture from our skin can cause rust and discolouration. For long term storage, it is not recommended to store your carbon steel sword inside the scabbard as this may cause damage, particularly in places with high humidity. A great way to store and display your carbon steel sword is with our display stands, explore these here.