Belegarth

My father just gave me a tanto that my grandfather captured in WWII. There's a little rust on the blade and some fingerprints here and there - but it's in GREAT condition. I assume I should oil it? What would I use?

I would also love to know the answer to this question!

I dont know the answer to the question of if you should oil it. but if you do be sure to wipe off the finger prints before you do as that will trap salts and acids and air under the oil to eat away at the blade.

Get a Katana sword care kit. The ones with the little ball on the stick and all that. Follow the instructions in the kit. Win.

Any metal blade you care about should be cleaned and oiled. That will protect from further rust. Do not attempt to clean the rust yourself as you can damage the blade further. Here are some instructions and a care kit that will help you out.

Thank you both.

I may not know anything as people insist on saying here, but I have found an old Masonic / Templar sword, when I was in north GA when I was younger. (I still have the sword.)

I took it to get it appraised, and authenticated. Found out it is real and old.
I took the Katana Care Kit, as mentioned above and cleaned it up, de-rusted it the way that was best.

But later on down the road, I wanted to see if it was worth more because it gained some age, and it took away its value because it was, how to put it, restored, in thier terms.

If you want it to keep its value, do not tamper with it.
If you do not care about the value, by all means, clean it up, tamper with it.

(This is from my own experience.)
-Yet, I know I will receive hate comments / replies, because I know nothing of Bel / Dag, so obviously I know nothing of anything else or should not speak to try to help in other situations. But I am just letting you know that it will take away some of the value. Like me, I do not care about value, I was only curious. I would prefer to have my sword taken care of. Your choice in the end.
Use the Katana Kit if you want to clean it up though. It is the best.

Mors wrote:But later on down the road, I wanted to see if it was worth more because it gained some age, and it took away its value because it was, how to put it, restored, in thier terms.

Dead on there actually. With older weapons removing the rust and age from the blade is a restoration job and will affect the item's value. Same with repairing old guns, sometimes leaving the original parts in non-working condition is better than putting newer/non-original parts on and making the gun work (thanks History Channel for that)

Well, that's actually the reason I asked Mors. I would never sell it - it sits with some precious military heirlooms, none of which I will ever sell. This includes: two funeral flags, my gandfather's bayonet, my uncle's purple heart set, a passed down "rifle expert" badge (worn by my father, my brother, and myself), my two ka-bars, my personally-owned flak and kevlar, the blues jacket that my brother and I both wore at our weddings, a framed collection of all 6 Marines' graduation pictures, and a Japanese rifle (captured by my grandfather's platoon) given to my grandfather by the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps (during his term) General Walt for one of his birthdays. Also my father's EGA and mine (a little emblem you're awarded at the end of boot... seems silly but it meant and still does mean a lot).

Needless to say, it's not something I plan on hocking carelessly - it will all end up in the hands of one or split up among my nephew and/or sons upon their (non-pressured) graduations - if that's the way they go. Getting to the point... as I said - it won't be sold, but I don't want to devalue it. I've heard restoration can do such things, but was not sure - which is why I asked.

So, thank you two for your comments, I actually have an oil kit in the mail... I probably won't use it now. I just wiped it with a soft cloth and put it with my collection.

* specifically, you made an * out of yourself in one thread... big deal bro. I've done so before, and still do it from time to time based on mood and/or opposing opinions - I'm quite the split personality poster. Do I generalize juggalos as retarded wiggers in makeup? Yes. Have you changed my opinion of them? lol, not yet - probably won't. Am I making an * out of myself on the same thread now? You bet your *. The difference? I'm not pretending to be king **** in it. Does the above matter to me if/when you make a constructive/valid opinion? No.

I think Arrakis is a complete chode; however, he's a very smart guy - shame he always giftwraps valid opinions in condescending douchebaggery. I think Todo is a complete MMA-trending * wrapped up in a swollen self-image; I usually agree with his posts and/or share his point of view. I used to not like No'Vak over some stupid political **** revolving around gun rights and what being an American citizen entails; political views aside, he's not a bad guy. Point being, I'm a very opinionated guy, but I give credit when/where it is due.

Sure, you did some stupid ****. Came into an established community with a chip on your shoulder. Blew a lot of hot air that probably meant little to the people you shot it at... we beat each other for fun. Personally, to me, "volume" has always been compensation for lack of nuts. I rarely see a loud dude do ****... Finally, you're on a foam-combat forum calling people nerds. Have you thought about that?

I go to GA events, I'll likely be at most (if not all) overnighters. I just missed Ides because my wife was (at the time) 8 months pregnant - as a matter of fact we're expecting my daughter tonight or tomorrow. I will either be in black and teal in a Corinthian kit OR green (olive drab) and brown in a crusader kit. Got an attitude and something to prove? Look me up. Humbled, on the level, and want to chill? Look me up.

Either way, I do appreciate your input.

Trisseus wrote:To all of the above.

I have "ALOT" of passed down heirlooms as well.
That I still need a show case for. Thinking of building one.
I have a K-Bar from my grandfather from Vietnam.
Bayonett - Korean war from my other grandfather.
Tons of medals, ribbons, and much more.
I have an extensive collection of different blades as well.
I have a room solely for the purpose of having all my "man" stuff.
My man cave.

I will not try to make you stop thinking of Juggalos how you think of them, but me as a person, I can change how you "others" see me.

I am also the same as you when it comes to certain things. Such as having an attitude when I feel as if somone is trying to put me down or just be an *.
Otherwise I am a semi-decent guy.

If you have any questions on blades / fire-arms, I can help.
For I have an extensive collection of both.
Blades are my primary choice when it comes to battle though.

Gun Rights - I feel the same as you. "Obviously".
Did you notice even Wal-Mart does not sale their cheap shottys anymore...
(Oh well. haha)

My opinions on how the country is run as we speak, is confidential unless we want to go through a huge debate over it... I truly do not want to do that though. Opinions are like *, everyone has one. "And they all stink but mine!) lmao!!

But, if I know what I am talking about, and if there are questions I am certain of. I will help as best as I can.

What a collection Teej,

How the hell did your grandpa get a Nip rifle from the freaking ACMC????? That's a story that needs to be told over a few of your new beers!

This is how:



Friend of family...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_William_Walt

I'll try to get pics up when I'm not so busy. Tanto and rifle...

Here's the wiki for it though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_97_Sniper_Rifle

Wow, gives new meaning to the term "Old Corps".

That's really awesome.

Teej, if you really want to preserve it and it has actual rust forming, you do need to do something. With adequate oxygen and humidity the corrosion will continue to grow. What you need to avoid, that will devalue the piece as a collectible, are methods that mechanically (usually abrasively) remove the corrosion. Chemical methods, EDTA done properly could be a good choice, will arrest the existing corrosive process. If it's not bad then you may be better off not attempting to treat the rust and just preserve with rennaissance wax or use the traditional Japanese technique of a light coat of camellia oil. Then keep it in an environment with constantly low humidity and don't let anybody touch it. Where the organics are concerned, you really probably shouldn't clean it all and, again, just don't let people touch it without gloves (clean cotton or fresh nitrile/latex are both fine).

If you have access to a good university library you may want to look up literature on the conservation of iron using EDTA as it is one of the more effective methods that does not involve mechanical cleaning, but may be more than you want to get into and if it's not bad, just sealing it off from further access to air with oil or wax and keeping it in low humidity will probably be enough. Just be careful to keep the chemicals and/or oils away from the organics.

Wow... Nip... How... Understanding of our fellow man...

I am not an expert, but I talk to a lot of folks, listen, and am an enthusiast....

Leather sheath? Store in a separate box away from moisture. Wipe a thin layer of gun oil on the blade and wrap it in the cloth. If it has a leather wrap on the handle then avoid getting the oil on it otherwise it will discolor and warp. If you are displaying it keep a thin thin layer of oil on the blade and metal portions. Wipe it down and re oil whenever you handle it. It will last for a very long time and will not deteriorate. Gun oil because it is a synthetic. Same thing for firearms.

That's what I have been told.

On a not so unrelated topic...

I was asked to repair a very very old Wakizashi style Japanese Sword. The blade is in pristine shape, but the wrap on the hilt is falling apart, and the bamboo slats on the hilt are loose because of it. It is pretty darn authentic from what i can tell, down to the shark skin on the hilt.

The story behind it is...my wife's grandfather was given this sword by a grateful Japanese man in the early 50s. Evidently the grandfather did him a kindness, and in gratitude, the Japanese man gave him this sword. (very short version)

Whether its true or not, i don't know. Ether way, he says he had it authenticated to around 1500AD (I need to double check that), and i assume that its one of those things that has enough history with our family that it will never be sold.

Now, i don't want to just slap a wrap on it and call it a day. Is there any information anyone can toss me on 500 year old Japanese sword wrapping? Also i need to nail this thing down to a time period. Without taking it to a museum, is there any way to tell just by examining it?

You'd probably have to take it apart down to the tang (or whatever the Japanese name for it is) to find the maker's stamp, then compare it to a chart or database online. All smiths at that point would mark the blades as their own creations.

Kade, I realize you don't plan on selling it, but if it really is a wakizashi from 1500AD it could be very valuable and if you take it apart and rewrap it yourself, it probably won't be. It would really have to be done by a professional, in Japan or possibly a few people that were trained in Japan, to retain it's value. That would, of course, be very expensive. Your best bet is probably to oil the blade lightly and keep it protected (don't let anyone touch it) so it doesn't degrade further until you are ready to get a real specialist to assess it.

If you do decide to work on it yourself keep absolutely everything you take off. You are probably better off removing and storing anything you determine 'needs work', if removing it will not alter the piece in any way, than you are modifying any original parts. That the original parts can still be reused when someone who really knows what they are doing tackles the project.

As far as determining its history, these sites may be useful:
http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm
http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/

Yea...i told them like four times that i really shouldn't do any work on this thing, but they insisted, and they don't trust anyone to so much as look at the blade really. Which, i can't blame them. There are at least a half a dozen people who are dangerously interested in getting their hands on it, which is probably why the family took it away (temporarily) from my wife's grandfather.

Thanks for the sites, ill work on authenticating it before i so much as touch it and go from there.

Awesome story; sucks that family has to let greed get involved.

Good luck with it.

STOP!!

don't do ANYTHING to the knife,you should take it to an antique dealer or similar to see where it can be taken care of and restored properly,by a expert.
It might cost money to do but the end result is not ruining the value of your piece of history

Actually... This may sound insane but you could look into returning it. I know that it is a piece of family history for you but the Japanese are dying to get their hands on their old katanas and tantos. Now this is a longshot in the furthest but since you have a tanto there is a possibility (VERY VERY SMALL) but a possibility that it could be one of Masamune's work. He was known to make more tantos then katanas and alot of his work was in the hands of Japanese officials. Of course after the war nobody has a * clue whose sword is what or anything. Not only will the Japanese pay out the * for getting one of their weapons back but you get a great honor in helping a people regain some of their history. Plus a free trip to Japan if you pull your strings right!

Sage wrote:Actually... This may sound insane but you could look into returning it. I know that it is a piece of family history for you but the Japanese are dying to get their hands on their old katanas and tantos. Now this is a longshot in the furthest but since you have a tanto there is a possibility (VERY VERY SMALL) but a possibility that it could be one of Masamune's work. He was known to make more tantos then katanas and alot of his work was in the hands of Japanese officials. Of course after the war nobody has a * clue whose sword is what or anything. Not only will the Japanese pay out the * for getting one of their weapons back but you get a great honor in helping a people regain some of their history. Plus a free trip to Japan if you pull your strings right!

Not a bad suggestion if it were going to the original owner's family, it would be their history more than mine; I'd do it for free if I could meet the family and learn about who they are, what they're about, etc... I don't think that would ever happen though. And who knows how I'd be received. I'm sure they'd know how my family got a hold of it, lol. I would have to break it down and HOPE for a clue as to who made it or who it belonged to. And I don't think I would take that risk with an heirloom for some cash and a trip. It's been in my family for ~66 years. And my family has a strong Marine Corps traditon with priceless pieces of Marine Corps history from 3 generations and 6 Marines sitting in my house, something I'm very proud of.

Teej wrote:And who knows how I'd be received.

Just tell 'em you were stationed on Oki......they'll love you; probably have you meet a daughter or two.

Tiberius Claudius wrote:

Teej wrote:And who knows how I'd be received.

Just tell 'em you were stationed on Oki......they'll love you; probably have you meet a daughter or two.

Don't think that would go too well for me, I might be better off telling them a guy from my family rofl'd one of their ancestors and took their funny knife as a trophy.