Weapon care
How to clean, maintain, store and inspect weapons and training weapons according to the material they are made of.
Caring for steel and iron bladesHow to clean, oil and store steel and iron blades, including Japanese swords, how to recognise active rust, how to remove it and why humidity matters.Caring for blunt steel training weaponsHow to maintain federschwerter, blunt swords and sparring sabres: grinding down burrs and nicks, checking the tip, flex and hilt, rust protection and when to retire a weapon.Caring for wooden weaponsHow to care for bokken, bō, jō and other wooden training weapons: oil, wax or lacquer, sanding, storage, and when to retire a weapon with a crack.Caring for bamboo: shinai and yumiChecking a shinai before training under kendō rules, taking it apart, sanding splinters, oiling and replacing slats, and caring for the bamboo yumi bow and its string.Caring for rattan sticksHow to slow the fraying of rattan sticks for eskrima, arnis, and kali: taping, drying and storage, what we know about heat-treating, and when to replace a stick.Caring for leather on weaponsHow to clean, dry and store leather sheaths, grip wraps, straps and shields, when to oil leather and when not to, how to spot mould, and why a blade rusts inside a leather sheath.Caring for brass and bronzeWhen to leave brass and bronze weapon fittings with their patina and when to polish them, what to clean with, how to spot bronze disease and dezincification, and how to protect the metal with wax.Caring for ropes, cords and chainsHow to inspect the cords, ropes and chains of nunchaku, kusarigama or a rope dart before training, when to retire them, how to replace a cord and how to protect a chain from rust.Caring for plastic, foam and aluminium trainersHow to clean, inspect and store foam, latex, plastic, rubber and aluminium training weapons, when to retire one for an exposed core, and how to prevent heat deformation.