Most people are familiar with sword care cloths as part of a Sword care sets. On the one hand, they are used to remove oil residues and Uchiko-powder, but also new Sword care oil applied. However, most people are unaware of the fact that there are different types of care wipes for the two different applications. We would like to introduce these to you here.
Application: Cleaning the sword blade
The first step in every centreboard care unit is to thoroughly clean the blade of dirt and oil residue. However, the Uchiko care powder must also be wiped off the blade after use.
Cloths with strong absorbency are particularly suitable for this work so that old oil can be easily absorbed. It is important that the cloth used has not been chemically treated, e.g. by bleaching, colouring or similar.
Rice paper and cellulose for blade cleaning
Rice paper, also known as Japanese paper, washi or wagami, is a traditional Japanese paper with high absorbency.
It is usually obtained from the bast fibres of low-growing trees and processed directly in Japan. Today, however, it is rarely used and has been replaced by cellulose paper, which absorbs oil residues better.
Paper made from natural cellulose, the main component of plant cell walls, has high absorbency and a slightly textured surface. This makes it perfect for cleaning blades. The price is considerably lower than that of rice paper and the properties are better.
We therefore recommend our cellulose cloths for wiping the blade. This paper should only be reused as long as it is clean enough to prevent old dirt from being brought back onto the blade.
Application: Oiling the sword blade
Cotton cloth for oiling the sword blade
These cotton cloths are made from a dense cotton fabric. They are very soft and have the perfect degree of absorbency to be able to spread sword oil optimally on the blade without most of it being absorbed by the cloth.
For this reason, we recommend these cloths for applying oil. If you use such a cloth to apply oil, the blade will have a very good protective film afterwards if used correctly.
The cloth should be just big enough to be held easily in one hand. If the cloth is protected from contamination by a container, it can be used again and again.
You can obtain both cloths from us in the shop in a discounted combination pack:
The most popular sword care products from our shop:
The complete centreboard care process is explained in this video:
