Removing old oil from kris: Necessary?

silkreeler · 19th July 2009, 02:45 PM

Hello everyone!! This is my first post in this forum and I must say I'm happy to find folks with similar interest

I am new to kris - just got two of them couple months ago - and still got much to learn about them. Having been exposed to Iaijutsu before, I am more familiar with katana than kris. So here are my questions ...

In Japanese sword care, we always remove the old oil prior to applying the new oil. Traditionally this is done by using the uchiko powder; however, in these days practical modern enthusiasts like me prefer using 95% alcohol solution to remove the old oil. In couple minutes, the alcohol will evaporate completely and the blade will be ready for oiling.

However, I just learned that this process is not recommended for krisses. Well, at least not from esoteric point of view. The guys who help me with the esoteric part said it's a BIG no-no. When I asked them, they said it's simply "the rule". According to them, I could use as much alcohol as I want with new modern blades with no "isi" (spiritual being inside) and indeed the result would be good, but the beings in old krisses simply don't like alcohol.

Sorry for the kinky esoteric part, but according to David I can discuss that sort of thing here

Anyway, since alcohol and uchiko are out of the question, how are we supposed to properly remove the old oil from krisses then? I follow the old regimen of burning incense to the krisses every Tuesday Kliwon & Friday Kliwon eves, so I am fully aware of the need of proper re-oiling to protect them from the smoke. Al Maisey, if you read this post, I recall you said you kept your blades in plastic sheets during storage. Well, we may take a different path here - I don't suppose you incense your blades as often as I do? The thing is, I love my blades and I prefer to avoid warangan as much as possible. Indeed, I want to be able to accomplish what you did - keeping blades looking like they just got stained yesterday after many, many years. But like I said, the regimen for my blades may be more severe. What can I do to better protect my blades?

These days I typically pat the old oil out of my krisses using ladies' facial oil sheets, then I proceeded by applying the new oil using soft brush. I always do this after burning the incense. FYI, the facial oil sheets are the polymer ones, not paper (paper could have been processed by acid).

So .. to summarize my questions:
1. Do you guys typically remove the old oil prior to applying the new one?
2. What is the best way to do that?
3. Will patting the blade with synthetic facial sheets roughly twice every month wear down my krisses?

Thanks!

19th July 2009, 02:45 PM	#1
silkreeler Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 27	Removing old oil from kris: Necessary? Hello everyone!! This is my first post in this forum and I must say I'm happy to find folks with similar interest I am new to kris - just got two of them couple months ago - and still got much to learn about them. Having been exposed to Iaijutsu before, I am more familiar with katana than kris. So here are my questions ... In Japanese sword care, we always remove the old oil prior to applying the new oil. Traditionally this is done by using the uchiko powder; however, in these days practical modern enthusiasts like me prefer using 95% alcohol solution to remove the old oil. In couple minutes, the alcohol will evaporate completely and the blade will be ready for oiling. However, I just learned that this process is not recommended for krisses. Well, at least not from esoteric point of view. The guys who help me with the esoteric part said it's a BIG no-no. When I asked them, they said it's simply "the rule". According to them, I could use as much alcohol as I want with new modern blades with no "isi" (spiritual being inside) and indeed the result would be good, but the beings in old krisses simply don't like alcohol. Sorry for the kinky esoteric part, but according to David I can discuss that sort of thing here Anyway, since alcohol and uchiko are out of the question, how are we supposed to properly remove the old oil from krisses then? I follow the old regimen of burning incense to the krisses every Tuesday Kliwon & Friday Kliwon eves, so I am fully aware of the need of proper re-oiling to protect them from the smoke. Al Maisey, if you read this post, I recall you said you kept your blades in plastic sheets during storage. Well, we may take a different path here - I don't suppose you incense your blades as often as I do? The thing is, I love my blades and I prefer to avoid warangan as much as possible. Indeed, I want to be able to accomplish what you did - keeping blades looking like they just got stained yesterday after many, many years. But like I said, the regimen for my blades may be more severe. What can I do to better protect my blades? These days I typically pat the old oil out of my krisses using ladies' facial oil sheets, then I proceeded by applying the new oil using soft brush. I always do this after burning the incense. FYI, the facial oil sheets are the polymer ones, not paper (paper could have been processed by acid). So .. to summarize my questions: 1. Do you guys typically remove the old oil prior to applying the new one? 2. What is the best way to do that? 3. Will patting the blade with synthetic facial sheets roughly twice every month wear down my krisses? Thanks! Last edited by silkreeler; 19th July 2009 at 03:06 PM.