shaheediyan Posted June 17, 2007 Report Share Posted June 17, 2007 Could this thread please be used for sangat to share tips and best practice re caring for shastar (old and new). To start if someone could answer the following questions: What is the best way to sharpen a blade? What is the best way to clean a blade? What is the best was to care for a leather scabbard? What matrials are best to use i.e. fine sandpaper, wire wool/metallic sponge, milk, oils (what type) etc...? How does one reduce/eliminate/stabilise rust? Are there any people in the UK that are able to change hilts/handles on shaster? Where is a good place to buy/replace belts/scabbards/sheaths from in the UK? Thanks. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jassasingh Posted June 18, 2007 Report Share Posted June 18, 2007 What is the best way to sharpen a blade? get a plane rock piece ( hard stone plane but should produce lot of friction) ... and use few drops of water over stone and move ur shasters to and fro .... What is the best way to clean a blade? sand paper What is the best was to care for a leather scabbard? keep it clean and dry ... leather has a life u need to change it after its finished .... How does one reduce/eliminate/stabilise rust? well just wet two fingers and thumb with four or five drops of any oil ... and just move it from down to upwards on ur sword ... thats it nothing else is needed .... do it every time u clean it ... once in two months ... most tinned shasters are protected by coating other non rust metal on it .... but sarbloh is always good .... u get chance to do seva of shasters .... and while cleaning shasters make sure they dont touch ur feet .... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted July 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2007 Instructions for sword care and sword safety. Many of our blades are made of high carbon steel and need care to keep them rust free. First of all, DO NOT LEAVE A STEEL BLADE IN A SHEATH FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME OR IT WILL RUST. To keep a blade rust free, applying oil on the blade is the most popular practice today. There are two types of oil one can use: natural or synthetic. Natural oils like mineral oil, camellia and clove oils are very good. Silicone, which normally comes in a spray can is an excellent synthetic oil and we highly recommend it. To oil the blade, first clean it with cloth or a paper towel. Then apply the oil leaving only a thin film. This procedure should be repeated every 1 to 6 months depending on the storage area and humidity. A humid climate will require more frequent cleaning. Minimize touching the blade. Acids from the fingers etch carbon steel. For long term storage, keep or display your blade out of the leather sheath. For swords in wood scabbards, leave them inside to prevent the scabbard from warping. Wooden parts of the sword, such as the handle and the scabbard can be protected by lacquering, varnishing, or waxing. Furniture lemon oil is good for cleaning the wood. A good product for waxing both the blade and other parts of your sword can be found Here. See below for other products. We recommend a professional knife sharpener to handle the sharpening of your sword BUT if you should desire to sharpen your sword yourself, you can accomplish that with a couple of files, a stone, and some hard work. First, establish the cutting bevel with the use of a coarse file. Since swords generally have stronger, more chisel-like edges than knives, your sword edge should be draw filed at an angle between 30 and 35 degrees. After the cutting bevel is established, go back over the edge with a fine file to remove the coarse file marks and make the edge much easier to achieve with a sharpening stone. Do NOT bang your sword against another sword in a theatricla-style duel. Do NOT bang your sword against any hard object to test its strength or the 'sound' of the steel as it hits a hard object. In fact, do NOT strike your sword against ANY object - unless you are a trained professional in the art of sword fighting. No matter how tough or strong the steel is in any sword, it will nick or break when struck against something equally hard or an a stronger force object. In stage plays of in movies, theatrical swords with wide, thick edges are used. The edges are flat and often as much as 1/16" wide. Such theatrical swords are designed to take the flashy looking punishment of banging edges together. Your sword is not a theatrical sword. Your sword is a real weapon, designed so that they could fight in the manner of the originals were actually used. Since the cuting edges could easily be sharpened and were often important for slashing, parries were made with the flat of the blade (not the edges) or were simply avoided altogether. Real swords were never used for the theatrical style of sword banging that the movies or stage plays rely on to liven up the action sequences. Do not attempt to cut down a tree with your sword. Such an activity is guaranteed to damage your sword. Axes and machetes are well designed for this with the weight of the steel concentrated over the point of percussion. When you strike a firmly fixed object like a tree or a thick branch with a sword, a great deal of the blade projects past the object being cut, causing the blade to bend or torque. It should be pointed out that the Japanese, who believe in a lot of practice with the sword, used thick bamboo. The bamboo was resistant to a cut, but didn't have the rigidity of a tree, and so wouldn't damage a valuable blade. For a Japanese warrior to cut into a tree would have been unthinkable. Do not swing any edged weapon carelessly. Remeber this is a real weapon and must be treated with the same respect you would give to a loaded firearm. When you wish to experience how it felt for warriors to wield these weapons in battle, make sure you are well out of reach of anyone. These weapons are heavy and could slip out of your hands. Be careful not to endanger yourself or others when you manipulate these swords. Even an unsharpened sword can cause serious injury and if precaution is not used easily break bone. In fighting with sword on sword, the opponents blade should be parried with the side of the blade. Edge to edge sword blows will nick both weapons no matter what the steel or temper. Also slapping with the side of the blade should be avoided as a very hard slap can break the blade. These simple truths go for not just our weapons but for any sword that was ever made and no doubt for any sword that ever will be made The simple care and maintenance of your swords and daggers will pay off for many years to come. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nimarta da daan bakhso Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 i wonder what the person who wrote the safety stuff would say if he/she came to gatka practice? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatehsingh Posted August 17, 2007 Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 Best way to clean an old rusty blade is with electrolysis. All you need is a car battery and an iron shaft that would attract the rust. Works wonders. Make sure you oil it afterwards. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaheediyan Posted August 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2007 And be careful not to electrocute yourself. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmeet Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 after visiting nihang singh (see quality shaster thread) he recommended using coconut oil. i've used it on the shastar he made for me and it is really good. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaheguruDaGulam Posted December 17, 2020 Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 I used citric acid once and it worked pretty well taking of the rust and particles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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