Cleaning antique or modern swords and knives with a buffing wheel

[@The1Helleri]

You can clean brass, silver, copper, and bronze with ashes and water (with hand rubbing, cotton swabs, and tooth brushes). If you make it like a paste (about 4 parts ash to 1 part water) it will be really aggressive and can give it a mirror finish. if you make it more like dirty water (reverse the above ratio) it will be very mild and just brighten it up a bit. It can give you a lot of control over cleaning softer metals.

[@Manadono]

okay, polishing compound is an abrasive. A very very fine abrasive, but it is removing surface particulate as it goes. I don't want to kill anyone's buzz, but I mean that's the way it is man.

[@beareggers]

Wearing gloves while buffing is a bad habit. You might be fine if you only use a hand drill, but a bench grinder/buffing wheel will take off your finger (or more) when it eventually snags your glove. Get you hands dirty and endure any small cuts; it's not worth wearing gloves. Feel free to google search about it, there are loads of horror stories with pictures of "de-gloved" hands on the internet. For the record, I'm a former machinist. I've known enough people with less than 10 fingers.

[@DFX2KX]

+Bear Eggers oh yeah. Ditto with the band-saw and table saw.

[@timwrigley102]

+Bear Eggers I'm a jeweler. Making metal shining is my job, and I feel the need to echo what you said. NEVER WARE GLOVES WHILE OPERATING ROTATING A POLISHING LATHE. If you absolute must have something on your fingers, use this stuff. www.riogrande.com/Product/Original-Alligator-Skin-Protective-Tape/2013294?Pos=1

[@rathkeno8965]

+Bear Eggers This mostly applies to people who are wearing gloves with rings on. It's probably bad either way though.

[@brendandor]

De-gloving applies to rings, but getting your hand crushed or wrenched by the tool with just gloves is very easy since when a glove is caught it clamps the hand tight and will pull it in.

[@ronchabale]

This is so true.. I got lucky and the glove jammed the grinder wheel, only lost a nail. Never use gloves since then.

[@napalm390]

If you use a bench grinder with a felt wheel just remember that if it turns at a much higher rpm, it will heat up quicker. For instance, my bench grinder is not adjustable as to rpm's and turns at least a couple thousand more than a typical corded drill would. I imagine it would get to the desired polish/cleanliness level quicker.

[@wariscoming.]

now show us how do you sharpen your swords ?

[@viridisxiv766]

easton doesnt sharpen his swords...he dares them to blunt!

[@althesmith]

Oh, man, talk about memory lane! I remember my dad, over 30 years ago, cleaning up a knife with almost the same setup when I visited him on leave.

[@kleinjahr]

If someone has polished the guard and backstrap with brasso, it will often leave a residue. To get into those little nooks and crannys use a stiff toothbrush and a light oil.

[@cransky666]

I'm not sure what you are going to do with the rust removal but I'd recommend giving electrolysis a go. Its very straight forward and cheap and you don't actually remove any metal. I've done it to a number of old rusty bayonets and tools that appeared almost beyond saving and the results are pretty good!

[@siouxsettewerks]

Electrolysis is great, but for blades you intend to use, especially longer blades, or chopping blades, beware of hydrogen embritllement! Hydrogen diffuses in the steel, and gives it a tendency to break more easily (same thing for springs) If there's no organic parts that might suffer from it, you can chuck it in the oven for quite some time, at temps lower than the tempering heat used after it's original quenching, so as not to change it's properties... If that's not an option because of organic materials you wouldn't want to damage with the heat, (wood, leather, rayskin, etc) or if electrolysis is out of question in the first place due to platings on the piece to clean from rust, you can use different chemical reactions to your adventage, including this bizarre one, letting it soak in diluted molasses... It's gentle, as the reactant that eats the rust down is formed by catalysis with the rust, ie, it won't eat away at "good" metal. It takes quite some time, and it might ferment (won't affect the properties we're after) and smell, but it works quite good, if you've got a garden, do it in the shed and have a look at it every so often! You just need to rinse the black slime it leaves, dry it good, and oil it quick, as you'd hate to have flash rusting on your piece, as really bare metal is quite subject to! (if there's part you don't want to have soaking, hang it astutely in the vat so as to have it above the fluid level, or carefully make a waterproof packing of the parts to keep dry (same as with elecrolysis really) It really shines f you want to derust huge things with complex shapes that would be a bitch to derust the inside of without a nightmarishly complex electrode, like, a big watercooled engine block for example, but it also works great for huge batches of stuff you can wait on, as you can get huge quantities for cheap, as it's used as animal feed for farm animals... You can keep a tank of it to derust lots and lots of stuff before it ceases working, as long as you don't have to suffer the smell! If you haven't chucked in stuff that might contain toxics, lead, etc, you can compost the molasses afterwards...

[@jacktheaviator4938]

A "carding" wheel is my favorite tool for cleaning metal. It will clean a blued firearm without removing the bluing.

[@althesmith]

As a bladesmith, I personally hate "patination". I think the Japanese have the right idea- a sword should be clean, sharp and oiled.

[@a-sheepof-christ9027]

​@@alfonzo9152 I like patination and would advise people to take claims from "bladesmiths" with a grain of salt. Japanese polish is near perfect, completly even and takes ridiculous amounts of time and constant correction. Leave it patinated and dont - for geometry sake - go to a blade with anything but a cloth or a straight stone. Never a wheel. Never.

[@jameswoodard4304]

There is also the artistic aspect to consider. I think I can explain using Mr. Easton's statements about the brass handguard of military sabres. There are many materials that simply look better after time. Yes, as practical tools and aspects of military uniform, they were kept polished and shiny, but brass and bronze specifically simply look better with a few years under their belt. I would argue this is also the case for steel. Age can be seen, asthetically, as an asset that one should think twice before sacrificing for the sake of getting an item back to "original condition." A sword should be allowed to be both a tool that performs its intended function as well as the art-piece and historical artifact it has become. Patina (not pitting or active rust) takes absolutely nothing from the practical effectiveness of the blade, while a high polish to remove already existing patina actually removes steel as well as the entirety of the aesthetic benefit of its age. Polishing the hell out of an old blade simply because you can seems narrow-minded.

[@althesmith]

@Miles Doyle You do realise this is not in fact a video about religion or theological philosophy, right?

[@jacktheaviator4938]

Polishing a blade to the point of gleaming removes metal and causes it to oxidize even faster. If your blade is clean, a light coat of a oil is the best plan. Removing the patina will mean the blade will require constant maintenance to prevent rusting. Blades are collectors items, not an everyday carry item. So constant maintenance is a very bad thing.

[@althesmith]

@Jack the Aviator I would suggest that the large number of nihonto in near perfect condition after over a half millennium is attestation that a highly polished blade which is kept oiled has at least the ability to survive the ages as well as something which looks like it just fell out of an attic in Glasgow.

[@nelumbonucifera7537]

Just wanted to suggest that you try solvents (eg. mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, or brake cleaner) before abrasive methods like buffing. Seems more conservative.

[@stoontownparts]

i looked at your site very nice swords way out of my budget but im very impressed love your videos please keep making them and thank you.

[@jameswoodard4304]

Also, if you want a finer, controlled polish in smaller or tighter areas, I recommend a small handheld tool. Dremel obviously makes a great version and the name is synonymous with this kind of tool at least in the US, but there are others. I use a Dremel tool with a soft buffing wheel for knifes and it works great. You can do smaller objects without risking them getting sent across the room, and you can get very fine control of what you polish and what you don't. I would be nervous as hell taking century(ies) old hilts and such to a full-sized, mounted wheel. Obviously, doing entire sword blades with a Dremel tool would be ridiculously time consuming, but I can see adding it to your toolbox for smaller or more detailed work.

[@calvinball1]

Was involved in historical fencing in College (what you across-the-ponders call University I believe?) and your channel has helped re-stoke my flame of interest in the subject. Great videos! Sending appreciation from the States. ;)

[@celticdude2616]

you might want to look into "tormek" machines for this. there a originally made for tool sharpening but the one i have has a leather weel on it on which i use polish paste. and it can sharpen tools good enough to shave with. also the wetstone weel on it turns through water and the machine doesn't turn very quickly so its really controlled. and you won't have grinding dust everywhere. they are expensive but they are really good.

[@elindred]

Sadly, the hold button is not a universal feature on power tools; us in North America were not deemed worthy or responsible enough to know what to do with our own tools. For us, to get the same functionality, we have to trouble a friend with the dull task of holding down the trigger while you work. Either that, or some nasty hack involving duct tape is usually devised (which is clearly far less safe, but whatever).

[@LoricSwift]

+elindred You can buy guns at the supermarket, but you cant be trusted with a a drill? XD

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

+elindred god bless duct tape it fixes everything

[@apollohateshisdayjob9606]

I used to practice blacksmithing, so I needed to be able to do this. My solution was to make a bent wire U shape that pivoted at the base of the handle (similar to a scorpion smg stock, if you want a idea of what I mean, you can Google it) that would fold up to hold the trigger of the drill but could be quickly released. It's not hard to do, and is way safer than duct tape, since it can be unlatched in a little under a second.

[@jesperjrgensen133]

+LoricSwift imaging the first time a murican forgets to unlock the hold button. lawsuits en masse :)

[@xgoodvibesx]

+elindred Do you know what a Mole wrench is or are they called something different in 'murica? One of those would do the job and can be clamped / released quickly.

[@Condottier]

Thank you, I have been wanting something like this for months.

[@AidanBlake]

Another very informative video Matt, thanks! I was also interested to hear that your collection is in the 100+ range, that's incredible! Have you considered displaying your collection in a museum or gallery setting? I would certainly pay the price of admission to see a collection that you yourself curated!

[@T3DNR3D]

How's the missus feel about power tools and wood shavings in the house Matt? :P

[@_Scipio]

It's time for a new video on this subject!

[@Regolith86]

For the bright sunlight, it may have been better to have the camera positioned on the other side of your work area, so it wasn't looking in the direction the light was coming from. That would have given you a decent back-light, provided you positioned it so the shadow wasn't being cast where you were filming. Or you could install some blinds. ;-)

[@ilikewasabe]

ohhh ive been waiting for this!!

[@jollyelektabuzz9999]

Unless you are planning on sitting on the sword I would reccomend doing this, as in general items in its completley original state keeps their value meanwhile when you clean the "patina" off it, it looses value.

[@thomasegolfii361]

Due to the fact that I could not find a proper place to ask this, I'll do so here. I'm trying to figure out what people wore in past periods. would you at all be able to make a video in regards to what people may have dawned during the past in relation to the respective weapon styles of the era?

[@HypocriticYT]

You actually get a higher polish with felt wheels, it's the compound not the wheel responsible for degree of polish. Soft and hard felt wheels, hard for high polish with 555. I agree gloves should not be worn on real dedicated buffers with 1 hp motors such as Baldor. These buffers do not leave vibration marks. However using a drill and small wheel at low rpm's is unlikely to show uneven buffing as it removes very little metal and as seen here is more to remove oxidization and reveal the existing polish below.. You can wear latex throw away gloves they will break if caught.

[@madichelp0]

Yes, please show it when it's finished!

[@Rikitocker]

What if any appreciable effect does this have on etched blades? Is there any danger of this polishing method damaging the integrity of the acid etching?

[@jdtremblay2331]

Well technically that paste is buffing compound and has little particles in it for abrading , glad I can do this to my new 1821 cav sabre :D I will personally go with a much higher grit and I have machining equipment hehe.

[@andrewhodges6382]

What is the difference between an 1800's era sabre such as the US model 1860 light cavalry sabre and a fencing saber? When I look on-line at fencing sabres they appear to look just like fencing foils to my untrained eye. Thanks. Love your channel.

[@SlurponMuhdickKillTheState]

I like that pattern.

[@IEnjoyBeingNaked]

For the first time in my life, I'm the first view.

[@lancerd4934]

+IEnjoyBeingNaked Living the dream

[@wariscoming.]

+IEnjoyBeingNaked wow you must have a boring life if you care

[@wariscoming.]

people like that are not joking they really think its cool been first its sad really

[@lancerd4934]

wariscoming The sad people are the ones so jealous of not being first they act like complete douchebags and try to bring everyone else down. Naked is not "people like that" you don't know anything about them. Stop being a dick and judging people for no reason. It reflects a lot more poorly on you than it does them.

[@wariscoming.]

lancer D hahah your so mad

[@althesmith]

I've always considered my buffer the most potentially dangerous thing in the shop, as the blade's very probably going to be sharp or close to it when you use it. Never push into the wheel, let the abrasive do the work.

[@matcaissie8937]

In addition to gloves and eye protection, wearing some form of filter mask might not be a bad idea either.

[@gerryedwards1174]

I agree, two hundred year old crud in your bogies is nobody's idea of a good night out... or afternoon in the workshop.

[@BC-dig]

Hello what do you use to hang your swords thanks

[@althesmith]

You need to be really careful along the back where there are often bend test points marked as well as mfg.

[@kevina6587]

I have a sabre stamped 1812, it looks similar to the French 1829 artillery man's sabre on your site. Where would I find out more information please ? Thank you.

[@mahoganyrush300]

The blade on mine is fine but the guard basket is tarnished.

[@TheOhgodineedaname]

Hello Matt, I noticed some medieval swords have wire under the leather grip while others don't and that these later pattern swords tend to have wire over the leather. Is there a functional difference between all of these setups?

[@aghaabbas6845]

I have a very similar antique sword only the blade is straight. Would that be a saber?

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

could you help me buy a napoleons short sword that they wore on the hips ....like the guard...please...thanks for the info...also could you tell me what the market is for a sword like this average cost thank you for your time....JOHN

[@henrymach]

IMHO, swords should be kept in 'ready to use' state. Clean and sharp.

[@siouxsettewerks]

Depends, if it's a rusty archaeological find, or if it's already damaged beyond cursory cleanup/light polishing and sharpening, it's detrimental. Regrinding it to make it usefull again is only fine if it's contemporary... And I'd hesitate to sharpen a saber that's never been arsenal sharpened (some sabres, issued at times of peace where issued blunt, to be sharpened by regimental armorers if the need arose) That said, if it's pristine, keep it in as ready a shape as it was it was kept in it's heyday!

[@DynomitePunch]

would this be a good way to get rid of pitting, or should i go with a grinder instead? i got a lot of rust off an old sword of mine but i haven't been able to get the pitting out all i used was vinegar, brasso, some sand paper and a clean cloth for the brasso, it shined it up good but it didn't get rid of the pitting, so any info on how to do that note that i only have access to a car buffer, a hand grinder, a big table top knife grinder, and sand paper with some vinegar and brasso, i'm thinking of getting some compound and buffing wheels for the drill to see if that helps but any info ahead of time would be appreciated

[@PipBoy3100]

Nice velcro grandpa shoes Matt, styling and profiling I see.

[@connordavie9273]

would this work on an infantry 1897 scabbard which is completely covered in a black patina?

[@jameswoodard4304]

Hmmm. I have to disagree. You are not simply "rubbing" the blade thousands of times with a cloth. You are using polishing compound, so you are removing steel. This is especially true for those wanting a mirror polish. Just because it is a slower process than steel wool and takes off a whole layer at a time instead of making courser scratches, that doesn't mean it is "non-destructive." Now, of course I realize that you are removing the gunk first, and then not taking the steel to a super high polish so the metal removal is extremely minimal, and that such may be necessary in many situations, but to be honest, we must say that the blade does have less steel to it after polishing than it did beforehand.

[@Dumbo8234]

if the blade is dirty and covered in old oil or grease residue wouldn't washing it be a good firts step?

[@AldanFerrox]

+Jonathan Stummer Yeah, a rag and some solvent does wonders to remove varnish and oil without damaging the metal.

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

+Jonathan Stummer uhhh thats what he was doing

[@bradm7046]

Would you still use this on a frost etched blade?, I assume you would damage the etching?.

[@Forde1980]

Any further advice for cleaning up a brass hilt (and also retaining that shine, long term)?

[@siouxsettewerks]

Same method if you want to go fast, beware of insisting to much one areas, and removing too much material though, especially if engraved.. Or good ol brasso and some handywork with a rag! (If you don't have any ting along the lines of brasso, you can even use toothpaste lol clean with a slightly damp rag, and/or a soft brush to remove the residues from the nooks and crannies, and voila! If your skin tends to mark metals easily, keep a lightly oiled rag, and wipe it down after handling and from time to time, that's good practice anyway! Inevitably, you'll have to resort back to the rag and brasso from time to time though, but if you don't wait eons, it easy and quick!

[@himgamingff136]

I have 79 year old sword can you tell about price

[@Alucard6921]

I have a GvR 1919 officers sword, looks like someone's tried to polish the blade with brasso and the blades got black patches all over the beautiful ornate blade would a buffing wheel sort this? Or am I better of getting some form of paste first then buffing?

[@Tycini1]

And that's where the Katana fame comes from. In Japan they mirror-polish them, while in Europe/America we deliberately don't.

[@KilnFirelink]

How do you clean the Tang on British Swords?

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

Very helpful, thank you. :D

[@merecatbear114]

does felt really give it a better edge?

[@zombieteenager007]

What's the difference between the different polishing pastes? Does one shine brighter than the other or do they do something else?

[@siouxsettewerks]

Kinda depends on the manufacturer, as on top of the natual color of the compounds, many colour code them by adding addtives but basically it denotes different abrasive bases, some might be aluminium oxyde based, others, chromium oxyde based (naturally green), prossibly what Matt's using here (quite a hard one) etc etc... They differ in hardness, some will cut different materials others wont touch, or hardly.. they also differ in coarseness, Ie with one you'll polish something effectively that you'd take ages to do with an other one, in a commercial setup you'd have different buffing wheels set up with pastes using the "right" type of abrasive base for the material polished, going from rather coarse, to as fine a polish the final pieces are supposed to be and you'd go from wheel to wheel up to the final polish (or done in batches, running the full set of pieces on one wheel, then mounting the next for the next pass, and so on) Also, if the granulometry in the polishing compound is too coarse, and/or the abrasive is too hard, you might eat through the polished piece more than you'd like! Rounding facets, eating the detail in engravings, etc.. Proper technique is mportant to respect the geometry of the object, especially if made of something that's rather soft, but using the proper compound is too! All that is more important if you're polishing jewellery than if you're polishing blades, although taking care of geometry to keep transitions as they are, if they're crisp and well defined, for example following the gutter, then the flat, instead of gowing over the edge trying to do both, is still good practice! If you're not delicate with engraving, especially shallow acid etchings, you can ruin them in no time! Contrarily to what Matt says here, polishing removes metal, even if microscopically so when things are right, and overzealousness can do damage! Also, the gloves are a big NO NO, especially with a buffing wheel, you risk snagging the glove, and loosing the whole hand, whereas doing it with nude hands you'll only get soft hands, just wash them afterwards! You won't get snagged! Polishing stuff gives you hands granted to be a big hit with the ladies! A jeweller friend of mine insisted to do polishing work each day, every day last thing before going home, or should I say out, just for this very reason ;-)

[@zombieteenager007]

Oh, wow, that was a lot of information. Thank you for answering my question though, it was rather informative. The anecdote at the end is pretty funny and I'll keep it in mind as well. ;)

[@afaultytoaster]

do you use some kind of soap on the wheel?

[@acetabulariawettsteinii2615]

Can you also use this technique on etched officer sword blades, or could it damage the details?

[@siouxsettewerks]

Yes, and yes! Using a polishing compound that's not too abrasive, and lightness and control are key, and less is more! The chromium oxide paste used here would eat at the engravings fast, if you don't know what your doing, so using milder compounds would be recommended

[@jackholmes9630]

Matt, how do you buffing on a blade at the ricasso? Thanx

[@Wormweed]

Could certain parts of a sword be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner? Not sure what they will do to a sword, i just use it to clean cartridges before reloading.

[@Regolith86]

+Wormweed an ultrasonic cleaner that was big enough to clean a sword would pretty expensive, I'd think...

[@Wormweed]

Regolith Yeah, thats why i said parts of it. Could probably fit the entire hilt of a sabre in it.

[@Regolith86]

Wormweed I think that would be the piece you probably *wouldn't* want to clean with an ultrasonic cleaner. I'm not sure the sharkskin would do too well in it.

[@pellaken]

Hey you fixed your bench!

[@scholagladiatoria]

+Teddy Boragina No - using the other end :-)

[@Ottuln]

Has the clamp been resurrected then, or is that a new one?

[@christianpoulsen4164]

+Wreqt Far from a new one thats for sure, most likely he has more than one, most would always have two.

[@2testtest2]

+Wreqt Those workbenches have two screws. From his previous video it looked like only one broke (it would also be unlikely that both broke at the same time). So it is quite possible that he just used the screw that was presumably still intact.

[@scholagladiatoria]

+neistridlar

[@earthman4222]

Since when do scabbards protect a blade from rust?

[@Stephen-uz8dm]

If they make a decent seal they can slow the process

[@earthman4222]

@@Stephen-uz8dm I only have experience with hunting knives and woodcraft knives with leather or plastic sheaths. They do not protect carbon steel from getting wet or rusting. Wood and leather would not. Metal sheaths are condensation traps.

[@alm1751]

Matt- I just picked up a 1796 HC sword, and of course the worst of the grunge is right under the langets. It has the original leather buffer washer on so I don't want to damage it. Any suggestions?

[@scholagladiatoria]

A toothbrush and some Ballistol.

[@alm1751]

scholagladiatoria I was thinking along similar lines,but I was worried about the interaction with the leather washer between the langets.

[@draco00]

is there anyway to restore the etching if it's polished out?

[@priestleyharker4046]

Yeah re etch it.

[@ILikeToColourRed]

You forgot the link :)

[@jonathankyle963]

Wheres that link?

[@Gallachad]

One hundred swords. Damn.

[@ladymelisandre975]

Clean them? I just throw them away and buy new ones. From Sotheby's.

[@Brainimplodes]

I thought you set them on fire and call them Lightbringer.

[@ladymelisandre975]

Brainimplodes One can only do that trick once sadly.

[@priestleyharker4046]

DO NOT DO THIS with a nihonto (Japanese blade) You'll lose the hamon, they need to be polished very differently.

[@cheapmovies25]

Get a bench grinder and put a wheel on that much better

[@SarahExpereinceRequiem]

Do you need some sort of licences or waiver to buy antique swords?

[@thefracturedbutwhole5475]

+KatayokoNoTenshi depends where you live in england it is legal if you have a reason to have them

[@blacksnow150]

+KatayokoNoTenshi no licence needed to own antique or reproduction ( live ,sharp ) swords in the uk as long as they are kept in your home.... transporting / carrying is a difrent matter :)

[@BadlanderOutsider]

+blacksnow150 You don't need a license. You just need to have a reason. So you just say 'I'm taking it home/to be sold/to show it off at a show/to use it for practice/re-enactment, etc' if you're asked.

[@SnipinCatz]

+BadlanderOutsider The police get to determine whether they believe you or not, and I believe that restriction only applies to blades over a certain length. You may be fine with certain daggers/spears.

[@scholagladiatoria]

+KatayokoNoTenshi No, antiques are exempt from weapon legislation.

[@ME-hm7zm]

100 antique swords. Shiiiiiiiiiit. I should quit IT and go Finance, obviously :p

[@Brandon_Watson]

Where did you get those gloves?

[@mattmanbrownbro]

They are just leather work gloves. You can find them at any general store like Wal-Mart.

[@knechtor5648]

+Brandon Watson In litterally every Hobby or Homeworkers store

[@Brandon_Watson]

+Knechtor They are not... I have been looking for gloves like that for a while. All of the gloves sold at hardware, home improvement, walmart, etc near me are leather with cloth or have velcro or elastic at the wrist. Matt's Gloves appear to be all leather with out closures at the wrist. If you know of an online source for gloves like that I would appreciate it.

[@knechtor5648]

eh, sorry, where i live those gloves are sold pretty much everywhere. shouldn't be that hard to find though

[@Brandon_Watson]

+Knechtor I know its seems like they would be everywhere as they are a simple design. Maybe I am just too picky. Thank you for the response anyway.

[@Hobgoblin1975]

Wire wheel on a bench grinder, wrrrrrrrrggggghhhhrrrrhhhrrhrhhrhrhrhrhr........oooh shiny. :)

[@ladymelisandre975]

If you absolutely must clean swords then stick them into your servants, then make them clean them for you.

[@siouxsettewerks]

Dear lady, don't the swords suffer from the fire when you offer said servants to the god of light while they cleanup your blades? Also, don't the servants yell uncontrollably when you do so, instead of keeping quiet?

[@ladymelisandre975]

siouxsettewerks Hmm? I wouldn't know. When my swords are dirty I throw them away and buy new ones.

[@sloanchampion85]

Rust yes, Patina no please