Sword Care.
Properly caring for your swords will allow you to enjoy your purchase for many years. Some day you may want to pass your trophy Sword down to a family member. If it is not in good condition then the value will be comprimised.

Sword Do's & Don'ts.
All of our SFT swords and daggers (Blue Background Photos) will stand up to swordplay, both stage combat and reenactments. Our SFT weapons are well tempered, and because of this are hard enough to take a very good edge yet are not so hard that they do not retain a good spring action.
This by any means does not mean that the blades are indestructible. No matter what the claim, any blade can be damaged in use.
All weapons, battle ready or not, may injure, kill and become damaged if used improperly. Remember that your sword, battle ready or not, is still a potential weapon that can injure or kill someone.


Swords used In stage plays or movies have a wide thick edge that is flat. Collectible Swords USA and the SFT Sword is a replica of a real weapon with the same caracteristics of the original right down to the blade. Since the cutting edges could easily be sharpened and were often used for slashing, parries were made with the flat of the blade (not the edges) or were simply avoided altogether. The Japanese believe in a lot of practice with their swords. They would use thick bamboo that was resistant to a cut but was not as hard as a tree.

Sword Maintenance.
As soon as your sword arrives (the factory direct swords will probably come to you with a light oil or a heavy coat of grease to protect the blades during transcontinental transport) you should remove the oil or grease. A solvent like mineral spirits or lamp oil (like you would use in a Hurrican lamp) works fine, even if its scented! Apply light coat of oil like Sewing machine or gun oil. All of Toledo Swords™' blades are made of high carbon steel. It is natural for these metals to rust due to moisture in the air and oxidize. If you are going to use your Sword, Please remember to remove all oils from the Sword. This will help to keep control over the weapon and lower the chance of the weapon comming out of your hand(s) by accident. For display and decorative purposes we recommend Metal Glo™ Metal polishing paste.

How to Treat Wood or Leather.
Wooden handles may be treated with a light coating of lemon oil or tung oil to help prevent cracking. Leather scabbards and sheaths as well as leather covered handles should be treated with a good paste wax. The scabbard can also be treated with neatsfoot or mink oil for water proofing, although this is not recommended for gripping surfaces. Do not store your sword in its scabbard for long periods of time since the leather traps moisture which can produce rust spots on the blade.

Rust Prevention & Removal.
Keep the blade oiled as described above and you will not have to deal with rust. If you do however forget that you own a precious re-creation of a historic Sword and it does rust, there are few solutions that will keep its value. Flitz™ Metal polish will remove surface rust and oxidation provided it has not penetrated and pitted the blade. Once pitting has started it can be stopped but the damage is done.

Sword Storage.
Cosmo line, a Vaseline like substance, and grease were often used the past, but now are getting looked down upon. If you have an old blade covered in it, rest assured that it will still be protected, but there may be microscopic pits in the blade that would make a collector of Japanese swords cringe. Another option is to apply a wax coating. You might want to check your local automotive store/department to ask about which waxes are best on steel. The final viable option is a clear varnish. We recommend making sure there are no fingerprints or specks of dust on the blade first, or else they will eat into the blade from beneath the coating.

Handle and Scabbard Coatings:
A good saddle oil like that used in the equine (horse) industry should work fine to protect any leather. Watch for build up and clean with a good leather cleaner and re-apply the saddle conditioner. Of coarse you would never use this on the cotton ito on the handle (Tsuka) or wooden scabbard (Saya) of a Japanese sword.

Sword Cleaning & Repair.
It's important to know when to clean your sword and what not to clean on your sword. It's also important to know what you can repair on your sword and what should be left to a professional. When to Clean and When Not to Clean Your Sword: Clean: When handling has caused light rust. When moisture in the air causes light rust. When a new sword has light rust on it. After finding an area that is just starting to rust. If the rust is heavily scaled. If you are willing to accept that there is a chance that you may damage your blade and may diminish its value. Don't clean: Don't try to polish any brass parts of the sword (it destroys the patina and looks really bad in conjunction with a rusty blade). Don't try to remove the patina from the blade. Don't try to make an old sword look new, it isn't! The patina is often seen as an authentication of age. When in doubt or before any heavy cleaning, consult a professional.