Do not
swing any edged weapon carelessly.
Remember, this is a real weapon and must be treated with the same respect you
would give a loaded firearm. When you wish to experience how it feels for warriors
to wield these weapons in battle, make sure you are well out of reach of anyone.
These weapons are very heavy and could slip out of your hands. Be careful not
to endanger yourself or others when you manipulate these swords.
Do not bang your
sword against another sword in a theatrical-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. No matter how tough or strong the steel
is in any sword, it will nick when struck against something equally hard. In
stage plays or in movies, theatrical swords with wide, thick edges are used.
The edges are flat and often as much as 1 1/6" wide. Such theatrical swords
are designed to take the flashy looking punishment of banging edges together.
Cas Iberia and Hanwei swords are not theatrical swords. Cas Iberia and Hanwei
swords are real weapons, designed so that they could fight in the manner that
originals were actually used. Since the cutting edges could be easily be sharpened
and were often slashing, parries were made with a 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 chop 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 great deal 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 it would
not have damaged a valuable blade. For a Japanese warrior to cut into a tree
would have been unthinkable.
The edged weapon swords
you receive from Cas Iberia and Hanwei are all well made tools. In many ways
they are superior to the originals. Like all fine tools, they require responsible
use, care and and maintenance.
Maintenance:
All metal parts of your sword should always be covered with a light coating
of oil to prevent rust, including the wire wrapped handles. Wooden handles may
be treated with a light coating of lemon oil or tung oil to help prevent cracking.
Your sword comes with either a light plastic spray or a heavy coating of grease
to protect the blades in transport across the ocean. You can remove these coatings
with the use of a good solvent such as lacquer thinner or mineral spirits. Once
you have finished this, apply your light coat of oil or a silicone spray. You
can also wipe it with a silicone coated gun/reel cloth. In many respects, the
gun/reel cloth is preferred as there is less tendency for dust to accumulate
and trap oxygen to cause pitted areas in the blade.
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 waterproofing,
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.
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