Issues with Vegetable Oil

by Blake Madarasi
(Narara, NSW, Australia)

I bought my first katana and had read on quite a few sites that vegetable oil is a cheap, serviceable alternative to professional oils. It was working fine for a couple of months till I went on holiday during a very, very hot summer. After two weeks the oil had dried up, leaving a brown, solid residue (defiantly not rust) on the blade that was impossible to wipe off, even using alcohol. To remove it I had to use a honing stone which ruined the finish as i don"t posses the high grade stones needed for polishing. Thank God this was only a $120 sword and not something much more expensive.