The edged weapon swords made by CAS/Hanwei are all well made tools. Like all fine tools, they require responsible use, care, and maintenance.

Maintenance:

Caution: Swords have very sharp blades and must be handled very carefully to avoid injury. When maintaining a blade, make sure that the sword is resting on a flat, stable surface and always avoid touching the edge. Never try to “catch” a sword that is falling – this is the cause of most sword-related injuries. Let it fall, it is unlikely to be damaged.

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.

USAGE:

Do not swing any edged weapon carelessly or unnecessarily. Remember that swords were developed as lethal weapons and must be treated with the utmost respect to avoid injury to yourself and others. Do not unsheath your sword until you make sure that you are well out of reach of other people.

If you wish to practice cutting with your sword:

• Make sure that the sword is specifically designed for the type of target that you are cutting.
• Seek training from a competent instructor.
• Cut only targets that can be cut cleanly with a single stroke. Rolled and soaked grass mats, plastic water bottles and pool noodles are fine, trees and 2 x 4’s are not. A sword is not an axe and will bend if struck hard enough against an unyielding object.
• Make sure that the targets are properly supported at a comfortable height.
• Seek to improve your proficiency in making clean cuts with the minimum of effort. Do not try to “test the limits” of your sword – it is extremely dangerous and historic battlefields are littered with broken blades!

If you participate in reenactment or sparring:

• Make sure that your sword is specifically designed for the activity in which you are engaged. Reenactment swords have thick edges and rounded tips - the minimum safe dimensions are often specified by the reenactment organization or society. Sparring swords are also blunt and must meet certain flexibility requirements for safety.
• Seek training from a competent instructor.
• Operate only in a safe and organized environment with competent supervision.
• Try to avoid edge-to-edge contact whenever possible. In some fighting styles this is, however, unavoidable and edges will “nick” (steel toughness can mitigate the extent of the distortion but when two equally hard edges are struck together both edges will be nicked – just a matter of physics). After each session examine your blade for any sharp burrs created by nicking and, if any are present, remove them with a file to ensure that your next opponent will not be cut.