What to buy?

[Moley]

Buying Swords on e-Bay.

Quite simply...DON'T !

There are so many Fakes on e-bay that you are bound to "Come a Cropper" if you don't know what you are doing. Do a search on e-bay for "Japanese sword" or "Katana", "Samurai Sword" or "Samuri" and you will get about 600 items. About 598 of these will be "Cheap Fakes" made in China or "Wallhangers".
Beware the cheap Fakes made in China ! With words like "Genuine World War II Happy made good deal Sword, Exsquisite elegant I no kid you" at ridiculous prices. You may be unfortunate enough to win the auction. You might get a sword for �3 but then fork out �200 in Postage/ shipping charges from China or Hong Kong.
This is how they make their money. The sword itself is then a travesty and should not even be called a sword as such.
Other dealers in U.K. offer Stainless steel wallhangers.. These are dangerous and are not full tang. Sometimes the blades snap or shatter !!!
You could however do a search for Paul Chen. This will come up with Hanwei swords which are of course genuine.(Look for 1. On sale in U.K. 2.Also the seller must have 100% Positive Feedback in U.K.)
But bear in mind that you can buy "Brand new" Hanwei swords for around �150 (Practical Katana)  Ã¯Â¿Â½200 (Practical plus) so unless you win the auction for around �50 less than this, when you pay postage, it just isn't worth it.
There are however a few genuine Gendaito's on e-bay.
you must know what you are doing. Prices vary from �500 up.
Getting a good one is DIFFICULT.

So in a nutshell folks:
E-bay is a minefield for those unprepared
Even me you know, I got a really nice Tsuba for �10 on e-bay which was perfect for my P.P.K. However I got another later on for �15 and it was utter rubbish and I threw it away.

Basics:

It goes like this:

Rule 1
1. Don't use Nihonto (WW II and Antique Japanese swords) for Tameshigiri (Cutting)
Reason = Tameshigiri WILL leave scratches and you don't want to damage a Historical artifact.

2. Use a cheap (�50 up to �300 ) shinken for cutting. Be prepared to accept scratches and scuffs.

Rule 2.
There are two kinds of Shinken (New swords)
a) Stainless steel
b) Carbon Steel ( Forged type and also Forged AND Folded type)

With type a) Stainless steel all you need to do is wipe..Anything will do.
This is why your Stainless Steel cutlery goes in the Dishwasher !
Beware of cheap Stainless Steel swords ! They are Dangerous. Some shatter !  VERY VERY DANGEROUS ! Others which don't have a full tang break.

BUT Although Type b) (CARBON STEEL) is tougher and MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE ......IT RUSTS !
These need constant attention !
RULES ARE:
1. OIL REGULARLY With Paraffin oil + Some drops of Oil of Cloves
( Otherwise known as CHOJI oil.)
2. Wipe blade Dry after cutting and OIL THOROUGHLY.
3.Never Scabbard a Wet blade.

DONT CUT FRUIT OR VEG !

THEY STAIN AND RUST BLADES  !


Hope this helps..
ANY PROBS.. CONTACT MOLEY

Don't buy a Katana until you talk to me first..
AND REMEMBER ! A SWORD IS A WEAPON !
I've been doing research into this  for 35 years..

" A sword is for life, not just for Christmas"
                                                      Moley[/color