One of the most noticeable characteristics of the spear is the red tassel that was bound at the spearhead base. The tassel was used to distract the opponents attention away from the spearhead and more importantly the tassels stopped the flow of blood from the blade onto the shaft of the spear. This was very crucial because the spear could become very slippery to hold and also if the blood would get onto the shaft and began to dry the stickiness could affect the sliding techniques of the spear. Historically the spear tassels are made from horsehair, ours are made from modern nylon.
Another important item in our Accessories category is our “sword” cleaning kit to maintain any carbon steel weapon, not just swords.
Here’s the cleaning process in general terms. To clean it you will take a small piece of the rice paper and fold it over the blade starting from the handle and then pinching it between your thumb and fingers wipe the blade in one continuous stroke towards the tip (please make sure that the sharp edge is away from you). Do it two or three times making sure that you completely wipe off of the tip (do not stop at the tip). Then with your Pom (with the powder) tap the ball along the blade (evenly spaced) about 5 times on each side of the blade. The Pom is filled with a very finely ground and powdered stone that will absorb any oils on the blade and acts as a very, very fine abrasive to clean it. Wipe again with a fresh piece of paper as before. Now take a small piece of cotton cloth and put a few drops of oil on it making sure that it is evenly distributed. Wipe the blade in one stroke (as with the paper) with the oiled cloth.
Rust, tarnish and even fingerprints can lead to serious corrosion and damage to your weapon. Protect your investment with our cleaning kit.