I suppose if you had Presley O'Bannon's sword, you probably would not want to refinish it, though. Correct?

I have a pretty cheap practice katana. Not a live blade.

The civil war sword is in great condition. There's absolutely no rust on either the handle or the hilt. It just lacks any sort of shine and I'd like it to be easier to see the engraving and stuff on the the base of the blade.

Dash when you go to the pawn shop in vegas maybe you'll find something like this.

If you care about the value of the sword at all, you'll take it to someone who restores antiques. Chances are if you change the appearance of the sword from its state right now you'll decrease its value. The patina needs to stay the same typically.

I, too, bought a sword in Spain. I don't remember why or where, I think I was about 14.

It probably wasn't particularly shiny to start with. They were made quickly and shoddily, especially in the south.

But, why haven't you oiled it up yet? You oil it and leave the oil on it. If you had done this, you would have discovered that the OIL makes the blade shiny.

Don't listen to JM

(not just now, but pretty much always)

He doesn't know anything about bladesmithing.

METAL R SHINY JM, METAL R SHINY without oil

Not even you believe it is that simple.

Don't listen to Steven. Oil it with Remington gun oil (or something similar) which can be had at Wal-Mart or a local gun/outdoors store. A small bottle will last a long, long time. Put some oil on a clean rag and wipe the blade down with it, leaving a good coating of oil behind. It certainly shouldn't be dripping, but make sure its completely coated. Then put it back in the sheath. The oil will protect and clean the blade, so your brother's fingerprints may well come off after a few doses.

Most importantly, DO NOT CLEAN THE THING YOURSELF! You are almost certain to ruin it. Either leave it the way it is or take it to a reputable gunsmith. They should be very familiar with restoring old metal pieces and can tell you what's best.

Just take a bench grinder to it.

The fingerprints are on MY sword. And, yeah, it's been a few oilings since and they have faded.

I thought you people only used assault rifles.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.

*shrug*

Oil is important, but not to make it shiny. The oil is a protectant, not a polish.

And yeah, RemOil is the best, but not the one with the green cap. It has Teflon, which you don't need. Get the yellow cap.

No, oil won't make it shiny. That's not what I meant by cleaning it. (I'm sure you know that, but just for clarification.)

I purchased it yesterday. I have no idea what the turnaround is for these guys but I can't wait. I bought the sharped blade version so when it arrives I'll have a razor sharp Gladius to play with. I'll post my own pics when it arrives, but here are the manufacturer's photos......

Does it look like a pepper grinder to anyone else?

Yes.

What is the handle material? And the pommel/guard?

I assume it's full tang, and they used a die to screw end it and put that decorative nut to hold the guard, grip and pommel in place.