My home is about to undergo a procedure where the temperature will be raised to 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit for about twelve hours.

Is this safe for the heat treatment on my swords? I know that this is a comparatively low and safe temperature for a sword to be subjected to for a moment or so, but the sheer duration of the higher-than-normal temperature is making me somewhat nervous.

I know that everything will probably be fine, but I just want to check and ask if any of the blade smiths or experts on heat-treating or more experienced members know if this could have any adverse effects. My collection includes swords by Windlass, Cold Steel, Hanwei, Sonny-era Valiant Armoury, Baltimore Knife and Sword, Angus Trim, Christian Fletcher and Albion, and are almost uniformly through-hardened European blades. (My Angus Trim and BKS swords are currently on vacation to get spruced up however, and not present)


Anybody know if this sauna treatment would have an effect on my beauties?

Zach,

The temper of your blades would not be affected until the temp reached area of 400°F+. They will be just fine. :)

Ok I gotta ask. . .

What the he#$ kind of "procedure" is going to befall your house?

Inquiring minds what to know. . . . . :wtf:

I was about to edit my post to ask the same question. LOL. :lol:

Hahaha, just some pesticide-free extermination of household pests. :lol:

Thanks for the reassurance, folks.

OOOHHH. . . .

Good to know everything is on the "up and up". :D

That was gonna be my first guess, though I've never heard of doing it that way before. I wonder what would be affected by such a thing... electronics? Some plastics? Paint on the walls?

I'd be more worried about the chemicals - as Jean stated - than I would the temp. I've left swords/scabbards a plenty in hot trunks all day long in the dead of the Georgia summer, with temps higher than that with no ill-effects. If the wood is kiln-dried / stabilized - then I'd not be overly concerned with warpage, I've never experienced such. I am pretty sure the heat would not cause a problem, confidently enough where I would leave anything in my own collection in it - but that's me.

I mean, lookit - the Crusaders did it for a couple centuries... ;)

But, to err on the safe side, why not just toss them in your trunk or dump them at a friend's house if they are a concern to you? That way, it would seem like it would offer you a little more piece of mind - opinions aside. :)

I have never heard of anything like this... where on earth did you discover this 'procedure'? Is it done by a company that has a website, I'd love to look it up... or did some friend of yuors just go 'Hey, if we heat up your place stuff should die!' or something? How exactly are you going to get the tempature up that high in your place anyway?

Very weird.

120... even 130 would not likely kill things here in my place... it is often over 110 in the summer months... blegh... and my grarage and attic become much hotter, and bugs still manage to live there.Not sure heating the place up to 140 is a for sure kill of everything.

As for me, if I were to do something like this... I likely would remove my swords beforehand, due to the wood and leather issues that could occur from being at that temp for that long. You can spot-treat your swords after you take em out if you really think there are bugs on em.

If you dont know the exact temps you can always use the color rule. If the blade isnt hot enough to change color then your almost always fine! If you start seeing that straw color...then your starting to effect the temper.

This is a proven and widely used method of eliminating structure-wide infestations of powder-post and deathwatch beetle. If you find holes in wooden items in your home (framing, furniture) about the size of a pencil tip, which seem to be emitting sawdust (known in this instance as "frass") you are likely sharing your residence with one of these common wood-boring pests.

Incidentally, for spot treatments microwave guns can also be employed, zapping the little buggers and their larvae like popcorn. :)

If you've got any swords where the grip covers are held on with hide glue (as I believe Albion's are), you'll want to remove them. That level of heat will melt the glue.

For your peace of mind, I can tell you that in fact, the grips on Albion's swords are exposed to temperatures of up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for periods of several hours during manufacture. I cannot make any guarantees, but I believe they would be fine during the procedure. I of course can't speak as to any other manufacturer's construction but it is reasonable to assume that given so many like items are treated via this process without undue harm, you should be ok.

Thomas R. wrote:

Microwave guns? How cool is that? Show us some pics of them... :)

As requested:
http://pestcemetery.com/wp-content/uploads/20...metery.jpg
http://www.zwaagtermite.com/images/microwave-treatment-14.gif

Thanks again. All the swords did indeed survive without incident. :D