I've been thinking of a way to prevent rust on my sword blades that may be more in keeping with historical options.
I've started using lanolin, a very thin coat, on my blade. Several modern rust preventatives and lubricants for firearms and
machine parts use lanolin as the major component. I warm a small amount in my palm and rub a thin coat on the steel of
my piece then lightly buff out the streaks with a soft thin cloth. This leaves a very thin H2o,O2 barrier on the steel.
Additionally, if you have a high quality scabbard for your sword or dagger, like a Christian Fletcher, the lanolin won't damage the wool lining like a hydrocarbon derivative might. Does anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this method they could share?

I used a beeswax/olive oil mix quite a lot, especially on armour. It works by making a blend that works for your climate, so that the heat of rubbing the container of it with a cloth makes it go greasy, then it solidifies on the piece and can be left thick for storage or rubbed back to leave a thin coating. A starting mix is about 1 part beeswax to 2 parts olive oil (or is it the other way, I can never remember), heat the beeswax until liquid and slowly add the olive oil (too fast at it cools and solidifies the mixture)

Any issues with the olive oil ever going rancid?

The commercial product Fluid-film is a lanolin-based anti-corrosion spray. Recently someone on the Armour Archve tested about 25 anti-corrosion agents and Fluid-film was the best, by far. Lanolin works extremely well.

Most of my research concerns armor rather than weapons. That said, they're both iron or steel, susceptible to rust, and would be kept together.

Bertus Brokamp and the late Will McLean both found references for using bran to scour armor. Bran also contains a certain amount of natural oil. As a waste product of sifting flour, it made an inexpensive and common scouring powder.

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewto...hilit=bran

Bertus Brokamp wrote:

Two weeks ago I bought a book with transcriptions of the household accounts of the count of Holland in 1358-1361, so this find is quite fresh. On page 465 (account of 1360-61) it reads: ... ghelevert toten hoenre behoef ende in den stal ende in de haernasch camere thaernasch mede te scuren binnen der tijt voerseide: 13 achtendel zemele '... delivered for the chickens need and in the stables and in the armour room, to scour the armour with, within the time aforementioned: 13 -X volume- bran' Apparantly the 'achtendeel' was a volume of some 34 litres in the year 1810.

http://willscommonplacebook.blogspot.com/2008...-mail.html

Quote:

"Paid, the xv daye of Julye, at the campe at Dunglasse, by th’andes of George Ynglyshe, for tow urynalles and one skeyn of threed, vjd.; for canvaus to make a bagg to scowre my Lordes shyrt of meale in, xiiijd.; and for brane to the same, ijd.;" 1549

Likewise, we can find wax in the armories:
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewto...x#p2748158

Quote:

1311 Inventory of John fitz Marmaduke, Lord of Horden Cirotecae de balayn xij d. Baleen gauntlets, 12d. j capud lanceae xij d. 1 lance-head, 12d. Cera iiij d. Wax 4d. j bacinet et j par de geaumbers v s. 1 bascinet and 1 pair of greaves, 5s.

Varnish also seems to have been used on armor.
http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewto...=varnished

Quote:

Inventory of Raoul de Nesle, Constable of France, killed 1302, Battle of Courtrai Item une couvertures a cheval pourpointée ii testieres de soie a cheval iii chapiaus de Montauban iii hiaumes et i baehinet vernicié viiil xvis Item, one pourpoint horse bard, 2 silk testiers for the horse, 3 kettle hats of Montauban, 3 helms, and 1 varnished bascinet. 8 l., 16 s.

Very interesting. Thanks for the info guys.

Hi Jim

I've used a mix of lanolin and baby oil, as a not-so-historical substitute for olive oil.

I've also made some ax polishes using turpentine and beeswax. You can also use a blend of waxes: if you mix in a harder wax like Carnuba into the beeswax you can form quite a tough coat. These work well on sword furniture and then the lanolin/baby oil on the blade.

Mart - I was very interested in your comment about varnished harness. Can you elaborate on the type of varnish used?

regards
mike

and soething else

Quote:

Cera iiij d. Wax 4d.

that's wax listed twice. Wonder why?

I like the lanolin lubricants. They have a lot of staying power, a historical basis, and are very effective. I was using gun oil, but have found the lanolin based lubricant to be far better. No problem in the scabbard, as well.