Hi all,

I have question about storing swords in hard plastic rifle cases with foam inserts, would I need to put some sort of dessicant in the case?

Thanks!

Gun cases are rarely perfectly moisture proof. Blued steel does not require an entirely moisture free environment like a sword does. Most gun owners use desiccant inserts anyway, even though they may not really be required. I would certainly use silica gel or some other readily available humidity absorption material if I wanted to store a sword for an extended period in a guncase. If you are going to transport the package through extremes of heat and cold, it is probably essential to do this, because cooling will cause any moisture inside the case to condense onto the metal surfaces.

Do yourself a favor. Do *not* store your swords in this type of case for any length of time.

The foam lining attracts and retains moisture. I found this out the hard way years ago with firearms, and the rust that trashed their blued finishes. The same can also be true of expensive velvet lined cases. They're great for transport, but not for storage. If you have to store your swords in a rifle case use a soft one with a cloth lining.

Sorry to bring this up again but I was wondering about this and I thought it would be better to comment here than start a new thread. If gun cases are no good, because of the foam, what would be a preferred solution? Just the soft gun case with a cloth liner?

I thought a gun case would be a great idea because you don't have to build it (something I'm not really in a position to do) - too bad about the rust. It was also a nice solution, I thought, because it was a hard-shell and I think some of them are lockable.

Thanks for the replies!

I live in the prairies of North America, it is a dry climate, so I don't normally have to worry about things rusting.

There are complicated reasons why the swords (which have not yet arrived) will not be kept out in the open. The short story of it is that my wife doesn't want it. She does not want weapons openly displayed (she is scared of them falling, somebody breaking in and killing us with them, etc.) nor does she appreciate the aesthetics of it. Rational or not, these are her worries and making her feel safe and comfortable in her own house is something I prioritize over getting exactly what I want in terms of storing/displaying the swords. It isn't very important to me to have them out in the open anyways.

Before we got together this is precisely how I displayed things. I have almost completely downsized my collection to nothing and am building it back up with fewer, higher quality, pieces. I don't have the ability to store a huge collection and so I figured I would sell it off and re-buy with an eye to quality and not quantity. I will, of course, have to be disciplined in ensuring that it isn't quality and quantity now...

That's interesting about the Albion box. I wonder, however, if the problem with the hard gun cases is the foam, isn't that still a problem (although smaller) with the Albion box solution? Isn't there the worry of rust on the bit of the sword encased in foam?

I'm in a fairly dry environment as well. I like gun socks for most things. I've made some sword bags out of upholstery fabric (like the Japanese kimono sword bags.) Wax or oil, then into the sock, then into the sword bag. Seems to work pretty well. The most important thing is to get the swords out and swing them a bit every now and then. :)

I have a bunch of Bore Store silicone treated gun socks for nicer replica pieces in deep storage and have had no spotting, rust, etc in the couple years since I started with those. They seem very well made and I recommend them without reservation.

http://www.borestores.com/

P.S. I haven't tried them with any antiques because my antiques tend to be: 1. Always on display; and 2. Beat up enough that it doesn't really matter.

I keep my Albions well oiled and in foam lined rifle cases. Stored them there for several years now, no rust problems and I live literally on the waterfront.

Thanks for the responses.

Curious about T. Kew's albions. I have to wonder if, in a dry climate, I'd be okay doing the same. What sort of oil do you use? I was thinking about using Renaissance Wax instead.

I was also thinking about the socks Chris suggested. I wonder if the japanese sword bags Walter mentions would work for western swords (longswords, messers, etc). That could be an option too.

Of course, Walter probably has the best advice about taking them out now and again to give them a swing!

I use Ballistol. It's my go-to for everything, since most of my sword maintenance is fencing blunts which get used all the time.

Thanks for resurfacing this topic, learned something.

Like Chris I very highly recommend the Bore Stores thick tough treated socks - have used several since Nathan mentioned in:

http://myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=306...light=bore

Due to Patrick's advice maybe remove the foam during storage but leave items in the bore socks? Could get more in a case too. Main downside appears to be storing the bulky foam for later transport use?

Thanks everybody. Y'all have sold me on bore stores. I'll pick some up! I wonder if wax would be better than oil if I am using these...

I like renaissance wax. It lasts longer than oil.