Hey all I am kind of new to this forum but I was thrilled to actually find something out here with stuff I enjoy. Especially one I can access past all the firewalls and blocks at work ha. But anyhow I have recently gotten back my sword and armor which I havent had with me for about a year now and rust has built up on it pretty well. I am not sure on the best way to get rid of it and clean the armor. Protect it possibly from rusting to badly in future events. Any of your help and assistance on the best way to go about all this would be greatly appreciated. Also another thing is I am thinking of sharpening a sword and I would like to know the best thing to use to sharpen it. I dont know proper oils and tools to use to do it. Once again I really appreciate any help and look forward to hearing back from everyone. Thank you.

Not to hijack the questioner's thread, but how about either automotive wax or carnuba floor wax for maintaining the blade?

And as to firewalls... yeah, I get that too. This site is blocked from my work access so I can only drop in during off-hours.

Hi,

I would like to comment on the portion of your question concerning the sharpening of one of your swords. If your sword is an expensive high quality piece and you do not have any prior experience in sharpening or honing blades, I would strongly urge you to have the piece sharpened by an experienced bladesmith rather than tackling the job on your own. This is even more especially true is the blade in question is relatively long. I have seen more swords ruined by botched do-it-yourself sharpening jobs than by any other means save for damage caused by abusive use.

Sharpening is a real specialty -- particularly on long blades with complex profiles. No matter what you decide, do not even contemplate using a bench or disk grinder -- your will produce a hidious edge and likely destroy the heat treatment of the blade in the process. If the edge of the sword in question already has a "near" edge on it -- that is to say, a formed edge that simply needs to be brought to a good edge, wet honing with a series of increasingly fine stones is probably the way to go. If moderate to considerable stock removal is required to put a good edge on the blade, it may well require wet grinding then honing -- but again, even if you have the correct equipment, I would not recommend your tackling the job on your own.

I like to use Break Free's CLP. This is a multipurpose fluid that Cleans, Lubricates, and Protects ("CLP"). According to Break Free, it is used by the US Military to maintain its weaponry, exceeding MIL-L-63460 requirements. It is also the oil "strongly recommended" by Albion Swords Ltd for regular maintenance of their products. In California, we can buy it at Big 5 Sporting Goods, but I don't know about other areas. It comes in a squirt bottle or spray can.

Funny you should mention that, I started using Breakfree CLP back in the early 80's as a Gunner's Mate in the USCG. I continue to use it in many applications, one of which is keeping my non-stainless cutlery rust free :)

For long term storage I use synthetic engine oil(of course new-not from the engine ;) ) To remove rust I put some oil on the loofah/coarse spoonge designed for washing very dirty dishes.And it is working.

I'll recommend Renaissance Wax since someone undoubtedly will before long. It's supposed to be the miracle stuff of the A&A world. Museums use it quite a bit. I've used it on a helmet that sees little handling and a lot of sitting on the shelf and it requires litle to no attention. I use an oil called Ballistol, applied with a rag. It may require a little more effort but it is cheaper and results in a nice seasoned patina over time, something you won't get with a sealer like wax. I've also used Breakfree to good effect. That's even cheaper for me since I can get it in bulk from my agency.

There's nothing wrong with firewalls at work. Afterall, some employers actually expect their employees to work for their paychecks. Old fashioned I know but old attitudes die hard. ;)

Please don't let this become a political discussion. Please keep your posts on-topic.