[Sander Marechal]

Hi all,

My sword has a few small rust spots forming on the pommel. I read the articles and threads on maintenance here and I read that WD40 is pretty good at removing those, but not so good at keeping it rust-free because it evaporates.

So, I bought some WD40 and some standard 3-in-1 oil. But now I'm wondering, after I have used the WD40 to get the rust spots off, do I need to remove the WD40 before I apply the 3-in-1 oil? If so, how would I remove it? Windex?

Thanks in advance!

[Blaz Berlec]

As you have said, WD40 evaporates almost completely, so you can just apply the oil afterwards. But I highly doubt that WD40 by itself will be enough to remove the rust spots - you still usually have to remove them mechanically (Scotch-brite pad for instance, depends on the finish of the pommel).

[Sander Marechal]

Thanks. I have some scotch-brite pads so if the WD40 alone isn't doing the trick I will use those. The finish of the pommel isn't mirror. It's a Pavel Moc sword and I use it for WMA so I'm not too worried about some scratches and dents and the like :-)

[Eric Hejdström]

I found the best oil for weapons in general to be Ballistol . Don't know about dealers in the Netherlands but since it's a german product you should be able to get it quite easily. By far the best oil (you can even get it on spray can) even if it takes a while to get used to the smell...

[Addison C. de Lisle]

I've had great luck with Ballistol as well. I got the spray can stuff, and while it does smell bad it works extremely well. I sprayed it on the moderately rusty pommel of my waster, let it sit for a minute, and then rubbed it with a Scotchbrite pad and it was completely cleaned and looked brand new. I was surprised at how effective it was.

[R D Moore]

You need to get the ultra fine (gray color) Scotchbrite pads to impart a satin finish. The green and the blue are too abrassive. This thread discusses the product number and, if I remember correctly, some sites to get them from. If it doesn't just send me a PM and I'll send some infor to you.

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...brite+pads

PS
I googled Scotchbrite 7448 Netherlands and it came up with this link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3M-7448-Scotch...33005r4637

The 3M website appears to be changing it's European web pages so I couldn't find anything else from this side of the pond.

[Travis Canaday]

I second what Moore says: Make sure you get the gray scrotch bright pads. They tend to be a bit harder to find (here in the States at least).

My advice for removing WD40, or any oil, is rubbing alcohol. I use it to remove old oil for cleaning. This will cut the oil, but leave the steel dry and exposed, so rub a light-weight oil on after that. Windex would probably do the same thing, but rubbing alcohol is what I have always used.

I hope that helps.

[Colt Reeves]

I just looked in that thread RD Moore mentioned and it looks like Tony Peterson says that the gray stuff is only 1000 grit. If you want something finer than that or can't find the gray pads you could hit up the automotive section in whatever store is around you. In Walmart in the US of A you can get 2000 grit sandpaper. I use on my swords and it seems to work fairly well, though I have Windlasses and am not particularly concerned about keeping things pretty (though I actually prefer the duller appearance the furniture takes after sanding, as opposed to the shiny look it started with, so it's a win-win for me).

[David Sutton]

I can vouch for what others have said about Ballisol. I use it myself its good stuff. Excellent for getting rust off and its pretty kind to wood and leather too so if get it on your grip or scabbard its not going to harm it. It does have a distinctive smell; a bit like Aniseed. But personally I quite like it, certainly smells better than most other oils I've encountered.

If you want to remove WD40 or oil I would recommend Methylated Spirit (somethimes known as Denatured Alcohol). It should remove grease and oils no problem. Make sure you reapply oil straight afterwards to protect the metal surface. You could also use White Spirit (also known as Mineral Spirits) but its a little nasty and it really stinks too. On the plus side its usually very cheap though.

[Harry J. Fletcher]

Well, Well! I can see that some of you young guys are not familiar with firearms as us old hands are. We have been using WD - 40 and fighting rust for years. Best thing for cleaning rust spots is WD -40 and a plastic scrub pad. First just spray some WD - 40 on the rust spot and lightly scrub with the plastic pad as ssome of you have mentioned. Next, wipe the area clean and apply a light coating of gun oil on all the metal parts.

There are several approaches one can use. Gun Scrubber will remove all lubricants and fouling from guns and will do the same for sword blades, hilts, pommets, and crosses. Just wipe clean and apply a rust preservative. There are several good ones on the market. You can use a silicon impregnated cloth sold at gun stores and sporting goods stores to wipe down your sword after each handling. There is also a spray on rust preventative that has been on the market for a couple of years now. Just spray it on, wipe off the excess, let it dry then lightly oil your sword. It is better not to store your sword in a case since the material can absorb mositure especialy the foam. I recommend display racks away from windows and doors where mosisture can enter and away swwords from kitchens and bathrooms.

If you do store your sword in a case then get some silica packs and put them in the case with your sword. You can buy them from gunstores, camera stores, etc. I also recomment getting a display cabinet which is closed and a can of silicate to place in the cabinet. This will serve to absorb the moisture.

Every month inspect and clean all the preservative off your swords and apply new oil or preservative. When handling your swords always use a clean white handerchief. Immediately wipe the sword down after someone handles it with the silicon cloth.

I shall add the name of the rust preventive spray on later this evening for those who are interested. Gun owners have been using these methods for decades to preserve their treasured firearms and fight rust so these same methods will work for preserving swords as well. BARRICADE mfg by Casey Birch is the name of the rust prevenative. It displaces rust, moisture and lubricants.

Cheers,

Harry

[Sander Marechal]

Thanks for all the advice. When I went to the local DIY I did see some scotch-brite pads and fine grit sandpaper but nothing over 400 grit and not the grey pads, just the green and red ones. I'll pop by an auto supply or repair store today and see what they have on offer.

[Antony O]

WD40 Not only rescues from rust , but also protect surface from moisture.
After polishing I cover products WD40.

[K J Seago]

i have found auto sol for cars useful on my paul binns if that helps,and thats everywhere in britain

[Bryce Felperin]

[Patrick Kelly]

Windex will remove WD-40, as will any ammonia based product or straight ammonia for that matter.

There's no magic bullet when it comes to oils, just about any lightweight oil will do on a sword (I'll specify that we're not talking about japanese nihonto, which are a different animal). I've used WD-40, and yes I do have more than a passing familiarity with firearms. It works well enough in the short term, but due to its fish oil base it will evaporate over time. So if you do a lot of routine handling with your sword and routinely apply oil it should do just fine. What it doesn't do so well is long term storage. If you oil the sword on occasion and leave it on the wall and forget about it WD-40 isn't the choice.

I use Ballistol as well for anything that requires an oil, be it cleaning or lubricating. It's highly versatile and works quite well. I use it because it's a good bang for the buck, not because it has any magical uberoil properties. For most of my weapons, both swords and firearms, I've gone to using wax instead of oil as a preservative. I fought against it for years as I felt it was too newfangled of an approach. However, I find it works better than oil for preventing rust and stains. Renaissance Wax is an option that's widely used, but I've been using Flitz Rifle/Stock Wax. It's similar to Renaissance Wax but happens to been more commonly available in sporting goods stores and is also a bit cheaper.

Sander,

Just spray it down with the WD-40, scrub it with the scotchbrite and you'll be good to go.

[Sander Marechal]

Thanks all. I went to a local painting supply store and they had the grey scotch-brite pads in store, so I picked up a few. I'll let you know how it goes :-)

[Harry J. Fletcher]

Patrick, I didn't mean to include you with the young guys ( especially with the gray hair). I like to use Flitz for the rifling in the barrel.

Regards,

Harry

[Hadrian Coffin]

Hello,
I use Break Free, its sold at almost all sporting goods stores in a black and yellow bottle. It's a lovely oil. For removing rust spots a polishing paste can do wonders, Metal Glo (http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Premium-Polishing...B000F6UC98) is the famous one...but you can find the same stuff under different labels at grocery stores, for cleaning pans and such.
Cheers,
Hadrian

[Harry J. Fletcher]

Breakfree is an excellent lubricant for firearms expecially semiauto handguns but I have never used it for rust. Guess I shall to reread the instructions on the bottle again. I have always used WD -40 for rust and clean up, coat with oil and apply Breakfree on the slide rails to prevent friction and promote operation.

I have found for Breakfree that it leaves a film that must cleaned off from time to time though.

Regards,

Harry

[Sander Marechal]

Well, the WD40 and scotch-brite pad cleaned the pommel well. I cleaned the entire sword with windex and oiled it with 3-in-1 oil. So far, so good!