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Eric R
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 Posted: Sat 20 Jan, 2007 7:34 pm Post subject: Rust prevention in the 5th century AD? |
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Hello,
I was wondering if there was a method to prevent rust on armor or blades (something like bluing on firearms) in or before the 5th century AD in Europe?
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George Hill
Location: Atlanta Ga Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Sat 20 Jan, 2007 10:23 pm Post subject: Re: Rust prevention in the 5th century AD? |
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| Eric R wrote: | Hello,
I was wondering if there was a method to prevent rust on armor or blades (something like bluing on firearms) in or before the 5th century AD in Europe? |
A thin coat of oil would do the job. I'm told that the Vikings made the insides of the scabbards lined with oiled soaked fur. Does anyone here have a source on the oiled fur scabbard story?
To abandon your shield is the basest of crimes. - --Tacitus on Germania
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Dan Howard
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| Posted: Sun 21 Jan, 2007 3:05 am Post subject: |
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Romans used tinning. Indians used galvanising.
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Geoff Wood
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| Posted: Sun 21 Jan, 2007 3:32 am Post subject: Re: Rust prevention in the 5th century AD? |
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| George Hill wrote: |
A thin coat of oil would do the job. I'm told that the Vikings made the insides of the scabbards lined with oiled soaked fur. Does anyone here have a source on the oiled fur scabbard story? |
Do you mean wool? Someone (may have been H Ellis Davidson talking about Anglo Saxon scabbards) referred to traces of fleece lining scabbards. Lanolin present in unwashed fleece would act as a rust delaying coating.
Geoff
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Jared Smith
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Sun 21 Jan, 2007 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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I've read about a Viking period sword that was coated in lineseed oil. More information about this sword can be found here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Historic-HornAntlerBone/message/556
Which refers to this sword: http://www.frojel.com/cgi-bin/viewimage.cgi?/...ord222.jpg
Other then that, the mentioned lanolin in fleece lining helps protect the metal. It also helps keeping out the moist b.t.w. I've also personally made a knife scabbard lined with wool, and applied fat to the wool before assembling the scabbard. Simply by drawing and reinserting the knife, the knife gets a bit of fat applied to it, which seems to work quite well. No evidence if that was done though.
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George Hill
Location: Atlanta Ga Joined: 16 May 2005
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Mon 22 Jan, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Jeroen Zuiderwijk wrote: | | II've also personally made a knife scabbard lined with wool, and applied fat to the wool before assembling the scabbard. Simply by drawing and reinserting the knife, the knife gets a bit of fat applied to it, |
That's the story I heard, save that the hide was seal skin rubbed with oil, fat, or some other grease.
To abandon your shield is the basest of crimes. - --Tacitus on Germania
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Richard Fay
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| Posted: Tue 23 Jan, 2007 10:49 am Post subject: Re: Rust prevention in the 5th century AD? |
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Hello all!
| George Hill wrote: | | A thin coat of oil would do the job. I'm told that the Vikings made the insides of the scabbards lined with oiled soaked fur. Does anyone here have a source on the oiled fur scabbard story? |
Hi George! 
I just read about this in Ancient Weapons in Britain by Logan Thompson. Apparently a few Germanic swords of the Migration Period show traces of wool still adhering to the blade, as well as leather and wood.
This is what the author stated:
| Logan Thompson wrote: |
The scabbard was cushioned with an inner lining of sheep wool intended to secure the blade a little more firmly and which provided the added benefit of rust prevention by virtue of its lanolin content. Traces of such wool are sometimes noted on sword blades, in addition to fragments of leather and wood. |
(I assume the author is talking about Germanic swords of the Migration Period because it was in the chapter about that time period, but he could be talking more generally.)
I hope this helped!
Stay safe!
"I'm going to do what the warriors of old did! I'm going to recite poetry!"
Prince Andrew of Armar
Last edited by Richard Fay on Tue 23 Jan, 2007 3:41 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Richard Fay
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| Posted: Tue 23 Jan, 2007 11:11 am Post subject: Re: Rust prevention in the 5th century AD? |
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Hello again!
| Geoff Wood wrote: |
Do you mean wool? Someone (may have been H Ellis Davidson talking about Anglo Saxon scabbards) referred to traces of fleece lining scabbards. Lanolin present in unwashed fleece would act as a rust delaying coating. |
You're right, Geoff, Hilda Ellis Davidson does indeed describe various scabbards with wool or sheepskin as at least part of the lining.
Here's what she said about this in The Sword in Anglo Saxon England:
| H. R. Ellis Davidson wrote: |
A good example is the scabbard of the sixth-century sword from Klein-Huningen, which was covered with fine leather, parts of which survived, and was lined with leather inside. At the foot was a space of about 3.8 cm below the sword-point, and here traces of wool were found, as though the space was stuffed with wool or the point rested in a pocket of woollen material. Other examples of scabbards with traces of woollen lining have been found in Anglo-Saxon graves at Holborough, Finglesham, and Harrold, Bedfordshire. At Holborough and Finglesham sheepskin was probably used, and this is paralleled by a scabbard found in a Frankish grave at Orsoy, which had an inner lining of sheepskin with the fleece on the inside, coming in direct contact with the blade. Detailed examination of this showed that the direction of the hairs was towards the mouthpiece to facilitate the easy removal of the blade from the scabbard. It seems possible that the lanolin present in sheeps' wool would help to protect the blade from rust. |
I figured I would elaborate on what Geoff said, and post the relevant excerpt from Davidson.
Stay safe!
"I'm going to do what the warriors of old did! I'm going to recite poetry!"
Prince Andrew of Armar
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This is a standard topic