myArmoury.com - protecting antiques against rust

Posts: 169 Location: Henley On Thames

Mon 29 Oct, 2007 2:54 am

protecting antiques against rust

hi there,

living in a humid climate, rust is a constant threat.

while it is possible to protect against rust on the exposed bits of steel - i am concerned about the tang beneath the handle, particularly where it passes through the quillon block as there is a small gap between tang and block which is exposed to the atmosphere.

as the tang was peened a number of centuries ago , i do not want to remove the pommel and guard and was wondering how else i could assure that no rust is accumulating inside the quillon block.

leaving it in a warm and dry room to evaporate off all moisture?

is it at all advisable to introduce oil down into such spaces or is this just a crude idea which woould attract rather than expel dirt and moisture to said spaces?

either of the above or any other ways to assure longevity and guard against rust in those hard to reach places?

i appreciate your responses,

regards, adam s

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Peter Bosman

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Posts: 598 Location: Andalucia

Mon 29 Oct, 2007 4:09 am

Re: protecting antiques against rust

Adam Simmonds wrote:

either of the above or any other ways to assure longevity and guard against rust in those hard to reach places?

The problem starts when oxidation begíns.
It is very hard to stop.
The best advise can be found by specialists in conservation as they also take into account the specifics of the metal.
In some metals a layer of metaloxide is the best protective coat but impurities in the material are nearly alway the culprit causing pitting and such.
Good quality bronze p.e. that shows no pitting is best not embellished beyond superficial cleaning.
Even iron can be quite resistant to corrosion: look at the indian pillar.
Iron however is usually quite 'impure'. In general you must remove or transform oxidised iron ánd add a coating insulating the material from contact with oxigen.

With light oxidation on good quality material cleaning with p.e. WD40 and coating with p.e. gunoil is sufficient when regularly maintained.
In general pooring oil into gaps with organic materials is not a good idea.
I would seek advise from a museum conservation specialist.

For older pieces more serious measures are needed and depending on the 'value' of the piece leave that to the experts.

peter

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Bruno Giordan

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Posts: 919

Mon 29 Oct, 2007 6:18 am

Re: protecting antiques against rust

Adam Simmonds wrote:

hi there,

living in a humid climate, rust is a constant threat.

while it is possible to protect against rust on the exposed bits of steel - i am concerned about the tang beneath the handle, particularly where it passes through the quillon block as there is a small gap between tang and block which is exposed to the atmosphere.

as the tang was peened a number of centuries ago , i do not want to remove the pommel and guard and was wondering how else i could assure that no rust is accumulating inside the quillon block.

leaving it in a warm and dry room to evaporate off all moisture?

is it at all advisable to introduce oil down into such spaces or is this just a crude idea which woould attract rather than expel dirt and moisture to said spaces?

either of the above or any other ways to assure longevity and guard against rust in those hard to reach places?

i appreciate your responses,

regards, adam s

I agree with the previous poster, ask an expert and let him make any work if necessary.

A friend of mine is in charge of armors and weapons for a museum, they use to grease items with a special oil, he also named it once, as soon as I get the name I will inform you, if you wish to proceed yourself.

I would suggest to normalize the atmosphere of your storing room as much as you can (humidity control) but that is again to be learned from experts, since a too dry climate could damage leather and wood as much as too much humidity can damage iron and steel.

Again, I think you should contact a museum conservator.

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James Arlen Gillaspie

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Posts: 587 Location: upstate NY

Mon 29 Oct, 2007 7:35 am

The collectors I know use 'Simoniz' wax to protect their real armour and weapons. One of the conservators at the Higgins Armory likes Butcher's. The advantage of the wax is that it can be used to seal such an opening without having oil getting up into the grip and causing a disaster.

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