Quote:
Originally Posted by awdaniec666
Hi Roger,
I wonder, why have mail shirts and its parts generally so little corrosion after all this time? I mean, even looked after medival swords often look like minefields. Is the steel harder or mixed with other elements than blades, do you know how that comes?
Anyway I´m looking forward to read more of your kindly detailed contributions.
Cheers,
Patrick
|
Well, even mails suffer from corrosion in some cases. I have personally handled some piece with parts so corroded that they crumbled simply by moving the link.
But it is true that in general we have many examples of mails in fair condition.
However, we must make a clarification... medieval swords means swords before the 16th century, and the same goes for mails.
The most we go back in time, the less pieces we have and, usually, the worst are the conditions.
I think that in general the main reason that determines the state of conservation of an artefact is precisely the way in which it has been preserved over time... let me explain.
It is clear that a metal object, which spends centuries buried in the earth, or closed in a humid environment in contact with wet walls, etc. or buried in a grave to rot with its owner... it certainly has a high probability of ending up corroded by rust and oxide.
On the contrary, the more protected he remains from these elements, the better his chances of remaining "healthy" are.
Many of the swords and armor we see in museums, in excellent condition, are all post 15th century. Therefore they are most likely stored in better "protected" environments, perhaps indoors in trunks or wardrobes, in sword scabbard, or even simply protected with burnishing systems or superficial protective applications.
For example, mails (excluding those buried or found in rivers and mud fields), I imagine easily stored in closed containers, like normal clothes (but much more resistant).
In fact, all those with serious rust and corrosion encrustations clearly have been in contact with humid agents for a long time, and therefore kept uncovered, unprotected and so on.
I believe that many examples prior to the 15th century, if not reused in subsequent centuries or dismembered for garments suitable for Renaissance military fashions, were practically "abandoned" to themselves... even simply kept in unsuitable places and not cleaned/handled for centuries.