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31st January 2023, 03:30 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: In the wee woods north of Napanee Ontario
Posts: 390
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Reminds me of swords I've seen with griner marks or other power tool marks such as swirls. Very difficult to remove such markings. If you're not mechanically inclined and competent, allow another to clean your swords.
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31st January 2023, 09:53 AM | #2 |
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Ireland
Posts: 533
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Welcome to the forum John, good thread Idea.
My Tip would be do nothing with an item for at least 2 weeks, just look at and study, to rush in invites errors. I then soak in diesel all swords with no organic component for a week and than give them a gentle rub to see what lies underneath, Looking forward to seeing how this thread develops. Regards, Ken |
31st January 2023, 10:37 AM | #3 |
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Leiden, NL
Posts: 435
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I'm usually pretty conservative with them but at one point early on, I tried brushing a bit of the deepest black off of a fingerprint on this tulwar. Now I'm left with this ugly sheen whenever the light hits it at a certain angle. It glares at me from a distance as if to say "You did this to me! Behold your shame!".
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31st January 2023, 07:34 PM | #4 | |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: In the wee woods north of Napanee Ontario
Posts: 390
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Quote:
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31st January 2023, 08:36 PM | #5 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Leiden, NL
Posts: 435
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I'll try that, thanks!
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2nd February 2023, 07:06 PM | #6 | |
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Czech Republic
Posts: 836
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Quote:
(If you want to unify the appearance of the surface, good results can also be achieved with sandpaper stuck to a soft sponge) |
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16th May 2023, 01:59 PM | #7 |
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Join Date: May 2017
Location: France
Posts: 173
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After some years of trials and errors, here is my personal method for weapons cleaning :
-Remove grease, dirt, and potential varnish with a paper towel soaked with alcohol (90° proof), keeping the blade point down so it doesn't seep under the handle, until the paper towels come back clean. Then dry the blade. -Remove active rust (red/orange) with 0000 steel wool dunked in fluid neutral oil (almond works well). This should be enough to remove active rust, without damaging patina (won't remove stable black oxydation and won't scratch the metal). -If there is deep pitting, I use a brass brush, again with a bit of oil. The brass brush will be able to remove active rust in the pitting, without scratching the steel. -After any active rust is removed, I clean the blade with alcohol again, then apply a very thin coat of neutral fluid oil. -Leather : if in good question, I just dust it with a cloth and leave it alone ; if dry, I use neatsfoot oil (real one, not an imitation), this is imho the best choice, since neatsfoot oil contains a lot of keratin that will strengthen the leather. -Wood : again, if in good condition, I just wipe it with a cloth ; if dry, I use flaxseed oil. -Brass / copper : just a wipe with a cloth to preserve patina, rubbed with an alcohol soaked paper towel if dirty. I'm personally against the use of power tools (for obvious reason), but also against mineral oil, which is used and recommended a lot by American collectors. Contrarily to natural oils, mineral oil create an impervious barrier on metal and can trap moisture under it, leading to rust development. It is also unsuitable for organic materials, as it won't moisture them properly, leading to drying and cracks. For somewhat similar reasons, I'm against the use of wax, which can again trap moisture under it, and will later age into an ugly and hard to remove gunk. |
16th May 2023, 03:56 PM | #8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Eastern Sierra
Posts: 392
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Yvain, What grade of almond oil? Culinary or beauty supply?
What about for the care of horn? Any suggestions out there? |
Tags |
cleaning, mistakes, patina, preservation, restoration |
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