Okay, a rusty sword.

[JAMed]

Literally. I purchased a sword, sort of as a symbolic religious thing. It is functional and actually I can almost be claimed to be able to use it. Though give any choice in the matter, and needing to defend myself, I would probably go for the .45 or 12 gauge, or just as easily hand-to-hand if that was more appropriate. Unless battling someone slowed by 60 to 80 pounds of armor, the thing is just a wee slow.

The thing is, while I bought it I never really found out how to take care of it. I have rust forming on the hilt (at least). Is there anyone that might know how to take a sword down, how to treat rusted steel, and then put the thing back together? If nothing else, tinkering with a functional [auto-filtered] sword is probably not something most people ever get the chance to do! I would be grateful and I would like to watch and learn. Or, perhaps there is a business that does such work.

[Cinhil]

I have some info I can share with you. At work now so just pm me and I will get back to you with some info to help.

[Goof]

wow, something I can answer if you still have this problem.

A sword that is meant to be used rather than wall decoration is high carbon which rusts, you can patina it or just clean it with oil like baby oil. If you don't use it much, you can even put car wax on it. Also leaving it in it's scabbard can be bad, as it draws moister and holds it next to the blade.(even stainless can rust this way)

Red rust is bad, and must be cleaned off, using a green kitchen scratcher will work fine. There are some car products which eats away rust, I've never used it since I goto practice every week with mine, so it ever gets bad enough to warrant more than a few min with baby oil, scratch pad and some paper towels.

[Cinhil]

I helped him with this issue, the sword is in much better shape now and has a protective coat on it too. This thread should probably be closed.

[Lokidude]

I helped him with this issue, the sword is in much better shape now and has a protective coat on it too. This thread should probably be closed.

Care to share with the rest of us? I know a few ways to handle rust, but I'm always up for learning new tricks.

[DaKnife]

+1 on sharing the tips with the rest of us.

[Cinhil]

I used a knife cleaning kit which includes a sharpener, oil and a special cloth (manufactured by Sentry) after using lots of elbow grease and a product called Metal Glow which also has an inherent protective coating which will assist in keeping rust from creeping in. Another tip is to not always leave your blade in a sheath as this will cause sweating and assist in the rust process, especially in humid areas. It is okay to leave your blade in it's sheath however, you will want to pull it out occasionally to wipe it down and see if it needs a new coating of protectorant.

Really though, I spent quite a bit of time working the rust off of this sword, Metal Glow and other similar items are very helpful in this process. This particular blade was in bad shape and took time, patience and elbow grease. Just remember to look after your blades occasionally so that if a spot of rust does appear you can stop it quick, as well as re-protect it with a good anti rust agent.

I hope that helps answer questions? The Sentry kit runs around $23.95 and is worth it. Metal Glow is about $6 to $8 (?) and is worth getting as it really aids in eliminating rust and also for it's rust inhibiting agent.

[faydee]

this thread reminds me i need to pull out my dagger it has been in the closest forever... it is like a 14" blade *stabby stabby*

[Ruminus]

it is like a 14" blade *stabby stabby*