Caring for Antique Swords
In the realm of modern sword collecting, a sword can be used a decoration or a piece of weapon, or both. A sword collector aims to boast a collection of good-looking antique swords. Taking care of swords as just as important as expanding the array of your sword collection. To achieve gleaming and rust-free swords, one should maintain the good condition these swords have since the day you first got them. Read on for tips and suggestions to maintain antique swords you have.
Rust-free
When it comes to swords, humidity plays a crucial factor whether your collection develop rust or not. It is wise to store your collection in a sealed case with enough desiccants to maintain humidity below about 30% to avoid getting rust, most especially in high humidity areas.
Look for ways to protect your swords from skin contact. Upon any contact between bare hands and steel swords will leave oils and salts that will devour its way into your blade and eventually leave pits. Another effective way to avoid rust is not touching the blade and wipes it off once it is touched. Exposed steel will most probably rust over time. Inspect your swords at least once a year and look for new rusty areas. Use fine steel wool or Nev-R-Dull on them.
In cases when your swords have rusts. Two methods can be tapped to clean the rust off the steel: chemicals and abrasion cleaning.
Chemical Cleaning
This method of applying chemicals is the simplest way to clean swords. With a quick application of light oil to the blade, let it sit for a few minutes before wiping with a soft cloth. Repeat the procedure for signs of stubborn rusts. It will remove any loose scale and prevent any further damage to the sword.
Nev-R-Dull is the most recommended for a mild chemical cleaner. This chemical cleaner is simply a penetrating oil and cotton wadding. It is an inexpensive and safe to use as it removes light surface rust and dirt after wiping it off. It is a great solution for rusts caused by light handling and humidity.
Abrasive Cleaning
The top choices to remove light surface rust are oil and steel. Abrasive cleaning doesn’t require special training since you basically rub the surface with the options mentioned below to make your swords rust-free. “Scotch Brite” pads and olive oils can do the trick for the more kitchen inclined collectors.
A piece of copper used to rub the steel will remove the rust as well. Coper is a better alternative to iron because copper is softer than iron hence won’t scratch the surface as well. A brass wire brush works the same way but only effective for swords heavily pitted with rust. Make sure to test it a small area first before rubbing the whole blade. Better yet, test if abrasive cleaning would leave scratches on the blade.
To Clean or Not to Clean
Closely monitor the blades to see when it is cleaning time. Do clean when handling (skin contact) has been made. For small or noticeable spots of rusts, decide the kind of cleaning suitable for the antique swords. Keep in mind not to harm the blade and create more harm than good thereby destroying its value.
Do not attempt to clean the blade when you wish to transform an old sword to make it look new. Don’t try to polish any brass parts of the sword since it destroys the patina.
Caution
Remember not to take cleaning of swords lightly. The blade is extremely sharp and can cause serious injury when mishandled. Never clean or oil the blade holding the edge towards you. Use discretion and common sense when working around other people. When in doubt or any signs of obvious damage of your antique sword during cleaning, it is wise to halt the cleaning and consult a professional.
January 06 2009 | antique swords | 2 Comments »