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Keeping your blades clean and in good shape


Jib

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How do you folks keep your blades looking good? I imagine events around salt water can make a real mess of decent sword, axe, or dagger. What is your process and materials to keep your items from falling apart.

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I have a box in my seachest for blade care. It contains:

A small flat file for taking out nicks.

A pocket sized tri hone for sharpening

A piece of green hardware cloth for touch up.

A piece of 120 grit wet and dry paper for more serious rust.

A bottle of honing oil.

A bottle of BreakFree for general oiling.

This will take care of anything that happens in the field. Obviously, for serious work I have buffing wheels and belt sanders in the shop.

Hawkyns

Cannon add dignity to what otherwise would be merely an ugly brawl

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if I am to be judged, let me be judged in the pure light of history, not the harsh glare of modern trends.

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I cold-rust blued my blade. Now it is an evil-looking blue-black and needs almost no maintenance. See Foxe's post on his gargoyle head sword for an example of a blued blade.

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My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...

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Well, I am a lazy SOB - I steel wool them free of rust and spray a little Acrylic laquer on them - they never rust ever again and you never even know the laquer is there. Been out for days in saltwater and nary even a spot of rust or deterioration. I know, not period. But with 20 swords in my bucket in the living room, the easy way to go.

I hate removing rust.

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The best way to clean a blade is to stick it in a Spaniard, or several if they're running in groups. But make sure to lick all the blood off before putting it away, because blood is corrosive.

John,

Funny that you mention this. I am the Spanish Captian for the Royal Navy Experience and I hope to apply these techniques to my armor as well as my arms this year. Wearing a breast and back plate, morion, and sword everybody wants to "touch me". I am covered with rust and dust at the end of the day. I have been using Hoppes Gun Cleaning oil but wondered if one of you had a better idea.

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Well, I am a lazy SOB - I steel wool them free of rust and spray a little Acrylic laquer on them - they never rust ever again and you never even know the laquer is there. Been out for days in saltwater and nary even a spot of rust or deterioration. I know, not period. But with 20 swords in my bucket in the living room, the easy way to go.

I hate removing rust.

-- Hurricane

I follow the same practice and after living in Ocracoke and Hatteras Island for 11 years and wearing my Blackbeard gear to work everyday you can imagine how much saltwater I came in contact with. No rust on my gear either

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  • 7 months later...

Well to start off i keep my sheaths clean and well oiled.on the last one i made i coated the inside with beeswax.still undecided if that was wise or not.for the knives themselves usually just a little 000 steel wool every now and then.

Here at metal wackers forge.....um....well... we wack metal.

http://www.colonialseaport.org/

http://www.creweofthearchangel.com/

http://www.blackbeardscrew.org/

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Would you folks recommend some of these same techniques for fencing blades that see a lot of use (sometimes outdoors and in damp weather)?

Captain Jack McCool, landlocked pirate extraordinaire, Captain of the dreaded prairie schooner Ill Repute, etc. etc.

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"That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel, and a hull, and a deck, and sails. That’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is… what the Black Pearl really is… is freedom."

-Captain Jack Sparrow

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4-0 steel wool and marvel mystery oil, store out of the scabbard. Works in MO where we know a thing or two about rust and humidity. :D The blades tend to age naturally same as the locks, barrels and iron parts on firelocks. I love that neutral steel-grey color that comes with natural oxidation!

Bo

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  • 1 year later...

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