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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 2, 2016 3:55:27 GMT
Here's the flaking I mentioned earlier: At least that's what I think it is, but I'm not really sure... Perhaps it's just very localized tarnish? The edge around the spot seems rather sharp though which leads me to believe the surface layer has actually fallen off... Do you know anything about this Dave? Is the end cap and back ridge also solid brass, and do I dare polish it? Well, I'm happy the brass polishing turned out okay in the end. I had similar discoloration on my Swedish 1893. I'm not sure if it's tarnish, or some paint they put on it? In my case, it came right off following some polish with Brasso. My 1893 enlisted guard is solid brass. Seeing as how your is dented up a bit (brass is squishy), and it's response to the polish, I'd say yours is solid brass too. For the record, I believe brass polish is a no-no for plated surfaces. The ammonia will leech out the copper sub-plating.
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 2, 2016 4:07:32 GMT
Also, thanks for the pictures and the updates! You seem to be very involved in your work, and it's great to see every step of the process!
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Post by Bushido on Feb 2, 2016 12:11:18 GMT
Well, I'm happy the brass polishing turned out okay in the end. I had similar discoloration on my Swedish 1893. I'm not sure if it's tarnish, or some paint they put on it? In my case, it came right off following some polish with Brasso. My 1893 enlisted guard is solid brass. Seeing as how your is dented up a bit (brass is squishy), and it's response to the polish, I'd say yours is solid brass too. For the record, I believe brass polish is a no-no for plated surfaces. The ammonia will leech out the copper sub-plating. Also, thanks for the pictures and the updates! You seem to be very involved in your work, and it's great to see every step of the process! Yeah, so am I. I decided to try cleaning it gently before going full polish and the black stuff that looked like flaking did come off with some work, so I decided to continue and it turned out ok in the end :) I think you're right, and if it would've been plating and not solid I would've left it alone for risk of fuining the intact plating. But luckily it seems solid :) Thanks a lot man, I'm glad you like it! :)
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 3, 2016 5:16:16 GMT
I got an 1869 and 1893 enlisted in my (comparatively) pathetic Swedish collection. Dave Kelly is right- these tend to be undervalued; I picked up both of these for less than 300USD. Compare to an equivalent Brit or German period sword. Also, agreed that the 1869 is most excellent.
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 3, 2016 5:19:54 GMT
Also just a heads up: I've been warned AGAINST using gun oil/military oil on brass or plated surfaces. Apparently some formulations will dissolve copper (makes sense, seeing as they're designed to clean gun residue containing copper). Brass obviously contains copper as a main alloying ingredient, and many nickle plating are done over a copper sub-surface.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 3, 2016 6:05:45 GMT
Also just a heads up: I've been warned AGAINST using gun oil/military oil on brass or plated surfaces. Apparently some formulations will dissolve copper (makes sense, seeing as they're designed to clean gun residue containing copper). Brass obviously contains copper as a main alloying ingredient, and many nickle plating are done over a copper sub-surface. Only had one catastrophe using advanced synth oils. Got a Puerto Seguro Spanish sword that was painted gold; gold and silver solutions were routinely done for tropical service, believing it to be a means to reduce corrosion. The oil penetrated the paint and wound up with white mottling all over the sword, needs being to remove all the surface coating. (oops!)
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Post by Bushido on Feb 4, 2016 1:37:28 GMT
Thanks for the warning guys, I've only used the gun oil on the blade and a very light coat on the scabbard. I'll try and avoid getting it on the brass covered parts Another question though... I don't know if it was the sweat from my palms or if i accidentally got a little water on the leather handle, but it's starting to disintegrate. The top layer, the black finish so to speak, is flaking and tearing off from the slightest rub. Any ideas on what i can do to prevent it from further falling apart and restoring the black finish? Some brown spots starting to shine through where it's flaking...
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Post by Bushido on Feb 4, 2016 1:39:42 GMT
I got an 1869 and 1893 enlisted in my (comparatively) pathetic Swedish collection. Dave Kelly is right- these tend to be undervalued; I picked up both of these for less than 300USD. Compare to an equivalent Brit or German period sword. Also, agreed that the 1869 is most excellent. Those look really nice man, and a good price you got them for too! Congrats! :D
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 4, 2016 5:03:52 GMT
Thanks for the warning guys, I've only used the gun oil on the blade and a very light coat on the scabbard. I'll try and avoid getting it on the brass covered parts Another question though... I don't know if it was the sweat from my palms or if i accidentally got a little water on the leather handle, but it's starting to disintegrate. The top layer, the black finish so to speak, is flaking and tearing off from the slightest rub. Any ideas on what i can do to prevent it from further falling apart and restoring the black finish? Some brown spots starting to shine through where it's flaking... Uh-oh... I'm not sure what to make of that :/ I can't imagine it being related to water though. Last I checked, cows (and thus leather) are waterproof. I've put gun oil on brass and nickle-plating before without ill effect- however, I think over time, it may start eating through. I switched to renaissance wax
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Post by Bushido on Feb 4, 2016 22:05:56 GMT
Thanks for the warning guys, I've only used the gun oil on the blade and a very light coat on the scabbard. I'll try and avoid getting it on the brass covered parts :) Another question though... I don't know if it was the sweat from my palms or if i accidentally got a little water on the leather handle, but it's starting to disintegrate. The top layer, the black finish so to speak, is flaking and tearing off from the slightest rub. Any ideas on what i can do to prevent it from further falling apart and restoring the black finish? Some brown spots starting to shine through where it's flaking... Uh-oh... I'm not sure what to make of that :/ I can't imagine it being related to water though. Last I checked, cows (and thus leather) are waterproof. I've put gun oil on brass and nickle-plating before without ill effect- however, I think over time, it may start eating through. I switched to renaissance wax I dunno if it's only the black surface finish flaking or if it's the actual leather falling apart... Masybe it's just old and badly cared for... I'll try some leather ointment and see how it goes. Rennaisance wax was actually my plan for the brass parts all along, so that sounds comforting! :)
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 5, 2016 16:51:30 GMT
So if gun-oil is a no-no for brass/plated surfaces (for the aforementioned reasons), does anyone know if sword oils (like Hanwei sword oil or traditional Japanese oils) are okay?
I'd imagine they wouldn't be as aggressive as gun-oils (which are designed for cleaning), but I don't want to find out the hard way that they are incomparable...
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Post by bfoo2 on Feb 27, 2016 17:13:47 GMT
Thanks for the warning guys, I've only used the gun oil on the blade and a very light coat on the scabbard. I'll try and avoid getting it on the brass covered parts Another question though... I don't know if it was the sweat from my palms or if i accidentally got a little water on the leather handle, but it's starting to disintegrate. The top layer, the black finish so to speak, is flaking and tearing off from the slightest rub. Any ideas on what i can do to prevent it from further falling apart and restoring the black finish? Some brown spots starting to shine through where it's flaking... Hey! Just wondering if you ever solved that flaking leather issue. Dave mentioned that the grips on these are black rubber over wood. On my example (and about half of the other examples I've seen on the internet), the rubber has been lost, leaving bare wood. I suspect that's what's happening to yours. The bare wood itself still looks pretty good, but nowhere near as nice as the wire-wrapped black you have. I'm not sure what can be done to keep the rubber down. Perhaps it turns brittle with age? I'd be hesitant to put any adhesive onto the underlying wood, since it'll be a pain to remove from the porous surface.
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Post by Dave Kelly on Feb 28, 2016 21:57:08 GMT
I missed all of this. For rubber or leather loss there are repair kits. Basically a polystyrene solution and a bottle of dye to color match. Carful application of the hardener will bond things back together and you can color in with dye or an indelible marker. Hope that helps.
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Post by Bushido on Mar 3, 2016 13:44:57 GMT
Hey! Just wondering if you ever solved that flaking leather issue. Dave mentioned that the grips on these are black rubber over wood. On my example (and about half of the other examples I've seen on the internet), the rubber has been lost, leaving bare wood. I suspect that's what's happening to yours. The bare wood itself still looks pretty good, but nowhere near as nice as the wire-wrapped black you have. I'm not sure what can be done to keep the rubber down. Perhaps it turns brittle with age? I'd be hesitant to put any adhesive onto the underlying wood, since it'll be a pain to remove from the porous surface. I haven't done anything to it yet, more than apply a light coating of leather oil followed by some ren wax just to try and keep it stable. After that I left it alone and tried not to handle it too much for fear of making it worse... But Dave's tip sounds very promising so maybe I'll try that!! I'l keep you guys posted on how it develops!
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Post by Bushido on Mar 3, 2016 13:45:43 GMT
I missed all of this. For rubber or leather loss there are repair kits. Basically a polystyrene solution and a bottle of dye to color match. Carful application of the hardener will bond things back together and you can color in with dye or an indelible marker. Hope that helps. It helps a lot Dave, thanks very much for the tip! You wouldn't happen to know where I can get my hands on some of that repair stuff?
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Post by Dave Kelly on Mar 3, 2016 23:11:22 GMT
I missed all of this. For rubber or leather loss there are repair kits. Basically a polystyrene solution and a bottle of dye to color match. Carful application of the hardener will bond things back together and you can color in with dye or an indelible marker. Hope that helps. It helps a lot Dave, thanks very much for the tip! You wouldn't happen to know where I can get my hands on some of that repair stuff? www.leatherworldtech.com/Leather-Repair-Kits-s/1817.htmYou can go crazy here, but all you need is a bottle of filler and some dye(s). Mix a little dye with the filler then patch or fill gently. Let dry. Filler will dehydrate as it sets. May needs some more finishing and dye to complete.
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Post by Bushido on Mar 9, 2016 19:22:22 GMT
It helps a lot Dave, thanks very much for the tip! You wouldn't happen to know where I can get my hands on some of that repair stuff? www.leatherworldtech.com/Leather-Repair-Kits-s/1817.htmYou can go crazy here, but all you need is a bottle of filler and some dye(s). Mix a little dye with the filler then patch or fill gently. Let dry. Filler will dehydrate as it sets. May needs some more finishing and dye to complete. Awesome, thanks very much!! Sounds perfect for me! :D
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