stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 14, 2019 5:51:55 GMT
So I am thinking about getting a rather pricey and old antique sword soon and I would like to know from some of the more experienced antique collectors whats some tips and tricks and general dos and donts about antiques? Any and all info will be helpful in my quest to maintain and preserve this antique as long as possible. Also is Ren Wax really that much more efficient then oil? I know you have to use more oil but idk I've always prefered oil antique in question
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Post by viece on Feb 14, 2019 11:36:11 GMT
Wow, congrats! Looking forward to a longer writeup about this new acquisition.
I think the main thing with nice and/or unique antiques is not to restore them, just stabilize/conserve. I take off clearly active orange or red rust with mild cloths and brushes, then seal everything. With very common and recent antiques, like some of the British military swords Matt Easton presents (or the Italian 1871 I just got from Corvus Corax), I think most people are ok with restoration work such as polishing back to as-new condition because it doesn't risk depriving the historical record of unique data or stories.
I use Renaissance Wax to seal everything because it is fine on any material. With regular oil you run the risk of degrading organic components. I like the fact that you can put Ren Wax on leather, wood, etc. It also allows you to handle pieces with no residue transfer.
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Post by randomnobody on Feb 14, 2019 13:56:45 GMT
Personally, I don't put anything on mine. I touch them often, too. Granted, I always make a point to wipe them off with dry cloth before putting them away. Usually it's just my shirt.
I run a window air conditioner year-round, as even though it's 30 outside right now it'll be hot later because Virginia. This probably helps keep humidity within the room at a pretty stable/low level, so nothing really feels the need to rust.
It looks like yours doesn't have a scabbard, so I'd just hang it up somewhere safe (where it won't fall) and wipe it down every so often.
Then there's the white glove crowd...
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Post by pellius on Feb 14, 2019 14:05:11 GMT
Nice sword.
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Post by Jordan Williams on Feb 14, 2019 14:31:10 GMT
I just use oil. I spray some Olive oil on a rag and wipe down the blades and steel components I have. For organic material you'll need specifics on what it is.
I handle mine fairly frequently and usually prefer to use some leather gloves, but that's because I usually collect military sabres and gloves would have been the norm with them anyways.
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 14, 2019 20:56:16 GMT
Thanks for the info guys, it does come with a scabbard made for it, just not pictured
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Post by elbrittania39 on Feb 14, 2019 21:02:28 GMT
I prefer mineral oil personally. Its got less of a scent and color than olive oil. But for my swords, i just dab a little on with a paper towel an make sure its spread around enough. Remember that if you wear gloves while handling, you will reduce the frequency at which you need to oil. Also, remember NOT to oil anything besides the steel. Some oils can harm leather and cloth. With antiques in general, I'd also advise not doing anything to them you arent 100% confident in. There's no worse feeling than trying to do some work on an antique then damaging it in some way. Leave that stuff for the the Uhlan's of the world
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
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Post by Ifrit on Feb 14, 2019 21:06:41 GMT
With mine, I leave them as is. I like the patina. I will polish off orange rust, but the darker stuff I enjoy the look of
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Post by elbrittania39 on Feb 14, 2019 21:08:42 GMT
With mine, I leave them as is. I like the patina. I will polish off orange rust, but the darker stuff I enjoy the look of Yeah, to each their own there. Theres nothing wrong with dark patina, but I prefer an antique that has been professionally cleaned
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 14, 2019 21:34:43 GMT
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Ifrit
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More edgy than a double edge sword
Posts: 3,284
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Post by Ifrit on Feb 14, 2019 22:03:39 GMT
With mine, I leave them as is. I like the patina. I will polish off orange rust, but the darker stuff I enjoy the look of Yeah, to each their own there. Theres nothing wrong with dark patina, but I prefer an antique that has been professionally cleaned Maybe if I got mine professionally cleaned I would be on board with you haha. I tend to be easily satisfied and fool myself into believing I wanted it that way
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 14, 2019 22:09:47 GMT
any opinions if i should get mine professionally cleaned? probably not as nice as the other side as i dont want to take to take off any material but rather just a bit less patina
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Post by elbrittania39 on Feb 14, 2019 22:11:24 GMT
any opinions if i should get mine professionally cleaned? probably not as nice as the other side as i dont want to take to take off any material but rather just a bit less patina This one? Probably not. Its particularly old and some of the patina, like that on the hilt, I don't think could be removed at all.
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 14, 2019 22:14:29 GMT
any opinions if i should get mine professionally cleaned? probably not as nice as the other side as i dont want to take to take off any material but rather just a bit less patina This one? Probably not. Its particularly old and some of the patina, like that on the hilt, I don't think could be removed at all. oh i was planning on only having the blade restored, not the fittings, those i plan on keeping as is
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 23:50:12 GMT
To me and my issues, I generally prefer clean and dry. Oil can attract dust and waxes can trap deep set active rust below the black stuff. Ron Ruble had/has a routine that utilizes only Johnson paste wax. Not only to rub at dirt but to then cover the object. Ron has been around a long time and another of my first internet bookmarks. Here at his arms peak about 2000 web.archive.org/web/20001204172600/http://ruble-enterprises.com/web.archive.org/web/20001204192900/http://www.ruble-enterprises.com/restoration.htmI bought a spadroon from him in 2008 (I had been watching it for eight years). It had received the paste wax routine. I can't agree that the wax truly conserved the item because under the black/gray crust was soft crumbly active red rust. I have not gone further than clean off the crud and red dust under it and the corrosion is now mostly stabilized. The foible almost porous at the tip. In a few more decades under the wax, it would only have gotten worse. Here with another problem sword I received unmessed with from Carolina Collectors in 2009. (I like to collect siblings of straight and curved). Blue&Gilt with the dreaded red spots are somewhat measles of doom. Be really careful using solvents around old nitre blue&gilt. Some do use Renaissance Wax and other candy coatings on old b&g. I don't, nor oil. Windex and other alchohol based stuff for cleaning the more complete b&g blades. I have been known to try almost anything once and for candy coatings like silicon spray and even the old nu-finish auto type stuff. Gun cloths (silicon) and any number of weapon treatments. Hey, they are weapons right? I've been meaning to try Ballistol. I do keep WD-40 around for cutting parties but at the end of the day, clean and dry still mostly reigns my roost. I see a huge gap between conservation and restoration but I do combine both at times. In the end, how far one goes is really up to the owner but consider traditions, especially with old Japanese stuff. Michael D Long in the UK sells a great deal of swords that have been buffed out. Some may be shocked when they come across Matt Easton with a drill and wire wheel having at it. Hey, we all progress and have our own reasoning. His drill reasoning that it is quicker and not going to truly destroy what isn't terribly valuable. Just be aware when looking at Matt's stuff. He is progressing, just like most of us do. Look to his experience after finding about Evapo-Rust on Sword Forum International. There are videos and many restoration/conservation links, pages, threads. Many. I have a recent example of idle easy cleaning of a 220 year old spadroon in the military section here. I would never insist any follow my own little shop of horrors but I have some tricks and tips that work for me. Uhlan does do some very in depth restorations and some of those go beyond what one would have found off the shelf, or issued to a trooper. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but think about the next owner . Some cleaning and fixes can raise value. Other times it ends up reducing some subjective market values. So, clean and dry most of the time for me. I am still using up an ancient can of automotive silicon glaze on some blades as a study and I adored Nevr-Dull until I used up a can of it. Simi-chrome. I was just touching up an acrylic watch crystal with toothpaste but usually go with 1200 wet dry and Simi-chrome to rid light scratching on stuff. I've also used brewed coffee, polystyrene pellets and cyanoacrylate to patch a Japanese rayskin grip. Baking soda, dilute peroxide. Electric and manual toothbrushes. Dental picks. Dental floss. Light oil and steel wool (yuck but it works quick). Lots of wet dry papers, cloths, plastic scrubbies. I like the edge of a coin and Chore Boy copper scrubbies. Some use aluminum foil and oil or water. Plastic scrubbies. Pecards antique leather dressing. It is mostly beeswax It brought back a 200+ year old scabbard that was turning into dry rot dust. It does though darken and stiffen. Some swear by lanolin. Some leather treatments soften old leather to the point of stretching out of shape. Be careful. I should lightly clean some active rust off my old haudegen but it already has about three hundred years more experience than I do and is in much better shape
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 15, 2019 0:15:06 GMT
thanks for the info dude, Im thinking ill have the blade restored professionally, I am gonna try my best to not destroy this 400+ year old antique
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 1:00:56 GMT
The overall condition is such that you would be better off having a maker recreate one, if you want something shiny. Restoring it, as in to as good serviceable, as in ready to war with. Well the pitting is quite deep. To make in a uniform height/depth would take a lot of stock removal..
To just brighten it some, one could start with cleaning but it seems it already has been. The heavy scale rust removed, leaving overall pitting. The Evapo-Rust stuff would brighten things a a bit but to be honest, I would need much higher resolution images to see what is going on there.
Do you have the sword in hand at this point? It looks like it probably had an acid dip to remove the heavy corrosion and then wiped down a bit after. Some light rust now at the base of the blade. I would start by washing the blade first in a baking soda solution and scrubbing with a regular old fingernail/hand brush or even larger. The grip wrapping a later addition, almost guaranteed. Added for a display aesthetic.
Edit Not bigger images per se but larger resolution.
The blade almost looks modern to me and plated, anodized or something. Active rust under the grip wrap. The blade treatment maybe after having been acid washed.
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stormmaster
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 15, 2019 1:08:28 GMT
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 1:13:24 GMT
Ok, I guess my take is just wrong. I wouldn't do a thing except the rust under the wrap would bug me but I guess that is fresh(?) wood
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stormmaster
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I like viking/migration era swords
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Post by stormmaster on Feb 15, 2019 1:15:37 GMT
Ok, I guess my take is just wrong. I wouldn't do a thing except the rust under the wrap would bug me. u mean the grip wrap? its a wood core pictures enlarge on the site if u open in new tab
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