|
Post by paulmuaddib on Aug 7, 2019 20:57:22 GMT
Mineral oil is a distillation cut from petroleum. In it's pharmaceutical grades it's used in many consumer products, including eyedrops, laxatives, and skin care products. It's one of the GRAS compounds ( Generally Recognized As Safe) by the US FDA... mainly because we've been using it on ourselves for over a century now. Learn something new everyday. Thanks Exeter
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 8, 2019 1:01:25 GMT
Sounds like good stuff. I will have to order some and give it a try. I like Ballistol because of the fact that it is also non-toxic and works well with organic materials, but the smell really bothers some people. Frog Lube smells of mint. Pure old mint. I changed from Break Free to it and have never regretted it. I buy the paste and use it on a rag. That definitely sounds better than the licorice and locker room smell of Ballistol. I am not knocking Ballistol. It is great stuff, but it definitely has a distinctive smell.
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 8, 2019 1:05:43 GMT
Are you saying that Frog Lube is not what frogs use when they want to make tadpoles?
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 8, 2019 1:27:29 GMT
I hadn't considered using a gun safe for swords, but, it sounds like a great idea especially for people who might have over-curious children. How many swords were you able to fit in one safe comfortably? Also, I have heard of people using oxygen absorbers in gun safes to help protect their firearms for long term storage (since rust is oxidized iron). I think that using protective coatings is a better idea, but I guess this couldn't hurt if you aren't opening the safe very often. I only had two swords at the time and neither were in the safe. They were stored elsewhere. There is no reason why swords could not be stored in a gun safe. It would certainly keep unwanted fingers off of them. Mothballs in an controlled atmosphere will prevent rust. I stored my iron mould blocks for casting bullets in ammo cans after wrapping with aluminium foil along with the mothballs and never a rust problem. That discovery was a real blessing as prior to that I would oil the blocks and it seemed like it took forever before they would cast decently during the next use. With the mothballs once I got everything up to temperature it was a go. I was careful not to touch the blocks with my bare hands. At one time I used a desiccant as well in the safe but found it unnecessary in that case. As for the size of the safes I don’t remember. I think one was rated at 30 and the slightly smaller or larger. I didn’t manage to cram a few extras in and I am talking of rifles. One or both had a shelf that I used for my pistols and other stuff I wanted secured. Sounds like a good solid idea all around. Now I am wondering what other methods people use to store swords. It seems like you always see people displaying them on their walls, but that isn't always practical.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Thorfinn on Aug 8, 2019 15:09:13 GMT
Wax coatings...at least for me. I live in the humid midwest...
|
|
Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,625
|
Post by Zen_Hydra on Aug 8, 2019 15:39:46 GMT
Are you saying that Frog Lube is not what frogs use when they want to make tadpoles? It's worse than that, frogs don't even copulate. They spawn. Which doesn't seem like much fun at all.
|
|
|
Post by rannh1 on Aug 8, 2019 16:27:48 GMT
I will definitely look at frog lube or just plain mineral oil. My family can't deal with the ballistol smell at all.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Thorfinn on Aug 8, 2019 18:19:10 GMT
One thing to note, and maybe I need to put on my tin foil hat first... Some things work better for some swords than others. If I were to rationalize it, I'd think it's due to differences in metal. Or maybe the phase of the moon... But I have one sword that crusts in a month with Ren Wax...but sits forever in mineral oil...
|
|
|
Post by Cosmoline on Aug 8, 2019 20:12:25 GMT
I use 3in1 and a variety of gun oils. But regardless of what I use to oil it, I've found that working blades get rusty. So I periodically use flitz "toothpaste" style polish with 0000 grade steel wool on the sparring steel.
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 9, 2019 1:33:22 GMT
Are you saying that Frog Lube is not what frogs use when they want to make tadpoles? It's worse than that, frogs don't even copulate. They spawn. Which doesn't seem like much fun at all. True! You have to wonder what combination of instincts and hormones makes this happen.
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 9, 2019 1:39:36 GMT
One thing to note, and maybe I need to put on my tin foil hat first... Some things work better for some swords than others. If I were to rationalize it, I'd think it's due to differences in metal. Or maybe the phase of the moon... But I have one sword that crusts in a month with Ren Wax...but sits forever in mineral oil... You know, I don't think this is such a crazy idea. There are so many different types of steel in use out there and, from a chemical standpoint, every time you change the composition you change how it reacts. Take stainless steel when compared to high carbon steel. Both are called steel, but they both react at drastically different rates to the presence of oxygen. For the same reason, I have even wondered about a number of the statements that are made comparing the design of historical blades to modern blades. Except for maybe authentically produced katanas, is comparing two swords made of different substances really comparing apples to apples?
|
|
|
Post by MOK on Aug 9, 2019 8:32:38 GMT
For the same reason, I have even wondered about a number of the statements that are made comparing the design of historical blades to modern blades. Except for maybe authentically produced katanas, is comparing two swords made of different substances really comparing apples to apples? Depends on what about them you're comparing! I'm sure there are differences in corrosion resistance and long term durability between, say, Albion's the Soborg and the actual sword found at Søborg Castle (even assuming brand new condition for both), but I'm also equally confident there's no meaningful difference between them in handling dynamics and short term performance.
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 10, 2019 1:19:09 GMT
For the same reason, I have even wondered about a number of the statements that are made comparing the design of historical blades to modern blades. Except for maybe authentically produced katanas, is comparing two swords made of different substances really comparing apples to apples? Depends on what about them you're comparing! I'm sure there are differences in corrosion resistance and long term durability between, say, Albion's the Soborg and the actual sword found at Søborg Castle (even assuming brand new condition for both), but I'm also equally confident there's no meaningful difference between them in handling dynamics and short term performance. I am sure you're right, MOK. And, for the record, I am not arguing for the superiority of either historical or modern versions. I am just thinking that due to information and manufacturing practices that have changed or lost with the passage of time that there are probably differences. Even modern electronics which are manufactured with very specific tolerances using the same schematics can perform differently based on where they are manufactured. So, I am thinking that for something like swords where the materials that were originally used may not be available and the original techniques used may not have been passed down, then you end up with products that could sometimes vary in surprising ways.
|
|
|
Post by MOK on Aug 10, 2019 6:17:23 GMT
Depends on what about them you're comparing! I'm sure there are differences in corrosion resistance and long term durability between, say, Albion's the Soborg and the actual sword found at Søborg Castle (even assuming brand new condition for both), but I'm also equally confident there's no meaningful difference between them in handling dynamics and short term performance. I am sure you're right, MOK. And, for the record, I am not arguing for the superiority of either historical or modern versions. I am just thinking that due to information and manufacturing practices that have changed or lost with the passage of time that there are probably differences. Even modern electronics which are manufactured with very specific tolerances using the same schematics can perform differently based on where they are manufactured. So, I am thinking that for something like swords where the materials that were originally used may not be available and the original techniques used may not have been passed down, then you end up with products that could sometimes vary in surprising ways. Sure, and that's pretty much the point of experimental archaeology and of reproducing archaeological artifacts: we can't have the actual items as they were when made and used, centuries and millennia ago, but we can analyze their materials and construction to the limits of modern science - right down to their molecular structure, budgets allowing - and make reproductions that are as close as possible to how they once were, and see how those work. And, indeed, the results aren't always what you'd expect! If they were, the whole exercise would be pointless.
|
|
|
Post by pvsampson on Aug 10, 2019 6:33:18 GMT
I only had two swords at the time and neither were in the safe. They were stored elsewhere. There is no reason why swords could not be stored in a gun safe. It would certainly keep unwanted fingers off of them. Mothballs in an controlled atmosphere will prevent rust. I stored my iron mould blocks for casting bullets in ammo cans after wrapping with aluminium foil along with the mothballs and never a rust problem. That discovery was a real blessing as prior to that I would oil the blocks and it seemed like it took forever before they would cast decently during the next use. With the mothballs once I got everything up to temperature it was a go. I was careful not to touch the blocks with my bare hands. At one time I used a desiccant as well in the safe but found it unnecessary in that case. As for the size of the safes I don’t remember. I think one was rated at 30 and the slightly smaller or larger. I didn’t manage to cram a few extras in and I am talking of rifles. One or both had a shelf that I used for my pistols and other stuff I wanted secured. Sounds like a good solid idea all around. Now I am wondering what other methods people use to store swords. It seems like you always see people displaying them on their walls, but that isn't always practical. There was a thread on myarmoury where a member used silicon gun socks and updated stating they were excellent for storing swords. Edit: Seems I read it recently,was easy to find myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=30644
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 10, 2019 15:43:00 GMT
Sounds like a good solid idea all around. Now I am wondering what other methods people use to store swords. It seems like you always see people displaying them on their walls, but that isn't always practical. There was a thread on myarmoury where a member used silicon gun socks and updated stating they were excellent for storing swords. Edit: Seems I read it recently,was easy to find myarmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=30644That sounds like a good idea to me.
|
|
|
Post by whattheheck on Aug 10, 2019 15:48:38 GMT
I am sure you're right, MOK. And, for the record, I am not arguing for the superiority of either historical or modern versions. I am just thinking that due to information and manufacturing practices that have changed or lost with the passage of time that there are probably differences. Even modern electronics which are manufactured with very specific tolerances using the same schematics can perform differently based on where they are manufactured. So, I am thinking that for something like swords where the materials that were originally used may not be available and the original techniques used may not have been passed down, then you end up with products that could sometimes vary in surprising ways. Sure, and that's pretty much the point of experimental archaeology and of reproducing archaeological artifacts: we can't have the actual items as they were when made and used, centuries and millennia ago, but we can analyze their materials and construction to the limits of modern science - right down to their molecular structure, budgets allowing - and make reproductions that are as close as possible to how they once were, and see how those work. And, indeed, the results aren't always what you'd expect! If they were, the whole exercise would be pointless. Very good point, MOK! To take this a step further, does anyone know what manufacturers participate in ventures like this, if any? (By this, I am referring to people doing research to the degree that MOK is describing and then providing replicas as a byproduct.)
|
|