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Post by Xamaeus on Sept 14, 2024 23:58:11 GMT
Hi everyone, I'm new in the sword world, I was told that I should oíl my sword so It doesn't get rust, is a sword with a polished finish and runes (an Anduril replica from TLotR), it's made of carbon steel and it's just something aesthetic, sometimes I use it for taking photos or just carrying around and playing with It (never for fighting or cutting or hitting), around 2 hours of use per day).
Im using 3 in 1 oil for the blade, but how often should I apply it? I bought the sword this Tuesday and after each use I oil it and clean with a microfiber cloth, after It I Store the sword in his box (it doesn't has an scabbard), but I'm worried that doing it so often is harmful, how often is it recommended?
Thanks for helping me with your advices and patience, I know is a bit largar but I really want to give a good maintenance to the sword.
ps: I live in a mid-low humid place.
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Post by larason2 on Sept 15, 2024 4:07:58 GMT
I'd recommend a lighter/clearer oil like mineral oil or as has been suggested, vaseline mixed with mineral oil if you've got some humidity. Aside from being gold coloured, three in one is pretty viscous, and you can end up with it hardening/gumming up on it. It's a great lubricant for drilling steel though, I use it all the time.
There's no hard and fast rule. If it rusts, you need to oil it more. Different swords will have different properties, and different environments affect swords differently. If you find oil beads up and doesn't like to stick to it, it needs vaseline and/or oiling more often. If it oils well, check on it periodically, more often at the beginning. If you're using it daily then oil it at least once per week. It's more important to clean and oil it if it gets prints or something on it than if it never gets touched or used.
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AndiTheBarvarian
Member
"Lord of the Memes"
Bavarianbarbarian - Semper Semprini
Posts: 10,327
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Post by AndiTheBarvarian on Sept 15, 2024 5:47:40 GMT
Without cutting and much drawing and sheathing a thin layer of vaseline should last for years.
Control after a few months.
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 15, 2024 6:13:19 GMT
Without cutting and much drawing and sheathing a thin layer of vaseline should last for years. Control after a few months. This. New leather sheaths have a break in time where you basically need to oil every few days because oil gets sucked up by the leather and petroleum jelly/Vaseline creates hardened plaques on the blade where the leather has direct contact, but it should not rust under there. Just unsightly and a bit harder to clean.
If you hang the bare blade and don't cut with it you could use wax, it's the most long time (removable) solution.
Rule of thumb for me is a month or two with oil, up to a year with petroleum jelly, a bit longer with wax and indefinately if you lacquer it. Oil you need to reapply after handling, jelly not neccessarily since it won't get flung off as easily.
Better often than having to remove rust.
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Post by jonnyupnorth on Sept 22, 2024 3:16:19 GMT
ballistol is what i use on all my knives, swords, and guns. it wont harm anything, smells good (to me) and wont gum up.
i have tried using renaissance wax in place of oil but what i found is with frequent handling, like daily, the wax rubs off, and you wont know until little rust stains begin to appear.
i find it is just easier to oil the sword after every handling, and then, if its too oily the next time you pick it up, wipe it off with a blue shop towel, and when you are done, re oil it with ballistol.
as for humidity i cant be of much help there. it gets humid here in the summer but probably nothing like Florida or similar places.i have the ac on and the swords stay at a consistent temperature and humidity. if i take them out into the hot humid air they quickly become wet with condensation. when this happens, i bring them in, wipe them off with a dry blue shop towel, then oil with ballistol.
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 22, 2024 11:05:05 GMT
In my personal experience Ballistol does gum up if left alone for a few months. And you will never get the smell away again, because for most people it does get annoying quickly when they have a lot of contact with it. It's basically mineral oil with anis and mint oil, some soap and a bit of hydroxide, so it can dissolve copper and its alloys from barrels (also the reason it shines up brass and copper instantly), which means it can also eat up brass if it collects somewhere - like between guard and blade. And because of the soapy component it's not as water resistant as pure mineral oil. At high humidity it can suck up water and get milky-white over time losing it's protective effect (weeks to months). TL;DR good for short time and if used in moderation as long as there isn't 80-90% humidity all the time and if you don't mind the smell. Not sure if anyone wants to know, but here it is:
I have now played around with hardwax oil a bit more. It's a wood finish but also sticks well to metal. It won't be as invisible as Renaissance Wax or car wax but the finish is much more durable (a bit less than polyurethane lacquer, the single component one, the 2-component PUR lacquers are even harder but I don't own one since I can only buy them in 2l bottles for almost 100€ and that's a bit much). It's basically lacquer you can remove with alcohol easily, you can also scratch it away with some sharp plastic implement. I have put it on some guards and pommels since the Renaissance Wax does rub off relatively quickly. Oiling alone isn't always enough to remove all agressive chemicals from grips after use or protect brass from tarnishing, that's why I like wax on grip parts. Since it is slightly visible, it might be easier to detect where the layer has been rubbed through. Here you can see the difference between bare steel and the wax on a brushed finish. This one is unpolished, you can get better results when you polish at the right time before it gets too hard, 10-30 minutes after application depending on conditions in the room like temp and humidity, I missed the mark here. Full hardness can take a few days.
Polyurethane based lacquer is quite a bit more resistant to abrasion but leaves a thicker, more visible layer (also needs more agressive solvents to remove). Hardwax oil is food safe as well. I like it for grips and guards, might like it for armour if I had any, but I am probably not going to put it on the blade - though it surely would work. I am not sure if you have to strip all to repair scratches or if you can just paint over those, I guess I'll see.
A good, durable long term solution you can get at any hardware store nowdays - in my opinion.
Also not all waxes are equal, I tried out one beeswax/carnauba wax/linseed oil mix that said it's specifically for metal and this one was so tacky and gross even after 2 weeks.... |
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