Antique 16th century plate legs - or at least, they look like it (RemOil is BAD)

[Sir Edward]

Something that you can also use to help clean the surface is Windex, before moving on to the WD-40 and sealing with oil. Believe it or not, it's not too bad of a surface cleanser for this, since it's mildly soapy. You just have to be sure to get it all off.

[Joshua Santana]

Now that I know the differences between what I would have use in contrast to what I can use as an oil.  Now I feel much better prepared. 

[Sir William]

I currently use the Windlass spray-on protectant, forgot the name but its done the trick thus far...sorry to see that, Sir James...keep us posted as to the solution and the steps you took, in case it happens to one of us!

[Sir James A]

I currently use the Windlass spray-on protectant, forgot the name but its done the trick thus far...sorry to see that, Sir James...keep us posted as to the solution and the steps you took, in case it happens to one of us!

Oh, it's cleaned. I started right after I took the pic. It was rather laborious, though.

Wiped it down again.
CLR w/scotch brites.
Wiped down.
Repeat CLR w/scotch brites.
Wiped down.
Used a towel and rubbed CLR all over it, then sprayed it with WD-40 without wiping off that CLR, and let it sit for an hour.
Came back, wiped it down, and everything is clean except the tiny little crevices at the edges of articulation, and around the rim of the rivets.

I might try some CLR w/a q-tip later, and Allan gave me a tip via PM, too.

I also dug back through my emails, and found, of all things, floor wax is what's on the harness I bought:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/cleaning/cleaners/sc-johnson/16-oz-fine-paste-wood-wax-64825.html

It's available at my local home depot, and very reasonable in price. It worked so well on the rest of the harness (I didn't wear the legs from that harness), that I might give it a shot while I try to track down the BreakFree (which Allan also recommended too). Ah, and if the guy who sold me the harness is truthful (and I have no reason to doubt it), he said that while he was visiting the Met, he talked with someone who worked in the armor section who recommended that wax, since it's cheap and low/no acid. At $5 a can it's worth a try - could it be any worse than the RemOil?

[Joshua Santana]

Oh, it's cleaned. I started right after I took the pic. It was rather laborious, though.

Wiped it down again.
CLR w/scotch brites.
Wiped down.
Repeat CLR w/scotch brites.
Wiped down.
Used a towel and rubbed CLR all over it, then sprayed it with WD-40 without wiping off that CLR, and let it sit for an hour.
Came back, wiped it down, and everything is clean except the tiny little crevices at the edges of articulation, and around the rim of the rivets.

I might try some CLR w/a q-tip later, and Allan gave me a tip via PM, too.

I also dug back through my emails, and found, of all things, floor wax is what's on the harness I bought:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/cleaning/cleaners/sc-johnson/16-oz-fine-paste-wood-wax-64825.html

It's available at my local home depot, and very reasonable in price. It worked so well on the rest of the harness (I didn't wear the legs from that harness), that I might give it a shot while I try to track down the BreakFree (which Allan also recommended too). Ah, and if the guy who sold me the harness is truthful (and I have no reason to doubt it), he said that while he was visiting the Met, he talked with someone who worked in the armor section who recommended that wax, since it's cheap and low/no acid. At $5 a can it's worth a try - could it be any worse than the RemOil?

A lesson for me indeed, thank you Sir James! 

[Sir James A]

Okay, beyond a doubt, confirmed it's the gun oil. Last night while putting my armor back on the stand, I noticed the GDFB sabatons are rusting up really badly. Never worn them, because they look like clown shoes. They've sat there for a year and never had an ounce of surface rust. However, they're right next to where I cleaned the armor, and I'm betting I got some overspray on them. That's the only thing I can think of.

I also found a product called 'Iron Out' that has been doing well at removing the rust. It was, of all places, at Food Lion (or Safeway, or something ... a grocery store). I'll post more if I find out more.

[Sir James A]

I did a lot of searching and reading last night. Some updated info:

Okay, beyond a doubt, confirmed it's the gun oil.

I need to revise this to "One of the causes is spraying the gun oil."

I've got a test piece on my workbench that I used the RemOil on again. It's just some old junk half-gauntlets that I never even put gloves in. However, this time I sprayed the oil on a rag, and then wiped it onto the piece; Sir Brian mentioned this on Facebook in regards to Sir Edward's gauntlets, and I realized I had sprayed the oil directly onto the armor ... just like with WD-40. However, I read that spraying *too much* oil onto the piece will cause it to *attract* moisture, and still rust. That *might* be part of the cause. I saw a number of people on MyArmoury who recommended RemOil at some point, including Mike Edelson. Nobody mentioned how they were applying it, though.

And yet, I found another odd event. I'm selling my SCA kit; I don't have any plans to go back to SCA, haven't for years, it's not period correct, but it was my first harness so I kept hanging onto it. I said I'd clean it up a bit before shipping. I cleaned the upper half of the harness last night, and went to do some research online. After a couple hours, I went back to the garage ... the armor had complete (but thin) surface rust! I didn't use any of the RemOil on it, just CLR and WD-40. I started sensing a pattern.

This sounds stupid, and I think it is, but ... I have a "blue" CLR bottle, and a "grey" CLR bottle. The blue CLR is what I cleaned my SCA stuff with last night - it's the older bottle, and I try to use the oldest stuff first. I'm not 100%, since it's only been about 12 hours, but, I'm about 90% certain the blue CLR is what makes the armor rust. It's stupid, I don't know what the difference is, other than the blue one is by "ZEP", and says "Professional strength". Neither bottle lists active ingredients, or even an ingredients list.

I cleaned one side of one of my pieces that was rusted a lot from the VARF demo with the grey CLR - and so far, no rust has come back at all. In contrast, the part with the blue CLR is already changing color. I've cleaned, once again, my SCA gear, with the grey CLR, and so far, so good. The test piece which was just wiped off and then RemOil'd with a cloth is still clean, too.

I also found some interesting comparisons between WD-40 / RemOil / Breakfree CLP and a few other brands. I'll post that later in a separate thread. Hopefully I've found what's rusting everything so rapidly; it was so obvious, since almost every cleaning I used the CLR and then tried WD-40, or RemOil, or wax, or just blasting it dry with the air compressor - and in every single one of those, I used CLR first. The exception was "Iron Out", which I mentioned above - using that in place of the CLR, it didn't rust, but it didn't have the cleaning power of the CLR on the heavier rust.

Sir Edward, what color is your bottle of CLR?

Edit: Here's the two blue and grey CLRs
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100670289/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=clr&storeId=10051

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202751166&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&MERCH=REC-_-SearchPLPHorizontal1-1-_-NA-_-202751166-_-N

[Sir Edward]

I have a grey CLR.

Also, I discovered something else as well. I think the steal wool is part of the problem too. I only started using it recently (CLR doesn't work very well with just paper towels, it needs something mildly abrasive). I think the steel wool disintegrates a little, and the steel particles will also rust.

My gauntlets, after cleaning them again last weekend during the power outage, are already showing some slight rust, but only in a few places. The thing is, the rust is inside the oil, as I can wipe it off with a finger this time.

So I think I'm going to change strategy again and use scothbrites. The grey automotive ones are a medium abrasive, more-so than the steel wool, and so they WILL alter the steel's finish. So depending on the piece (shiny smooth ones, for instance), I may use the more mild kitchen scotchbrites. The medium grey automotive ones are what Albion uses, so they're just fine for the swords, and for armor with a more satin finish.

Something I've done in the past for some items is clean the surface with rubbing alcohol before hitting it sealants. It's not usually necessary, unless the item is actually dirty with something that you want to remove rather than seal in. But in the case of the CLR and particles of steel wool, perhaps the WD40 isn't enough to get it all out.

[Sir James A]

I have a grey CLR.

Also, I discovered something else as well. I think the steal wool is part of the problem too. I only started using it recently (CLR doesn't work very well with just paper towels, it needs something mildly abrasive). I think the steel wool disintegrates a little, and the steel particles will also rust.

My gauntlets, after cleaning them again last weekend during the power outage, are already showing some slight rust, but only in a few places. The thing is, the rust is inside the oil, as I can wipe it off with a finger this time.

So I think I'm going to change strategy again and use scothbrites. The grey automotive ones are a medium abrasive, more-so than the steel wool, and so they WILL alter the steel's finish. So depending on the piece (shiny smooth ones, for instance), I may use the more mild kitchen scotchbrites. The medium grey automotive ones are what Albion uses, so they're just fine for the swords, and for armor with a more satin finish.

Something I've done in the past for some items is clean the surface with rubbing alcohol before hitting it sealants. It's not usually necessary, unless the item is actually dirty with something that you want to remove rather than seal in. But in the case of the CLR and particles of steel wool, perhaps the WD40 isn't enough to get it all out.

Hmm, grey CLR, good, that makes me feel better since your rust was nowhere near the level of mine.

I have been doing all my cleaning with the scotch-brite pads, and it doesn't affect my armor's finish. I use the "ultra fine" grey pads, but not the automotive ones. They're in a white box with blue lettering: http://www.amazon.com/20Pk-Scotch-Brite-Gray-Ultra/dp/B000CQ6I7G

I cut them up into small squares, and depending how rusty they get, sometimes rinse them once or twice, but then toss them. At ~$1 per pad, and I cut the pad into 30 squares or so, they're about 3c each.

I think you might be onto something with the steel wool.

[Sir Wolf]

hmmm i always used the green scrubbies. man rust in the oil blah!

[Ian]

The last time I was in harness was about 2 months ago, and it got covered in a fine layer of dirt and crud from the Tampa ren faire.  All I did was come hope and wipe it down with a cloth to remove the dirt and apply a thin layer of Breakfree CLP.  Used a green scrubby on any areas that had a little surface rust.  My gauntlets are on display on the bookshelf in my living room and are exposed to humidity changes, and they haven't required a touch up in 2 months.  After about 24 hrs, Breakfree CLP tends to thicken up a bit and form a more protective layer on whatever you've applied it to, so far it's working like a charm!  You should be able to find it at any gun store, or online at amazon.

[Sir James A]

Two days later, and my "grey CLR" cleanings are still looking good.

The half gaunt plate with RemOil that I wiped on with a cloth looks good. The one I sprayed on has a few small rust spots forming up; nothing at all like what happened with the legs, though. Nowhere near it, just a few tiny, self-contained bits. The sabatons that started rusting, which I think from RemOil overspray, is just light surface rust; and that's ~6 weeks of time, too.

It's definitely looking like the culprit is the "blue CLR". Last test will be to rust up a plate with it later this week, to confirm.

Here's the comparison study I found: http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html I picked up a small bottle of the Eezox. I haven't found a local gun store yet (at least online) ... which seems crazy in West VA. Wal-Mart carries Breakfree, but something called "Breakfree blaster" and not the CLP. I'm hoping I can find somewhere local with it.

[Sir Edward]

There's a gun shop in Leesburg right on Catoctin Circle, if you want to check there. It's called Loudoun Guns.

[Sir Wolf]

hehehe get sucked in after oil, leave with 12 rifles... or is this just me?

[Sir James A]

hehehe get sucked in after oil, leave with 12 rifles... or is this just me?

Not me. I own no guns, except my grandfather's non-firing antique rifle.

I do have projectile weapons though.