Rust, preventing and cleaning

[Sir Nate]

Maybe I will sell my helm, It has a bunch of dents, it is too small, my eyes are to low with my coif and arming cap on, my nose is squished. There is a bit of a rust spot on the side, etc etc. I already have a cheap helm to start practicing on .
But I have a feeling windex can't get rid of Dents

[Aiden of Oreland]

Paint inside??

[Sir Douglas]

Paint inside??

Yep. It's an easy way to prevent rust, and you don't usually see the inside anyway. Historically, it seems to have been somewhat common to paint the outside as well, though that's something you don't see a lot of in modern reenactment.

[Sir Rodney]

I use a flat black spray (shaker can) primer on the interior of my bascinet every time I tear it down to inspect and/or replace the padding.  Of course I do this after any rust spots have been wire wheeled away.  The interior of my visor seems to need it more often due to all the condensation from breathing hard.

[Sir James A]

I actually use spray-on truck bed liner. About the same price, and seems to hold up better than just paint.

[Aiden of Oreland]

Well now I know what I am doing when I get a helmet Man, armor maintenance is rough and time consuming! A lot for a beginner like me to remember! Is it possible to have a step by step list out on all this stuff? I would find that most useful! One for mail armor and the other on sword and plate. Because to be honest I don't really know what to do and would feel more comfortable with instructions. This is my personal opinion, most of you may read something or be better at putting stuff together.

[Ian]

Well now I know what I am doing when I get a helmet Man, armor maintenance is rough and time consuming! A lot for a beginner like me to remember! Is it possible to have a step by step list out on all this stuff? I would find that most useful! One for mail armor and the other on sword and plate. Because to be honest I don't really know what to do and would feel more comfortable with instructions. This is my personal opinion, most of you may read something or be better at putting stuff together.

Don't make it too complicated.

All I do to maintain all of my armor and swords and axes and daggers etc is this...

After I use it I wipe off any dirt or debris with a rag.  Then I put some BreakFree CLP (it's a firearm lubricant / solvent) on the armor directly and rub it gently with a gray scotch-brite pad.  Then I rub it again with a sock with some more oil on it to leave a very thin layer of oil.  Leave the oil on it, and put it away until next time.

The oil will thicken in to a nice film that protects your armor/sword/blade/axe/dagger blah blah until next use. 

If there's some rust on the inside of armor I do the same thing I do to the outside.  No paint, no bed liners, no turtle wax, no nothin'... just gun oil, fine grit scouring pad, and a rag.  Haven't had any issues in years.

I cleaned my entire kit, 3 swords, a dagger, and a poleaxe on Monday after the Order's function in DC and it took about 30 minutes total to do everything, and I won't have to do an ounce of maintenance again until I use it again at MTT.

BTW, I leave my helmet and gauntlets out on a bookshelf displayed, and they don't get any rust on them even after sitting in the open for months on end.

[Aiden of Oreland]

Well now I know what I am doing when I get a helmet Man, armor maintenance is rough and time consuming! A lot for a beginner like me to remember! Is it possible to have a step by step list out on all this stuff? I would find that most useful! One for mail armor and the other on sword and plate. Because to be honest I don't really know what to do and would feel more comfortable with instructions. This is my personal opinion, most of you may read something or be better at putting stuff together.

Don't make it too complicated.

All I do to maintain all of my armor and swords and axes and daggers etc is this...

After I use it I wipe off any dirt or debris with a rag.  Then I put some BreakFree CLP (it's a firearm lubricant / solvent) on the armor directly and rub it gently with a gray scotch-brite pad.  Then I rub it again with a sock with some more oil on it to leave a very thin layer of oil.  Leave the oil on it, and put it away until next time.

The oil will thicken in to a nice film that protects your armor/sword/blade/axe/dagger blah blah until next use. 

If there's some rust on the inside of armor I do the same thing I do to the outside.  No paint, no bed liners, no turtle wax, no nothin'... just gun oil, fine grit scouring pad, and a rag.  Haven't had any issues in years.

I cleaned my entire kit, 3 swords, a dagger, and a poleaxe on Monday after the Order's function in DC and it took about 30 minutes total to do everything, and I won't have to do an ounce of maintenance again until I use it again at MTT.

BTW, I leave my helmet and gauntlets out on a bookshelf displayed, and they don't get any rust on them even after sitting in the open for months on end.

Simple yet effective Thank you Sir Ian for that, my mind is now organized and I think I'll have an easier time now. Though I have the feeling that in a few years I'll be doing this to other peoples armor once I'm squire...

[Mike W.]

Believe me, they aren't going to wait. They'll have you do it as a Page.

[Sir Edward]

You see, Sir Ian is smart and proactive. Don't be like me, and forget to clean things until months after use, and by then everything is rusty. And once the rust sets in, it comes back quicker and harder the next time.

[Ian]

Yes, being proactive is key.  You have to realize that as rust develops, it's literally displacing the steel on the surface of your armor.  So the more it is allowed to develop, the more the potential exists for the rust to penetrate deeper in to the surface of the steel.  When you remove it, it will leave tiny pits in the steel, whether they are visible or not.  Those tiny pits hold on to moisture better than a polished surface, and that means they invite the rust to come back with more frequency than a smooth surface.

The smoother the polish on your armor, the more difficult it is for rust to develop.  You don't need to have an obnoxiously shiny mirror polish, but don't allow rust to sit for long, or it will pit your armor.  You can of course fix this with the right grits of buffing wheels and sandpaper etc... but it's a lot easier to just keep it clean in the first place!  

The more you neglect rust, the more it will return to haunt you.  And rust, like sand people, will be back, and in greater numbers!

[Sir James A]

Sir Ian has it covered very well.

My primary rust issues are things like VARF when the armor is used all day, put in a box, used the next day, put in a box, I get home, unload the car/truck (sometimes), shower, go sleep, go to work, Monday is trash / recycles / kitty litter / etc so typically chores then bed (unpack/unload if I didn't already), Tuesday is work all day, and by Tuesday I get to start cleaning. The rust is minimal, mostly inside due to sweat (sweat is salty / salt water) and where the liner rubs off from contact with the mail / other plates. A couple days of 6-7 hours at 90+ degree temps makes armor rather icky. Even then, it's light rust, no pitting; the bright orange, "early" rust that is easy to clean.

Outside, very light surface rust I just wire wheel off, since my armor is basic unpolished mild steel - and I have a lot of plate surface area to clean. The scotch-brite that Sir Ian mentioned works just as well and is better for polished / carbon steel. When I wire wheel off any one piece of armor, I do the whole set. Somewhat OCD with that.

If there's no rust outside, it's just a basic wipe down with an oily rag to remove any sweat / moisture, and a fresh spray of oil. Since it stays on the stand (with air circulation), it isn't as prone to moisture issues as being in a box.

I'm sort of the "middle ground" between Sir Ian and Sir Edward with maintenance.

[Sir Nate]

Sir Ian has it covered very well.

My primary rust issues are things like VARF when the armor is used all day, put in a box, used the next day, put in a box, I get home, unload the car/truck (sometimes), shower, go sleep, go to work, Monday is trash / recycles / kitty litter / etc so typically chores then bed (unpack/unload if I didn't already), Tuesday is work all day, and by Tuesday I get to start cleaning. The rust is minimal, mostly inside due to sweat (sweat is salty / salt water) and where the liner rubs off from contact with the mail / other plates. A couple days of 6-7 hours at 90+ degree temps makes armor rather icky. Even then, it's light rust, no pitting; the bright orange, "early" rust that is easy to clean.

Outside, very light surface rust I just wire wheel off, since my armor is basic unpolished mild steel - and I have a lot of plate surface area to clean. The scotch-brite that Sir Ian mentioned works just as well and is better for polished / carbon steel. When I wire wheel off any one piece of armor, I do the whole set. Somewhat OCD with that.

If there's no rust outside, it's just a basic wipe down with an oily rag to remove any sweat / moisture, and a fresh spray of oil. Since it stays on the stand (with air circulation), it isn't as prone to moisture issues as being in a box.

I'm sort of the "middle ground" between Sir Ian and Sir Edward with maintenance.

I have realized that Either way with a box or stand oil dry's up just as fast.
I find there to be more maintanance in winter since its going unused, and you forget to re-oil/clean 

[Ian]

I have realized that Either way with a box or stand oil dry's up just as fast.
I find there to be more maintanance in winter since its going unused, and you forget to re-oil/clean

The BreakFree CLP I recommended will not evaporate.  I did 0 maintenance from October to late January (the first time I wore it after October) and had no rust.  CLP will not appear wet and shiny anymore, but it has formed a film that will last indefinitely until it's mechanically removed by wiping.  This is true of most firearm lubricants and other metal oils.

[Sir Nate]

Is that common at local hardware stores?