Mail gunk

[Sir Nate]

About a month ago I put my mail in storage after heavily oiling it. When I pulled it out today it had brown spots and areas all over. I freaked out that my new hauberk had rust. The I realized there seemed to be very sticky gunk all over the rings in areas. And thin layers of it on other spots that easily scratch off. I'm sure it's not rust, but even if it is it seems to come off easy enough. Any tips or tricks to remove it?
Also, how should I go about storing it for the future?

[Sir Ulrich]

To deal with small patches of either rust or dirtiness you should put some gloves on and scratch the areas of maille with the rust together. Do this for about 20-30 minutes and it should be mostly free of rust. You can also us a wire brush but make sure you put the gloves on as I did this without gloves before and my hands were rubbed raw from the friction. This wont work if your mailles completely rusted but it should work if you have patches of rust as it's what I do and it keeps it clean enough while leaving enough of the tarnish to keep a nice patina which will make it look more realistic.

[Sir James A]

What did you oil it with? First picture looks like solidified oil - almost like motor oil or something thick.

[Ian]

What did you oil it with? First picture looks like solidified oil - almost like motor oil or something thick.

He used vegetable oil I believe, and yes I agree it looks like solidified oil residue.  Perhaps the vege oil went rancid on the maille.  That's one of the reasons I use inorganic compounds to prevent rust

[Sir Nate]

What did you oil it with? First picture looks like solidified oil - almost like motor oil or something thick.

He used vegetable oil I believe, and yes I agree it looks like solidified oil residue.  Perhaps the vege oil went rancid on the maille.  That's one of the reasons I use inorganic compounds to prevent rust

A mix between olive oil and vegetable oil. I put a lot on, the whole hauberk is sticky but only some areas have the residue on them.
Sounds like an easy fix.
Ian, Aiden bought a can of clp, so I will use that in the future, or maybe use a different oil? If there is any that won't leave residue. I love the feeling of oily armor, and enjoy using oil, since it is what they did after all. Whether or not it was vegetable oil I don't know.

[Sir Douglas]

A mix between olive oil and vegetable oil.

Add some tomatoes and some sliced carrots and you've got one tasty armor salad!

Hmmmm....a sallet salad?

[Sir Edward]

Hmmmm....a sallet salad?

I can never remember what the actual reference is, but there's a period reference that makes a pun out of that intentionally, which is one of the ways we know that "sallet" had a hard-T.

[Sir William]

I use Flitz for all of my armor bits- non organic, non corrosive and no issues thus far.  How do you store your maille, Naythan?

[Sir Nate]

I use Flitz for all of my armor bits- non organic, non corrosive and no issues thus far.  How do you store your maille, Naythan?

Wrapped in clothe, put in a box, and put under a table.
But I do have a closet that in summer or winter that remains about 70 to 75 degrees all year round. As far as its humidity goes, that can vary.
But I remember almost soaking my mail in the oil, so perhaps such a large quantity created the gunk. Im sure better storage can be made

[Ian]

I use Flitz for all of my armor bits- non organic, non corrosive and no issues thus far.  How do you store your maille, Naythan?

Wrapped in clothe, put in a box, and put under a table.
But I do have a closet that in summer or winter that remains about 70 to 75 degrees all year round. As far as its humidity goes, that can vary.
But I remember almost soaking my mail in the oil, so perhaps such a large quantity created the gunk. Im sure better storage can be made

Humidity is much more of a factor than temperature in preventing rust.  If possible, it should always be stored in an air conditioned space.  And yes, too much oil will definitely cause gunk build up.  Oil may prevent water from getting to the surface of the steel (and thus preventing rust), but it attracts dirt and dust which then gets emulsified in the oil and becomes gunk.  And veg or olive oil stored in high heat will go rancid quickly.

[Sir Nate]

I use Flitz for all of my armor bits- non organic, non corrosive and no issues thus far.  How do you store your maille, Naythan?

Wrapped in clothe, put in a box, and put under a table.
But I do have a closet that in summer or winter that remains about 70 to 75 degrees all year round. As far as its humidity goes, that can vary.
But I remember almost soaking my mail in the oil, so perhaps such a large quantity created the gunk. Im sure better storage can be made

well my closet seems to be cool, not even humid, on this very humid day, so will start storing it there, since my basement and attic are heavily humid.

Humidity is much more of a factor than temperature in preventing rust.  If possible, it should always be stored in an air conditioned space.  And yes, too much oil will definitely cause gunk build up.  Oil may prevent water from getting to the surface of the steel (and thus preventing rust), but it attracts dirt and dust which then gets emulsified in the oil and becomes gunk.  And veg or olive oil stored in high heat will go rancid quickly.