Rust prevention

[Sir Hancz]

Hey guys, I currently collect medieval armor, and I was wondering if I could ask a question about rust. My armor is just for display, and I keep it away from moisture, water, and any other element. I also coat each piece of armor with Renaissance Wax. I was wondering, is there any chance of my armor rusting even with all the protective measures in place? I sure hope not, because my collection is almost 400$ so far, and I plan to extend it much more. Any reply would be appreciated, thanks! 

[Ian]

It's possible it could still develop rust.  But a little surface rust on steel is not a problem, it's very easily removed and cleaned up.  Armor maintenance is just part of the game we all play.  In order for rust to really damage your armor it would have to develop a significant amount of rust that goes untreated for a very extended period of time.  Surface rust is normal.  It sounds like you're taking the proper precautions though, and you'll want to re-apply your chosen rust preventative from time to time.  If you notice when you go to reapply it that some rust has formed you can just remove the rust, re-apply your renaissance wax and you're good to go.

The key to good armor maintenance is don't get lazy.  Remove surface rust when it develops so that you don't have to take more drastic measures to clean your armor.  If you keep up with minor rust, it will never become major rust and you'll never have to use a wire wheel and re-polish anything.

If you peruse this thread you'll see a lot of discussion on our different techniques for cleaning and maintaining rust-free armor (I use gray ultra fine scotch brite scrub pads and breakfree CLP firearm solvent/lubricant:

http://modernchivalry.org/forum/index.php/topic,2074.0.html

[Sir Hancz]

Thanks for your reply! It seems to me that maintaining armor is easy. Renaissance wax is not cheap, but it protects armor from rust, and makes it look shiny, so I really like it.

[scott2978]

(I use gray ultra fine scotch brite scrub pads and breakfree CLP firearm solvent/lubricant:

LOL! I wondered if anyone else used CLP on their armor  

[Sir Rodney]

(I use gray ultra fine scotch brite scrub pads and breakfree CLP firearm solvent/lubricant:

LOL! I wondered if anyone else used CLP on their armor

I converted to Break Free CLP this summer after the rust prevention tests by Custom Chainmail as well as many recommendations on this forum and others.

My kit consists of components acquired over 10 years that include varying quality of steels, exposure to the elements, and level of damage.  Thus far I’ve been very impressed with the results after using CLP!   

[scott2978]

While I was in the Army CLP was standard government issue. Not much translates exactly the same between military and civilian life, so CLP always gives me that nostalgic feeling. There might be something better out there for armor (Fluid Film?) but CLP works great for cleaning my swords, firearms and armor too, plus it's it's a cleaner, a lubricant and a penetrating preservative all in one, and it's cheap and can be found everywhere. So logistically it's a no-brainer.

Thanks for the link to the rust test Scott, it was interesting.

[Ian]

While I was in the Army CLP was standard government issue. Not much translates exactly the same between military and civilian life, so CLP always gives me that nostalgic feeling. There might be something better out there for armor (Fluid Film?) but CLP works great for cleaning my swords, firearms and armor too, plus it's it's a cleaner, a lubricant and a penetrating preservative all in one, and it's cheap and can be found everywhere. So logistically it's a no-brainer.

Thanks for the link to the rust test Scott, it was interesting.

Exactly, it's what I was first exposed to in the military, I already used it on all my personal firearms, Albion recommends it and ship all their swords with a coat of it on their blades, so it was a simple decision to use it on all my medieval steel goods.  It removes rust, it prevents rust, it gets in all the tight little spots you want it go in to, and it lasts virtually forever if you don't wipe it off. 

[Sir James A]

CLP is good stuff.

If you want a cheaper wax, floor wax (paste wax) is a viable option. I've used it before. (SC Johnson, I think - yellow and red can - found it at Home Depot)