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Cleaning Armor

Started by Obadiah Jib, July 20, 2009, 09:35:45 PM

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Obadiah Jib

So after a day sweating in your armor how do you clean it to keep it in shape?
First Mate of the Portobello Rose.
I'm not the captain, I just dress better than he does.

ALS

General rule one, at the end of the day when you strip it off, have WD40 or Break Free handy and spray it down then , this will mitigate some if not all of the effects of the days sweat and body oil. If you hit up and rust now before it can really set ( it should still be orange rather than that deeper reddish color of set rust ) you should be able to use a little elbow grease and a scrubbie/Beartex pad to remove light rust, then treat with a penetrant. If the rust has set, more agressive measures will probably be needed. If you have a fried avaliable, put a fine grit wire bristle cup in a hand drill and while the friend holds the piece in question use the wire bristle cup to work the area till the rust is gone and as before then treat with your prefered penetrant. If you don't use you gear except for faire ( in other words other than summer it sits in storage for 3/4 of the year ) i've heard that a coating of car wax ( which buffs right off by hand ) in the off season has excellent rust prevention properties for long term storage.

Obadiah Jib

What about using gun cleaning oil (Hoppes Fluid)? to protect the armor.

I should have mentioned "metal armor" but we can talk about cleaning leather also.
First Mate of the Portobello Rose.
I'm not the captain, I just dress better than he does.

ladyharrogate

WD-40 and nevr dul.  WD-40 cleans and lubes, Nevr Dul shines.  Clean it when you take it off to prevent probs.  Also how you store it can make a difference, just watch storing in in a place where there is high humidity.  Haven't heard about the wax but be interesting to see how that works. 

ALS

Most any oil will work ( olive oil was popular in period but needed to be cleaned off periodically as it would go rancid ).

Monsignor de Beaumanoir

I have found rolling your mail around in a barrel of sand works wonders to keep and remove rust off of your pride and joy. Then as has been mentioned before, store in a dry place.

If you're like me, you check on it often to wish you were wearing.....I mean making sure nothing untold has happened to it in the "off season".  ;D

ladyharrogate

Quote from: Warrior_Monk on July 23, 2009, 09:18:47 AM

If you're like me, you check on it often to wish you were wearing.....I mean making sure nothing untold has happened to it in the "off season".  ;D


put it on, stand in front of a mirror, admire your debonair self......come on....admit it! ; )

I. Stewart

I use Hoppes No. 9, works pretty well.

escherblacksmith

yeah, I use gun oil or 3 in 1 on any metal bits I want protected. 
--

Chris B

I coat all my metal work in Choji.  It seems to work well, and I love the smell in our room. 

As far as cleaning it, that all depends on the specific piece of armor.  I use brasso, Noxon (which is good because it isn't abrasive like many other cleaners), sandpaper, scotch brite pads, wire brushes, and all sorts of other cleaners depending on the specific metal and finish on the piece.

DarkLord

I rub neatsfoot oil into my leather armor to keep in in shape periodically. Although I think it might darken your armor if it wasn't already black.  Test first.
Bringer of Doom and Pestilence