The Armour Archive

How should I remove the rust on my husband's splinted legs?

Thank you!!!!



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Kelley the Shameless
Loved by all....satisfied by few..feared by all she meets on the field.....

For "light surface rust", a little 3-in-1 oil on a plastic 3M scrubber pad(the kind you'd use on dishes, not pots)should take care of it.
I keep one in a sealed baggy, in my kit bag.
Any speck of rust on a rapier is very bad!

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Guy

If there is any of the cancerous stuff, it'll take sandpaper or a wire wheel to get rid of it. You should scrub it down with the 3m pad first, and anything that doesn't come off easily will need some finishing sandpaper, say 400 grit.

Upkeep is the most important thing here. If he doesn't fight in the rain, HE should clean them at least twice a year with the 3m. I like to add a light coat of motor oil to my kit after cleaning. Any non- food oil will work.

There's also some stuff which I believe is called Nu Film, that's supposedly available in auto stores. It's meant to protect metal. I bought some gothic cops that were finished with this stuff, and after two years there were tiny specs of rust that I removed, only to discover that I scrubbed off the film, allowing them to rust at a normal rate.

Haven't found it to date.

HELMUT

I use Brasso (brand name) and steel wool for light surface rust. Rub it on with the steel wool, let it sit over night and wipe off with a cloth. You can then cover it with car or furniture wax. The Brasso actually removes more rust as it sits over night so do not wipe it off right away.

For serious rust use a wheel and polishing compounds.

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Phillipe de Pamiers
Midrealm

Surface rust? Wait 'til it's even, wax it, it's called browning, it's period and it won't rust no more.


Alail

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Shameless:
How should I remove the rust on my husband's splinted legs?</font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well m'am,

I trust the doctors did an excellent job splinting your husband's legs, and I hope he gets better soon.

However, I really must object to the materials that they used in setting his broken legs. I understood from light research that most splints were made from gauze and wood, rather than any rust-producing material. I feel that you may be the victim of a bad HMO plan.

What worries me more is the fact that the rust has spread from the splints themselves and onto your husband's legs. If this is the case, I really hope you disregard schreiber's advice on using a wire wheel. This will only result in expensive skin grafting, not to mention pain.

horsefriend's idea of waxing the legs might help, but unless your husband's a swimmer, I doubt he'll cotton to the idea.

*runs away with Silly Stick in tow*

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Corey

Let me have eyes I need not shut;/Let me have truth at my tounge's root;/Let courage and the brain command/The honest fingers of my hand;/And when I wait to save my skin/Break roof and let my death come in.
- Joy Davidman

NO WIRE WHEEL!!!
Wire wheels leave really deep scratches that will make the steel rust MUCH faster, and if you take the wire wheel to the armour, and it rusts, you'll have to do it again just to get that rust, since the rust will be inside the deep scratches, and again, and again, until you have no steel left.
Never use a wire wheel on your (or anybody's) armour.

There are a few products that work really well.
For bad rust, Naval Jelly is great. However, use it with caution and only to the point where the rust can be handled by different means.
For less extensive rust, Brasso, Nevr-Dull, and a tube paste called "Flitz" work really well. The concept is the same: allow the stuff to penetrate (usually without becoming too dry) and then wipe the excess off and buff the metal clean.
I think that nylon wheels are a better alternative than wire wheels.

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Idëval
The Huntsman of
I-Nossë Lúmëvanwa
My mind opens wide when I roar

Thanks again for the suggestions... wet armour packed in bag and sitting in back of truck for a month = rust... who knew???

And Cory - thanks for having the Silly Stick - I needed the chuckle from reading your reply (my week is all Mondays....)

Kelley

After removing the rust, I would recommend an application of break-free. It's a cleaner/lube/preservative used extensively in gun maintenance. Prevents rust like nothing I've used before. Apply liberraly, let cure for a few hours, preferably overnight and then just wipe the excess off. It's what I use to clean and protect my swords and knives and metal armour (what little I have of)

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YMMV

Yeoman Chris
Artisan, Clerk, Man At Arms
Editor of the KnightHaven newsletter

Actually what I suggest, which I have used before on armor that was completely covered with surface rust, is Ballistol and a steel wool pad. Ballistol is some of the greatest stuff on earth.

Metals
Cleans & lubricates all metallic surfaces. Protects against corrosion. Dissolves traces of brass and tombac in chambers and bores of firearms. Cleans brass and silver. Frees rusty bolts.
Wood
Preserves and protects unpainted wood. Ideal for antique furniture. Protects wood against humidity and dryness. Perfect for wooden gun stocks, teak appliances on boats and all unpainted wood exposed to the elements.
Leather
Makes leather water impermeable. Protects and preserves boots, belts, saddles, bridles, slings, holsters, sheaths, seat covers and clothes made of leather, even on tropical or desert climates. Softens brittle leather. Can be applied to wet leather. DO NOT USE ON SUEDE!
Plastic and Paint
Compatible with most hard plastics. Lubricates moving plastic parts. Improves the look of faded gel coats of boats. Use in rinse water to polish dull car paint.

It works great, I use it on Armor, Blades, Etc. It comes highly recommended by Dr. Jim Hrisoulas aka Atar. I know Atar is a distributor of it, you can find it at his site http:\\www.atar.com I don't know who else sells it though.

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Kiernan Delaney
The Drunken Irishman