new helmet and rust?

GavinKyncade · Post by **GavinKyncade** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:55 am

Hello all,

I am sure this has been covered previously but cant find it right away.

I received my new Sutton Hu mild steel helmet last night. I took the helmet to one of the Knights house, so he could help me pad it.

He handed me a bottle of amonia, and told me to clean it up from the oil so the padding would stick. I cleaned it like he said and we went to work adding padding and getting it rigged up.

I left it in my car last night so I could show my friends at work in the morning. And this morning when I looked at it I was disgusted to see a light film of what looked like rust had formed all over the helmet.

I quickly grabbed some WD-40 and sprayed it all over, inside and out and will see if I can clean it up tonight.

2 questions, what should I use to clean up the surface layer of rust, and what would be the best way to protect it from further rust in the future.

I bought a buffing wheel for my grinder and my drill and would love to polish the helmet to a glossy finish then use a car wax or similar item to keep it shiny and protected. What about the inside where all the foam padding is? cant wax that now can I?

Thanks

iaenmor · Post by **iaenmor** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:24 am

Ammonia and steel is not a good mix. Clean it up and wax or oil the outside. Can the padding be removed? If so clean it up inside and paint it with a quality primer. Reinstall the padding. Make a carry bag for the helm and keep a wax or oil impregnated cloth in there with it. Wipe it down everytime you use or handle the helm. Should keep it in fine condition for a long time.

Sean Powell · Post by **Sean Powell** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:31 am

A) Armor rusts and takes constant maintenance. Get used to it. (Even stainless armor takes maintenance but it is mostly dents and straps)

B) Amonia is a great de-greaser but it also creates rust (it's a (edit:) mild base). Most oil cutters will do the same thing. I'm not sure why it was recomended to you but always remember 'You knight knows best'. Rubbing alcohol will be a good way to remove any remaining amonia.

You MAY have amonia fumes trapped in the padding. Let the helm air out in a well ventilated place. Keep it oiled and the problem should subside. Next time you remove the padding, wire-wheel any glue off the inside and then paint the inside with a heavy layer of rustoleum pain or similar. This way the padding will not trap acidic sweat against the steel and promote rusting

C) Consider making a oil-bag with desecant in it. You can get dessicant in most hardware stores and some large supermarkets. It's used to help keep basements dry. I've seen it in a 1/2 gallon cardboard milk-carton. Make a bean-bag size container for desicant from and old (clean) sock and keep it in the bag with the helm. Turn the bag inside out and spray with ballist-oil, WD-40, 3in1 oil or whatever your choice of water-barrier is occasionally and if you can keep a container of oil to spray/wipe the outside of the helm occasionally.

Good luck!
Sean

GavinKyncade · Post by **GavinKyncade** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:38 am

awesome thanks guys great advice. I will get right on the oil bag, I have some scraps of cloth/linen that I can convert into a bag.

I will pull the padding at my next opportunity, and clean and paint the inside as soon as I get a break in fighting.....

right now as the new fighter, my friend, a squire and his knight want me to fight as much as possible. So I am fighting Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. I am putting some miles in, and carpooling when I can.

And from what people have been telling me, I am doing great. I have been learning as much as I can and trying to develop my speed and skills.

Peace and Thanks

Russ Thomas · Post by **Russ Thomas** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:48 am

Ammonia and armour is really not a good combination. For degreasing I much prefer methylated spirit.
I am also not an advocate of using oil on armour as a protection, sure it is a good protection, but it does come off on clothes and if people handle it, they will get oil on everything they touch afterwards. Personally, I use 'Solvol Autosol' chrome polish, and have done for many years. This will polish up to a wonderful shine, and if used and rubbed in enough, also gives quite good protection against moisture, fingerprints and even rain. And it doesn't come off on your clothes!
It is available in most petrol stations and car accessary centres. It comes in a tube, just put some on the item, rub well in and then polish with a soft cloth, and there you have it!

Regards,

Russ

raito · Post by **raito** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:50 am

Sean Powell wrote:B) Amonia is a great de-greaser but it also creates rust (it's an acid).

Ammonia is a weak base, not an acid.

Ingelri · Post by **Ingelri** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:46 am

I've been using the new spray version of Turtle Wax Ice on my armour. The experiment is still ongoing as to whether it will prevent rust, but it certainly is easy to use. I use the terry cloth bags that I pack my armour in to wipe the wax off so I'm hoping that they will eventually become impregnated with the wax further helping to prevent rust.

Ingelri

Sean Powell · Post by **Sean Powell** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:59 am

raito wrote:
Sean Powell wrote:B) Amonia is a great de-greaser but it also creates rust (it's an acid).

Ammonia is a weak base, not an acid.

Really? Damn. Well it's been too long since I took chemistry. I thought that NH3 would be an acid since it didn't have an OH bonded to it anyplace... I looked it up and you proved me wrong. Thanks for the correction.

Sean

Russ Thomas · Post by **Russ Thomas** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:15 pm

Ingelri wrote:I've been using the new spray version of Turtle Wax Ice on my armour. The experiment is still ongoing as to whether it will prevent rust, but it certainly is easy to use.
Ingelri

I have heard of people using 'Pledge' spray-on furniture polish on my armour, with evidently good results!

Regards,

Russ

Angusm0628 · Post by **Angusm0628** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:29 pm

I tend not to worry about shiny on the helm so much as preventing rust. So I go with an old tried and true method of further rust prevention. I brown my helms.
Let helm sit out overnight and get a fine patina of rusting. brush this off and apply wd40 or some other oil and let it soak into the helm. The helm will never shine again but it is quite effective at keeping further rust at bay.

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:03 pm

If the inside of the helm still has any rust -- available -- paint it with Rust Reformer. Follow the directions for use carefully, pouring out a little from the can for use with a paint brush, which should either be a disposable such as is used for applying acid, or very carefully cleaned out. Rust catalyzes Rust Reformer into doing its thing, and getting rust into the can can catalyze the whole works, wasting quite a bit of money.

Rust Reformer makes a fine primer coat, and you can spray other paint on over it, and your problems with rust inside the helm will be pretty much over for many years.

Auto paste-wax on the outside once it's good and clean will bounce rain.

Tally · Post by **Tally** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:06 pm

Ingelri, are you still using Turtle Wax ice, or did you switch to something else?

Rudolph · Post by **Rudolph** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:40 pm

I mostly used Autosol or Flitz on the outside of my helms for a good polish when I had them bright. Then a nice coat of Mothers California Gold Carnuba wax. Since I've started blueing my helms, just a quick wipedown and the Wax. A light layer of oil and 000/0000 steel wool also works well.

Insides are painted, and my liner isn't glued in, so I can remove it at any time.

Rudolph

Konstantin the Red · Post by **Konstantin the Red** » Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:54 pm

Tally resurrects another thread. Hmm, is Ingelri still posting, or am I inattentive?

Degrease, etcetera, the inside and then prime and paint. Rust-Oleum spray paints are most excellent for this work and both primer and paint come in their cans.