Keeping blades from rusting

[Point_Left]

The title pretty much says it all. How on Earth can I keep my blades from rusting? I don't store them with wet/sweaty stuff, I dry them off after fencing, but they still rust! The blades in question are both under a year old, and showing considerable amounts of rust.

On a related note: how much rust is unsafe?

Thanks in advance!

*Goes back to glaring at rusty baldes...*

[telkanuru]

Buy maranging...

I wrap mine in oilcloth, which cuts down on rust significantly. I have to whipe them before I use them, though. No one likes oil on their jacket. I reccomend gun oil, btw. Less sanding required.

Rust in and of itself is not unsafe, unless it pits the blade. Rust is a general problem for me beacuse people don't like me getting their uniform rusty, either.

[riptide]

I give mine a quick once over with a rag after every use. The trick is consistency, otherwise they can rust overnight. If it's really caked on, use a brillo pad to shine her up. Be very careful not to damage the electronics.

Check with your local armorer if you're unsure about the safety of your weapon. If the rust gets corrosive, it will screw up the blade's wiring.

bad wiring=badness

[S. Hunter]

What is this rust you speak of? What are maraging blades? You mean there are other kinds?! (Buy maraging, for more than just the rust, if you can)

[ebonylevin]

I use maraging and the foil that i mainly use has got rust on it. where do you buy gun oil? unless im being really slow and the answer is obvious i dont think there are any gun shops where i live . dont sandpaper the rust off over carpet, i did and it has stained my bedroom floor. oops. i should take better care of my equipment might make it work better and last longer.

[Army Fencer]

Yuck. I hate rust. I live in a really humid area, so even my maraging blades get rusty. It's not happy. My tools get rusty, too.

This is what I do to combat the rust:
1. Maraging blades
2. Bought a fencing bag that holds the blades and the whites in separate compartments. That way, my sweat doesn't cause more rusting.
3. Bought a dehumidifier and I put all my stuff next to it when I get home.

I have some light oil that I haven't used yet. I want to see if this strategy works right now.

[pammie003]

I use vaseline - it's easier to find and cheaper than gun oil, plus it doesn't stain uniforms. Once a week seems to be keeping the rust away.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Keep your blades in a seperate compartment in your bag, and dont touch them with your sweaty little paws. The oil on your hands causes the rust.

[VorpalCat]

3-in-1 oil works well for protecting blades too. Back in college I used to have to ride herd on the club's el-cheapo equipment. Got into the habit of using fine-grit emery paper to clean the rust off then rubbing down the blades with a cloth that had a few drops of 3-in-1 oil on it. Only time I ever had to do much follow-up derusting was when a club member kept a weapon with them for a while and only returned it after it started leaving orange stripes on his jacket. ('Cause he was leaving it in his bag with his sweaty jacket.) Nice thing about 3-in-1 (imo) is it's very light and it's very easy to find.

[Point_Left]

You mean there are other kinds?! (Buy maraging, for more than just the rust, if you can)

There are S-2000 blades...for us sabre fencers. Do the colored blades rust less?

I don't store the sabres in my bag with my sweaty fencing stuff. (I don't have a dedicated fencing bag, so I use my backpack, and since I need it for school...)

(By the way, it isn't the oil on your hands that cause the blades to rust-it is the water in the sweat. And I do wipe them off right after fencing, and as soon as I'm back in my room.)

I've tried oiling the blades with mineral oil. I guess I'll have to try gun oil, or vasoline (although that would be hard to remove from the groove in the sabre. Hmmm.)

I wish I could figure out why both started rusting at the same time, even though they are different ages and brands. A mystery.

THank you for your suggestions.

[FoilyGeezer]

I got this one from a Museum Curator. Use a light coating of wax like a furniture wax or even better, a paste wax. It keeps the moisture out and lasts longer than an oiling does. I've been doing this about a year, and it's worked great. Re-apply about once every couple weeks. No rust.

[Mergs]

A decent silicone car wax works, too.

[aikijohn]

In addition to the many good suggestions posted here, try keeping you blades in a PVC piping tube capped on one end; add one of the those little desicant pouches you find in vitamin jars. This has worked for me.

Cheers...

[CvilleFencer]

Yet another vote for some type of wax from me. I have a fairly large sword (carbon steel cutting types, not fencing) collection and I use a product called Renaissance Wax (you can find it on the web as well as at knife and sword shops). It is not cheep but it goes a long way and works just as well for fencing blades as it does for the real thing. I also tend to only use colored blades or the Leon Paul non-fie ones so rusting is much less a problem, but living in a very humid place they will rust still rust over time if left untreated.

[Inquartata]

Another vote for the wax. Like CvilleFencer I've got rather a lot of swords, and armour as well. I use either a garden-variety paste wax like Johnson's or neutral ( clear ) shoe polish. Both are much cheaper than Renn Wax and work just as well from what I can tell---at least I've had no rust problems with what I use, so any difference must be pretty minimal. ( I even wore some of the armour once and forgot to wipe the wax off first; despite a lot of contact with sweat, still no rust. )

Unlike oil, wax won't leave indelible marks on whatever it touches if you forget to wipe it off. And if your weapons go unused for a few months it doesn't have to be reapplied every week or so.

Treatments like bluing will retard corrosion but will not entirely prevent it, especially in the places where it gets scratched or scuffed away with use.

[neevel]

To clarify something, the colored finish on blades has nothing to do with enhancing rust resistance. It's simply a way for manufacturers to make different models & tempers of blade easily distinguishable, and sometimes (as in the case of StM) aesthetic.

BTW, I use Remington RemOil gun oil on my Atrim and haven't had any issues with rust. Sword enthusiasts who prefer oil to wax often reccommend Ballistol or BreakFree CLP.

-Dave

[VorpalCat]

Nice suggestions on the wax(es), hadn't thought of that route! Never ran into a problem with the 3-in-1 oil marking anything personally but it's always good to know another trick or three.

[Point_Left]

Question about wax: how well do you have to strip it off before using the sabre for electric fencing? I really hate rust.

[CvilleFencer]

I honestly don't know! I have never fenced electric saber before! As the Ren Wax tends to bond with the poors and imperfections of the metal where moisture tends to gather I would think that unless you slathered it on you would not have a problem but I am not sure... I will be fencing some electric saber this year (being an epeeist I am excited by the new timings) so I guess I will find out!

[Inquartata]

It depends on how much you use, and on long you've left it on. Usually a quick wipe with a cloth will suffice. If it's been left on awhile ( ie months ) a bit more rubbing may be required.