blade rusting

[Alowyn]

Hi, I'm kind of new to fencing and still not very good at maintaining my foils. I've noticed that they rust quite a bit after I bring them home from practice and was wondering if there were any good ways to take the rust off and keep it off. I've been using this liquid rust remover called "Mr. Metal," but it takes some hard scrubbing for the rust to actually come off. The rust keeps coming back too, so I spend the day after practice de-rusting them. Does sanding work? And if so, will it cause any damage to the foil? And is there any way to keep the rust off? Thanks!

[ReverseLunge]

To take the rust of you use sand paper. It is useless to put on any kind of rust proofer because it will just get beaten off when you fence. Be sure to sand paper off the rust often because it's really disrespect to let your rusty sword mark up other people's uniforms

[acaba]

Keep your foils out of your damp bag and away from your sweaty, wet uniform. Nothing will rust blades more quickly than sitting in a humid bag. Or you could try moving to Arizona where the humidity is low.

FIE blades do not tend to rust as much as non-FIE blades, but they cost more. Can the resident metalurgist explain why?

Aaron

[ReverseLunge]

They might get little specs of rust here and there mostly from being dinged by non-fie blades but they won't rust much because of the low carbon content.

[JEC]

Rather than using sand paper use steel wool.

[ReverseLunge]

It will take longer.

[yeoldearmourer]

Steel wool does a better job or get a 3m block at Wal Mart

[Larrison]

You can also try preventatives -- get an old cloth, and after each practice oil the blades. Put a little bit of light oil (3 in 1 or similar) on the cloth, and then just wipe off the blade. You don't want to leave the blade with a heavy coat of oil, but just enough to protect the metal. You're also replacing any moisture on the blade from practice with a little bit of oil -- which will stop the rust from spreading. Just be careful -- the oil can get on your uniform and in your bag, so don't use a lot.

This works pretty well too, if you're storing your blades, say over vacation, and won't be looking at them for a couple of weeks.

[JackOfHearts]

I recently started using Hanwei sword oil on my blades to help prevent rust. Its working alright so far, but I keep forgetting to oil my blades after I'm done with them, so they still get a little spoty. I pick it up from this sword shop in the glendale galleria. I'm sure it should be easy enough to find online.

[JEC]

The alternative is buying the more expensive FIE maraging or coloured blades

[akaiyuki]

I used steel wool before with my non FIEs. But seriously, the FIEs are worth it. I don't get gross out by all the rust on my blades, nor do I have to worry about getting rust stains on my whites.

[ReverseLunge]

http://www.gougoule.com/magic2/

[Purple Fencer]

The alternative is buying the more expensive FIE maraging or coloured blades

Ehhh....I;ve never found the coloring to be all that effective in rust prevention....it's great for that period of time in the controlled environment of a warehouse between manufacture and initial sale....but one the blade gets into the hands of a fencer, all bets are off, but by that time, it;s done it's job.

[Joe biebel]

I also like using sandpaper for blades. A nice rough grit sandpaper. I have not had this happen in a while, but when I used regular carbon steel blades a lot, I would occasionally get metal slivers from sanding a blade. I started to wear gloves.

It is possible to greatly lower the rate of rusting on you CS blades. As posted by others wet/damp clothes and blades don't mix well. I always carry my clothes to practice and tournaments in small duffle bag. It does not increase the weight of your gear by more than a few ounces and allows you to completely segregate your gear. When its luandry time, you just take the duffle bag to the laundry.

It is important to have a dry place to keep your gear. I live in Wisconsin and for half the year or more we have significant humidity. Our basement, without a dehumidifier, is the "wettest" room in the house. We do however have a rather robust dehumidifier in the basement and it is the driest room in the house. This is where all of our gear is stored.

Another thing to try on your blades is to use a clear machine oil to put a fine film on the surface of your blades. I have a number or carbon steel blades stored in my basement. I left one untreated and it is covered in rust, even in that low humidity environment. The others were well coated with sewing machine oil and just gleam. When it comes time to wire a blade you must remove the oil and clean the blade, but you would do that anyway. After a weapon is built and the tape (foil obviously) is put on, I use a small light coating of sewing machine oil on the blade. This stuff is nice because, should you get some on clothing, it has no color.

Personally, I think it is real important to fence with a clean blade. I have never gone to the trouble to investigate whether getting a cut or a punture from a rusty or dirty blade is more dangerous than a clean, rust free blade. For the sake of safety, I think we must assume this to be the case.

[YankeeRebel]

I've done two things to reduce the rust on my blades. First, I don't carry my blade in my bag after practice. Second, I use a scotch-brite or brillo pad on the blade as soon as I get home from practice. It takes just a few minutes and eliminates any potential rust marks.

[fencinman89]

Try a search ull find alot of threads very similar to this.
-Tre'

[DieterS]

It's important to keep rust off your blade for two reasons. First, rust causes deep pits that weaken your blade and shortens its life. Second, rust from your blade will stain your opponents' uniform.

I've always preferred using either a commercial fencing "rust block" or a rubber "rust eraser" used by railroad hobbyists to clean tracks. They're not cheap but they last for many years. It doesn't take a lot of time or scrubbing if you keep your blade clean and lightly oiled.

Dieter

[El Chucko]

Upon the recommendation of a friend of mine, I have been using a "gun and reel polishing cloth" on my blades after I am done with practice. It seems to work well. It is basically a chamois-type cloth with some sort of silicone (?) based lubricant in it. It does not leave any stains on fencing whites like some oils would. I got it at a gun shop.

I am intrigued by the sewing machine oil mentioned above...

[swordwench]

I use one of those green Scotch-Brite pads on my cheaper weapons, and a light coating of machine oil. I don't like how the steel wool leaves bits of metal behind. My better blades don't seem to rust.

[fatjoehatesme]

Hang up your jacket and anything else wet to dry. Putting your foils in with a wet jacket in a sealed bag causes moisture to build and rusts your blades. Steel wool works well but I use this thing called klingspor sandflex hand block it is not a hard rock it is a soft sponge and it cleans the weapons very well. One of my friends used it on his sabre which he never cleaned and was completely rusted and it cleaned the blade very well.