Steel sword

Brittany Bishop <blbishop37 [at] yahoo__com> writes

>I am a conservation student currently conserving a 1906 steel
>British Cavalry officer's sword.  The sword has been stored in poor
>conditions and is quite corroded.  I have cleaned the upper
>corrosion layers off and will soon apply a layer of micro
>crystalline wax.  I want to package it with silica gel when I am
>finished treating it, but there is also shagreen on the handle and
>leather on the scabbard.  I know that low relative humidities are
>detrimental to shagreen and leather, but I am also worried about the
>metal deteriorating further and would like to keep it as dry as
>possible.  Has anyone come across this problem or have any advice
>about dealing with this kind of thing?

Depending on the application method of the wax ('hot', solved in
white spirit etc.) and the kind of wax (hardness, melting point) you
will be fine with anything between 30-60% rH. Microcrystalline waxes
do quite a good job for the next 10 years or so, depending on
handling and storage conditions. A more crucial point is the
temperature the sword is stored at and a stable climate, not just
over the year, but on a daily, weekly and monthly base. If the sword
is not being exhibited it will be good to store it in a box of acid
free cardboard wrapped in Japanese tissue paper (to keep dust and
such away) at about 18  deg. C or even less. Humidity needs energy
to react, the lower the temperature, the less energy. Give the metal
parts a good wipe with ethanol before waxing them to remove possible
fats from handling and after that only handle it with nitrile
gloves, to prevent any fats or sweat being reapplied. Worst thing
would be fingerprints under your wax skin. Having a look at the
sword every now and then will keep you alert of any changes that may
occur.

Alexander Grillparzer
Conservation Student
Technical University of Munich
Germany


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:43
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-43-005
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