Hey everyone, I thought that I would post this website for stickification:

http://www.theruststore.com/

I know that I had a * of a time once trying to derust some maille, and I think it's probably a good resource to have for all of your rust removal and prevention needs, at both large and small scales. For reference, I would recommend Evapo-Rust for rust removal and Bullfrog for rust prevention, although Bullfrog's products are all pretty good. I haven't tried Boeshield, but I hear it's good, although more of a wet oily consistency, but I can't say for sure.

Cheers.

Mods, sticky please?

Barrel of sand + 2 squires + 4hrs = clean armor.

If only I had two squires, a barrel, and four hours free time . . . that being said, while the sand in a bucket (a canvas army laundry bag tossed in the dryer at a laundromat at two in the morning, in my case) method certainly works, it shares a similar trait with other such methods, that is, that it works but it doesn't keep the rust off, and in the St. Louis climate (and most of the rest of the midwest) armors can flash-rust beyond the point of wearability in less than 2 minutes. I've seen it happen.

The nice thing about the chemical solutions is that they get it off and keep it off, long enough for you to oil it/use the next chemical step to apply a long term protective coat.

Halleljuah for rust removal tips! Both my armour and I thank you.

I may be a bit late on this, but there are a few brands of wax that can be used to protect chain from rusting if used regularly. Supposedly, they also slow down any existent rust that is forming, but if I wanted to sell a product, I might say that too.

I keep chain looking like new by placing it in a bucket with a seal able lid (like the refillable cat little buckets) when not in use. That makes for easy transportation and it works for quite a while. I have chain that is 6-7 years old that still looks like new that has been sitting out in the shed for the past couple winters.

There's no substitute for keeping armor well oiled and properly stored, of course, but all the same, you'll get rust from time to time. I've searched for a way to sort of effortlessly maintain my gear, and have found that it plain doesn't exist. Rather than use chemical treatments (such as using an electrolysis rig), I've recently moved to hand-polishing everything, and I've found that two compounds, which come in stick form, are just absurdly useful. For rust removal, hand-scrubbing the area with an emery cake takes it right off without damaging the surface or messing up the grain, and a white rouge block shines the armor to an almost reflective sheen-- I took a white rouge block to my helmet the other day, and it's shinier than it was when I got it-- I can almost see a reflection in it.

http://www.hobbytool.com/4pcjewelersrou ... ndkit.aspx
This assortment should be available at most hardware stores, and if not, it's seven bucks online. Those sticks will last forever, too, so it's a pretty negligable investment to keep everything in pristine shape. For the sake of argument, the Tripoli block is for brass/bronze, and the red emory is for bone and porcelain-esque surfaces-- neither of which are things you're likely to need. While the stuff is intended to go on a buffing wheel, I'm not sure I'd bother-- scrubbing the armor by hand yields really first-rate results, and there's no reason to mess with success-- it took me all of fifteen minutes to get my entire segmentata to shine by hand.

SOS works unexpectedly well, wet the treated steel wool, scrap/circular motion, wash and then polish. Works for me! It only take a little bit of time too.

what did you use to apply the compound?

Another great product I've found called Fluid Film. It's a lubricant and corrosion prevention agent, currently used by both the Navy and NASA to keep their ships (or space shuttles) from rusting. It's made of lanolin, the grease from sheeps' wool, which ironically enough is what was used to oil armour probably from the beginning of metal armour until the industrial revolution. There's a few chemicals added beyond the aerosol propellants, and I can't speak for those, but lanolin itself is actually good for both your skin and your clothing, and it's a very effective corrosion deterrant. The MSDS says that it's not a skin irritant and only a mild eye irritant.

It also has a flash point of over 400 degrees, so unlike, say, WD-40, it's extremely unlikely to accidentally catch on fire if you come too near a heat source. The propellants in the aerosol can are of course highly flammable and if you toss the can in the fire it'll explode like any other, but once you apply it, it's quite fire-resistant.

http://www.fluid-film.com/

And, smelling slightly like a wet sheep is, in my opinion, superior to reeking like an oil pump if you use petroleum based lubricant.

Birchwood Casey Perma Blue Gun Bluing solution is AMAZING for rust prevention. having used it on a few steel samples, it hold up amazing if you put a light coat of oil on it.

Vinegar and a scouring pad works just fine for me. Or if it's chainmail a bucket of sand with vinegar and kick it around for a few hours while you troll the internet.
This, however, leaves a greyish finish on the steal. This will help keep rust off but not by much.