How can i restore an old sword?

Question

Ok. I have recently acquired an old family heirloom, a sword dating from late 1700's. The sword's blade is embossed but it has acquired some awful stains of rust. The hilt is made of embossed brass, but it has lost its shine and has gained a green coloration. The sword sheath is a complete mess, made of leather and brass - the brass also has that green coloration and the leather is gaining a backish color and leaving black dust on your hands. I would really like to restore this heirloom, I can't afford professional work. I would really appreciate any tips/help given.

Thank you all for your time

Answer 1

if you decide to use metal cleaners and shiners, make sure you test a small area first because you can ruin it.  you might want to go to a sword shop and ask what they use, too

Answer 2

I say just save up to have a professional do it.  This is a one of a kind family heirloom, and will probably be worth a goodly sum if it is restored properly, but a botched job will make it worthless and may ruin it...imagine what your family would do if that happened.

Answer 3

If you can't afford to have it professionaly done, don't do it, unless you don't care that it may lessen the value of the sword.  If you really don't care, then get some Brasso at your hardward store and have at it.  It works really well.  The leather can be cleaned and restored with leather cleaner/restorer, that you can find at an auto store.  The rust can be removed with a rust remover, also found at an auto store.

Answer 4

I would suggest that before you attempt any restoration, see if there is a museum near you that has someone who knows something about restoration of old military stuff. They might be able to suggest products and procedures (even if you can't afford to pay them to do the job). Depending on what kind of sword it is, who made it etc it could be quite valuble and you don't want to risk making it "less valuble" by botched restoration methods. Might be better to keep it, as is, in a cool dry place untill you can get advice.

Answer 5

wipe off as much as you can with a clean, damp, soft cloth.  Then, you can try toothpaste, not gel, as it is a mild cleaner if it doesn't have baking soda in it.  Then, rinse with luke warm water and dry with a soft cloth.  (Baby diapers are great soft cloth cleaners!)  

The greenish color is oxidation caused by moisture and air.  The black stuff I am not sure about without seeing the sword but may be a mold from bad storage.

With the leather and brass, I don't know what to tell you, clean the brass off as described above but I don't know what to do with the leather other than a stiff brush and hours of brushing.  I would be careful with water.  You could try beeswax or some other leather shoe type cleaner--maybe saddle soap.

Answer 6

If it's of importance, ask at any big-city art museum with collections of this sort of thing (e. g. the local one here, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston).  For DIY restoration, there are a number of techniques you can try, but you may as well consult the professionals first, as in a book like this one from the conservators at the British Museum:

http://www.amazon.com/Conservation-Antiq...

It's easy to do a really lousy job; it's a lot of work to do it right.

Answer 7

how about getting some brass cleaner and trying it on the brass and leather cleaner on the leather part and see if that will help you out good luck at getting it clean