ColonelKlink1942

Hey gang, My order of bronze bristle brushes and Renaissance Wax showed up this morning, and after doing a test run on one of my brother's rusted railroad spikes, I set to work on a single bayonet. Note: I haven't used the wax yet, and have only really cleaned one small part of the bayonet to see how effective it would be versus a railroad spike that's encrusted with rust and scale. I was able to get some of the rust and scale to come off of the spike, but I had to be aggressive with my brushing, and even used a bit of a tougher bristle brush on it to remove much. It would have gone better had I decided to soak the spike in solution, but I did not. Food for thought on that front. Taking a user's advice, I focused on a rust patch on the Ricasso and a bit inside the Fuller, so as to clean that up and have it match the surrounding area as best I could, all while not removing the existing finish. On the "after" images below, you will see that after a couple minutes of slow and careful brushing with the bronze bristles, I was able to safely clean and remove the bit of rust and scale on the surface, and having the light shine on the Ricasso, it does not appear to have removed any finish at all. I used Hoppe's No.9 Gun Bore Cleaner to accomplish this, and simply dipped the bristles into that solution. Once I cleaned and removed what I wanted, I carefully wiped it all off with a microfiber towel. I did however notice micro scratches on one part of the Ricasso upon later closer inspection (as evidenced by the very last photo below). There is more to do here, but what do you folks think? Does this come off as "too clean" and shooting for a pristine look, or does this appear to keep the aged look of the bayonet? Does the finish look like it's been removed? I'd like to get thoughts and opinions before I proceed with further preserving of this one and any of my bayonets. Before: After:

That's a solid suggestion! I think I will definitely consult some visual how-to videos before I accidentally ruin any of my bayonets. I have no problem attempting to work on the bayonets which have spots of rust here and there, but I'm honestly scared to try cleaning up my Pattern 1853. She's too old and coated in a dark brown layer of rust everywhere, I don't know what I should do. Not to mention, she doesn't have a scabbard. I bought her as a "naked blade," and as you said you've faced the return of rust for those without scabbards, I fear I may have the same issue should I decide to try. Part of me feels better just leaving her as she is, but the other part wants to try and save her from further deterioration (even in a dry environment).

Hello Tony, Thanks for the reply and the suggested post, I checked it out. Definitely another case of "100 collectors, 100 suggestions, and they all work to some degree." Seems gun oil is a safe bet all around. My workplace sells Hoppe's No.9, which is a bore cleaner, and I think would be suitable. I'm also interested in Renaissance Wax, but not too sure if it would be ideal if I'm trying to use oil on the blades alongside a bronze bristle brush to carefully clean away whatever active rust or scale I can get off without ruining the finish. Any other thoughts on that?

Hey gang, I've got a goulash of non-military antiques that I may show off from time to time. Starting with a couple of pocket watches I picked up last year on an antiquing adventure in a small town not far from home. These are wind-up pocket watches, not battery-operated. They are still ticking away happily after all these years. The one without a lid is a Westclox Pocket Ben (Style 6), produced between 1960 and 1980. The one with a lid is a Swiss-made Adorna watch, but I have yet to accurately date it. Enjoy!

Hello! I'm brand new here and have joined mostly for the purpose of asking for help in regard to bayonet preservation, as I have a handful of bayonets in my collection in various states of decay. I'll preface this by saying that I am aware that the goal is to preserve the bayonets in their current condition, not to make them look brand new. Long message, I'll try to condense it as best I can: I've been trying to research what I can about what to use and how to do it, and while it can be overwhelming, it seems it's best to pose a question like this to the community since there are a lot of folks who have experience and success in this type of preservation, despite the many differing opinions and suggestions. I've heard folks using WD-40, paste wax, Renaissance Wax (kinda interested in this one), vinegar, 50/50 mixtures of transmission fluid and kerosene, kerosene at full strength with a bronze bore brush, and so many more (and then folks going against the above suggestions, which adds to the fun and confusion). Heck, my little brother (who has a 1912-dated pump-action shotgun and has done a bit of preservation work on that) suggested that I use bore cleaner, a soft brush (likely something like nylon or bronze bore brushes), and a thin layer of synthetic oil. The use of steel wool, "Kroil" (a penetrating oil only sold in the US), and bronze-bristle brushes have been suggested to me for one bayonet already. I have picked up #0000-grade steel wool from work, all I'm missing are bronze-bristle bore or detailing brushes, and some sort of liquid or wax. A few of the bayonets (the M1892 Krag, Pattern 1888 Lee-Metford, and M1866 Chassepot) shown in this post look to have some spots of red active rust, which I'd like to remove as safely and best as possible without damaging the finish. The others (the Pattern 1853 and 1936-dated M1884/98), look to be in a condition where they might not need anything since the rust is a darker brown, but I'm both tempted to try and clean them up, and scared to do anything to them for fear of damaging them much further. As for the wood, the grips on the majority of my bayonets look fine, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to put something on them to keep them looking as they are and prevent further damage from the oils of my skin when I'm foolish enough not to handle them with gloves. What are the best things that I should be using to preserve (the metal more than anything, but also the wood) my bayonets, and how should I be doing this? If you need other photos or info, please feel free to let me know! Photos of everything below: