Blades and leather

[Hauptmann]

Hi all,

How about sword, dagger, bayonet and knife blades? Especially in the case of anything engraved... can they be restored to even some semblance of their former glory if they've been mistreated in the past? Reason I ask is I have a hunting sword with a double engraved blade which was fingered and not wiped down long before I owned it. When I got it the damage was already done.

Here's pics of the blade:

And the full post on this:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14313

It's the last of three items covered in that post.

Then on that one as well as this sword:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14286

there's been separation of the stitching that holds the leather scabbards together on the one side. Is there any way to restore those... or should they be left alone? Granted the leather is old so my fear is that a restoration might end up causing more problems then it solves... but figured I'd ask as I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with blades or leather items that have these problems.

Thanks,

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Oh, if anyone has a way to make the images of the blades look better... lighter, etc., I'd be most abliged if they want to try their hand at it.

Thanks,

Dan

[peter monahan]

Dan

Here's my tuppence worth on the restoration and preservation end: don't!!! I used to polish stuff - love a shiny blade - and I still do with my repro. 1812 gear, bayonet and musket. but NOT with originals. I'm working on a museum's certificate and the very first course was "Care of Artifacts", a treasure trove of horror stories about what used to be done by ignorant museum-ites and civvies alike!

The problem is that anything which will take marks off the blade will also micro-scratch it further and allow new corrosion access. Wiping down with soft clothes and oil is ok, though in a dry climate you'll eventually get a buildup of old oil, which is a dust magnet. Bees wax, or the modern equivalent (pricey museum compunds) is good because it's removeable, though again with any engraved work, buildup in the grooves is an issue.

Old leather should NOT be touched. It loses it's natural oils and they cannot be restored. Think seasoned wood - pouring water on it does not make green timber again. The first thing to go is the flexibility, so attempting to re-stitch may result in torn holes, etc. Depends a lot on condition, but its one of those things that if it happens is irreversible.

The US Parks Service has an excellent series of bulletins called "Conserv-O-grams" on artifact preservation. Also, one of the big US museums has a series intended for non-specialist colectors of furniture, etc. If you google "artifact conservation" or conserv-o-gram" you'll find stuuf. The Parks stuff is downloadable.

Actually, that was a shilling's worth, but you get the idea. Good luck, mate.

Peter

[Nack]

W/r/t leather, what about Bick 4 (easily found on tack-selling websites)? I've used it on leather items and it restores flexibility.

Edited January 15, 2007 by Nack