Before & After
 

First of all, sorry for the picture quality – I am still perfecting my photography skills. I just wanted to share one of my recent clean-up projects done in the past month. As you can see, this is a Qajar period small Indo-Persian axe with a hidden stiletto. It arrived covered in a thick layer of rust and grime. The goal was to remove the gunk without affecting the patina or the inlay. I think I did OK. What is your opinion? My only regret is having a bent tip on the top spike – I though of straightening it with a ballpeen hammer but I am afraid to cause further damage. Any pointers in regards to this would be appreciated.

BEFORE:

Wow! Great job Stan it came out great. :)

Salaams Stan ~ Great job on the axe. Can you give a rough outline on how you cleaned it up... ie scrubbed with soapy water...dropped in coke for 3 days .... what cleaning solution how long for.... and which wax you find best for preservation...etc .. Regards Ibrahiim :shrug:

You guys are not going to like this... :o I use somewhat an unorthodox means for cleaning all of my pieces. The method is rediculously simple, yet it is generally frawned upon by the collectors as being damaging to the artifacts intended to be cleaned. In my experience however, it had proven to demonstrate positive although not consistently succesful results without any negative side effects.

Basically, I start with scrubbing the item with abrassive steel wool of the gauge ranging from #00 to #2. I will use heavier grade on plain steel and finer grade on anything with coftgari, bone or wooden grips, etc. I have to say that I've developed a good eye for this sort of thing and will decide on scrubbing dry or with addition of WD-40 depending on the type of rust, it's "depth", and the overall condition of the weapon I am dealing with. In doing so I avoid letting any chemicals come in contact with anything other than metal or stone. Once the residual rust is off, I switch to scrubbing with NevrDull (this stuff is great!). NevrDull both cleans and polishes the metal. It has a tendency to leave a whitish reidue on some types of steel, and so in the end I wipe my item down with a paper towel soaked in mineral oil. I don't use wax, but will inspect and oil each piece in my collection once or twice a year if needed. That's all there is to it. Working on this axe for example took a total of 2 hours and some muscle. It could be done quicker if I didn't take any smoke breaks in between :rolleyes:

When it comes to restoration, I enjoy to learn new tricks and to experiment. For example, back in September I attempted to clean 2 old tulwars using lemon juice and vinegar. Both swords were in a near relic condition and were just a step above munion grade in quality, so I wasn't too concerned with damaging them. Unfortunately this experiment did not go too well. Perhaps I will share the "before and after" once I upload the pictures.

Looks great Stan, Wire wool, WD40 and metal polish are things I always use too.

Thanks! I was always under an impresion that WD40 is known to damage certain compounds (including some metals). However, so far I am lucky enough to never experience this

Hmmm, I've never had that problem. I even use the cheap version made by 151 if I can't get WD40

Great. Good to know

Salaams Stan S~ The job looks clean to me though with silver decoration its going to deteriorate because of the steel wool... although I have to say using 00 grade should be almost ok. I find that coca cola takes off most loose rust and dirt then scrubbing with a non metalic brush and basic soap does most of the rest. A brass brush is less agressive since it only removes the oxide from the silver work... This Qajar parade axe and spike is fairly tough so it shouldnt hurt ... Put on some antique wax to conserve it and its done .. Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams all ~ I forgot to add that the decoration is a good example of split palmette design and displaying the fleur de lys finials ... some contention as to where that originates but it occurs in European and Eastern weapon decoration. Trio in Juncta ? The Three Tribes of the Book etc. :shrug: Ibrahiim