After some years of trials and errors, here is my personal method for weapons cleaning :
-Remove grease, dirt, and potential varnish with a paper towel soaked with alcohol (90° proof), keeping the blade point down so it doesn't seep under the handle, until the paper towels come back clean. Then dry the blade.
-Remove active rust (red/orange) with 0000 steel wool dunked in fluid neutral oil (almond works well). This should be enough to remove active rust, without damaging patina (won't remove stable black oxydation and won't scratch the metal).
-If there is deep pitting, I use a brass brush, again with a bit of oil. The brass brush will be able to remove active rust in the pitting, without scratching the steel.
-After any active rust is removed, I clean the blade with alcohol again, then apply a very thin coat of neutral fluid oil.
-Leather : if in good question, I just dust it with a cloth and leave it alone ; if dry, I use neatsfoot oil (real one, not an imitation), this is imho the best choice, since neatsfoot oil contains a lot of keratin that will strengthen the leather.
-Wood : again, if in good condition, I just wipe it with a cloth ; if dry, I use flaxseed oil.
-Brass / copper : just a wipe with a cloth to preserve patina, rubbed with an alcohol soaked paper towel if dirty.
I'm personally against the use of power tools (for obvious reason), but also against mineral oil, which is used and recommended a lot by American collectors. Contrarily to natural oils, mineral oil create an impervious barrier on metal and can trap moisture under it, leading to rust development. It is also unsuitable for organic materials, as it won't moisture them properly, leading to drying and cracks. For somewhat similar reasons, I'm against the use of wax, which can again trap moisture under it, and will later age into an ugly and hard to remove gunk.
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