A highly personal question.
I have overcleaned and later felt badly.
I have tried to restore to what I thought the native culture would have wanted.
Now I lean toward stopping any active rust with some fine steel wool and WD-40, then a little more oil to stop rust from occuring again.
If the blade is slightly bent or warped I try to gently straighten it, but am concerned that if I might break something, I leave it alone.
Artifacts, I never change except a little glue if something is about to fall off.
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