Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

drac2k · 24th February 2021, 02:22 PM

Hello Shayde78,
Sajen had an interesting video on restoring a blade, however, I think yours has greater pitting and you may not have a stationary belt sander.
I would also first use a wire brush on your item, then use an orbital sander on the blade, starting with 200 grit, then, 300, then 400. Clean your blade with some type of abrasive paste polish and assess your item. With the corrosion still evident in the pitting, take a spent brass bullet casing, crush it flat and scrape out the rust to your satisfaction(the brass will not mark the metal as it is softer than the blade), clean again with your polish.
When you are satisfied, now you must hand sand in a manner as they showed; use 600 grit, then 800 grit, then 1000 grit, and so on until you are happy, polish and wax.
In regards to the handle, I would carefully remove the iron bolsters and save them, make a cardboard template of the handles and transpose them to solid wood, and then shape them accordingly.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE METHODS ON YOUR VERY FINE INDIAN SWORD; I AM ONLY SUGGESTING THAT YOU DO THIS ON THIS ONE SWORD THAT IS IN POOR CONDITION.

24th February 2021, 02:22 PM	#12
drac2k Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 1,174	Hello Shayde78, Sajen had an interesting video on restoring a blade, however, I think yours has greater pitting and you may not have a stationary belt sander. I would also first use a wire brush on your item, then use an orbital sander on the blade, starting with 200 grit, then, 300, then 400. Clean your blade with some type of abrasive paste polish and assess your item. With the corrosion still evident in the pitting, take a spent brass bullet casing, crush it flat and scrape out the rust to your satisfaction(the brass will not mark the metal as it is softer than the blade), clean again with your polish. When you are satisfied, now you must hand sand in a manner as they showed; use 600 grit, then 800 grit, then 1000 grit, and so on until you are happy, polish and wax. In regards to the handle, I would carefully remove the iron bolsters and save them, make a cardboard template of the handles and transpose them to solid wood, and then shape them accordingly. PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE METHODS ON YOUR VERY FINE INDIAN SWORD; I AM ONLY SUGGESTING THAT YOU DO THIS ON THIS ONE SWORD THAT IS IN POOR CONDITION.