Luristan iron sword need advice for preservation.

[RobT]

Cerjak,

Just a minor point not related to your preservation question. I am rather sure that for a ferrous metal object to be cast, it must have a good amount of an alloying element (e.g. carbon or phosphorus). Pure iron (element Fe) melts at 1,535° C (2,800° F). To most people's surprise, this very high temperature was only first obtained in the 20th century. What fuels the confusion is the use of iron in the names of substances which are ferrous metals but not pure iron. For example, both cast iron and pig iron have more carbon in them than does steel used for swords. Cast and pig irons are far too brittle and a sword made from either material would be prone to shattering on impact. Bottom line, if it is a cast Luristan sword, it is either steel or non-ferrous metal and if it is at all close to pure iron (i.e. wrought iron), it was forged, not cast.

Sincerely,
RobT