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dirty chainmail


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ive decided that its high time to start on family Christmas presents. I got laid of from work and have been useing old bailing wire to make braclets, chains chainmail and a chainmail bible cover for my Pa. the problem is that i want to paint a number of the rings to create a cross on the front. of course being on a budget and all i want to use either high grade spray paint(maybe) or go to my uncle and see if he has some old car paint lying around. anyways the problem is that most of the galvanization has worn off and most of what is left comes off when i coil the wires. in the galvanizations place a natural dark patina, rust, and oil has spread to the areas not galvanized anymore. though i have been picking out the rusty rings. does anyone have any ideas on an easy idea for making it shiny and get rid of the oil. i made a small bit of chainmail 4 in 1 last night and dropped it in viniger. the rust seems to have gone away but the patina has not. im thinking WD-40 is my next option.

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I seem to recall a tale of cleaning chainmail that involved putting the finished mail item into a small barrel with measure of sand and water, then sealing up the barrel and having a serf roll it around the courtyard of the castle to derust the mail. Modern equivalent might be a 5 gallon bucket with lid rolling around in the back of a pickup truck.

YMMV

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I seem to recall a tale of cleaning chainmail that involved putting the finished mail item into a small barrel with measure of sand and water, then sealing up the barrel and having a serf roll it around the courtyard of the castle to derust the mail. Modern equivalent might be a 5 gallon bucket with lid rolling around in the back of a pickup truck.

YMMV


Or a vibratory tumbler. :)
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lol i like the idea of a 5 gallon bucket in the back of my pickup truck...now i just have to clean out all the tires and junk out...well i dont have any spare money so the vibrator tumbler is out of the question, though i might have an old washing machine motor out in the garage that would work. or maybe the other electic motor (cant remember what i got it off of). or maybe make a spit of sorts. ive got some old bed frame rails ive been saving. if i make it right it could be used for a foticery bbq on an open fire.

ive been keeping a weather eye out for electical wire, no luck so far. in the mean time i can learn a lesson or two about what works and what doesn't. i was thinking car paint because it dries hard once cured. if i had it my way the wire never would have been more or less ruined. we had a flood a few years back and that accounts for the rust. then someone left it in a pile of oil and only oiled part of it.

well thanks for all the tips guys. not only did you give me some helpful tips you got the old noodle working again lol. I think im going to go for the rotisery if i cant find a working motor. thanks again.

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If you've got a motor and some scrap metal, I bet you could piece something together. The motor could take the place of a treadmill. You said you've got tires in the truck. Think about it a little.

Electrolytic rust removal works great, but it leaves the parts covered with loose crud that'll need to be removed before painting. Abrasive will leave you with a bright, ready-to-paint surface. I'm also not sure how any remaining galvy will affect the electrolysis.
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I used the copper clad telephone lead in wire for rural areas. IIRC it's actually a spring steel. Had to cut it with dremel cutting disks.

Traditional cleaning was the "barrel and squire" method though vinegar has been mentioned as the liquid.

Just working the rings against each other will do quite a lot. I know of a fellow who picks up old driers where the heating elemets are toasted and tumbles mail shirts in them and lets the rings clean themselves.

I don't recall ever seeing galvanized bailing wire seems like a lot of extra cost for something meant to be discarded within a year.

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well ive got some old electric motors that could replace the treadmill. i was thinking along the lines of a BBQ spit out of some old scrap metal(bed frames missing their other half) to make an X with a nut and bolt.maybe cross bars to keep the bar from popping off. pop holes in the top and bottom of a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, slip the poll through the bucket holes and onto the top of the X. connect the motor to the pole and turn her on. its portable for an open pit fire. great for camping or in my back yard. that or make a hand crank for now. would love to have a little horizonal shaft motor lol.

my neigboor might have some CLR. he just shut his plumbing business down to retire. on the note of the bailing wire i have no idea why it is galvanized. my uncle bought it something like 20 years ago and used it for a variety of uses.

I was thinking about the Electrolytic process a couple weeks ago. ive got an old battery the i dont use anymore that might do the trick. or just use the battery charger. though i think that i will use that one for my larger projects. the book cover is only 7" by 9 1/2" for each cover with a 2 inch spine. i might just replace the 5 gallon bucket with an old coffee can lol. well thanks again guys. im about to get to work on it. ill let you guys know how it turns out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

thanks alot guys. sorry i havent been on to reply. been busy latly. i made a small hand crank tumbler for now. could find a working motor. its a little slow going and ugly as sin but it does the job. lets me know if i have any weak links too. already replaced a few lol. and thanks for the link mailmaker.

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  • 2 months later...

when i was originally interested in making maille armour, i had once read that an original method of cleaning was to place the item in a barrel half filled with sawdust, and then roll it around for a while; the motion of the rings rubbing against one another was supposed to clean the rust off, i don't know how successful this method would be, but if you're building a tumbler, this might be another method to try.

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Apple cider vinegar for an hour or two then brush it off, roll it in sand, tumbler etc. But the vinegar should be enough to do the job.

If using galvanized then this will be a recurring problem throughout the life of whatever you make. Might want to try a different wire. I like the idea of a stainless and copper wire combination for the color.

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