posted 12-06-2005 12:49 AM
The rumor is that you'd roll your armor about in a barrel full of sand. Yep, sounds a lot like one of the 100 worst jobs in history. Must have been godawful heavy!I happen to make chain mail, and have personally had some decent results with a stiff bristle brush, and comet cleaner.
Siff bristle brushes might have been made from metal wires, if they could get them thin enough back then... Pig hair also makes a nice stiff bristle.
I beleive comet includes diatomacious earth (Same stuff the cliffs of dover are made from, I understand...) and some stuff with a rather high PH, so something "briney," or "Alkaline" or "Basic" might have been used.
One major problem with using water to clean chain mail is drying. I make mine from annealed steel wire, which I understand to be quite similar to what they used. You must completely dry this material, or else it will rust instantly. Once I clean it, I have to play with it in my hands, or throw it about the air along with a towel. Keeping it moving until it dries is essential. Perhaps this is part of why they preferred just rolling it about in barrels of sand.
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Castle Quest
posted 11-09-2004 02:19 PM
