Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

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Sword Rusting

I would like to know of a way to age a sword. This sword was made in India. I have removed the word India from the sword but I want it to look even older. It's very high carbon steel but not stainless. Would soaking it in salt water then exposing the sword to the air. Is there a better process?

Jimmy Whisman
relics & militaria - Hinesville, Georgia
2001

Repeatedly "spritzing" it with salt water and allowing it to dry will probably be faster and more effective than immersing it in salt water. Adding a little bit of bleach ⇦ bleach/sodium hypochlorite in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to the spritz should work well.

There are countless letters on this site about accelerating rusting, Jimmy, so if you use the search engine with terms like "accelerate rust" you will quickly find help. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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