I have now finally purchased a decent weapon and steel plate armour at empire however I am ignorant as to how to maintain these items. I am aware that larp weapons require a latex spray a few times a year and that metal armour must be cleaned and oiled to prevent rust.
Is there any tips and methods that anyone may have for these processes or any links to particular products that they can vouch for and have had positive results with?
Any help greatly appreciated.
For latex weapons you need silicon spray, not latex spray. However the exact type I cannot tell you.
For plate, you can clean and protect it with basic WD40 oil, but itās much better to use mineral oil and a specific armour wax like this stuff.
I use Joker 440 synthetic spray to keep my plate oiled, the good thing about it is that it doesnāt degrade leather straps and the like.
https://www.motorex.com/en-us/bike-line/spray/joker-440-spray/
If anyone has any recommended brands of silicon spray for weapons, Iām all ears as my swords definitely need some!
The Silicon Spray from Screwfix is fine.
Yep. You only need a light coating.
I just went to get some of this from Screwfix. It is, btw, buried in their catalogue in underground drainageā¦
Testing currently underway.
I also had this discussion:
āI want this to use on Live Action Role-Play weapons?ā
Sales guy 1: āIs that like Larping?ā
Sales guy 2: āI saw a documentary on that. It was awesome!ā
Autosol metal polish is fantastic for cleaning armour up - My clank came back from E3 with a surprisingly large amount of rust on it and I got most of it off without much effort. It leaves a protective layer, too.
For any plate armour, before and after an event always double check all rivets and buckles to ensure nothing has moved or become loose. If it uses leather strapping to connect plates ensure any leather is allowed to fully dry so it doesnāt mold, and then are cared for with a leather wax (thereās lots of variants, I tend to use dubbin as itās cheap and readily available), to ensure the leather doesnāt stiffen and crack.
Anyone know if this is an acceptable silicon spray for use on weapons?
Okay, need someone whoās done this to confirm or denyā¦
Would a suitable non-flavoured silicone based lubricant (yes, the stuff thatās reasonably body safe and goes onto toys of an adult nature) work? Mostly asking based on availability and the fact Iāve seen someone on another LRP site suggest it as an accessible āprotect your smacking stickā thing.
And I kinda want to see if anyone else has used it before it gets to the point where Iām needing to lavish TLC on any of my kit.
Someone I know used to use the sex lube rather than the DIY lube on the weapons he made, yes.
As a side note, I recommend getting a couple of big silica gel packs to go in with your kit, especially if youāre storing a lot in a box, so ventilation might be poor. . I use them because even dry kit can accumulate small amounts of condensation from temperature changes, and I have had leather go mouldy that way before.
For plate, I suggest protecting it with paint.
I gather that was one of the most common options historically, and it can look really good, depending on what colour-scheme etc. you choose.
Unprotected steel can rust scarily fast: I remember some spending a few hours in the rain followed by perhaps three hours in a car, and well before the end of the journey it was dry and all covered in spots and streaks of rust.
Otherwise, for protecting steel and also being good for leather (or at least not bad for it) Iāve read good things about Joker (mentioned above) and ACF-50 (somewhat similar) and also about lanolin-based stuff, e.g. ālanoguardā brand. (Lanolin itself has the consistency of vaseline or soft grease, but itās different from those chemically.)
It might be that some or all of these are bad for latex, though probably not as bad as WD40 or mineral oilā¦ but an experiment would be the way to be sure: a dab on a rubber glove or a condom, and perhaps compare with something known to be bad for it (like oil or petroleum-jelly).