Preservation of blades and armour in museums

A. G. Maisey · 19th July 2017, 07:35 AM

Yes, I have used Renaissance Wax for a very long time, I used to use it exclusively on the custom knives I made. It is detectable. In recent years I've used Antiquax rather than Renaissance, mainly because it is easier for me to get hold of.

Bear this in mind, I was working very closely with several people, over an extended period of time, I was in and out of both the work area and the storage area. I saw no evidence of the use of oils or waxes, and in conversation with the people I was working with the message was that the atmosphere was strictly controlled so they did not want nor need to rely on barrier protection. In fact, barrier protection of any kind in a museum situation would be totally impractical simply because of the immense holdings that they have.

For a small personal collection, I agree, a quality micro crystalline wax is the way to go for a smooth or polished surface, but for a textured surface an appropriate oil and plastic wrap is a better option.

But this sort of thing is not economically feasible for large museums.

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19th July 2017, 07:35 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Yes, I have used Renaissance Wax for a very long time, I used to use it exclusively on the custom knives I made. It is detectable. In recent years I've used Antiquax rather than Renaissance, mainly because it is easier for me to get hold of. Bear this in mind, I was working very closely with several people, over an extended period of time, I was in and out of both the work area and the storage area. I saw no evidence of the use of oils or waxes, and in conversation with the people I was working with the message was that the atmosphere was strictly controlled so they did not want nor need to rely on barrier protection. In fact, barrier protection of any kind in a museum situation would be totally impractical simply because of the immense holdings that they have. For a small personal collection, I agree, a quality micro crystalline wax is the way to go for a smooth or polished surface, but for a textured surface an appropriate oil and plastic wrap is a better option. But this sort of thing is not economically feasible for large museums.