to restore or not to restore...

[fernando]

Originally Posted by gp

...I treated the wooden handle of some pre 1870 pinfire revolvers with almond oil to feed the wood and avoid it from drying out...
Also bone handles of Bosnian ones I treat with a drop of virgin olive oil for the same reason.
Or is this not done with cold weapons?

Every time discussions were held here over how to preserve weaponry, among 'countless' suggestions, our finest member Matchlock (now deceased), always adviced olive oil as being the best stuff; that " old arsenal curators used it for centuries "
He also used to say:
"Forget about modern curators' hystery about acid substances in olive oil destroying iron! The Graz weapons with their original 300 to 500 year old surfaces preserved in best possible condition prove them all wrong".

... and also added that it was what Romans only had ... and it worked !