Need Help Restoring My Calvary Sword

[TallTales]

HI,

I inherited this sword through my family. It belong to a great grand uncle who fought for the Union army calvary. It's pretty rusted and I just don't have a clue on how to preserve it and remove the rust if that's even possible.

Thanks!

 

[Larryh86GT]

Welcome from WNY.

 

[JOHN42768]

Welcome, enjoy

 

[zburkett]

Great sword and a great family treasure. If it were mine I would do no more than oil it with spray penetrating oil and rub it with fine steel wool. There are those who could "restore" it but then it would look like a modern reproduction. That sword has hard earned patina. Please write down everything you know about your Great Grand Uncle and attach it to your sword so it doesn't get separated and lost. A nice framed letter hung next to the sword would be worth a wall in the living room. When you do have your Uncles history, pleas post it for us to enjoy.

 

[Patrick H]

The blade experts will be along shortly. I am pretty sure they will caution you to go very gently. No wire power wheels, no sandpaper, nothing of that sort. I don't think you'll ever be able to remove all of the rust, but you can get some of it cleaned up. For example, I think that patch of bright rust where the blade meets the hand guard will wipe right off with some penetrating oil. I think you have an heirloom to cherish, even if it's rusted. If you want a shinier example, you can buy one to display with your ancestor's weapon. Welcome to the forums!

 

[UCVRelics]

Welcome From THE Heart Of Dixie. In looking at the photos it appears that there is more than just surface rust so complete removal is going to leave pitting on the blade. Being that its an officer sword they maybe etching on the blade. Its very close to being a candidate for electrolysis but in order to do that the blade will have to be removed from the guard. I know several great restores but it will be pricey. I would remove what surface rust I could and then stabilize the blade. As mentioned above NO grinding wheel etc on this blade.

 

[Richard E. Schenk]

You really do need to remove the active (red) rust from the blade or it will continue to deteriorate until ultimately you are left with a pile of red dust. The guidance you have been given is good - just use gun or sewing machine oil and 000 steel wool and don't get carried away. Remove the active red rust but don't worry about any black inactive rust remains - it won't hurt anything. You may want to remove the green corrosion from the hilt. People have a number of ideas how to do this. I have had luck using a soft cloth and/or tooth brush and vinegar. Do not use any abrasive materials, not even the 000 steel wool you used on the blade.

Your sword is not a cavalry officer's sword, but rather a M1850 foot officer's sword. Most company grade officers (captain and below) wore them. The majority had etched blades, but given the corrosion on yours, it is probably gone but you won't know for sure until you get the surface rust off. They were made and retailed by a number of different US and foreign companies, and will frequently have the company name and/or logo stamped on the ricasso (the flat portion of the blade immediately below the hilt). I can't tell from the photos, but you may well be able to see it on one side of the blade or the other.

Good luck with your cleaning and preservation effort.

 

[captaindrew]

Welcome from South Florida and the Reenactors Forum, you are lucky to have such a great family treasure.

 

[sourdough]

For the blade ONLY, I would use a product called Evapo Rust. It will get rid of the surface rust and not harm the metal. It will not remove any pitting, just the oxidation.

As a trial you could just immerse the tip of the blade and see the results. It is water soluble. I have used it on old tools and it works well to remove the oxidation. You must oil the metal afterward.

Just my $.02 worth.

Jim

https://www.walmart.com/ip/1-GALLON...edirectid=15586461415348924177410080302008005

 

[sourdough]

I am 67 years old, cranky, and a stickler where certain things are concerned.

Calvary was where Jesus died.

Cavalry concerned men, horses, and various armaments in those days.

Blame it on my Mother.

Jim

 

[Patrick H]

I am 67 years old, cranky, and a stickler where certain things are concerned.

Calvary was where Jesus died.

Cavalry concerned men, horses, and various armaments in those days.

Blame it on my Mother.

Jim

I was tempted to post a similar statement. Thank you for doing it for me. You and I are not the only ones out here who appreciate the difference between cavalry and Calvary.

 

[zburkett]

Sourdough, aren't you a little old to be blaming your problems on you mother. Every time cavalry vs. Calvary comes up I get confused and have to start looking it up. But then I never could spell.

 

[sourdough]

Sourdough, aren't you a little old to be blaming your problems on you mother. Every time cavalry vs. Calvary comes up I get confused and have to start looking it up. But then I never could spell.

Actually it isn't MY problem. I can spell and differentiate between the two words.

Enough of this. Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Jim

 

[CWH1234]

Welcome from NC! Nice saber there.

 

[James N.]

Welcome to the forums from the host of the Stonewall Jackson Forum!

 

[Deleted User CS]

Welcome from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

 

[TallTales]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies! I will look into some machine oil and some steel wool! If there is a favorite brand among the vets here I would appreciate any recommendation. Knowing my luck I would buy something similar to jet fuel and wind up melting the sword. I'm not "handy" person if you can't tell already haha.

@sourdough You may be grumpy but you're right I misspelled it. Sorry bout that. I'm atheist so I had to look up the Calvary reference.


Here is a little tidbit about the sword. Excuse my grammar.

So this sword was "lost" to the family for many, many years. My mother, her siblings and even some cousins around my age remembered seeing this sword in pristine condition at my grandmother's house. Fast forward till about five years ago I took an interest in the family tree and started asking questions and made an Ancestry account. I found that this sword likely belonged to my great grand uncle Isaac Burkheimer/Barkheimer. He enlisted in Sommerset, MO on 7 May 1864 into the Union army and was lucky enough to be in the same company as his brother William (Company B then later C) of the 12th MO CAVALRY. The reason I believe it belonged to Isaac was because he survived the war with some lung damage. His brother William I can't find any trace of after he enlisted. So my sister winded up purchasing my grandmother's house and while she was moving out she decided to take a dresser that was left behind by another family member. Well, when she moved the dresser out from behind it fell the sword wrapped in an old sheet.

The best information I can gather is my younger cousin was playing with it outside probably in the rain or mud. My grandmother took it away, wrapped in a sheet and hid behind the dresser in the back bedroom and forgot about it for 20 years. I'm just glad someone found it!

 

[Ole Miss]

Welcome from the Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing Forum and North Mississippi! Be sure and visit the Forum soon.
Regards
David

 

[WJC]

Welcome! I find it heart wrenching when I learn of any artifact that was nearly pristine until recently. I have some of the same tragedies among my family's heirlooms. I'll be interested to find out how your reclamation effort works. I, too, urge you not to use abrasives. The sword looks like it might be a candidate for electrolysis, but someone more familiar with the process had better evaluate whether that is viable. I have seen it used successfully on antique car parts; not sure that I'd be comfortable using it on a family 'jewel'.

 

[James N.]

… So this sword was "lost" to the family for many, many years. My mother, her siblings and even some cousins around my age remembered seeing this sword in pristine condition at my grandmother's house. Fast forward till about five years ago I took an interest in the family tree and started asking questions and made an Ancestry account. I found that this sword likely belonged to my great grand uncle Isaac Burkheimer/Barkheimer. He enlisted in Sommerset, MO on 7 May 1864 into the Union army and was lucky enough to be in the same company as his brother William (Company B then later C) of the 12th MO CAVALRY. The reason I believe it belonged to Isaac was because he survived the war with some lung damage. His brother William I can't find any trace of after he enlisted...

There's a potential problem with your story -
This sword was regulation for INFANTRY OFFICERS the rank of lieutenant or captain, though it was also sometimes carried by officers of higher rank - majors, lieutenant colonels, colonels, and even generals - but rarely enlisted men, and then only *maybe* the regimental sergeant major. Was your ancestor an officer? If not, then this is more likely something he "picked up" somewhere, possibly even a war souvenir. What do you know of his service record? It's not a "typical" sword for cavalry, even cavalry officers who were supposed to carry their own specific (different) style, though this *might* have been an exception to the rule, hardly unknown among volunteer officers.