ANST - mail cleaning and care ...

[j'lynn yeates]

On 2 Jul 98, at 23:14, j_smallw at titan.sfasu.edu wrote:

> wolf made some comments concerning cleaning chain mail.  One in particular
> was dragging it behind a truck at the beach.
> 
> It's been my experience that the washeteria driers are excellent for
> cleaning mail.  Makes a lot of noise though and you really need to clean
> the drier after you're done.

better solution:

small barrel with shaft mounted on axis (steel pipe and flanges works)... 
cut door that can be closed ... mount on frame ... add hand crank or 
electric motor to shaft ... 

toss dirty mail in barrel ... add sand ... add oil ... turn until done

alternatives ...

a large vibration cleaner (industrial class) works better ... especially using 
old cleaning media that is well impregnated with the carbon from the firearm 
shell casings that's it's used to clean (HK rifles casings leave very dirty 
brass ... but the older the cleaning media, the better it works). 

sand blasting works pretty well if you have access to a rig and a form to put 
the mail onto to hold it rigid.  remember to turn it inside to get to each 
surface).  this works if the mail is really grunged out.

best way to clean it is not let it get rusted in the first place.  store wrapped 
up in a oil soaked towel out of the elements (i keep the towel covered in a 
waterproof nylon stuff-sack).  apply you favorite anti-rust ageant in the field 
*before* it starts (i buy the surplus GI "gun  grease" and keep a rag soaked 
with it in the kit ... before putting it one, wipe it down (especially in arm pit 
area) whan take off wipe it down again and put it back in its wrappings).  
additionally, during the day the grease on the links serves to coat and 
polish through as it's worn and the links shift.  if it gets wet, take it off and 
shoot it with WD40 and/or dry it over a fire (ever seen mail "burn" ... grin) 
followed by WD40 and gun grease

using any of these methods is much less likely to torgue off a business 
owner by possibly damaging a expensive piece of the hardware (dryer) they 
make their livelyhood from.  also less likely to generate negative PR for 
your local group and the society as a whole.

'wolf
 .. rust never sleeps

... When we hunt, we all function with one mind
... - Boingo, Pedestrian Wolves
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