Over the last few days I cleaned my shop thoroughly. I worked on four separate shields. And I spent over two hours polishing my armor. Upkeep and armor maintenance is important to me. What better way to respect the maker of the armor than to attempt to take care of it?

A few tips:

Painting the insides of your helmet/armor is a great idea, but make sure you use a self-etching primer first, then hit it with spray paint. Brushing paint on is cheaper and probably better.

Down in my neck of the woods, we have come to swear by Fluid Film, which is Lanolin based and not too much more expensive. (10 bucks a can). A little dab’l do ya! Don’t spray it all over, then transfer it all to your rag a second later.

Humidity sucks. Your armor in a bag will last about as long as you would in a bag. Take it out and put it somewhere. An armor stand doesn’t have to be a multi-hinged contraption. I can build you one. I say this as my chain shirt is draped in a pile over my Viking gear.

Wipe your equipment down. Scrub your chain with a beach towel you don’t want. Get all that grease and grime off, then apply your oil. Don’t oil grime.

Chain is in its best maintained state when you wear it and fight in it.

Your armor is a perishable item, and maintenance provides longevity for that armor. you can protect it by an outer garment. In the 14th-15th century, they had giant jupons that were puffy to protect the armor from elements and arrows, alike. A giant shirt, a tabard, goes a long way to preserving your protection. I often thought about fighting in a 6x shirt for fun.

Finally, not every rendition of your armor needs to be sacred. Consider selling for cheap or lending your old armor to newbies, because the sport of armored combat (for those that actually wear armor) is not a cheap endeavor to explore. The best way to take care of your old armor rotting in the corner is to get it on another body.