Taking care of iron/mild steel equipment is a constant effort. You basically have to clean rust off every day or after every use. I'll concentrate on medieval armor maintenance, since that's what I'm familiar with.
Prevention- The predominant ways of preventing metal from rusting are the same (or at least broadly very similar in principle to) modern means of combating rust, coating the surface of the metal with some sort of protective layer. This could be decorative enamel/lacquer/paints, or layers of tin/cloth. Waxes and oils were most common for protecting the surfaces of metal equipment, and would have to be reapplied with use, since every scratch was a new area for rust to take hold.
Treatment- the most common way to remove rust was a sand and vinegar scrub, basically sanding. Things like mail shirts would be rolled in a barrel of the mixture, and rust on plates would be removed by hand. It's also worth noting that mail armor can be considered self cleaning if properly oiled, since it moves while worn it will scrub itself on whatever garment it's worn over. Usually a padded gambeson, the thick linen coat worn by poor foot soldiers as their primary protective gear, (besides a possible helmet) and by armored troops as protection against penetration of their metal armor, and chafing from the plate/mail.
Responsibility for treatment - rich nobles had armorers to care for their equipment, for a someone ad important as the Holy Roman Emperor, or a king like Henry VIII, that could be a whole workshop that bulky built and maintained the armor. Knights or other minor nobility would have squires and pages whose responsibilities included caring for their lord's armor, as well as their own. Squires often fought beside knights in the same fashion as heavy infantry or lance armed cavalry until they reached the status of a full knight. If you were a common foot soldier, you were likely responsible for your own equipment's upkeep, like modern soldiers in the field.
Source: Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction: The 14th Century
By Brian Price
Edit: in case some people can't see the source via the link above
Found this subreddit a few days ago. Have thoroughly enjoyed checking out. Here goes my first post…let me know if there are any problems.
Can't speak specifically to how medieval weapons were maintained, but I can speak to the veneration in which they were held. Weapons, particularly chain mail and well forged swords, were a treasure to the warriors of the early Middle Ages. (I'm drawing on Anglo-Saxon sources, but this applies to the early Germanic tribes in general.)
In Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, prepares to fight Grendel's Dam in an underwater battle. Before he plunges into the water, his battle gear is described in great detail, especially the corslet, helmet and sword (lines 1440-1479). His sword is named Hrunting. The sword itself is said to have power, “The iron blade with its ill boding patterns had been tempered in blood. It had never failed the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle…This was not the first time it had been called upon to perform heroic feats.”
In the battle itself, we see lots of weapons and treasure. The weapons themselves are viewed as treasure. Hrunting was not able to pierce the hide of the monster, “It spared her, and failed the man in his need…here at last the fabulous powers of that heirloom failed.” (1525-1530). His corslet protects him from her knife (1545-1550).
He spies a sword that will kill her in her armory. “An ancient heirloom from the days of the giants” (1555-1560). After he cuts off her head, the blade melts away. He takes the handle back up to the surface. It is described as a great treasure. “The Geat captain [Beowulf] saw treasure in abundance but carried no spoils from those quarters [her lair] except for the head and the inlaid hilt embossed with jewels” (1610-1615).
In “Waldere”, another Anglo-Saxon poem, Waldere is being encouraged to bravery in battle. He is commended to honor the sword that he has. It is a thing of “Weland’s making.” Weland was a mythical weapon smith. Waldere is told, “Certainly a thing of Weland’s making will not fail anyone who can hold the hardy Mimming: often in battle, blood-stained and wounded by this sword, one mand after another has faltered. Do not you…allow your courage to falter…[Die] or have lasting fame among men” (Anglo-Saxon Poetry, 511).
The point of these examples is that the Anglo-Saxons and other germanic tribes valued their weapons very highly, even to the point of worship. (Naming swords, burying hem with heroes, etc. all point to quasi-worship. They at the least have a spiritual significance.) The soldiers that had access to these weapons went through pains to keep them nice. It may even have been part of the spiritual life of a warrior to maintain their weapons.
Sources: Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000.
Bradley, S. A. J., trans. Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London: Everyman, 1991.
Hello everyone,
In this thread, there have been a large number of incorrect, speculative, or otherwise disallowed comments, including many asking about the deleted comments, which merely compounds the issue. As such, they were removed by the mod-team. Please, before you attempt answer the question, keep in mind our rules concerning in-depth and comprehensive responses. Answers that do not meet the standards we ask for will be removed.
What do we mean by an 'in-depth' answer? By definition, it is longer than a sentence or two, and uses a balanced mix of context, explanation, sources, and quotations. Being able to use Google to find an article that seems related to the question does not magically make you an expert. If you can contribute nothing more than your skills at using Google, please don't post but instead wait for someone who has read a wide range of literature on this topic to answer this fascinating question. Mentioning what you remember from Game of Thrones is also not helpful here, since it is a fictional world that has very little to do with actual history.
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