Yard sale find and advice..............

[Brad]

I bought a nice bayonet that I think is for a model 1816 musket. It is maked US and RJ.
There are no bends, nicks or any other problems, EXCEPT, it is covered with a heavy layer of fine rust.
My questio is, should I clean off the rust?
If so how agressive should I be? Wire wheel, steel wools, just oil.
Should I try and polish it or just take all the lose stuff off and wax or oil it?
It's not like scaling or terrible, but it will not shine again.
Thanks all

[cplnorton]

It you clean it, it would ruin any value it did have in my opinion. The most aggressive I would be is oil and 0000 wool. Anything more might ruin any value to it. Then just keep it oiled afterwards.

[Brad]

Thanks,
I wonder what value it might have?
I paid $150 a couple years back for the same 1816 model that was very stained, but not actual rust.
And the man that had it was asking $200.00 And it was only marked with a US.
I was told that the RJ mark means it was made pre 1826. Any knowledge regarding that?
Thanks again all.

[Dan Shapiro]

Quoting from Reilly (American Socket Bayonets and Scabbards), "the bayonet for the US Musket, Model 1816...is nominally 19 inches overall, with a 3 inch socket, a 16x 15/16 inch blade and a bore diameter of approximately .826-.830 inches." There is a known list of initials of inspectors of 1816 bayonets. "RJ" is one of those listed.

If heavily rusted, my .02 is that I would clean off the surface rust. I'd soak it in Kroil or some other penetrating oil for a couple of days. That alone will lift some of the rust. Then I'd clean with what are called "kettle cleaners", this is what they look like:

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15968

I use Kroil and the kettle cleaner to get off the remaining rust (heck, all it's gonna do is attrack moisture and create even more rust). NOTE: These cleaning pads WILL NOT destroy the underlying patina. Then, depending on the climate you live in and will display the item, I'd use a product called Renaissance Wax to preserve the piece and prevent further deterioration. The stuff isn't cheap, but it goes a long way. The WWII museum in New Orleans uses it to preserve artifacts - and they aren't known as a "dry" climate! HTH