Attack of the Melon Drones

[mikeland]

Nice shades.

I can see that gladius could make preparing a salad much more fun.

[Centurion Dan]

Nice shades.

I can see that gladius could make preparing a salad much more fun.

Or even a nice fruit salad

This makes me even more determined to get the funds together in order to get one of my own.

[Parus Ater]

With my many swords I do a lot of oiling. No creaking of my fingers.

That's a biologically and scientifically impossible statement.


Lubricants depend on whether you want to use them or not and garden toold want non-toxic lubricants. Cooking oil is such a lubricant.

[Stuart]

Wahey Melons!! oh, hang on that's not the kinda photo's I was expecting
I love the thought of you doing this B.D. and having worried neighbours peeking over the fence and what a great way to let off steam at the end of the day!

[Invisible officer]

With my many swords I do a lot of oiling. No creaking of my fingers.

That's a biologically and scientifically impossible statement.


Lubricants depend on whether you want to use them or not and garden toold want non-toxic lubricants. Cooking oil is such a lubricant.

If you don't care for a rancid smell on your sword or tools using cooking oil. Cooks use it on the knives , but they use it daily, often washing it , so no problem with aging. And no taste problems cutting food, so ideal.

Some food oils contain a little acid and will further break down and form more acid when oxidising. And it contains a percentage of water. Not ideal on swords.
For cheap garden tools, why not. But 500 ml of best arms oil cost no fortune and I use it for everything.

There are big differences in oils, a genuine Katana owner would surely never use anything else than real choji. 99% mineral oil and 1% Choji. Expensive.
But for the Gladius blade a high qualtiy gun oil would be good, not too expensive and very good protection. I think you need no cotton gloves. but finger prints should be avoided on the blade.
Linssed oil or similar should be used on the wood.

WD 40, hmmmm. Most sword collectors and conservators would shake the head. Not ideal. The Petroleum can react with some stuff.

[Parus Ater]

Nobody suggested using cooking oil on a sword, btw. And chefs don't need to oil knives since they're Stainless Steel. We're talking about garden tools. If you clip a bush or a tree using a chemically lubricated blade you can kill the plant.

Also, my knife collection smells rancid because a lot of them still have the original factory grease and paper. Cow based, I'm told. Never had a problem with WD40, it's function is water displacement (WD, see?) so you use it to lift moisture off the metal and it's polar molecules carry impurities as soap does. You can then wipe down with a porous wipe and then use your chosen grease. The WD40 meathod of cleaning and drying blades and bare metal is really second to none. You mention mineral oil, that's petroleum based and it's also the same petroleum chemicals you elude to in the comment about WD40 reacting "with some stuff"
it was designed to be safe on metals, nuclear missiles, in fact but it's too thing to be an "actual" permanent grease since it's too thing and runs off.

[Biggus Dickus]

I.O. the only oil i had was WD40 (other than cooking oil!!!!)....I knew it would disperse the beer and melon blood.....I had olive oil available but decided against it.....leaving it unoiled wasn't an option...I'll keep a close eye on the blade, I'm careful with finger prints, the acid in your sweat tends to effect metal quite badly...all those with medal collections likely know this!
I shall get some gun oil next time I'm near one of the two local gunshops.
Don't know what the Romans would have used in the field to keep their armour rust free...I don't know if they refined their fats and oils or just used it in a moderately raw state...like out of a sheep or cow...they must either have smelt quite bad due to all the lard/bluba on them! or had rusty armour!..I always wonder about that.

@Dan...go for it!
and as mike suggested...if you use the "we must get more salad into our diet" routine as the starting block, it makes it easier to get it through the "finance supreme soviet"! Salad and vegetable chopping capabilities are second to none, throw away that sabatier, you don't need a mandolin to shread carrots, what you need is a gladius, every home should have one!

@Stuart, as for the neighbours...any complaints from them and I'll start my Spartan hoplite training routine in the garden ....."Shocking" (in a sean connery voice!)

I'm just a padawan at the moment....will try smaller fruits such as grapefruits, oranges and work my way up to a hanging grape as carvel suggested

[Invisible officer]

I can only repeat what the conervators state. WD 40 is far away from being ideal with swords. No problem with the metal but with organic materials on handles or scabbard on long term.
All mineral oils have different compositions and chemical reactions vary a lot.

WD 40 is great for cleaning rusty blades and for use on American missiles but not for the conservation of items composed of metal and organic materials.

For a named sword like spiculum I would spend the few pounds for a good oil that conserves both. With that the grandchilds will still enjoy it.

[Parus Ater]

Nobody said it was ideal but every compound in it evaporates, with the exception of Mineral oil which you say is ideal. Yes, the organic compounds will vary and are a mix but they are all Alkanes to the point that you can use the same simplified molecular formula accross the whole group. As such the same sections would likely be affected by the same catalysts and reactive compounds and have the same Enthalpy changes. Basically, you're saying that WD40, gun oil, super expensive Katana mineral oils would all affect a sword's furniture in the same detrimental way.... with WD40 being the least damaging since Alkanes make up only 15% of it's content and the other 85% evaporates.

Also, due to the fact that WD40's Alkanes come from Catalytic Cracking it's less likely to have mixed Alkenes, benzenes and other impurities.


To summerise, did anyone say that WD40 was ideal for lubricating blades? no, but it's no more or less reactive to the compounds that are but nothing can lift moisture off metal as safely and as quickly as WD40.

[Mister_Chinnery]

I always wondered who would triumph in the battle of man vs melon, and now I have the answer. However that was the watermelon, renowned as the feeblest of their ilk. Try a gala, the results might be different...