Concentric Ring Corrosion

Concentric Ring Corrosion (CRC), is a rare type of corrosion that has a distinct tree ring-like pattern. The cause of CRC is unknown, however it does mostly occur on highly polished steel, such as armor and edged weapons. While at the Royal Armouries I treated several pieces that had CRC. While a surface corrosion and easily removed, the surface of the object is permanently etched.

The corrosion was removed using ultra-fine steel wool with white spirits and the metal burnishing compound Pre-Lim. The blades were cleaned thoroughly and then given a hot wax treatment. These particular cutlasses also had some flaking black paint that I took the opportunity to consolidate using dilute Paraloid B-72.