Swords of the Third Reich, Imperial through 1945 - Quick Reference

[Michael Ryan]

Hi Jaime, Thank you for your message and the "likes", nice to feel appreciated!! Yes Jaimy, please feel free to add me onto your "friends" an honor for me! Also if you think that I can either help or advise you again feel free to message me.

It sounds like your Dad was around at a similar time to me? Although I never got to Viet Nam (VN) I did serve, with the Royal Air Force, in Thailand for a short while where we were supplied water by the US Army. I made friends with a full blood Sioux by the name of Duane Martin Swift Horse. who was based I believe in VN. Was Dad Army or Airforce? A friend of mine, Gordon Bastow, a sgt, was based with the USAF at Da Nang if my memory serves me and lost several of his friends to shelling etc. As late as the 70's he was still suffering nightmares about the place. I visited the VN Washington Memorial some years back and found it very emotional with all those names. I also worked with the USAF at Scott AFB whilst based at MODUK on mission deconfliction. All nice people.

As for cleaning, I find that a cloth dampened with thinners will clean off surface grime and grease, but I usually then use either a soft polish (neutral shoe polish or similar) or Ambersil MS4 as a protector. With regard to rust, it all depends on the item and the extent of any corrosion. On some blades I use auto chrome cleaner on cardboard or even, dare I say it, a brass wire brush and have also replated and repainted bad scabbards. The only problems with plating are that you can lose small detailing and make parts look new by comparison with the unplaited parts. I recently purchased a Victorian (Pre 1901) officer's sword that had had its blade replated. The blade looks magnificent but the hilt looks out of context as it looks like it is a hundred on odd years old. Basically Jaimy, the choice is yours but remember, these are historical items, and you are only a temporary custodian for posterity!! If looked after, they will still be around in hundreds of year's time unlike you and I.

Enough of my pontificating. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Cheers Michael

PS What is your Son's name?