cleaning equipment?

[Magnus]

Dan, if you're ok with using modern stuff and have no issue going to reenactment hell, brasso is fine. It's a light enough abrasive to remove most tarnish, but anything worse and you may need something a bit stronger. Once you're done polishing it, I tend to use mineral oil on my gear now. Just a little bit on a cloth to give your metal bits a nice coating and that's all you need.