Cleaning mail.

[Stuart Ivinson]

Hi Folks,

I have just bought a 2nd hand riveted mail shirt , it's in fine condition and has a bit of oil on it to keep it from rusting.

I used to wear an oiled shirt many years ago and all my soft kit ended up stinking of the stuff and filthy. As I am now much older and vainer, I do not want my nice new off-white Roman tunic (just made it) to end up black with oil.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to completely de-oil the shirt before I begin wearing it?

Thanks for your suggestions,

Stu.

[kevair464]

Hey, in my experience the best way is the old way, get a 5 gallon bucket, drop the mail in, fill in 3/4 of the way with course sand, put on the lid, and roll it around in various directions for as long as you can stand. It gets the mail clean, its authenic to the way it was done, and you get a great arm or leg exercise rolling it around for an hour or so.

Once your done, you will need to shake the mail off to get the excess sand off, however once its cleaned of oil, it will be prone to rust, luckily this same method will remove the rust as well, you just need to stay on top of keeping it clean

[Virilis]

I have also cleaned my rusty mail with sand and a metal brush. After that I sprayed the whole thing with silicone to prevent it from rusting. It seems to work fine...

[Lýsandros]

Dont you need a subarmalis under the mail? Wearing it directly over a tunic has little protective effect.

[jvrjenivs]

its authenic to the way it was done

Although I use the same method myself to clean hamata, I didn't take it as an 'authentic way'. Just a way the Romans could have had access to. Where do you base that statement upon?

[jvrjenivs]

Dont you need a subarmalis under the mail? Wearing it directly over a tunic has little protective effect.

Probably, yes. A subarmalis make sure you get a better support while wearing your mail and has also some efficience in lowering impact of a missile. Also, while carriing all your gear, you surely need one for shoulder support. (and it keeps your tunic clean )

[Neuraleanus]

The last time I cleaned my hamata I went over it with carburetor cleaner using wire brushes. Took along time, but did the job. Afterward I sprayed the shirt with WD40.

[kevair464]

Hmm i don't have an exact source, so i misspoke, the sand method is far more plausible than the abrasize metal cleaner and WD 40 method.....as to what the Romans would have used....

[Lýsandros]

If romans had access to carburator cleaners, we would be all speaking latin now

[arklore70]

Well the best way I have found to clean mail/hamta is with WD-40 and a bristle brush. Spray and then scrub it. You can then hose it off and repeat if your mail/hamata is really messy. Once you are done brushing it off, towell it off. I drop it in a Army issue laundry bag with some rags and shake it around a bit and then that is it. Whole process takes maybe 30 minutes.

[Dan Howard]

Dont you need a subarmalis under the mail? Wearing it directly over a tunic has little protective effect.

It is equally possible that Roman mail had an integrated padded liner. The leather edging is unlikely to just be decoration. If true then no subarmalis is necessary.

[texascavtrooper]

Hello,
When I was in a unit that had a lot of mail we used to rent a small cement mixer. we'd put the mail and some sand in and turn it on. I'd go drink a beer and come back and they were done.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Industrial strength washing machine!

Dan, I was just reading the dura report, and there is a direct quote about the use of a subarmalis, whether it was called such, I
won't put my neck out, but seems there is some source reference to it.

[Lýsandros]

An integrated solution would be definitely useful, but then the problem of cleaning arises again. Unless it was possible to part it again if needed. I am no expert in things roman, I will gladly learn more about this. I have extensive knowledge of 15th century arms and armor and I anticipate that the use of chainmail has changed little over the course of the centuries, which is why i have responded.

[jkaler48]

I have decided to avoid the oil problem altogether by ordering a Tinned hamata!