I just took a quick look (I LOVE having ebooks that are searchable!) and all that happens is that Iorek Byrnison greases his armor with seal fat before putting it back on, when he recovers it. It's possible I misremember a later sequence where he cleans his armor and forges a new helmet or something (I know he needs to replace a helmet in The Amber Spyglass), but not during the recovery scene.

I had to leave the first university I went to as a result of what amounts to addictive behavior around gaming. The several times since that point that I've engaged in roleplaying, it's turned out badly, with me obsessing and spending far too much time in it. So I try hard not to really get involved, although just reading your gaming details probably wouldn't do it. (I should have indicated sardonic humor there, but sometimes that's just not feasible in text.)