No color finish for barrel??

[tackdriver]

Does anyone know of a permanent finish (stain) that will not change the color of the barrel very much? I'd like to keep it looking silver in color but am tired of fighting the rust. I'd like something better than just rubbing oil on it.

thx

[R. McAuley 3014V]

Does anyone know of a permanent finish (stain) that will not change the color of the barrel very much? I'd like to keep it looking silver in color but am tired of fighting the rust. I'd like something better than just rubbing oil on it.

thx

See my post at:

http://www.n-ssa.org/vbforum/showthread.php?6360-quot-Attic-Found-quot-spencer&p=27457&posted=1#post27457 (http://www.n-ssa.org/vbforum/showthread.php?6360-quot-Attic-Found-quot-spencer&p=27457&posted=1#post27457)


... and keep your musket clean!

[Maillemaker]

Nope, there really is no such critter.

There are two types of corrosion protections: barrier and chemical.

Barrier protection prevents oxidation (rust) of the underlying metal by placing a protective barrier over the metal. This prevents oxygen and moisture from attacking it. Paint, wax, and oil are examples of barrier coatings with various tenacity.

Chemical protection is done through some kind of sacrificial metal, such as zinc, which corrodes before the underlying base metal. Obviously this is no solution for what you are after.

For protecting bare steel surfaces that you want to continue to look like steel, I find that oil is your best bet. Some people have used paste waxes or acrylic clear coats, and this can work for items that will not be handled much, or ever, such as items solely for display.

The reason why they do not work well for pieces that are handled often is the handling will inevitably remove the wax or acrylic barrier coating in wear areas, which will then be prone to rusting. But when it comes time to clean the item to remove the rust, now in addition to removing the rust you will have to remove all the old remaining barrier coating, which can be a chore.

For example, I clean my maille armour items in a rotary tumbler to polish them clean, and then dip them in Future Acrylic Floor Polish. This coats the maille in a clear coat finish that prevents rust. However, after wearing the item a while, the finish is worn off and then I have to strip all the acrylic off using an ammonia-based cleaner, and then tumble and re-dip in the acrylic.

Oil, on the other hand, is easy to apply, easy to remove, and does not interfere with general cleaning of the firearm.

So my advice is clean your gun after every shooting and oil it and you should not have many problems.

Steve

[Scott Kurki, 12475]

I just use Balistol all the time and some steel wool if needed like after shooting in the rain. Never had any problems with rust or other discoloration. Avoid WD-40 as it seems to displace water just fine but for some reason does not protect from rust. I do use WD-40 for cleaning the bore and fire channel but follow-up with Balistol. I am finding that for bore cleaning, WD-40 is almost as good as KROIL but much cheaper.

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

I do not know of a permenant colorless rust-preventing finish for your gun, but Birchwood Casey has a product called Barricade (formerly called Sheath) that's the best I've found for the rainy days on the range. It adheres to the barrel much better than oil. I also keep a small bottle of Old English Lemon Oil Funiture Polish in my kit to wipe my wood with.

[tackdriver]

Well heck, I kinda suspected this was going to be the case. So much for finding the easy (ok, lazy) solution.
I'll look into the two product suggestions though.

As usual, thx guys.

[williamslaybaugh]

You could always move inland a bit get away from that salty coastal air. I bet you could go most of the year in the Mojave without ever oiling your musket as long as you kept the sweat off of it.<font size="3"><font face="arial"> </font></font>

[mike davenport]

You can also apply a coat of good quality automotive finish wax. It will "seal" the metal and provide corrosion resistance
mike
dsr

[Maillemaker]

You can also apply a coat of good quality automotive finish wax. It will "seal" the metal and provide corrosion resistance

Yup, you can, and I know a lot of people who do this with medieval armour pieces.

Just remember, at cleaning time you get to remove everything else plus the wax.

Steve

[mike davenport]

You can also put a coat of pure linseed oil on the metal and let it dry. It will change the color but will protect the metal from corrosion and rust. Learned that from my dad who was/is a wook worker and we needed to keep the chisels and saw blades from rusting in the salt air where we live.
mike d
DSR