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Hi all,

I just had a couple of questions regarding cleaning. I have found a few old gun components, I believe they are from the 1940's, they have surface rust on them and quite a bit of general grime and mud in places. I was just wondering the best way to clean them. I am not trying to restore or make them look great at the moment just a rough clean so I can see what I have and stop any further damage.

I appreciate there are endless threads online about this but there is so much information and lots of conflicting stuff. I am pretty sure the parts are made from steel, lots of people recommend a fine grade wire wool with oil, but I have also read that steel wool on steel can lead to further rusting? I can order different materials but don't have any locally that I have found.

Could I use gun oil and lots of rags to give it a scrub? What about the more stubborn dirt, can a toothbrush and fine scotch-brite pad or similar be used? I was trying to do it with materials I have to hand initially but don't want to scratch it. For external cleaning can I use a multi purpose oil or is gun oil better? There are lots of other things I have read about different chemical and degreasers but some are quite corrosive and was worried about damage?

Final question, at the risk of getting shot down here, can I use a bit of soapy water for the worst bits to start, as long as I thoroughly dry and oil after, or is this a stupid thing to do? Again, seen people saying both online.

Thanks

Steve

If you don't want to get back to the absolute bare metal, not something I like to do with old parts myself, then a good scrub with a bronze brush, bronze wool or a bronze bore brush and Ed's Red or Kroil would be my chosen route. I like to get the surface oil and dirt of but not break through the "patina". A good soak in the aforementioned liquids will also reduce the amount of scrubbing necessary.

dromia wrote:If you don't want to get back to the absolute bare metal, not something I like to do with old parts myself, then a good scrub with a bronze brush, bronze wool or a bronze bore brush and Ed's Red or Kroil would be my chosen route. I like to get the surface oil and dirt of but not break through the patina. A good soak it the aforementioned liquids will also reduce the amount of scrubbing necessary.

Hi Dromia,

Thank you very much for such a quick reply, I have just looked them up and am going to buy the Ed’s red and wool you have mentioned. Will give it a go next week. In the mean time is a quick once over with oil and a rag OK then or am I better just to wait?

Thanks

Hells teeth buying Ed's Red is an oxymoron just make some up yourself, equal parts ATF (Dexron 111 is what I use, the more modern fluids don't mix so well. ATF was developed as a synthetic Sperm whale oil), paraffin, white spirit (not turpentine substitute) and acetone.

Lanolin doesn't add to its cleaning properties so isn't necessary unless you want soft hands.

Ed Harris's original recipe is lodged in the Library here.

Ed's Red is a mixture of Paraffin/Kerosene, White Spirit and Automotive Transmission Fluid. Exact proportions are probably not too important, but a third each is what I use. Add Acetone if you want to dissolve plastic (shotgun wad). Supposedly you can also add household ammonia solution for copper removal, but I haven't tried that.
triffid

The acetone also helps with its "creeping" ability to infiltrate 'tween the fouling and the metal to help release the dirt so it this case I most definitely would not recommend omitting the acetone.

I have always added acetone. I have never bothered adding lanolin.

I cleaned up this PH25B sight that I found on eBay, using just extra fine steel wool and Ballistol.

It removed the surface rust and left the remaining blue intact.

ukrifleman

For light surface rust I use the finest wire wool I can find (At least 0000) lubricated with light oil, it does enough to remove the roughness and the surface rust and still leaves the bluing intact. It is a process I use probably weekly if not daily.

Thanks everyone,

I will find the stuff I need and have a go next week.

Those sights have come out really well ukrifleman, most of the rust on my stuff is lighter than that so hopefully I can get a good result.

Here is a pic of a couple of the bits I have found to give you an idea, after a quick wipe down one doesn't actually look to bad. There is a also part of the barrel which has a bit of rusting on it but also a few deposits which may need scraping off. There are a few deeper scratches on parts but most of it looks like it will come up OK with a bit of a clean.