The importance of the grease

[bombdoc]

Apologies for unearthing what is a relatively old thread, however I think I may have some additional input to the subject, which is something I dealt with in my years as a military logistician..

Oils, waxes and greases are a huge subject, and have a number of potential pooh traps for the unwary. As pointed out in previous entries, classifying these substances by their appearance is not actually that helpful, and can lead to some significant mistakes. The obvious difference, and the one used to differentiate a wax, grease and oil is the thickness.. but this is misleading! Many greases are simply oils in a soap base to make sure the stuff stays in place.. A lubricating grease and a protective grease can be fundamentally different in formula and function although looking very similar.

In the past there were a limited source of these materials, roughly divided into animal, vegetable and mineral. In many cases, these materials were used for a range of lubricating and protective purposes, although in many cases the long term effects could be destructive, often as a result of contaminants in the source material. Substances such as Tallow, Rangoon oil, Bear grease, Russian Pitch and Sperm oil feature in many old shooting books. Although they were recognised products in their day, their compositions could vary widely, and although good for short term use, could prove destructive in the long term. Nowadays, we can obtain carefully designed, tested and analysed products, however we do still seem to seek panaceas and retain an attraction to "Eye of Newt and Toe of Bat" preparations to meet all our needs..

Looking for our needs, can i suggest there are four basic requirements for these unguents:

1. Cleaning. There is a clear need to remove the remains of the firing process. These are basically primer and powder residue and projectile deposits from bullets, shot and sabots/wads. You need two actions here, a solvent to break down the solid residues and a surfactant to clean the surfaces. Modern cleaning products will do this, particularly if you match the product with the propellent/projectile that you are using. The problem with cleaners is that they can clean off the protection as well, particularly if you let it seep into places it is not meant to go!

2. Bore "Lubrication". You only need this in two situations: when you are using black gunpowder and/or using bare lead bullets. Actually the material has two quite separate functions. Black powder lube combines with the powder residue and keeps it soft to prevent the buildup of hard deposits. Lead bullet lube performs a similar function, but prevents lead sticking to the bore. Neither of these processes is actually lubrication.. which is the process of removing or reducing friction...

3. Lubrication. Yes, you need this as well! The various moving parts in your gun need to be lubricated to reduce friction and wear. Sears, springs, levers, pivots, rods and pistons all need to be coated with appropriate friction reduction substances to produce a smooth working and long lasting action. This does not last for ever! Once in a while you need to strip out the old lubricant, clean the bits off and re-lubricate with fresh. Lubricants that you use in these situations need to be greasy so they stay where they are put. Graphite based greases are often used in these applications.

4. Metal Protection. The metal in our firearms, even if treated with a chemical finish to inhibit corrosion, needs the additional application of protective materials to resist the actions of the elements and physical wear. The bore needs to be cleaned, however this needs to be followed with a coating that will preserve the surface.

5. Wood Protection. For those firearms with wooden furniture, an additional level of chemical treatment is needed to preserve and stabilise the wooden elements of the weapons. These are fundamentally different from the need to treat metal, although there are some similarities.

Standing back, it must be obvious that it is extremely unlikely that a single product will meet all the requirements listed above, particularly in the long term and in varying environmental and usage conditions. In addition, there is a real danger that a substance applied for one purpose could interfere with the function of another..

The greatest risk comes from cleaning materials affecting the function of protective materials or from protective materials designed to treat one element of the system, inadvertently damaging another. Be very careful when choosing materials to be used on a gun, particularly an old gun, and make sure they only go where they should..

Wood needs to be treated with the correct oils and finishes. You will not damage a wood stock with linseed, which will replace moisture loss and retain the body of the fibre. Mineral oil will attack, stain and eventually break down the structure of wood. It needs to be removed with white spirit or other solvent, however this removed the natural oils from the wood which needs to be re-treated with linseed to restore the structure. Tung oil is also good, but hardens more than linseed and needs to be used sparingly.

Modern metal preservation products will chemically bind to clean metal surfaces and do not need to rely on thick physical coatings. Some also have water displacement properties, however be careful.. products such as WD40 are primarily a water displacer and do not have long term protective properties! Read the tin carefully and select products that meet your requirements.

For long term preservation and for putting a protective barrier between wood and metal, I have not found a better substance than Renaissance Wax. This was developed originally by the restoration department of the British Museum and is a chemically neutral wax in an evaporating solvent base. It is very similar to a good beeswax polish, but with a much higher level of assurance that there will be no untoward chemical reactions or oxidation into the future. The final finish is hard enough to resist dust, yet is chemically neutral. The wax is freely available via the Internet - a small amount goes a long way...

Sorry this is a rather long diatribe, but I hope it is of use.. My advice is always think about what you are trying to do, select the appropriate material and use it sensibly having done you homework.. To follow the words of the Hippocratic oath - do no harm and remember that we do not own our old guns, we are simply looking after them for future generations!

[Patrick Chadwick]

An excellent summary.

In the muzzle-loading world, there seems to be an awful lot of "eye of newt and toe of bat" still drifting around the forums. And having handled a load of old BP rifles over the years, I would venture to say that the most important place to protect the wood is IN THE BARREL CHANNEL.

Too many old guns look OK until you remove the barrelled action from the stock and see what's lurking below the waterline. The heating/cooling cycle plus over-enthusiastic oiling or greasing of the metalwork and linseed oiling only of the outside of the stock is ruinous - in a place where many gun owners never look, until it's too late.

Since one may presume that the members of this forum are not going to be crawling through Flanders mud or Indo-Chinese swamps with their old milsurps, we can say that, for us, outside is for looks, but inside is for metal and rust protection.

[Seaspriter]

Since one may presume that the members of this forum are not going to be crawling through Flanders mud or Indo-Chinese swamps with their old milsurps, we can say that, for us, outside is for looks, but inside is for metal and rust protection.

Patrick, you are right on. Peter Laidler and others in other posts have proclaimed this as well. As an owner of many historic firearms, I've found your observation quite true. But more. As the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP.org) in the U.S. has also very clearly delineated, the presence of gun oil on old wood stocks creates the problem of "oil rot," which can be quite serious. Some advocate varnishing the interior of the receiver cavity to repel the gun oil, which has many chemical additives today.

I've found another solution which came from a 1930's Enfield Armourer's Manual. It calls for coating the underside of barrels and inside barrel cavities with a 50/50 mixture of beeswax and mineral jelly (Vaseline). First heat to mix and when cooled, apply (I just rub it in with my finger). It repels water and oil, thus preventing both rust to metal and oil rot to wood. (this concoction is also fantastic for old chests of drawer slides). Perhaps others have found a better formula?

[CrossedCannons]

Interesting set of posts, especially as to wood.

"The almost black color along the metalwood lines of firearms would indicate....... over time, gun oil dissolves the resins in wood and makes it mushy. For example, the compression effect of Garand receivers/trigger guards crushing the wood is in part caused by oil damage to the wood."

I think it more likely that any black coloration arises from rust combining with the tannins in the wood and not from degradation of the wood by "oil". I know from a prior apartment having oak flooring that a wet spot beneath a steel filing cabinet left over time resulted in a "slight discoloration" of the floorboards, or what was in reality a big black stain. I managed to remove much of it before move out with metal chelators and plenty of elbow grease. There was absolutely no oil involved.

[Seaspriter]

wet spot beneath a steel filing cabinet left over time resulted in a "slight discoloration" of the floorboards, or what was in reality a big black stain.

There is a big difference between the black stains from iron interacting with tannins in wood and "oil rot" which is a degradation of the wood fibre.

Iron stains in wood can be diminished with oxalic acid bleach.

Oil rot requires either the cutting out of the wood, or the extraction of the oil from the spongy wood, followed with an epoxy soak (like the WEST system). I haven't used the epoxy soak on an old gun, just oil boats and furniture. Has anyone tried this?

[enfieldshooter]

Yes. Have used West System thinned with esol 20% and brushed it on until it won't soak in any more. Use the same mix to seal between stock and barrel/action on modern arms. Brilliant for that hairline crack that you have trouble getting glues into. Wedge open and drip it into the crack, flows in like penetrating oil and soaks into the wood on both surfaces for a good bond, clamp together or elastic wrap and your done. On mil surps I try and use traditional methods if the arm warrants it but I won't spoil the integrity of my work for the sake of correctness.