How to Fix No4 MkII mistake

[Bruce_in_Oz]

A fair while ago, there was some discussion regarding "Scotchbrite" pads .

I'll reprise my version of the "caveat":

The REAL stuff is made by 3M, of "carborundum" and sticky-tape fame.

The reason the curly stuff in a Scotchbrite pad works so well on the cooking gear is that, embedded in the little nodules on the spun fibre, are particles of Silicon Carbide.

It will remove commercial blueing almost instantly, will cut into Parkerizing and leave clear scratches on hard-chromed bits like L1A1 gas plugs and pistons. It will certainly scrub hardened crud from woodwork, but use pads that no longer make the grade in the kitchen; you'll do a lot less mischief to wood and metal. Be careful with solvents, as well. The synthetic sponge backing on some may dissolve when doused in some of the more evil hydrocarbons out there. (Your lungs? Ditto!)

Bronze or stainless-steed wool are preferred for working with wood. Any fibres that end up embedded in open-grained timber will not corrode and leave an interesting reddish purple stain where the fibre is hiding.

The "REAL DEAL" on older stuff is linseed oil, not some magic synthetic brew. Rifles in actual service were not "tarted up" like a Weatherby! Dull, dull. dull was the ideal finish on the two-way rifle range, for obvious reasons.

My experience with actual, Service, (RAAF Cadets), SMLES is not all encompassing, but the ones I shot and drilled with back in the early 1970's had dull and fading metal finish. The woodwork was almost BLACK, mainly from the grime from a million grubby paws drilling AND shooting, as well as literally "hand-rubbing" in the "oil, du jour", which was often, as I recall, OX52? or some-such, and occasionally, an "update" to the linseed.

My last "exciting" encounter with issue linseed oil was about a decade ago; I was doing "annual tech inspections" on a big batch of F88s (Oz AUGs) and one was impossible to "clear" before inspection. Some goose in the Q store had issued LINSEED oil to a Digger who merrily slathered it all over the metal bits of his "plastic fantastic" before reassembly, after which it was duly placed on a rack in a warm, humidity-controlled armoury, for several months. NOBODY picked up the distinctly different smell of the Linseed oil.

I ended up using "Carburetor and Throttle-body cleaner" to get that one apart.

So, final note: Make it a rule to keep "wood oils" away from the metal bits, and "gun-oil" off the nice woodwork. Unless you have a hankering for the "good-old days" of OX-52 or your local equivalent.