WHAT A MESS - World & Barrels ..

 We ALL know that the very first thing you must do when handling a gun is                                  CHECK THAT IT IS UNLOADED AND SAFE TO HANDLE.

- Yeah it's another antique - but can you tell me what else should anyone spend their cash on - when the crazed president of America is demanding that Iran "Unconditionaly Surrender" after having been attacked and bombed by Israel with American supplied aircraft & ordnance?

- Anyway, this was couriered to my front door early today and after unwrapping, - I checked its bores with a dowel to find four of the barrels were blocked around half - to a quarter of an inch at the bottom, chamber ends ..

It didn't feel like a lead ball (too soft) so I got to picking out the obstructions ..

Even the 'clear' bores had some scrapings but I can't say what it is .. sort of fiber maybe? - perhaps oily-rusty fiber from cleaning patches jammed in the bottom of the chambers?

This fresh purchase 'PEPPERBOX' antique is fully functional once I can clear the nipples and it has a strong spring action and overall decent condition. 

I think it measures to be Caliber: 120 Bore aka .338" or .340" with two & three quarter 2 3/4 inch barrels stamped with Birminghan proof marks - six shot, double action only

That's an easy shot with my phone .. but trying to get light at the bottom, now that I can blow air through is bloody impossible .. I need a borescope.

Dunno what that grunge blockage is - BUT I do know we should all be considering what best to do - to prepare and protect our loved ones from this criminal warfare POLITICAL INSANITY .. 

Trump is threatening to join Israel's attack against Iran .. and either this conflict, or the Ukraine slaughter could easily escalate into NUCLEAR DEVASTATION.

I suggest that the very least you can do is try prepare by stocking-up on storable foods and liquids for your family's use and maybe consider buying iodine or seaweed tablets - MRE packaged foods - and gas or charcoal fueled barbecue cookers - camping stoves for future use.

A loaded pantry and full petrol tank on your vehicle won't cost anything long term and could prove helpful in any disruption to come. A simple sack of potatoes is better than nothing ..

It is politicians who are banning citizens from gun ownership - while killing us by the tens of thousands around the world ..

Are You Fit and Proper?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.

RUST & Wintergreen Oil: Part 2

Lawful GUN OWNERSHIP is under attack by POLICE - POLITICIANS & RUST.

I asked  'AI' .."is RUST hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or amphipathic?"

Rust, especially when modified or treated, can exhibit both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. While natural rust is generally water-attracting (hydrophilic), it can be modified to become water-repelling (hydrophobic) through the use of surface treatments, making it an amphipathic substance in some cases. Great ..

WikipediA is good on rust:  Link  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust

Rust is a gradual process that will continue to damage metal if left untreated, eventually leading to significant weakening and potential failure. 

Black powder (Gun Powder) is a variable mixture and it is used in variable conditions ..

In black powder with sulfur you get a significant amount of potassium sulfide in the fouling. Potassium sulfide is EXTREMELY hygroscopic, and when combined with water creates potassium hydrosulfide and potassium hydroxide.
- Potassium hydroxide is, of course?, alkaline/basic, but there's not enough potassium hydroxide formed by the reaction to fully neutralize the acidic by-products that you get from all of the unreacted sulfur (and there's a fair amount) left over, so you end up with an acidic solution.

Sulfur fouling from real black powder eats away at metal because it turns into sulfuric acid. When iron rusts, the oxides take up more volume than the original metal; this expansion can generate enormous forces, damaging structures made with iron. - So that's why that barrel thread is jammed ..

While trying to 'hold' thin liquid Oil of Wintergreen inside the rust frozen turn-off barrel of this boxlock Flintlock - I pushed a clean new cottonball into place and then dribbled in the good oil

White cotton wool went in ..

- After around an hour, that glistening oiled white cotton fiber was no longer white .. having sucked-up dissolved RUST from the 200 year old iron antique pocket pistol.

I've included this pic mainly to illustrate that I tried to show the result, - after pulling the wad the next day and wiping the bore .. Shining a light down a dark oil-dried hole inside a barrel shows ..  a black hole ..

Is that better?

- Wiping "clean" with a cloth removes wintergreen dissolved rust from the metal surfaces .. I'm trying to show that this wintergreen stuff seems to EAT RUST. - That smoothbore WAS encrusted in red-brown rust.

Wintergreen Oil does - in my limited experience - dissolve and loosen rust pustules while functioning as a 'penetrating oil', - and improves the condition of neglected antique firearms.

- Just saying .. no acids, no effort, no wire brushing - just Nature's leaf juice at work all by itself. 

- The active component - chelating agent Methyl salicylate 2-(HO)C6H4CO2CH3 is working to improve my mood, as an old fart's little helper.

I'm growing to really like the smell ..

- I think it works well without causing damage to the 'steel'. I'm still learning what wintergreen can do - hoping that it will loosen & help free rust seized & jammed screw threads..

Life IS good,

Are You Fit and Proper?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.

 

 

WINTERGREEN OIL for Guns ..

 WINTERGREEN OIL for rust .. Yeah it is old fashioned stuff .. 

WARNING: NOT to be confused with Tea Tree Oil which is highly toxic if consumed and allergenic.

Some old boys on the net swear by Oil of Wintergreen for freeing RUST-frozen bolts - Jolly Jack Tars are quoting using gallons of the stuff onboard seagoing navy ships - so I bought a wee bottle, and am trying it as a cure-all penetrating oil.

I fully accept that modern chemicals may work fine or better - but they might be NASTY STUFF.

WARNING 2: I have never used 'Naval Jelly' but it is said to be mostly phosphoric acid that eats rust - & it will damage gun blueing ..

The science here is that Wintergreen Oil is a thin oil that CREEPS and the active constituent Methyl salicylate 2-(HO)C6H4CO2CH3 is a chelating agent for iron - it dissolves and loosens rust. - It is related to aspirin and maybe can be used as a rubbing oil to relieve arthritis, as it's absorbed into the skin. It is smelly and creepy stuff .. sort of minty-OK ish.

I have old and painful THUMBS - and I gotta say that this minty stuff drips and creeps all over your hands when using AND my thumb pain DOES seem somewhat improved.

- Some say that it's perfume can make a feller sexually attractive to beautiful women ..

I am not selling anything to anyone.

I'm currently still working with three fecked antique gun bits I'm trying to fix .. a rust-frozen flintlock turn-off barrel .. a sheared, cross-threaded stump in an Adams percussion revolver, .. and the drilled remnants of a rusted percussion NIPPLE in a rough old pocket pistol: 

Now I won't try teach grannie how to suck eggs .. BUT this oil of wintergreen stuff works remarkably well to dissolve rust while leaving an oiled metallic surface. - Bear in mind that this stuff is squeezed out of plant leaves by distilling .. much of that orange-rusty metal corruption on my three specimens had GONE after an overnight coating with smelly leaf-juice and a quick rub - just saying ..

Note: Famous gun oil BALLISTOL is mineral oil ("liquid paraffin") mixed with alkaline detergents plus .. One of its additives is said to be Jagermeister herbal liquer which itself contains wintergreen oil. - Gun oils SEAL1,  FrogLube and also Marvel Mystery Oil each contain wintergreen oil - just saying.

The Good News continues in that, the 'good oil' on half a cotton ball lightly rubbed on that action face lifted and removed RUST from what looked to be a clean pitted surface. - Wintergreen Oil seems to seek-out the dreaded rust and deal to it. - Listen and learn with mother ..

Note: If you consider rust to be valuable PATINA .. don't use oil of wintergreen

Be Aware that none of my antiques have much remaining 'BLUE' to damage .. but W. Oil seems not to harm 'cold blue'.

Are You Fit and Proper?

Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'?

FIREARMS LICENCES FOR NZ POLICE.

Marty K.