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,

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Are NZ Police 'FIT AND PROPER PERSONS'?

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Marty K.