Rust prevention.

[scythefwd]

Guys, got an interesting conundrum here. I am a firm believer that the only way to properly prevent rust on your guns is to pull them out and clean/oil them every once in a while. A good gun oil will prevent rust (CLP works wonders for storage, not lubricating). That said, I have been asked to test a product called "the inhibitor" which claims to be a preventative. It is on a card (paper or cardboard) is it off gasses into the air around it. They claim one little card will protect 1 cubic ft. of space. I think this is a solution in search of a problem, but I do want to give this a fair shake and test the living crap out of it.

My test, as it stands, is two pieces of damp 0000 steel wool in seperate sandwich bags. Each piece is about two fingers in height and full width of the steel wool roll. Both came from the same roll of steel wool. One baggie has the cardboard "inhibitor", the other doesn't. I wasn't willing to risk my guns to this test. I am trying to make the steel wool rust. So, here are a couple of questions.

Here are my questions:
1. Since the baggie is small, should I open it every couple of days to make sure there is plenty of oxygen for the reaction?
2. Should I let the wool dry out or should I keep it damp (run water through it and then shake it out till it is only damp, not wet) to promote better rust formation? Does once wet, wet/dry cycles, or constantly wet promote the fastest rusting?

 

[rcmodel]

I think if you wash the steel wool with detergent first to get all the oil out of it:

It will rust while you are standing their watching it, regardless of what you do to the zip-lock bag.

Wash the steel wool first, and a couple days in a bag with the inhibitor and another without should be all the test you need to find out if it does anything.

rc

 

[hso]

wouldn't use steel wool

would use carbon steel nails instead

 

[mete]

Inhibitors DO work and have been in use for many years. I clean the gun carefully, give it a light coating of RIG [no longer available] wrap in Rust Inhibiting Paper ,put in a zip-loc bag. Short or long term storage this way has been perfectly successful - no rust of any kind. Another advantage is that the gun is ready to fire without having to clean off preservative. Another additive to that is to put some silica gel in the bag.

 

[jnyork]

Good news, mete, RIG is now available again. Same good ol' stuff. Readily available at your local gunshop. http://www.ammoland.com/2009/04/30/birchwood-casey-acquires-rig-gun-care-products/

 

[scythefwd]

mete - I know they work, as a general rule, but will THIS one work? That is what this test is to find out. How long term are you talking for storage? Some of my handguns only see the light of day every 5-6 months. A thin coat of CLP, and I have never had a rust problem. Well, once.. but that was after a year of deployment and 6 months of neglect and it was only surface rust with no pitting (on the bottom of the trigger guard, where I don't pay as much attention as the bore, barrel, etc.)

RC - thanks for the tip. I hadn't thought about washing the wool first.

HSO - Have steel wool, only have gavanzied or zinc plated screws/ nails.

Thanks for the input. If neither rusts in 2 weeks, it will be on to the salt water tests.