RETAINING BRIGHT FINISH

[hortonstn]

is there a way to perserve a bright polished lock and barrel without worrying about

rust?
thanks
paul

[Dphariss]

is there a way to perserve a bright polished lock and barrel without worrying about

rust?
thanks
paul

Powder fouling tends to stain bright steel.
Keeping it clean is the only answer.

Dan

[T*O*F]

is there a way to perserve a bright polished lock and barrel without worrying about rust

Not entirely, but if you highly polished it and then burnish it, then you have done everything possible to close any microscopic pores in the metal where rust can start.

[keweenaw]

An absolutely non traditional way, clearly not PC, is to coat all the bright polished stuff with clear baking lacquer.  Or to be even more outrageous you could get it electroless nickel plated.  But bottom line is if you want it bright and don't want to worry about it there really isn't any option other than the baking lacquer.

Tom

[Don Getz]

I have a real neat english sporting rifle that I built at least 25 years ago.   Both barrel, lock and all the hardware was
polished brite.....no special coatings.   Still looks like new.   I think all you have to do is take care of it like you would any
good gun.   Keep it oiled, or use a silicone cloth on it, not really that hard to do.............Don

[Acer Saccharum]

The higher the polish, the harder it is for rust to start. Tof is on the money with burnishing to close the pores. But it's not realistic to burnish a gun barrel. Just polish it up and keep it clean. You can always polish it again if it does stain or rust... and again... and again.

A casehardened and polished surface is very rust resistant, as in locks.
Original lock, ca 1770:


I suspect that many originals started off as bright and ended up turning brown over time.

Tom

[Joe S]

Browned barrels were commonly varnished.  Military specs talk both about varnishing brown barrels, and polishing bright barrels with a piece of hardwood.  The US army specifically prohibited polishing barrels with the ramrod.  I don’t know why.  

I suppose it’s conceivable that you could varnish a bright barrel and be historically correct, although if you burnished it on a regular basis too, you’d probably rub off the varnish PDQ.

Based on personal experience, the smoother the finish, the better it resists rust.  The differences are rather striking.

[JCKelly]

Museums preserve their antique iron from rust by using a "microcrystalline was". One bragged-about brand is Reniassance Wax, a British product. Available various places including Woodcraft Supply. Or, use Johnston's Paste Wax. Rumor has it that weapons with Reniassance wax better survived the flood in New Orleans.

Make certain you use nothing with silicone in it. Silicone is fine for the metal but will keep you from ever, ever refinishing or adding oil to the wood.

[Kermit]

SILICONE IS EVIL! Don't let it anywhere near wood. No finish will stick.

[Paddlefoot]

You might try something like Boshield on the bright parts too. It is a thin wax solution in an aerosol  used to protect aircraft from corrosion in hard to reach places. It penetrates then the solvent evaporates and you can wipe it relativly clean. It is excellent stuff for cast iron woodworking machines too.