permalyn

[jim m]

what can you thin it with. have some that is getting old and thick. thought I might thin it and use it as a sealer in the barrel Chanel and other mortises.

[rich pierce]

I think most of these type of finishes are going bad when they get thick.

[jerrywh]

Throw it away when it gets thick. It doesn't work right when old.

[Dphariss]

what can you thin it with. have some that is getting old and thick. thought I might thin it and use it as a sealer in the barrel Chanel and other mortises.

This plastic stuff is not like real oil. Once it thickens much its not really worth much.
Dan

[B Shipman]

I'm an expert on Permalyn. I think it's one of the very best sealers and finishes. I've had 25 years of experience with it. But the above is correct. It's a law unto itself. A modified polyurethane created  at the request of John Bivins to be the perfect stock finish. You do not thin it. Buy a new can.

[JCKelly]

Years ago in Birmingham, Michigan I recall the guy who makes Permalyn shuddering when Jerry Kirklin told him that he used old partially thickened stuff, as you are all correct he should not have.
Nevertheless Track of W. sells a thinner.
No one would suggest using old stuff, even in a barrel channel.
Unless of course one were a congenital pack rat, fearful of throwing anything away . . .

[jim m]

thanks guys, it's already disposed of.  so says Jim with head hung in shame and headed to sit in the corner   

[Dphariss]

I'm an expert on Permalyn. I think it's one of the very best sealers and finishes. I've had 25 years of experience with it. But the above is correct. It's a law unto itself. A modified polyurethane created  at the request of John Bivins to be the perfect stock finish. You do not thin it. Buy a new can.

I would hesitate to say Bivins had it created. I suspect he found it in the market place and used it because he needed something that dried fast for the Centennial Guns. The particular resin used is one of a number of Permalyn's available for various uses. Adhesives, finishes etc etc etc. Its probably Permalyn 2085 as a base.
http://www.eastman.com/Brands/Permalyn/Products/

Dan

[B Shipman]

JCKelly, that would be Rick Shreiber, a gunmaker and paint chemist. He got permission from his company to develop this stuff and the company still has the rights to it. It's simply too expensive to be offered for general sale. Imagine what a quart of this stuff would cost at a hardware store. Bivins sold the stuff under his name for awile, but this got to be a pain. So it's simply sold in small cans to gunmakers by Rick to this day.

[jerrywh]

Brownells sell permalyn by the quarts. If you buy a quart I suggest you divide it up into small bottles. Leave little or no airspace in the bottles.

[rich pierce]

You can put marbles or clean used flints in the can as it gets used up to take up the space.  Keeps the air out and puts a nice finish on the  flints(just kidding about the finish on the flints).

[PIKELAKE]

I think that no matter how you cut it, there is a life span for permalyn. I have tried the marble route, puting a layer of plastic wrap under not only the screw on lid, but under that little pry off lid. Stored the can upside down. Placed the hole thing in a zip lock bag inside a mason jar and it was a $#@* shoot as to how long it would stay useable. I think a lot depends on how old the permalyn is when you buy it and whether you hold your face right. It takes me so long to build something I just figure a new can for each rifle. Just a cost for doin business.

[B Shipman]

Dan, I've talked with Rick Schreiber a number of times. Bivins wanted a varnish to fullfill his requirements. "Permalyn" was created as a computer model. The company was'nt interested in Rick's new creation because of  price, but retains the rights to it. Rick was allowed howver to produce it and it was marketed by Bivins under his name. There was an article in Muzzleblasts about finishing by Bivins way back  where he recounted the limitations of what was on the market and the advantages of this varnish. Selling the stuff became a pain for Bivins and Rick sells the stuff to this day. I'm not familiar with all this other stuff and don't know if it's related.