Flintlock Pistols With Rare Safety Frizzens, c1740

[David R]

The problem with any thick opaque finish is what it may hide underneath. If corrosion has started, or starts later on, the damage can be irreparable before it is noticed.
I would guess that the Linseed oil varnish was originally applied by a previous collector rather than the original user, given how it would interfere with cleaning and maintenance during it's lifetime of use.

[Philip]

Dana, the linseed oil was not the original metal finish on the guns, and considering the problems that these caked-on, after-market coatings can cause in the long run, you were right in removing it. This is not analogous to the aggressive treatments used by some collectors and dealers, namely abrading the surface with polishing agents, or enhancing it via re-bluing or redoing the browning.

[Pukka Bundook]

I agree with Philip.

This old oil may have been applied over the centuries to prevent rust, maybe not linseed, as all old oil will gum and solidify in time.
We often see this accumulation. A little can look very nice, but if it starts to cloud the appearance and gum up the works, it's best removed and as Philp said, has nothing to do with any original finish.

Of course, a light oiling afterwards is again required............starting the process over again? :-)

[Philip]

Using oil on an iron or steel surface is better than no protection at all. But think of the downsides:
1. It comes off on your fingers (or soils your curatorial cotton gloves) as you handle the piece. Worse, it can smear onto the wood stock and over time cause it to darken in places when accumulations soak into the grain.
2. Over time, it can harden and form a nasty gunk which is likely to cause its own set of problems, as has been discussed heretofore.
3. On guns that are displayed out in the open (i.e. on wall mounts or atop a shelf) and are not periodically wiped, oil attracts dust and while it slowly dries out, the dust attracts atmospheric moisture like a wick, and the metal eventually rusts.

You can avoid these problems by using a high-quality wax in lieu of oil. "Renaissance Wax" is a popular brand, but I have had excellent results with more mundane equivalents, like a good carnauba-based automotive wax, or the household standby, Johnson's paste wax (designed for furniture, it's good for the stock as well). Remove oil from surface before waxing, and use a toothbrush or toothpick to remove excess buildup from crevices and screw slots after wiping with a soft cloth. A wax finish lasts a long time, I've gone several years before having to renew it (although I live in an arid part of the country, you might want to do it more frequently if your climate is damp or you live by the seashore).

A good time to wax a gun is when it's all apart, you can catch the underside of the barrel, the parts of iron fittings that nest in stock recesses, and of course the screw threads. Oil still has its place, to lubricate the mechanical contact points. If you make it a point to scrub and clean the bore, do the same as you would do for a sporting gun, but it's best to reserve that operation for when the barrel is detached from the stock so that bore cleaning solvent (and the suspended rust and gunk) don't drip onto the wood.

[rickystl]

Hello all. I'm usually on the Ethno Forum, but glad I ran into this great Thread.

Dana: Those are a great looking pair of pistols. And I'm glad you found a solution to the cleaning issue. They sure turned out nice. So much better without that old, hardened oil. Your decision to clean the metal parts in the fashion you did sure gets my vote. And thanks to all for the knowledge on the saftey frizzens. Most interesting.

Here is the stainless scrubber that Philip mentioned. It does in fact work better and faster than steel wool. Terrific item.
And I really like Renaissance Wax. That is what I usually use. But have also used a good quality carnuba wax with similar results as Philip mentioned.
For inside of barrels after cleaning, I still use old fashion gun oil. It will evaporate over time, but their is no build-up so it's easy to run a solvent patch down the barrel and re-apply the oil.
Actually, with all the newer, high-tech gun cleaners on the market today, it's starting to get a bit hard to locate the regular old fashin gun oil. Which is also what I use with the stainless scrubber to clean the gunk of metal parts.

Anyway, thanks for starting this Thread Dana. Georgious pistols!!!!

Rick.

[Fernando K]

Hello everyone
In principle, I doubt the method recommended by Rick remove rust blued keeping. Rust, in any case, is mixed intimately with the blued, and the elimination of one leads to the eluiminacion of both. What is shown is like a sponge steel, and even a softer material, such as aluminum, works by friction.
I know only two methods to remove rust abrasion loss com metal and chemical, less aggressive method.
Affectionately. Fernando K

[Philip]

Admittedly, when I was first shown the stainless steel gun scrubber, I did have my doubts. I thought of similar-looking products used to scrub pots in the kitchen and THOSE can be deadly! However, when I visited a local gun collector and saw him using it on a fine blued barrel that had speckled surface rust from long neglect, I was sold. The stuff really removed the rust with nary a scratch to the bluing. This fellow taught me to spray WD-40 onto the surface first, the lubricant served to flush particles away from the work. Just wipe clean with a rag after the rust is gone.