[KIX]

OK, more of a general gun curiosity.

A gunsmith friend of mine has shown me a different technique and observation recently.

He dunks many parts after he works on them in a home made tank with "Mobil 1) oil. He has a few gallons of the stuff in this tank. Has had this tank for years (can't believe I didn't ask earlier).

He often works on parts, drops them in the tank in a basket until he's ready to do the next stage.

Now, as an aside, quite some time back, I left a piece of stock in the tank for an extended period of time after reading how metal absorbs oil (my thick head was having a hard time absorbing that one).

So, I should've taken pictures before I used the stock for another project, but.... there was a considerable difference. The end that was soaking in the oil for a few months was indeed "saturated". I left the stock out during our southern New England humid season (most of spring, summer and fall) and the part of the rod that was not submerged in oil showed signs of corrosion almost immediately (like within a day or two). The saturated stock was fine for a rather long time.

So, my questions are:

1. How common is this practice
2. Can we benefit from leaving parts in an oil bath for a period of time (I have a Bersa that has horrible problems with corrosion that I'd like to leave in there for a bit).
3. Where would we advise against this practice (plastic/rubber parts probably being the exception).

Thanx,

Jonathan

 

[Jusbo]

Nothing wrong with it at all although if you plan on having the gun reblued at another time it very well could be a lot harder to do a total degrease. A Far as Mobil 1hmm, why not, I use a mix that I saw on a show about Springfield Armory Gunsmiths,tue had these little bottles of red stuff on the benches, A mix of 30wt Oil, Tranny Oil, STP and Hoppes # 9, made some up myself so I dont have to worry about gun oil for a while.

 

[KIX]

That sounds like that mixture I saw once for ultrasonic machines.... almost.

Didn't think much about the reblueing, but man, the changes really shocked me!

Picking up a covered oil disposal "tank" today at Pep Boys so I can drop a few parts in (I have a Bersa slide that just loves to rust!!!!).

Jonathan

 

[AZXD]

Mobil 1 had been a primary lubricant for many on this forum, for years ... If you search for it, you will find this to be a true statement.

Myself, it's M1 and white lithium grease ... Both are available at your nearest auto parts store, and once purchased, you'll not be needing more, for years, regardless of how many weapons and shooting/cleaning you might do.