Silicone cloths, spray & general maintenance lubes?

[laverdabru]

Excuse me if this has been posted before by others. I'm a born again airgunner, & some advances/advice may have passed me by.
Gun cloths now seem to - so I'm told - to be coated in silicone. After use, I usually give whatever gun I've used a wipe over with one. I used to do the metalwork with 3-1 or WD40, & the woodwork with a beeswax/wood polish/oil. depending on the finish.

Anyway, I'm sure I recently saw advice not to use silicone spray anywhere near the trigger assembly. Is this due to the possibility of it causing 'dieseling' (siliconing?)

[Josie & John]

3 in 1 or WD40 applied onto a lint free cloth such as an old cut up cotton T shirt and then wiped over the metal parts of a gun are all you really need. Silicone oil is fine on synthetic seals but should be kept away from air cylinders, triggers, etc as it should never be used on metal against metal contact. Doing so will jam the gun up in no time flat.

Hope that helps.

John

[Blackmax]

Napier VP90 on the action, wiped down with a duster. Walnut stocks, I use Danish oil to keep them in good condition but if you have to remove dents or renovate the Danish oil and when dry I use a good quality wood wax such as tag supplied by CCL.

[PeterT]

Ballistol, good for metal work, even wood and leather. Prevents rust even in damp conditions. Try the nail in water test with just one drop of Ballistol oil if you have doubts.

[Rob M]

I prefer to avoid silicone altogether, if it gets anywhere where metal moves against metal it causes galling which vastly accelerates wear. There are plenty of products like ballistol, VP90, preservative waxes and so on that will protect as well but don't have the risks of silicone.

[Voodoo]

Ballistol, good for metal work, even wood and leather. Prevents rust even in damp conditions. Try the nail in water test with just one drop of Ballistol oil if you have doubts.

Fantastic stuff Ballistol ! But spray it outside, the smell could knock a fly off a bucket of shite !!!

V.

[WILBA]

Fantastic stuff Ballistol ! But spay it outside, the smell could knock a fly off a bucket of shite !!!

V.

Just spat my tea out laughing at that reply

[TonyL]

I have used Abbey Silicone Gun Oil for donkeys' years with never a problem. Some of my guns are well over 30 years old and like new.

The trick is to apply very sparingly. One SMALL drop on the barrel will do the entire barrel . For the exterior of my springer cylinders, I put a drop onto the side of the forend and "pick it up" with the cloth and rub into the cylinder. Generally, about three drops for the entire gun.

It repels water and helps resist fingerprints.

But, as said above, it's a BIG no no for metal to metal.

[Bloke]

Beware using generic products without being sure they are safe for the guns internals. Using firearms from S1, S2, and air guns, I tend to keep a few tins around. My usual 'go-to' spray is either Ballistol (but it does stink!) or Napier cleaner/lubricant. If I am not going to be using my shotguns for a while, the barrels and pretty bits get a spray/wipe down with browning Legia, but if I am off to the clay ground and there is any risk of rain, the Ballistol again! Air guns, specialist lubes only, apart from protective spray on outsides.

Don't handle metals with bare hands after cleaning and before storing, fingerprints are corrosive, handle with a cloth/duster and store barrels down

White gun grease for the swivels and wear points, copper grease for the chokes on shotguns and the nipples on BP revolver, gun oil on everything the sprays can't reach. That and a Napier pad in the gun cabinet, they all look and fire like new!
Then again, a tin of WD40 and a rag will protect most things if you apply it regularly ...

[I. J.]

Another vote for Ballistol. http://www.ballistol.com/

[laverdabru]

Thanks for the replies - I use silicone spray in working on my m/bike & pushbike plastic/rubber bits. As gun cloths are allegedly saturated in it, I did wonder why it was advised not to use it on triggers. I was totally unaware about galling/metal to metal issues with it. so thanks for the heads up!

Bru

[Rob M]

Glad to have helped Bru, back in the days when silicone oil and grease became available, some articles in the mags recommended it for airguns as "it can't diesel!" but it seemed that the writers of those articles didn't do any proper testing because it soon became evident that it was a really bad thing to do when the galling problem came to light. If I remember right the mags printed a retraction but as it's pretty much impossible to totally remove silicone a lot of airguns must have been ruined or at least damaged by the use of silicone oils and greases.

[Josie & John]

Glad to have helped Bru, back in the days when silicone oil and grease became available, some articles in the mags recommended it for airguns as "it can't diesel!" but it seemed that the writers of those articles didn't do any proper testing because it soon became evident that it was a really bad thing to do when the galling problem came to light. If I remember right the mags printed a retraction but as it's pretty much impossible to totally remove silicone a lot of airguns must have been ruined or at least damaged by the use of silicone oils and greases.

I had a lucky escape years ago Rob. As you say, Silicone oil was recommended as the wonder lube that does not diesel, so I lubed a Webley Junior Mk2 with it. A few shots later, she would not cock and totally jammed. I had no idea the cause was the oil and ended up sending her to Webley for a service. Luckily the factory were able to free her and she worked perfectly upon her return. Some people today recommend mixing silicone oil with moly and apply to washers but I've been put off. Moly tends to work best on moving parts alongside light machine oil on triggers.

John

[laverdabru]

Must say the above has put me off the Wonder Lube. I know in the motorbike restoration/renovation world some refer to it as 'Bulls%&t Spray' because it can cosmetically improve placcy bits - although it can also impede painting or glueing same.

What causes the problem with metal to metal contact? Just curious...

Bru

[Rob M]

Galling is when two metal parts stick together enough to tear will bits from each other, but rather than the bits coming off altogether, the bits stick to the parts making them rough, and accelerating the effect. It usually happens when parts are dry, why it happens when parts are lubricated with silicone I don't know.