Help: Webley Premier seized up after introduction of neatsfoot oil

[hwtyger]

You sure it wasnt silicone based stuff? Silicone metal-to-metal is a no go, it'll seize
Seen various with breakbarrel seized after 'oiling'the braking joint with silicone..

[greasemonkey]

hi,i have stripped many webley pistols in the past but the only one that gave me real trouble was a late model black laquered premier.i tried everything but nothing worked until i heated the assembly red hot with the oxy acetaline.this obviously destroyed the finish and the spring.the finish didnt matter as i was nickel plating the pistol anyway.not helpful i know but just relating my experiences.good luck with the job,greasemonkey

[Mr. Gen]

All joking aside, I would get some WD40 or swarfegajizer into the threaded end then shock the thread loose starting with a good solid 'twatting' with a mallet end on to the tube then a gentle tapping onto a bar that is a tight fit into the end slot, back and forth.

I have never had a webley pistol that would not come apart and I have stripped a lot of them...

[andrewM]

Success: my engineering pal used a blow torch - as a number of respondents advised - and heated the end cylinder cap, which then came unstuck and we opened the cylinder. This had to be done after the cylinder failed to open after considerable strength was applied and a tightly fitting steel insert failed to make any impression in a clamp. Even Giant Haystacks would not have had any impact. The blow torch clearly expanded the metal and created some movement and the wretched thread then succumbed.

Very difficult to tell what was wrong. Nothing obvious but it might be the piston washer - a synthetic circular device - expanded as a result of the introduction of neatsfoot oil - and then Weboil, later used to try to clear the blockage. There was no obvious gunge or pitting visible.

I shall clean out the cylinder chamber with WD40 and a rag, polish the spring ends and piston washer with Brasso (and also inside the cylinder to the extent this is possible) and introduce some moly grease on the ends of the spring and then reassemble and see what happens. If this fails (after cleaning and drying out the synthetic washer), I shall order a new washer from John Knibbs. It seems this system needs no oil to function - unlike a leather washer.

Without the expertise of those on this site, I would have been rather lost as to the best course of action.

Best
A

[Airsporter1st]

Success: my engineering pal used a blow torch - as a number of respondents advised - and heated the end cylinder cap, which then came unstuck and we opened the cylinder. This had to be done after the cylinder failed to open after considerable strength was applied and a tightly fitting steel insert failed to make any impression in a clamp. Even Giant Haystacks would not have had any impact. The blow torch clearly expanded the metal and created some movement and the wretched thread then succumbed.

Very difficult to tell what was wrong. Nothing obvious but it might be the piston washer - a synthetic circular device - expanded as a result of the introduction of neatsfoot oil - and then Weboil, later used to try to clear the blockage. There was no obvious gunge or pitting visible.

I shall clean out the cylinder chamber with WD40 and a rag, polish the spring ends and piston washer with Brasso (and also inside the cylinder to the extent this is possible) and introduce some moly grease on the ends of the spring and then reassemble and see what happens. If this fails (after cleaning and drying out the synthetic washer), I shall order a new washer from John Knibbs. It seems this system needs no oil to function - unlike a leather washer.

Without the expertise of those on this site, I would have been rather lost as to the best course of action.

Best
A

Good news - and its great that you took the trouble to post an update - it gives everyone a chance to learn from your experience.

[ggggr]

So What do we reckon is the problem with the Lacquered Premiers/ Juniors (I had a real problem with one of those). Is it that the guns are alloy framed? Is is lacquer getting onto the threads? Is it the lacquer on the underside of the end cap/guide, sticking to the lacquer at the end of the cylinder? Are the threads not cut too well on the endcap/guide/cylinder?
I would guess the alloy frame would not make much difference as the alloy is some distance away and would have to be really tight to slightly warp the cylinder.
The Junior I did had threads that did not seem great. Lacking a tap of that size (Webley used odd sizes!),I put cutting paste onto the threads and wound and unwound the end cap/guide until it cut the thread enough to tighten up with forcing it.
The bad Premier I did had the lacquer on the underside of the end cap/guide stuck to the lacquer at the end of the cylinder. I wonder if the guns were assembled before the lacquer had cured?

[pjbingham]

Having stripped x2 Mk2 Premiers recently and having had the same issues I'm not convinced it's down to the finish. The first one I ended up cracking the spring guide so the 2nd on I upended and propped muzzle end down and stuck aload of WD40 in it every few days for 3 weeks and I then unscrewed it easily. I suspect the issue is down to Galvanic (Bi-metallic) corrosion.