Neatsfoot on piston seals

[clarky]

How about a bit of Ballistol? Seems to keep my sling in nice condition.

it would be a bad idea..
Its a surface protector for Leather and metal components ....not a remain liquid and viscous substance.
So it would be fine for sling or riding boots as a water repellent but a real bad idea for your piston washer that needs to remain open and soakable .

[grantb]

I have been treating leather seals with Neatsfoot oil in my vintage air guns for many years without encountering any rust or other problems.

[DCL_dave]

I have an old bottle of Equimins pure neatsfoot oil which is years out of date but it still does the job, no probs with rust.

[Airsporter1st]

it would be a bad idea..
Its a surface protector for Leather and metal components ....not a remain liquid and viscous substance.
So it would be fine for sling or riding boots as a water repellent but a real bad idea for your piston washer that needs to remain open and soakable .

Does it not soak into leather then?

That's a rhetorical question, by the way, to which the answer is 'yes, Ballistol does soak into leather and keeps it supple' - just what is needed for piston washers.

[clarky]

Does it not soak into leather then?

That's a rhetorical question, by the way, to which the answer is 'yes, Ballistol does soak into leather and keeps it supple' - just what is needed for piston washers.

it does indeed soak in just like any other emoilient but it acts as a barrier repelling further loading.
With a leather piston washer we need continual wetting of the leather.
It might be fine and difficult to notice any difference but ultimately you may not be able to resoak the inner material of the leather.

[Jimny4x4]

Oils mentioned so far here - Ballistoil sounds the better - low viscosity and from memory its not a mineral oil .
Another poster said certain Mineral Oil which I always thought was a def No but if it works and TONY say's so.....
So what about WD40 .
Very easy application .
Lazy mode would be to squirt in thru the cocking slot , invert the airgun , with the transfer port blocked . Oil would settle around the Leather Piston Seal .
As its so viscous , absorbs easily into the leather and evaporates ... .
So no risk of combustion ?

I did hear /see the WD40 being used to quickly bring back a tired springer before .
Plus for the run in period you may get some vapourised residue down the barrel - gives it a clean in the process .

[pjbingham]

Thankyou for everyone's thoughts and advice. I think I'm going to strip a few down and take a look and maybe have a bit of an experiment with a few bits myself. All part of the fun I guess. Atb Phil

[splatfest]

So what about WD40 .
Very easy application .
Lazy mode would be to squirt in thru the cocking slot , invert the airgun , with the transfer port blocked . Oil would settle around the Leather Piston Seal .
As its so viscous , absorbs easily into the leather and evaporates ... .
So no risk of combustion ?

Common myth,WD40 is not an oil its a degreasant,ultimately would get rid of any oil the piston washer was carrying.

[clarky]

Common myth,WD40 is not an oil its a degreasant,ultimately would get rid of any oil the piston washer was carrying.

This is correct. WD40 has other components for degreasing and penetrating ...an extremely bad idea as a lube.
It leaves a meniscus film which dries as hard crud if left long enough.
The best use for WD is freeing up seized parts but then re lubing with correct products.

[clarky]

Oils mentioned so far here - Ballistoil sounds the better - low viscosity and from memory its not a mineral oil .
Another poster said certain Mineral Oil which I always thought was a def No but if it works and TONY say's so.....
So what about WD40 .
Very easy application .
Lazy mode would be to squirt in thru the cocking slot , invert the airgun , with the transfer port blocked . Oil would settle around the Leather Piston Seal .
As its so viscous , absorbs easily into the leather and evaporates ... .
So no risk of combustion ?

I did hear /see the WD40 being used to quickly bring back a tired springer before .
Plus for the run in period you may get some vapourised residue down the barrel - gives it a clean in the process .

Ballistol is a mineral oil but unlike the pure mineral oil of the Bisley oil, it contains many other components.
Particularly cleaning acids. It would probably be ok.

[Airsporter1st]

How about a bit of Ballistol? Seems to keep my sling in nice condition.

it would be a bad idea..
Its a surface protector for Leather and metal components ....not a remain liquid and viscous substance.
So it would be fine for sling or riding boots as a water repellent but a real bad idea for your piston washer that needs to remain open and soakable .

it does indeed soak in just like any other emoilient but it acts as a barrier repelling further loading.
With a leather piston washer we need continual wetting of the leather.
It might be fine and difficult to notice any difference but ultimately you may not be able to resoak the inner material of the leather.

Ballistol is a mineral oil but unlike the pure mineral oil of the Bisley oil, it contains many other components.
Particularly cleaning acids. It would probably be ok.

So Ballistol has gone from 'a bad idea' to 'it will probably be OK', via 'it might be fine'

I would be very interested in a link to the information that you have that indicates the presence of 'cleaning acids'. I'm not doubting that you know what you are talking about, but would like to read the formulation details for myself.

I have been using it for years with no adverse effects. Some people dislike the smell, but I actually find it nice - evokative of the magic of my first airgun experiences.

[clarky]

So Ballistol has gone from 'a bad idea' to 'it will probably be OK', via 'it might be fine'

I would be very interested in a link to the information that you have that indicates the presence of 'cleaning acids'. I'm not doubting that you know what you are talking about, but would like to read the formulation details for myself.

I have been using it for years with no adverse effects. Some people dislike the smell, but I actually find it nice - evokative of the magic of my first airgun experiences.

Look it up on Ballistols own website.....click on the product ....it provides all the information on at least 4 other ingredients in the mix.
TBH ive no strong feelings on it either way but my choice of "bad idea" is personal to me and i should not have put it out there.
Deal is my Walther 53 washers are unobtainable....the original spares gone forever.
I have a pair of seals which i therefore treat with the greatest of respect and have chosen to go pure mineral oil route for me.
Hope the Ballistol works fine for u .

[Airsporter1st]

Oils mentioned so far here - Ballistoil sounds the better - low viscosity and from memory its not a mineral oil .
Another poster said certain Mineral Oil which I always thought was a def No but if it works and TONY say's so.....
So what about WD40 .
Very easy application .
Lazy mode would be to squirt in thru the cocking slot , invert the airgun , with the transfer port blocked . Oil would settle around the Leather Piston Seal .
As its so viscous , absorbs easily into the leather and evaporates ... .
So no risk of combustion ?

I did hear /see the WD40 being used to quickly bring back a tired springer before .
Plus for the run in period you may get some vapourised residue down the barrel - gives it a clean in the process .

The debate may go on about Ballistol, but I would definitely advise against WD40. It will cause dieselling, unless left for long enough for all the volatile components to evaporate.

It has very little lubricant content and I have personally observed rusting of bare steel which has been liberally coated with WD40 and then left in the 'dry' (bearing in mind that any normal air contains a degree of moisture). In contrast, I've lubricated relatively cheap outside padlocks with Ballistol and a film of oil was still visible after more than a year of weathering. Function remained smooth.

[pelletcaster]

Ballistol

this may be helpful:
https://ballistol.com/

[oliver13]

Just a footnote really, but Neatsfoot oil is made from cows leg bones & in the UK has been banned for some years due to a Foot & Mouth Disease risk. If you get a modern can now it will contain some substitute or other. I'm the proud owner of a can which was knocking around the shed when I was a kid & it's still a quarter full so I've no worries.
I tend to use that or some saddlery related leather dressing like Flexalan or Hydrophane - more rusty cans from way back. After that its generally just the old 3 in 1, after all that seemed to work OK for BSA & Webley.