Bought a Blunderbuss from veteran Arms then this.

[Osseon]

So I took my new blunderbuss out and it was a freaking blast. My first ever BP weapon. Quality was okay but some dings and such. It was a $650 thing it's whatever.

Then I opened it up to clean it and to my horror I see pictures below.

What the hell? This thing is rusted like it's been shot and wet and sat out for a long time.
Not really sure if I want to bother sending it back and waiting months for a refund or a replacement.

Any tips for rust removal using every day house hold items?

 

[Rebel]

Man that is a mess of rust. Try some Naval Jelly. Not a household item but available. I was thinking about ordering one of their English Trade guns but now i don't know. Good luck with it. I would contact them and send them the pics and complain about it. Slim chance they may have you send the lock back for a replacement but probably would need the whole gun since the India made guns are not know for parts interchangeability.

 

[deermanok]

You could disassemble the lock but you will need a mainspring vise. They're not very expensive. Once you have it apart, you can clean up the rust.
I've used Birchwood Casey rust remover. Also you'll need some 000 and finer steel wool.
It looks bad but I think you can clean it up ok.

 

[Osseon]

You could disassemble the lock but you will need a mainspring vise. They're not very expensive. Once you have it apart, you can clean up the rust.
I've used Birchwood Casey rust remover. Also you'll need some 000 and finer steel wool.
It looks bad but I think you can clean it up ok.

Yeah I figured I probably didn't want to disassemble the lock beyond just removing it as is. I've set it in a vinegar bath, which I hope isn't bad for it, but it seems like some of the more superficial rust has wiped clean. I'm very concerned for the underside of the barrel but I have no experience in removing a musket barrel, and I don't want to do irreversible damage. Its a brass barrel, and I did see some green under the lock when I removed it.

 

[deermanok]

Barrels are usually held in place with either pins or a wedge. Pretty simple procedure to remove them.

 

[Crow-Feather]

It appears that some of that might be dried grease. #0000 steel wool will do wonders. Take pictures as you disassemble the lock, Main thing is to keep an eye on the tiny parts. If you can't trust yourself to clean the lock properly, find someone who can help you. I would suggest a sonic cleaner, but I am not sure what it would do to the finish. Main thing is that it looks much worse than it is.

 

[Grenadier1758]

It is a $650 thing. Its probably best to think of it more on the order of a an assembled kit that you will have to do the final finishing. @Crow-Feather is probably correct in that the brown that you see is long dried grease. It will be worth the expense to get a mainspring vise, set of pin punches and some hollow ground gunsmith rated screwdrivers. I don't think it will be necessary to return the blunderbuss to the vendor. What you see is superficial and really isn't a problem.

 

[Kansas Kid]

If it’s actually rust and you want it all gone then evapo rust is the king. Try some penetrating oil like PB blaster and a bronze toothbrush first. it really doesn’t look that bad to me.

 

[Daryl Crawford]

I agree with PB blaster. Could start with a nylon brush then hit the heavier points of rust with a brass brush. You could then clean it over with the finest steel wool you can find.

 

[rshveyda]

Much of what you are seeing appears to be dried grease, but I'm still confused. The gunk on the hammer, frizzen and other exterior part of the lock would have been plainly visible without having to do any disassembly at all. Are you saying you received the gun in that condition? If so, I would have been very tempted to send it right back, assuming it didn't easily clean up to reveal zero rust damage underneath.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Get a can of carburetor cleaner at your local car parts store, and nylon gun cleaning brush (the military type) bigger than a regular tooth brush and the bristles are stiffer also has a big and small end for the nooks and crannies, blast and scrub. when clean make sure you re-oil it as the cleaner will totally strip all lube off of the lock, if the rust is still there a bit of fine steel wool or a green scotch bright pad should remove it. I do not see anything there that a bit of elbow grease would not take care of.

 

[Osseon]

Update:. After keeping the lock submerged in vinegar for about 3 hours 95% of it came off with some scrubbing, I'm not sure if the remaining spots are rust or carbon that won't come out as they appear more as black speckles.

 

[deermanok]

Update:. After keeping the lock submerged in vinegar for about 3 hours 95% of it came off with some scrubbing, I'm not sure if the remaining spots are rust or carbon that won't come out as they appear more as black speckles.

Good to hear. One of my guns has a supposed stainless steel barrel.
It has a few dark stains around the breech area. Soot, I guess from the caps. Hate to say but you might want to remove the trigger assembly to inspect it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

One of the aspects about stainless steel is the fact that stainless steel is better described as stain resistant. Some stains may appear but rust will be unlikely.

 

[BillinOregon]

Did you ask Charles at Veteran's about this?

 

[ZUG]

To my eye it looks like cosmoline - and MAYBE a bit of rust (not too sure about the rust thing). I would have disassembled the lock and gave it a good cleaning before I did anything. I certainly would not have soaked it in vinegar right away.

 

[Osseon]

To my eye it looks like cosmoline - and MAYBE a bit of rust (not too sure about the rust thing). I would have disassembled the lock and gave it a good cleaning before I did anything. I certainly would not have soaked it in vinegar right away.

Is there something wrong with a vinegar bath? From what I read it is not harmful to metal, just rust.

I tried to wash some of it off and it wasn't really budging

 

[ZUG]

I have used vinegar to etch steel and if not washed well then oiled it will rust the steel☹. I use Evaporust to remove rust / steel wool / nylon abrasive pads/ or emery cloth .

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Vinegar is an ACID!! It will rust your steel components. I use it to sharpen old files because it eats away at the teeth and sharpens them. Rinse the parts thoroughly with warm water, dry them and spray with WD-40 to disperse remaining water. Then wipe the parts clean and try to remove the rust, if it is rust, with steel wool or Scotch Bright pads. India-made locks benefit greatly from a complete work over anyway so you could even go at it with sand paper and files.

dave

 

[Osseon]

I raised it off with water and oiled the whole thing with Ballistol thoroughly no worries!
I'll double check the lock in a few days to make sure there is nothing. It seemed much better for the bath, but I'll make sure not to do it again, thanks for the advice.