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.
OK so you Really DO Need to Disassemble That Lock.
Vinegar is acetic acid and
water. You likely have water and acid down into the threads of the screws, and if you don't deal with it now, pardon the pun it's you that will be screwed,
No, a dunking in Ballistol won't get the acid/water out. The oil will not likely penetrate to where the acid/water deposited acid. IF it does.., it won't lift the acid out. Checking it in a few days will likely not show you the rusting that has been delayed but not stopped.
That rust pattern is not uncommon, but it needs to be addressed.
Go to the hardware store and get a quart of
Evaporust. Disassemble the lock parts, clean them of all grease and oil, and submerge them 12-24 hours in the Evaporust solution. Remove, rinse, dry, and oil the parts, and then reassemble the lock. As you reassemble the lock you will notice it's a dull gray instead of shiny like a vintage, chromed, Chevy hotrod bumper. You can as you reassemble the lock, apply very fine emory paper and oil to any dark stained portion of the lock parts. Save the Evaporust that you used even if it looks "dirty". I own four muskets with locks made in India, and not only do I use this stuff on them but also on Pedersoli and Miroku Bess locks when I'm bringing a vintage reenactment musket back to proper looking and working condition.
The lovely thing is the dull gray color is what some people call "gunmetal". We had a lad who did a test once, for a year of living history. Used oil, ashes, and rotten stone to polish his Bess. The barrel and the lock after a year, looked dull gray. So I think the color is correct for what the muskets would look like back in that era, when properly maintained.
LD
