Got some new flintlocks and have questions

[Spencer_Murphy]

Recently another forum member here who lives local to me sold me three flintlocks at a very low price. They are a Pedersoli Brown Bess 2nd Pattern .75 Cal Musket, .75 cal Brown Bess Carbine (Indian Made) w/ bayonet and a .54 Caliber Pedersoli Mortimer w/ 12ga barrel. He also gave me 99 .54 caliber roundballs & patches as he fired the Mortimer once. He gave me about 80 .715 balls, 47 .735 balls and 120 .730 balls and a boat load of 11 ga wads and .75 cal patches. He also gave me cleaning tools for all three. The Mortimer was in good shape but the sights are horrible. I was wondering if anyone on the forum has changed out the sights to something better ? Also both Bess muskets are in a very rusty state. The forum member I bought them from told me the previous owner didnt take proper care of them and the rust must be cleaned. It is pretty thick surface rusting too and the Pedersoli took the brunt of it the Indian carbine faired quite well only having rust on the side of the barrel around the touch hole. I was wondering since the barrels are Satin finished if they should be browned ? Does anyone have a secret way of getting rid of rust on muzzleloaders ? I tried penetrating oil and steel wool but nothing really changed. I'd hate to see these muskets stay in a rusty state. I will post pictures of their current conditions tomorrow afternoon.

 

[BigAl52]

Ive never tried this but Ive read about people doing rust removal with a penny and it supposedly works quite well. You might do a little research on it or maybe someone here might know if thats fact or fiction

 

[DuncNZ]

I use a brass bar to crush the thick rust scale , basically the same idea as a penny but easier to control the pressure . I look forward to seing the pictures

 

[Trapper Scott]

There are plenty of decent rust removers on the market, but one surefire way to remove rust on gun parts is old fashion elbow grease and oil as a lubricant. Depending on how thick the rust is, will determine the tool you will need. Crusty thick rust may be bad enough that you would need a wire brush or even a sand-blasting cabinet. Thinner rust can usually be taken care f using the steel wool and penetrating oil which is what you have tried. If the rust has dug into the gunmetal to any measurable depth, I would consider using a sandblaster with about 120-grit aluminum oxide as the media. Once you have the rust removed you can draw file the barrels smooth and refinish as you desire. I've done a few handguns like this in the past that were dug out from under a house fire after months of being exposed to water and fire fighting chemicals. If you really want a super nice finish before browning or bluing, work the metal over with stones. Be advised you will have a great deal of time involved if you want them to shine like a new penny.

 

[Trapper Scott]

Here are a few specifically for firearms use. I've used the Lauer brand before with good results, but Brownells stuff is supposed to be good also. Lauer Custom Weaponry Blue Rust Remover 1 Gallon Liquid BROWNELLS RUST and BLUE REMOVER | Brownells I will also add that you can call Brownells and they will connect you with a gunsmith/tech guy who can advise you if you can explain the rust problem in detail.

 

[Pete G]

E-vapo rust from Lowes

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

The ‘Big 45’ Frontier’ metal cleaning cloths Remove his voice as it passes everything I’ve ever seen. As a gunsmith, I once had a Colt Python with their glorious blue, that went through a fire, parts of the barrel ’speckeld’ and it cleaned it fantastically well, to where you can barely see speckles. I paid $300 for it and sold it for $1,600 a few years ago.

See: GREAT sale on "Big 45" Frontier Metal Cleaner Pads - $6 each, free shipping*