Unbeatable bore rust

[springfield art]

I can't expound on how it works, but the diluted molasses reaction against the rust is called chelation. I can say that diluted molasses from the grocery store worked just fine for me. I didn't clean a rifle bore but it made a heavily rusted miniature sewing machine look terrific. Every speck of rust disappeared. View attachment 325341Be careful if you do it, I would bet it will remove blue or brown finishes too.

Imagine that! Thanks.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I can't expound on how it works, but the diluted molasses reaction against the rust is called chelation. I can say that diluted molasses from the grocery store worked just fine for me. I didn't clean a rifle bore but it made a heavily rusted miniature sewing machine look terrific. Every speck of rust disappeared. View attachment 325341Be careful if you do it, I would bet it will remove blue or brown finishes too.

Yeah I've overhauled several muskets and rifles and some revolvers, it works, but you have to plan on rebrowning or rebluing IF the pieces had a nice finish before. WORKS GREAT on military repro muskets from the 18th century because the locks and the barrels are supposed to be in the white and polished.

LD

 

[Philip A.]

Have any of you guys encountered unbeatable rusting of the bore?

I've been scratching my head for quite awhile on why my bore keeps rusting, albeit slowly over multiple shoots.

I do absolutely everything I can and what others suggest to combat it, but it always ends up coming back after scrubbing it out.

I'm not really asking for cleaning and storage advice. I can't imagine doing something else that would work better than what I'm already doing, but wondered if there's anyone here that just "lives with it" and whether I can expect major pitting 10-20 years from now.

Do you scrub it with steel wool?

Change the brand of steel wool. Some steel wools are made with brittle grades of steel, and when you scrub your gun with it there are myriads of small steel wool particles left behind, which oxidize very easily and start the rusting process in or on your gun.

Also, if after scrubbing anything with steel wool you rinse it abundantly with boiling hot water, before oiling it, you'll get rid of any steel particles on the surface, and thoroughly dry the item at the same time.

The molasses do dissolve iron oxide, that's an old car restorer trick. Vinegar does that too. Both are bad for bluing and browning finishes (of course... Bluing and browning are iron oxide layers).

 

[Mad L]

Big 45 Frontier

I never had a rust issue...well once but I won't debate the 'hot water issue as it's a dead horse...but when I was gifted a percussion rifle with a brass brush wrapped in a patch stuck in the barrel, the guy said it had been there for a few weeks, I also know this particular guy does Not clean his riles well and when Monday i asked what kind of oil does he prefer he responded "Oil??"

Anyway, once I got the brush out (dribbled a few grains under the nipple) I found it was Infested with Rust!!
I was Horrified! I wouldn't even put it in the same room with my firearms (seriously! I even considered making it wear a Cloth Mask!)

I scrubbed, I threw every cleaner I had at it, I used steel pads, green pads, brown pads, Everything. I scrubbed until my arms got sore.
I could see several patches in the barrel that the rust had already began to pit!
Well, every time I scrubbed til I got clean patches, then I soaked it down with oil.
Took it out and shot a dozen balls, then Scrubbed it and Oiled it again.

But every time, within a couple days I would check with a clean patch - IT'S BACK!??!

(*my solution in next post*)

 

[Mad L]

Big 45 Frontier

Now I was about to call it Wall Hanger and figured I would just shoot until it wouldn't shoot no more.
I also k ew several on forums would tell me "That's not rust, just ignore it" - but I also knew they would be wrong.

Now I don't know the rifles history but I do know the previous owner shot both Black Powder and synthetic junk...anything that made smoke was good to him.

That was when my father handed me what looked like steel wool pad he had gotten at Gun Show.
At first I thought it a joke and didn't want to try it; I found their website Big Fronier 45 and read up and watched their video...it made me think of that Australian sales gut;
"It Slices, It Dices, It Even Puts The Tiny Umbrella in your Margaritas for you!!"

But, I cut a piece of and once again I Scrubbed, I poured some oil and I Scrubbed even more.
To my surprise; two day later, No rust..five day later, No Rust!

I took it out again and shot it, when I got home I cleaned as I do all my guns BUT...For This One...(and because I am anal) I SCRUBBED AGAIN with Big 45 Frontier Pad...then cleaned, oiled and put it away.

A week later: No Rust..a month later: No Rust!
Since then I treat that rifle lime I do all my others - AND now I store it in the same room with them too.

That was a couple two or three years ago now - Still No Rust (I just checked, so no one can call me a liar)

Big 45 Frontier Pads, harder then rust but softer then your bore!

https://www.big45metalcleaner.com/

**disclaimer: I do not work for them, they do not pay me, I have never even met them - but I would like to shake their hand!

 

[COTNTOP]

WOW, MaD L ain't fibbing. An elderly gentleman that I met at a gunshow used the same pad for restoring older guns like the Krag rifles. I bought a bag full from him and am just about to run out. I use them for everything, even cleaning my Blacksrone Grill. Never thought about cleaning the inside of BP barrels. What I bought them for is removing rust without wearing out the blueing. I have not seen him around since covid hit, hope he is all right.

 

[azmntman]

I bought some of those. They have been consumed and I hope to locate 'one day" (we dont fight rust here, last I checked the humidity was 5%. A dry heat ya know.

 

[BS2366]

I bought some of those. They have been consumed and I hope to locate 'one day" (we dont fight rust here, last I checked the humidity was 5%. A dry heat ya know.

5% humidity would be amazing!

51% here which is considered nice

 

[FlinterNick]

Have any of you guys encountered unbeatable rusting of the bore?

I've been scratching my head for quite awhile on why my bore keeps rusting, albeit slowly over multiple shoots.

I do absolutely everything I can and what others suggest to combat it, but it always ends up coming back after scrubbing it out.

I'm not really asking for cleaning and storage advice. I can't imagine doing something else that would work better than what I'm already doing, but wondered if there's anyone here that just "lives with it" and whether I can expect major pitting 10-20 years from now.

Sounds like the bore needs to be honed or lapped.

I lap with Emory paste on a lathe.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

Yea the ability to look in the bore is great but can also breed anxiety and tail chasing. I just use it to gauge how well my cleaning practices work or look to see if there's something majorly wrong with a CF chamber like a burr or similar... and nothing more. Let the target tell you if your barrel has problems!! It's also useful for looking inside CF cases to see if you have case head separation starting, but that's easy to do with a sharpened paperclip as a probe.

It's a cheapo teslong from Amazon. The flexible shaft model that will fit a 22 bore and connects to smart phone or tablet and uses a free app. I don't know what models they sell now, but this one is from around 2020 I think. It works great for the price. I think I paid $40 for it. This one goes all the way to my breech with a couple inches to spare, but my barrel is 36".

hey friend. thank you so much for this information. also thank you for your time in answering me.

 

[wiscoaster]

.....

It's a cheapo teslong from Amazon. The flexible shaft model that will fit a 22 bore and connects to smart phone or tablet and uses a free app. I don't know what models they sell now, but this one is from around 2020 I think. It works great for the price. I think I paid $40 for it. This one goes all the way to my breech with a couple inches to spare, but my barrel is 36".

I think this might be the one. It's been hit by inflation, same as everything else. Teslong also does sell higher-priced models. But this low-end model of theirs does the job just fine:
https://www.amazon.com/Teslong-Borescope-Side-View-Semi-Rigid-Smartphone/dp/B07TTQF24F/ref=sr_1_5?crid=HT75ZMHOFTW9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ay2BElcds8r7qASYtzIlHkvsdX5HLlmoda2W2222sUXda7mftHrxRhh1TFsw_Qd9ipAL7w1GGdObQOQ8TDwNLyzW5hBd9zw5JEaOKbCBoqm0iRAa5D5o-X4ciYIGWcYSdSaJg6kEASmXkzUG6kdaEWuctexg7DnUF-fjCy9eqKGbmLUUBq83mmqwP0PeQ2ZTIMifDLGbuFH6bruMZgkUqBZAdAqup_3mJu_l1NdhqDg.9H_XEujCrI_MrsbvneAam02lbR06XJRqC3ed-ymk1oM&dib_tag=se&keywords=teslong+borescope&qid=1717719336&sprefix=teslon,aps,102&sr=8-5
Yes, I do have one.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

I think this might be the one. It's been hit by inflation, same as everything else. Teslong also does sell higher-priced models. But this low-end model of theirs does the job just fine:
https://www.amazon.com/Teslong-Borescope-Side-View-Semi-Rigid-Smartphone/dp/B07TTQF24F/ref=sr_1_5?crid=HT75ZMHOFTW9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ay2BElcds8r7qASYtzIlHkvsdX5HLlmoda2W2222sUXda7mftHrxRhh1TFsw_Qd9ipAL7w1GGdObQOQ8TDwNLyzW5hBd9zw5JEaOKbCBoqm0iRAa5D5o-X4ciYIGWcYSdSaJg6kEASmXkzUG6kdaEWuctexg7DnUF-fjCy9eqKGbmLUUBq83mmqwP0PeQ2ZTIMifDLGbuFH6bruMZgkUqBZAdAqup_3mJu_l1NdhqDg.9H_XEujCrI_MrsbvneAam02lbR06XJRqC3ed-ymk1oM&dib_tag=se&keywords=teslong+borescope&qid=1717719336&sprefix=teslon,aps,102&sr=8-5
Yes, I do have one.

thank you

 

[Joemolf]

Totally agree!

Exactly it’s flash rust that just needs to be wiped with some oil. If you are going to store it then a wipe with lps 3 or maybe barricade. I know lps 3 does the job but it requires effort to remove it later but worth it to me

 

[azmntman]

What's lps 3?

 

[hanshi]

I don't have anything new to suggest but would like to review a few recommendations in some of the previous posts. A rough bore can certainly hang onto problem-causing stuff that's difficult to remove. It's already been asked but are you certain the brownish color on your patches is rust? I learned long ago that some substances can be difficult to remove, Bore Butter was one of the worst for me. Even in smooth bores stuff can collect in "micro pores" where they are not noticeable until they show up on a cleaning patch. Machining marks can hide a load of problems.

I use WD40 a lot, but never leave it in a bore or in a mechanism. I use denatured alcohol to remove it from the bore prior to swabbing with either Barricade or BreakFree CLP. I find it messy using oils in gun bores and prefer rust protection that leaves a dry film in the bore. Another thing, I rarely get a white patch to come out of a barrel perfectly white no matter how clean I get the bore. Still the bore is clean and shiny and will be that way weeks later when I check them again.

I've always lived in very humid climates and rust problems have been rare and very minor. I also clean with tap water occasionally adding a drop of Dawn. But either way works as well as the other.

 

[bpd303]

**disclaimer: I do not work for them, they do not pay me, I have never even met them - but I would like to shake their hand!

First I've heard of them in all the years I've been restoring old rusty guns. Thanks I bookmarked the site for future needs.

 

[HighUintas]

I don't have anything new to suggest but would like to review a few recommendations in some of the previous posts. A rough bore can certainly hang onto problem-causing stuff that's difficult to remove. It's already been asked but are you certain the brownish color on your patches is rust? I learned long ago that some substances can be difficult to remove, Bore Butter was one of the worst for me. Even in smooth bores stuff can collect in "micro pores" where they are not noticeable until they show up on a cleaning patch. Machining marks can hide a load of problems.

I use WD40 a lot, but never leave it in a bore or in a mechanism. I use denatured alcohol to remove it from the bore prior to swabbing with either Barricade or BreakFree CLP. I find it messy using oils in gun bores and prefer rust protection that leaves a dry film in the bore. Another thing, I rarely get a white patch to come out of a barrel perfectly white no matter how clean I get the bore. Still the bore is clean and shiny and will be that way weeks later when I check them again.

I've always lived in very humid climates and rust problems have been rare and very minor. I also clean with tap water occasionally adding a drop of Dawn. But either way works as well as the other.

Looking at it under a bore scope, it sure looked like rust to me. I never left all the wd40 in there, but double tight patch it out and then use my other oil. And I don't think that wd40 would have been in there long enough to turn to varnish.

This time, I did use some acetone to remove the wd40 before oiling though.. can't remember why I decided to. I will make sure to patch that oil out with acetone before shooting. And keep that routine to see if there's a difference

 

[Greenjoytj]

WD40 dries to a varnish, subsequent cleanings with solvents could be removing the varnish which would appear as brown staining on a patch.
WD40 is not a good product to use on firearms.
Alcohol combines with water so high proof alcohol is a good chemical to use to remove residual water from the bore. Then use a nylon brush with a paper towel wrapping to patch out the alcohol.
Apply a synthetic oil into the bore via a new paper towel wrapped nylon brush.