Best product to wipe my guns down with?

Any kind of carnuba or Johnson's Wax will offer very little protection to steel. I have a shop full of cast iron machine tables and plates and I have tried everything over the years. Wax is at the bottom of the list. If you don't believe wax will exaporate then take a can and leave the lid off of it in your shop/garage in the summer and watch what happens to the wax.
 
OK you don't like wax then don't use it. I've been using it for over thirty years and I like it. By the way what is evaporating is the carrier that keeps the wax soft so it can be applied not the wax itself.
 
denster, I think the problem is that a carnauba wax isn't water resistant like a silicone compound or oil based compound. I used a carnauba wax on rifles for a while, and I can't say that it didn't work Ok. What I can most definitely say is that it will not protect bare metal surfaces in my woodworking shop. Or, maybe a better way to say it is that it'll protect the surfaces as long as I don't get them wet. Wax won't protect wood surfaces from water, so I can't see how it'll protect metal surfaces. Oil will protect metal from water for a time. Generally, I think a general rule would be that the heavier the oil (vasoline, cosmoline or axle grease) the longer the protection, though there's a point where you and I would not want quite that messy or greasy a rifle.
 
603.

The OP wanted info on what would protect his guns presumably in storage. Wax will work just fine. Wax is more resistant to moisture than most folks give it credit for. I worked thirty five years as a cop and always waxed my weapons and had no rust problem. Now that I am retired I make concealed carry holsters as a business, For the most part I use real weapons for forming holsters and a number of them are blued steel. I wax them and several hundred trips inside of wet leather holsters being formed has not caused any rust. Just my experience. YMMV
 
gun wipes

I use a lanolin impregnated rag. I dig natural materials. It is harmless to wood stocks so the whole rifle can get a wipe down with a natural rust inhibitor, water resistant oil.
BTW if you think you've got the bees knees of case lubes, you haven't tried lanolin; STP oil treatment doesn't come close to this amazing stuff. It's a truly all purpose consumable in my gun box. You just have to watch because being an organic, it does degrade and you need to be aware of its only limitation and act accordingly.
 
20 years, almost daily carry, more than 30 rifles, some used weekely, some stored for years on end. One product, rig grease appplied with a lambs wool.
 
Depends on the gun and it's intended use. For a gun I seldom handle and store in a safe I run a patch soaked with Break-Free down the bore and over the bolt, then wipe the metal down with an ancient Rusteprufe chamois.
SD shotguns have a light coating of Break-Free on the bore and moving parts and a coat of wax on the entire exterior. Wax is durable, resists fingerprint and condensation rust and doesn't attract dust. Car guns wear a soft case as well.
BP guns are lubed and wiped down with Wonder Lube or a similar BP lube. Keeps everything lubed, shiny and rust free without petrochemicals. Makes the wood look nice too.
Walnut hunting rifle stocks get a coat of wax when new and from time to time as well. I wipe down the blued or carbon steel with Break-Free after any handling.
Carry guns are mostly stainless or have a very tough finish. They don't need wiping down but they get brushed off and lubed from time to time anyway.
Most of my blue steel guns stored in safes wear silicone socks in addition to the waxes or oils I apply.
And no, I've never found rust on a stored gun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top