Do rust preventatives work as advertised?

F

fariaguard

Inactive
First test: A 96 hour or five day torture test of salt water fog being circulated around the suspended metal blanks. Ouch, a real test! This test meets ATSM B117 Salt Spray Corrosion Test. The salt spray test is a standardized and popular corrosion test method, used to check corrosion resistance of materials and surface coatings. Usually, the materials to be tested are metallic and finished with a surface coating which is intended to provide a degree of corrosion protection to the underlying metal(with this test the surface was scoured with sandpaper to remove the barrier to expose the raw metal). Salt spray testing is an accelerated corrosion test that produces a corrosive attack to coated samples in order to evaluate (mostly comparatively) the suitability of the coating for use as a protective finish. The appearance of corrosion products (rust) is evaluated after a pre-determined period of time. Test duration depends on the corrosion resistance of the coating; generally, the more corrosion resistant the coating is, the longer the period of testing before the appearance of corrosion/ rust. The salt spray test is one of the most widespread and long established corrosion tests. ASTM B117 was the first internationally recognized salt spray standard, originally published in 1939. Other important relevant standards are ISO9227, JIS Z 2371 and ASTM G85. Source for the definition of this test is Wikipedia.

Eezox = (never heard of it) excellent 1st
Barricade = poor (my favorite for a decade because it leaves a film that does not evaporate so it’s great right?)
Safai Land Breakfree CLP = good 2nd
Fireclean = poor
Hoppes lubicrating oil = poor
Hoppes weatherguard = poor
Montana Extreme = very poor
5W30 motor oil = very poor
Remoil = no protection (worst rating) I love Remoil, this was as disappointing as the Weapon Shield test.
Nano Pro MT = fair (never heard of it) 3rd
Safari Charlie = fair (never heard of it)
Silicone cloth = poor
Teflon Silicone = poor
Teflon Non Stick = very poor
Tetra = very poor (worshiped by many for lube qualities but failed on the Weapon Sheild Test too)
WD-40 = no protection (worst rating)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eJSLPLpF5U

Here is test #2 that was a spray it and leave it test. I don’t think this test holds a candle to the above test. With this test the tester seems to be concerned with will how well the rust preventative initially repelled the water by the beading affect like with car wax. Some of the same products were used in the above test that made the water bead well in this test but failed miserably in the above test which was only five days. The metal blanks in this 2nd test were not sanded and sprayed with tap water and left for two weeks. Without any additional rust preventative being added they were sprayed again with salt water and left for another two weeks. The metal blanks were then wiped off and left in the “elements” (I don’t know what that means, location, humidity, temp etc.) for another week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOB5eCReAQY

Winner is:
1st Correx or Corrosion X (never heard of it)
2nd Tie between Frog Lube and Break Free
3rd Mpro7 and Slip 2000
 
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I use breakfree, a lot. My gunsmithing instructor did his own test by leaving treated steel plates outside during winter, exposing them to rain, snow and road salt. He was convinced, and I follow his lead. It has never disappointed me. Good your test results point to the same.

-TL
 
Break-free.com used to be the manufacturer, and breakfree is a registered trade mark. Now they are under the safari group.

They have several product lines. Most people refer to the clp when they say "breakfree". That is what I use. I buy it by the gallon.

-TL
 
It seems that Paralketone was omitted from the test. I have used it for years as a highly effective barrier against all sorts of nasty environmental substances.

My first experience with it was using it as corrosion protection in the bellies of the aircraft of the airlines I worked for in Miami. It was quite effective as you would be disgusted by what accumulates in the belly under the flooring. (It was produced locally for the airlines; The only presently commercially available Para is LPS 3.)

I started using it for behind-the-panels protection on my vehicles and found it to be quite effective.

Then I started using it on my guns, and have had some that have been wrapped up for almost 25 years in plastic bags with no corrosion.

At my fun job as gunsmith, I found that Breakfree would eventually turn into a varnish over a period of months, just like WD-40
 
I use Eezox on things I dont want to rust. Its been the best Ive found so far in that respect.

I used Frog Lube for a couple of years and finally gave up on it due to gumming issues. I also had some rust issues with it, which kind of surprised me.

I used WD40 for many, many years, long before all the fancier stuff thats around now ever showed up, and never had any rust or gumming issues with it.
 
I used WD40 for many, many years, long before all the fancier stuff thats around now ever showed up, and never had any rust or gumming issues with it.
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Let the gun sit in the back of your closet or safe for 6 or 8 months.

WD40 is good for short term protection or to remove sweat and/or fingerprints. After several months it turns into a hard brown varnish that can harbor moisture, resulting in rust, underneath the varnish like coating.
 
Let the gun sit in the back of your closet or safe for 6 or 8 months.

WD40 is good for short term protection or to remove sweat and/or fingerprints. After several months it turns into a hard brown varnish that can harbor moisture, resulting in rust, underneath the varnish like coating.
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Maybe it has to do with how its applied and left? I think a lot of people go way overboard when they do things like this, and it doesnt matter whats being used.

I used it on all my guns at that time, and while most didnt sit that long, some did, and even longer, and I never once found any kind of sludge or varnishing in any of them.

How are/were you applying the WD40 that you were having the issue?


What did amaze me was with the Frog Lube, which I applied, the same as I do with any of them, very sparingly, leaving only a very light, thin, shiny, wet looking coat. It did cause gumming and thickening issues, and only after a few months. Enough so, my P1 had to be hand cycled each round for a full mag, before the gun loosened up enough to cycle on its own.

The time I had rust issues with it, was only after a week of cleaning/treating, and the gun was in the safe.

I swear towards the end of my using it, they changed the formula, and the last couple of bottles I had, appeared to be considerably "thiner", and much more watery, than the earlier bottles. I often wondered if that wasnt what they were cutting it with.
 
I have used WD 40 for 40+ years. I have never had a problem with rust or gumming. There are better lubricants and there are better rust protectants, but as a general, all around product, WD 40 is quite useful.
 
I haven't been using wd-40 for about 10 years. It does its job as advertised, but there are definitely better choices.

I have a bandsaw for woodworking, and storing bandsaw blades is a headache. I coil it up and put it in plastic bag. Spray a generous burst of wd-40 into the bag before tying it up. It will be hung on the wall for everything from a few weeks to a few years, depending when I will need to use that particular blade. From time to time I found the blade has developed rust when I re-open the bag. The wd-40 on the blade has turned tacky and stuck to the plastic bag. I agree the amount used may have been excessive. But since I switched to breakfree (I put it in spray bottle) I haven't had the problems.

Anyway, discussion like this seldom comes to a conclusion. People want to hear what they want to hear. We have made up our minds most of the time. Nothing wrong as long as it works.

-TL
 
One of the best I've seen is posted right here on TFL by DIY_guy. In addition to comparing corrosion preventive properties of various products, it also tests for lubricating properties which is not something you usually see tested. A very well thought-out test which compares a large number of products.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=546316

Also, here's a thread I put together some years ago that has a list of corrosion preventive tests along with a brief summary of each test.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=508243
 
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