Secret formula for chamois gun wipe?

F

FLChinook

New member
Years ago, a good friend and hunting compadre gave me a small chamois impregnated with his "secret" formula of liquids. It was perfect for wiping down my treasured (mostly blued) rifles and pistols. Sadly he passed away and his secret formula went with him.

I've kept the trusty chamois moist using a mixture of Hoppes #9 and Kroil oil but I'm sure there's a better solution.

Will anyone share their secret formula for use with a rag or chamois to wipe down a firearm?
 
RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) Birchwood Casey No. 40045

RIG Universal is sometimes used on a sheepskin pad, the RIG is worked into the wool and is used to wipe down firearms.
 
Hmmm. I assume this would work on a chamois as well?

Does anyone have problem with using Kroil oil? KO is a rust inhibitor as well and is supposed to get into micro pores...

RIG is probably more high tech but it doesn't have the "romantic" nature of a "secret formula"...:)
 
It's my thought that Kroil (as great as it is) is ruther lousy as a rust preventative. I recall a guy up in Oregon or the soggy portion of Washington doing a side-by-side comparison of different products on regualr steel plates. The Kroil came in last, or second to last.

RIG is good. But if you live in a place as dry as my home area- Ballestol or plain old clear mineral oil works fine and dandy.

Ok, just took a peek at your handle- looks like you are most likely in FL. Unless you wipe those firearms down pretty frequently, like once a month or more- might as well go with a top performer like RIG.

As a side wonderment- I really don't know why nobody else seems to like mineral oil. It has no harsh additives, no smell, coats and stays well. A bottle will last for years. When I got handed an additional duty/job of museum curator, I visited with a number curators who said MO was used quite a bit during severe cash strapped years and in the years before the use of modern preservatives. However, three of these guys and gals were here in the Tx Panhandle, and one in S/E Colorado. I haven't talked with any of them from any particularly high humidity areas.
 
Ok, just took a peek at your handle- looks like you are most likely in FL. Unless you wipe those firearms down pretty frequently, like once a month or more- might as well go with a top performer like RIG.
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Actually, I live in East Texas and keep my guns in a humidified safe. But I wipe them down every time I handle them... especially my treasured old S&W revolvers and my pre-60 Winchesters that have bluing like you never see on a newer gun...

fyi, the FL is for Firing Line; I wanted Chinook but that name was taken...

I'll bet one of the "secret" ingredients in my friends wiper recipe was MO but without the other one or two ingredients, it's probably not as good as RIG.

Looks like I should get some RIG.
 
Yes, RIG works well. Also take a look at Eezox and Gunzilla. Both are pretty high-tech as far as grease goes, but work well from what I've read.
 
I think RIG would be great on your chamois.I do not know if it has any any lanolin in it,but it is a grease that has a similar texture/feel to it.
When I put a tool such as a chambering reamer away,I coat it with RIG.
RIG is not a new high tech product,I believe it has been around longer than I have...and I get Senior Discounts.
Another product I have(shop was out of RIG) is Break Free Collector.You might read the label on a bottle and see what you think.

My next old school idea,I do not quite recomend,as it would be really flammable.The old South Bend Lathe owner's manual recomends disolving petrolatum jelly(vaseline) in naptha and slopping it on machines to preserve them.I'd skip the naptha. Its as flammable as gasoline.If you want to experiment,vaseline would probably work good.

Stuff like Kroil if a good penetrant,but I think probably it is volatile...it will evaporate away after a while.
 
RIG comes as a No 2 oil or as Universal Grease..they use the UG on their sheepskin wiper. Which of these two are you using?

I'm going to call Birchwood Casey to ask which would be better on my (what will now be a new) chamois.
 
OK, here's what I learned about RIG. The Universal Grease is for long-term storage. The No. 2 oil is a lubricant. Neither was recommended for use on a chamois where the primary function was to wipe off finger prints prior to short term storage.

My search for the magic recipe continues. I think a silicone cloth is most commonly used for this but it will hardly substitute for the romance of a chamois with mineral oil and one or two other substances...
 
"Neither was recommended for use on a chamois where the primary function was to wipe off finger prints prior to short term storage."

No doubt because a chamois is a lousy way to wipe down guns compared to a fuzzy piece of sheepskin. Chamois leather (a goat-antelope species) is too slick and won't easily reach into roll marks, grooves, etc.

I've been using RIG (G=grease) for short and long term storage for 20+ years. I own 5 or 6 Rig Rags - one in each safe and one in each shooting bag. It doesn't take much, you don't need to slather it on.

I'm only slightly paranoid about rust, but Richmond does have a humid sub-tropical climate. You can look it up.

John

edited to add: I tried silicone 30 years ago. Hated the stink and it got all over everything. And it's slippery as heck on a gun.
 
I've been using RIG (G=grease) for short and long term storage for 20+ years. I own 5 or 6 Rig Rags
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This is a good testimonial. By "rags", do you mean the sheepskins they sell already treated with RIG grease. Or do you buy the grease and use old t-shirts... :)
 
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