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Rust or Patina and left over Cosmoline?

milsurplus
Checking firearms I have noticed that at least a couple of older blued rifles under a flashlight have a little bit of a brownish color mostly inside the receiver, but in small patches and on the bolt itself in cracks and crevices where some looks more distinctly orange and rubs off brown on white paper, so I presume this would be rust or patina and left over cosmoline?
Strange too as more firearms wouldn't be affected if its rust as I use desiccants and keep my firearms in a low to no humid environment in "breathable" slip-over protective, cloth, sock-type covers to protect against handling marks and such and have done so for years with no problems?
Thanks.
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Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • Horse Plains Drifter
    Left over cosmoline I'm sure. I've seen cosmoline left in out-of-the-way places on many rifles.
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  • milsurplus
    I really hope so, but I cant remember if the bolt had been refinished though and I believe that rifle had been gone through thoroughly before purchased however that was years ago; is there some sort of test to be sure...
    Thanks.
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  • nmyers
    Borescrubber, mineral spirits, acetone----just about any solvent will complete remove cosmoline. If the areas are still brown --- it's rust.

    The only place you will find "patina" on a gun is on the wood or brass. On steel, we only find rust, pitting, or abrasion.

    Neal

    EDIT: What we call "rust" is technically "ferric oxide", a stable compound. It is formed when the iron molecules in steel combine with the oxygen molecules in air & water, generally because the gun was not protected by oil. Rust is a loss of steel; the steel lost cannot be restored. All we can do is stop active rust, remove it gently, & protect what is left with oil. (Some of us remove rust by soaking in Kroil & cleaning with a non-abrasive brush or cloth.) Deep rust or chemical stains usually cannot be removed without removing steel, so we usually leave them alone; we can't make it any better, but we don't want to make it any worse. I have seen guns in museums that were > 400 years old & had no rust on them; obviously, they were always well protected. The curators at Springfield Armory National Museum protect guns for long term storage with a high grade wax on the metal.
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  • 1988z01
    Yeah. On steel, patina is a pretty word for rust.
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  • milsurplus
    Is this common in most older firearms even in dry environments, as it almost looks to be a sort of staining or discoloring, as if it stained the steel, as I have scrubbed this with wire brushes, 0000 steel wool, used rust preventive cleaners etc and the discoloring remains?
    Is the rust neutralized possibly and the discoloring remains perhaps from the steel being discolored, is that normal?
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  • kimi
    Taking that old rust off an old collectible can cost you a lot of money. [:D]
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  • milsurplus
    Hmm, I am thinking that it may just be some sort of discoloration then maybe with some slight browning perhaps as some of it kind of has a purplish tint in some of the areas in the steel when using a flashlight up close, anyway have never seen any of the older stuff without something, since they aren't new.
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