Anti-rust?

[Arizona Dan]

I'm in Arizona so I don't really need to worry about rust on my musket. My unit is going to the Gettysburg 145th. For those of you in the east that deal with humidity all the time, what is the best way to protect the musket from rust/moisture during the event?

[ephraim_zook]

Re: Anti-rust?

Wipe it with bacon fat. Really! It's period and it works. Sweet oil (olive oil) works, too. Don't lay it in the grass at night -- not even in a tent. Put it on a groundcloth. Be prepared to wipe a bit of bright orange rust off in the morning anyhow.

regards
Ron Myzie

Welcome to the East!

[JustRob]

Re: Anti-rust?

I'll echo Ron. Sweet/Olive oil works well as both a lubricant & preservative. At night roll your musket in the edge of your groundcloth. Don't keep it in the stacks.

Lastly, a blend of fat and beeswax works well. I use a wooden salad bowl preservative with this blend, and it works like a charm.

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: Anti-rust?

Use caution with the kind of fat you use, though. Fat rendered from salt pork is NOT good to use. Something about salt and bare metal and humidity don't work well together.

And be sure to sign your posts per forum rules.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Anti-rust?

Hi,

I use bacon fat and bee's wax to keep my M1842 from rusting. At night I wrap my musket in cotton cloth, and then wrap the gun in the corner of my gum blanket. But, as others have said it will still rust a little bit.

[lukegilly13]

Re: Anti-rust?

Arizona,
The type of musket you are carrying will make a major difference. If you are carrying an enfield, for example, it is blued and will not surface rust as easy as say a Springfield that is bare steel. If you are a springfield man like me, then you know they will rust at the drop of a hat. I want to echo the above posts...keep that thing off the ground! It will draw moisture same as your blanket and clothing at night. I carry a gun sleeve in my knapsack and moisten the inside with oil before the event. I always wipe my musket down well before goign to bed and then store it in the sleeve over night. Hope this helps.

[AZReenactor]

Re: Anti-rust?

Dan, you must not be getting out much in Arizona during the humid months to not have to worry about rust here.

Best thing, is to do what they did, clean and oil it up and keep it oiled as often as you can. When it gets that light layer of rust in the morning, clean it off and oil it up again..

Wrapping it in your blankets and such might be practical but from what I've seen most of the time they kept theirs in a stack over night. I mean keeping it in your car or RV overnight would possibly work as well, but for an authentic experience you'll get the most mileage from authentic methods.

[McKim]

Re: Anti-rust?

TO KEEP ARMS AND POLISHED METAL FROM RUST.--

Dissolve one ounce of camphor in two pounds of hog's lard, observing to take off the scum, then mix as much black lead as will give the mixture an iron color. Fire arms, &c., rubbed over with this mixture, left twenty-four hours, and then dried with a linen cloth, will keep clean for many months...WEST & JOHNSTON, RICHMOND. 1863

Camphor is what will protect against rust, it also works... it is worth looking up as it has many period uses and it really works. And Black Lead is graphite.

[Arizona Dan]

Re: Anti-rust?

Thanks for the tips guys.

[yeoman]

Re: Anti-rust? Link to quote

Sir, if I may, here is a link to the quote above, "To keep arms and polished metal from rust". http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/receipt/menu.html Click on HTML file. Confederate Receipt Book, a Compilation of over One Hundred Receipts, adapted to the times, by West and Johnson, Richmond 1863. It may be old but still a good read, quote is on page 21. My two cents,thanks.

[red]

Re: Anti-rust?

In preparing it for an event or cleaning it after returning home, I've had great results with 3-in-one motor oil. (note I said before or after, don't bring a plastic oil bottle in the field with you) unlike something like WD-40 or balistol, which are both thin and wear off quickly, the motor oil sticks and is very thick, thicker than the regular 3-in-one. I've had muskets survive a night in the stacks after a pre-event coat of 3-in-one and after riding to the event in a sack.

hope this info helps.

Ian B.

[Brian Wiswell]

Re: Anti-rust?

Az,

So how did your rifle hold out? I was there (145th) also and I had a terrible time with rust. I spent several hours yesterday removing rust from every part of my 1842. The poor thing will never look the same. I would’ve liked to have seen this post before attending the event. It was my first back east event. Had a great time but the amount of rust to combat was an eye opener.

Brian Wiswell

[sharpshooter]

Re: Anti-rust?

Az,

So how did your rifle hold out? I was there (145th) also and I had a terrible time with rust. I spent several hours yesterday removing rust from every part of my 1842. The poor thing will never look the same. I would’ve liked to have seen this post before attending the event. It was my first back east event. Had a great time but the amount of rust to combat was an eye opener.

Brian Wiswell

Brian

I spent 2 hours cleaning the surface rust off my weapon and you are right it will never look the same. I learned to be more pro-actice with my rifle next time so I do not have an heart attack when I get home.

[stx]

Re: Anti-rust?

I had some pretty bad rust problems when I was there too. When I got home I took some really fine grade sand paper (I think blockade runner talks about how Sam Watkins used brick dust to clean his weapon so I kind of liken it to that) and used it to rub off all the rust. It seems like it may be taking off the bluing, but when it rusts over the bluing then it's really lost its purpose anyway. Lots of oil to finish it up and it was all good.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Anti-rust?

Hi,

My 1842 Springfield was not that damaged from rest. Every day after cleaning it, I put bee's wax and bacon fat all over the weapon. Then at night I rolled my um blanket around my weapon, which kept everthing dry, but the butt plate. When I got home, I used sand paper and took off the all of the rust; then I used more bacon fat and oiled my weapon up nicely.