With the market as well-saturated as it is, I'm looking to put some recent acquisitions away for an indefinite amount of time - i.e., at least a couple of years. It's not 1946 and I'm not the British Empire, so cosmoline is out. What I'm wondering is how modern materials used in modern weaponry hold up to modern methods of preservation.
MATERIALS
Carbon Steel: Most are coated via parkerizing, bluing, or nitride/NP3/Cerakote/chrome-lining. There are books condensed to articles condensed to three-sentence forum posts all over the place about what works and what doesn't, considering it's still the predominant material used in guns, specifically barrels and roll pins.
Wood: Much like the Carbon Steel note above, libraries have been written pertaining to keeping furniture looking new, though finishing techniques are more varied, from stains to paint to polyurethane.
"Stainless Steel": Corrodes far less readily than carbon alloys, but is still susceptible to chemicals and environment if left neglected (which storage essentially is: Controlled-Condition Neglect).
Aluminum: 99%+ of it used for firearms is anodized, and essentially protected. It only oxidizes on its outermost surface if exposed, so it's not much of a concern. Hydrogen embrittlement and rapid breakdown occur in the presence of very specific substances.
Polymer: As varied as species of wood, but still new enough in manufacturing that modern compositions are all over the place in terms of physical properties... and extensive research into their longevity simply can't exist yet. Who knows what UV light does to a PMag after 20 years of continuous exposure? Does the rubber in Hogue accessories crumble after a decade of oxygen exposure? I'd include nylon slings and kydex in this category.
Composites: Here, I'm referring to G10/Micarta and the like. Largest concerns would be delamination and fuzzing (when small pieces of the non-resin component break loose and create voids in the surface of the material).
Glass: Inert. Mainly prone to scratches and breakage.
Leather: Chemically active, to the point that it's a bad idea to leave carbon steel in them for storage, yet prone to drying out and cracking unless properly cared for. Still, millenia-old examples have survived.
Electronics: Most mid-range to high-end devices have provisions in place to protect their innards from water and air, usually through neoprene gaskets and o-rings. Repeated flexing can lead to decay, but I have no idea how well they hold up sitting still.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. Next, I'd like to list known preservation substances, or
MOTHBALLS
Cosmoline: Cheap. Smelly. Messy. Stains. Soaks into wood.
Renaissance Wax: Expensive ($35/200ml). Smells like shoe polish. Easy to apply, can go on everything from paper documents, to metal, to leather, to stone, to... you get the picture. Creates a barrier between the outside surface and surrounding air, hardening in a matter of minutes when used correctly. However, I don't know about its UV resistance, nor its durability.
Birchwood-Casey Barricade: Can flow into hard-to-reach places, prevents rust on metals, but not recommended for other materials. Comes in a spray can or pre-soaked wipes (good for bores). Ballistol is potentially another good alternative.
Silicone Gun Socks: Offer less corrosion resistance than directly-applied preservatives, but in a convenient form that slips onto and off of the gun. Also provides a bit of padding in case of moderately rough handling.
Desiccant packs: Cheap, easy to use. Largest issues seem to be that sure, they trap moisture - but hold it in place. A saturated pack in place against carbon steel (or other easily-affected material) can form a rust bloom and pitting in that area. Possible solutions range from packing with desiccant in an already low-humidity environment, no affixing the pack well away from any surfaces and running a rigid channel of some sort to the object, hoping that passive airflow can allow the pack to absorb all ambient moisture.
Inert Gas Purging: Ideally the best option, but prohibitive in the Average Joe Garage Workshop. Airplane engines have been built and stored in sealed, nitrogen-purged containers, then opened fifty years later, oil and fuel added, and they start up perfectly.
WD-40: Only mentioning it because it's still touted as an anti-corrosion agent. It's not. Gun takes a dunk in the river, fine - soak it with WD-40 to get the water out - but then clean and oil it properly.
Lastly, the solid thing the mothball-saturated material goes into: the...
METHODS
Safe: The magical ever-shrinking cabinet, modern gun safes offer a range of features and protection including multiple security checks, controlled humidity, fire resistance, and plain ol' immobility. However, in addition to limited interior space aside, other drawbacks include likely visibility, high price, and limited location (floors need reinforcement/bolt capability) and enough room for the safe's door).
Case: Whether a cheap $20 Plano Gun Guard or $300+ Pelican/SKB case, they offer fantastic impact resistance, but on their own, are found wanting in the environmental protection area. Even o-ring sealed solutions often still have a provision for a valve, which may or may not fail at an unnoticed point, rendering its exterior moisture resistance invalid. For handguns, a surplus ammo box may suffice, but a chip or scratch in the paint exposing bare metal can lead to rusting through.
Vacuum Seal: Great for sous-vide cooking, still controversial with equipment. Within the realm of bulk-buyers and hunters, they're used extensively. The method reduces the amount of available air -and by extension, humidity -around the component, but can still potentially leave enough water and oxygen content behind to allow corrosion. Sharp points on the object in question can poke holes in the barrier if left unpadded, whether inside or outside.
Offsite: Raging from attics to storage units to old barns, this method almost guarantees undisturbed rest. Simultaneously, it potentially exposes the whole package to unforeseen elements (sunlight and heat/cold/rain), to plain forgetfulness. We've all heard stories about a grandson finding his Pawpaw's war-trophy Stg.44 in the attic, or of classic cars found in NoWheresVille, UK that upset the market value because only five were known to exit, and the landowner felt like poking around at the last minute inside the old barn before a bypass was to be built through the area. Sometimes a layer of dust is all that has to be removed, but more often, there's lube residue and owl dung that have solidified on the rediscovered treasure.
What I'd like is to figure out a way that I can protect my rarer, less-shot, and more valuable pieces against Mother Nature and Father Time, short of sending them to Reed Knight's Institute of Military Technology. What method, or combination of methods, has/have worked for y'all? I plan to update this post as suggestions for any/all categories and combinations (Wax on the wood, Barricade on the metal, maybe?) arise.
Originally Posted by MistWolf
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