Ballistol ?

[Ranger 40]

Jamie C. that is displacement and evaporation. its not being soaked by the alcohol.:banghead:

 

[Duncaninfrance]

Ballistol

Think I will give this stuff a try because I can get it here in France.

One thing that I use quite a lot of is a solvent that is used by printers to clean down printing machines. I know it as 'Blanket Wash' and it removes printing ink, adhesive residue, oil, grease and a lot of other dirts. I use it as a pull through on my 1858 between cylinders and as a general cleaner. You can even wash your hands in it without problems and it won't damage bluing or bare metal.
No idea what it would be called elsewhere but if you ask a printer I am sure he will be able to tell you

 

[Jamie C.]

Jamie C. that is displacement and evaporation. its not being soaked by the alcohol.

"Displace" equals "move" or "push aside".
Water displaces most types of oil. They don't mix. They settle in two distinct, separate layers.

Alcohol does not displace water, or vice versa. The two mix, on a molecular level, resulting in a volume that is not an equal of the two original volumes combined. ( meaning 1 oz. of water plus 1 oz. of alcohol won't produce a volume of 2 oz., even though the weight will be a total of the two liquids. )
It's like taking a cup of #12 shot and pouring it into a cup full of 00 pellets; the smaller stuff will fit in the spaces between the larger. The weight goes up, but the two don't occupy twice the space space, they simply make more efficient use of the given volume.

Also, since alcohol has a faster evaporation rate than water, it is likely to evaporate away and leave the water behind, unless the combined solution is removed by some mechanical method, such as wiping it away. ( It's the same thing that happens when you coat a gun in a solution of Ballistol and water; the water evaporates away, leaving behind a coating of Ballistol. )

So, wiping a gun down or swabbing the bore with alcohol isn't going to gain a person anything, except for maybe a rusty gun, unless the steel is wiped dry.

This stuff is basic grade-school chemistry that I learned some 30+ years ago. Look it up if you don't believe me.


J.C.

 

[kentucky bucky]

I love it , but

I use the stuff with great success, but it does smell somewhat like strong licorice (the black candy....yuck!) I hate licorice, so the smell doesn't thrill me, but the anti-rust properties do. I mix it half & half with water and use it to swab between sets of shots with my .54 Longrifle and others, as well as an anti rust preservative