Rust Inhibitor Shoot-out

[Macchina]

I have decided to test the three main oils I use for lubrication and rust prevention. I will do this in as much a scientifically controlled way as possible. I have 4 blocks of 1018 "mild" steel. This is just iron with a bit of carbon, no rust inhibitors or alloys in it. I am using three sprays:



The Candidates:

3-in-1 High-Performance Dry Lube
Contains: LVP Aliphatic Hydrocarbon, Aliphatic Hydrocarbon, Petroleum Base Oil, Propane Propellant, Polytetrafluoroethylene. MSDS
Claim: Contains PTFE ("Teflon"). Claims to provide a superior lubrication with long-lasting corrosion protection with no oily residue.

Hoppe's #9 Lubricating Oil
Contains: Mineral Oil, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Heptane, Methyl Acetate. MSDS
Claim: A light, pure, colorless oil that will not gum harden or turn rancid. High viscosity. Gives lasting protection and lubrication. Cleans and protects woodwork. Keep rust away.

RemOil
Contains: Mineral Spirits, Aliphatic Petroleum Distillate, Propane, Teflon. MSDS
Claim: RemOil is an exceptionally high-performance cleaner, lubricant, and corrosion-protectant for maintaining fine firearms. Effective and long-lasting RemOil delivers maximum lubrication for smooth, reliable operation of all firearm parts - even in adverse weather conditions.

The Prep:
I sanded the scale off of the steel with a belt sander, then cleaned with lacquer thinner. I finished with a little hand sanding and wiped with a clean rag to remove all of the dust. I have 4 pieces of steel. The first is the control, no rust inhibitor.

Day 1: Sunny, 60 degrees.


Day 2: Rained all day, 50 degrees.


Day 3: Rained all day, 50 degrees.


Day 4: Sprinkled most of the day, 50 degrees.


Day 5: Cloudy, 40 degrees.

 

[.38 Special]

These are some of the best threads on this site. Thanks for putting it up, and keep us informed -- even thought there appears to be an obvious winner.

 

[Omega47]

Brownells did a nearly identical test but covering more products. Surprisingly enough, their clear winner was WD-40 - beat everyone else hands down.

The one product they didn't test is CorrosionX. I use it but have had mixed results. Overall I still prefer BreakFree for best firearm performance but it is not the best rust inhibitor

 

[Babarsac]

Time find a gunshop here in Gainesville. Thanks for the info.

 

[dfariswheel]

For reasons not fully understood, just about everyone who does one of these tests get varying results, sometimes widely varying results.
On one test, a product does well and on another it doesn't do so well.

In most tests, one that's almost always at or near the top is CLP Breakfree.

 

[moooose102]

i dont see a peice of steel covered in STP. i put my faith in that stuff for long term storage. i put a gun in with that, and 18 years later, nothing had changed. it was a bit of a clean up. but for my money, it was worth it.

 

[janobles14]

teflon is good stuff! for the next test you should pick more items that are designed for not just cleaning but protection. rem oil is the only one here (i think) that is designed for protection and not just cleaning.

great job! very helpful!

 

[Macchina]

I see what you guys mean. The purpose of this expiriment was to use the sprays I use for lubrication on my guns and knives, and see how they perform in the rust inhibiting category. As far as the RemOil goes, I use that to clean the crap out of the action of my 870, nice to know I can also put it on the barrel to preven spots.

 

[basicblur]

Here's a couple more sites I had bookmarked

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/GunTech/NewsletterArchive.aspx?p=0&t=1&i=503

 

[Macchina]

Fourth day: still more rain. The RemOil is finally showing signs of light rust.

 

[Macchina]

Day 6: Cloudy, 40 degrees.


Day 8: Light Rain 50% of the day, 40 degrees.


Day 10: Sunny, 50 degrees.