Surprising rust on the barrel of a Pietta 1851

[RonC]

Grabbed one of my 1851 Colt by Pietta and there was rust on 3 flats of the barrel, about 1" from where the barrel meets the frame. The rust was significant and I could feel the slight pitting after using very fine steel wool and oil to remove the rust.

Why is it surprising? First, I live in Colorado where it is dry, although we have had higher humidity than usual this summer.
Also, after firing the revolver a few weeks ago, I cleaned it immediately after returning home from the range and applied some CLP all over the surfaces of the gun.
Then, I put the gun in a nylon holster that hangs on the door of my safe.
There is no rust on my other 1851, a pair of 1858 Remingtons by Pietta, and a pair of 1860 Army.

I used fine steel wool to remove the rust, cleaned the surface, used a bluing pen on the spots, used the steel wool to blend the bluing, and put some EezyOx on to protect the steel. It's not a perfect blending, but it will do.

Where in the world could this rust have come from?
Ron

 

[44 Dave]

Have had a few rust spots show up, don't know if not oiled well enough or finger spots. I now go back and re oil after about a week.

 

[PainlessWolf]

Ron,
Good morning. Your post had me checking my revolvers last night before bed. ;o) I didn't find anything on the 1860 Army or the LeMat. I keep the 1860 Army in a gun cabinet and the LeMat in it's own fitted wooden case. The Walker is off with the Goon and will hopefully be home soon. It has been extra humid here this 'Summer' so your post is a good 'Heads Up' to the rest of us living in dry places.
regards!

 

[RonC]

It was a real eye-opener for me, as well, PainlessWolf!
If I wasn't so compulsive about cleaning and protecting my guns, I wouldn't have been so surprised.
I've studied the reports found on the net on lubricants and preservatives and only use the ones that tested the best: EezOx and Breakfree CLP (not quite as good a protectant as EezOx, but very good) and never use the ones tested as the worse, like RemOil.

After seeing the rust, I looked at all my other, susceptible firearms and all were clean, even an 1820 Kentucky (Pennsylvania) Long rifle.

I think that, at my age, my knees might be a bit rusty.

Ron

 

[J-Bar]

No one has mentioned some contaminant in the holster itself. No telling what it was.

It can happen. I don't store guns in closed bags for that reason. I had a spot of rust show up on a deer rifle that spent a few days in a zippered case. I don't do that anymore.

 

[RonC]

That is something to look at, J-Bar. Thanks,

I have a banjo that I put in a new case and left it there for several weeks. The plasticizers in the interior fabric destroyed the finish where it contacted the neck.

Ron

 

[Ephraim Kibbey]

I have two Pietta Nickel and Gold plated 1851's (.44 Army fantasy version) that I kept in a glass top French style display box.

I had not had them out since getting the box awhile ago.

When I finally took them out, the sides of the barrels that touched the cloth (one left, one right) were both covered with small dots in the nickel plating.

I was VERY ANNOYED when I found that the spots did not just wipe off!!!

The rest of the finish on both guns was as new.

I have several revolvers in English style fitted boxes and have not seen this on either blued or plated guns before.

I wonder if the cloth in the display case had been treated with some chemical.

I had a blued WWII Femaru that I left in its leather military holster which exhibited the same type of spotting all over.

My 1911's, Lugers and P38's that were stored in their military holsters had always seemed fine.

Still, I no longer store any guns in holsters.

I do, however, still have some stored in old socks!!!

 

[BCRider]

The fabric wicked away the oil and maybe the insulation from the fabric produced a situation where the gun was cooler than the air around it at some point during the day to night cycle. If you kept it in the basement where the ground typically holds the temperature a few degrees cooler than the upstairs and outside this is another situation that produces higher humidity levels.

Likely it encountered some of this and that's where the rust came from once the oil was wiped and wicked away into the soft padding.

This is also the same reason why it's not good to store guns in socks or soft fabric padded gun cases. The liner fabric and foam padding can cause the same issue.

 

[RonC]

Very interesting!
That is a process I hadn't considered.
I washed the nylon "holster" that hangs by Velcro on the door of the safe and then washed with 91% alcohol to try to remove volatile chemicals that may have been transferred from the nylon to the barrel. But your suggestion is equally plausible. Hmmm.

The use of the very fine steel wool to remove the rust and the bluing pen is looking better each day. It seems to be blending with time.

Of course with a whopping $199 invested in the gun (Cabela's Christmas sale), I really shouldn't be so concerned.
Ron

 

[BCRider]

If anyone asks just say it's now antiqued and the marks are the patina....

Yeah it's a lesson all right. At least it's not too costly a lesson and it hasn't affected the use of the gun.

Re humidity. It's funny stuff for sure. My own gun safes and cabinets are in my basement. And I know from how humidity and temperature work hand in hand that summer when the central heating is switched off is actually the WORST time for rust. The coolness in the basement can be felt like a layer as I walk down the stairs. And I know that makes metal stuff in the basement at risk of corrosion. So although I leave my Golden Rod heaters running year round I know it's in the SUMMER that they earn their keep the most. In winter the basement is heated along with the rest of the house and humidity tends to remain low even when it's raining cats and dogs outside. I called my location the Pacific North"WET" coast for a reason....

 

[expat_alaska]

I might suggest acquiring a few of large bags of silica gel

http://www.amazon.com/20105800-4-Pa...sim_201_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=08NCNXXYVC44FH92BB52

and placing them in the safe with your guns. After a period of time they can be dried out in an electric oven (not gas/propane as the fuel contains a lot of moisture) at low temp (220*) for an hour or so, then putting them back in the safe.

 

[BCRider]

The silica gel certainly works too. But I'd suggest the bags of the stuff that has the tracer colour in it. When it changes from one colour to the other it's a sign that it's reached its saturation point and it's time to dry them as expat says.

I know me and I know that I'd forget to do it. That's why I prefer the Golden Rod heaters. But it's certainly an option.