Rust prevention tests done, TSI 301, Rem-Oil, Break-Free etc

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Frank H.

Rust prevention tests done, TSI 301, Rem-Oil, Break-Free etc

Post by Frank H. »

I'd heard great things about using TSI-301 (from Neal Johnson's etc) as a very good bore cleaner (for airguns especially and also firearms), as well it was described as helping to protect against corrosion. Well, I decided to test it out myself and see how it compared for preventing corrosion, I recently acquired two FWB 300's and I want to keep that bluing in mint condition!

Though much of my interest in this is for airgun care and maintenance, I recently got all interested in rust prevention as some of my older military rifles in storage started showing a slight touch of corrosion, argg.

A few years ago I'd done a large test of over 20 products, everything from RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) to Pledge furniture polish (somebody said it worked great for them), Rem-Oil, Cleanzoil, Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, Tetra gun oil, Tetra grease, Break-Free and Break-Free Collector, mineral oil, Marvel Mystery Oil, on and on, Mother's brand Carnauba paste wax, Birchwood Casey stock & metal wax, even Boeshield (waxy stuff developed at Boeing).

For "long term storage", obviously a thick layer of something (about anything, cosmoline, whatever) will protect well, but the trick here is for guns you really use & handle, you want protection without goop or a thick film.

I found that none of the "supposedly miracle rust proofers" like Sheath or Ballistol worked that well actually in a thin or "wiped off a bit" manner, (doing multiple water spray and salt water spray tests), but the top of the list of products that did perform well was Break-Free CLP (Clean Lube Protect) followed by Rem-Oil (again, when wiped down and not just left on thick).

Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, none of that stuff was a miracle rust preventing product unless it was hosed on and left on. (I'm not fond of the smell of Ballistol either, I know it's popular in Europe, maybe it's better at fingerprint oils than water spray tests, but it didn't hold up that well). THE best performing, when wiped off to a reasonable "using the gun" surface film, was Break-Free, with Rem-Oil second best but pretty good, with the test of tons of products I'd done last year.

Doing that rust test, I applied the products but not super thick, just well rubbed in, then I wiped off pretty well with a clean dry cloth the bottom half inch or so of the iron strips & the sanded nails & the blued stripper clips used in the test, to see how the protection was if the goop was "wiped nearly off". That's where the Break-Free and Rem-Oil really shined, with the Break-Free being a bit better than the Rem-Oil (but it's thicker, Rem-Oil is a great penetrator and leaves a thinner film, though it gets streakier faster than Break-Free).

OK, so now I wanted to see how TSI 301 compared to all of these, as Neal Johnson's raves about it as a bore cleaner and said it protects metal as well. It IS a super cleaner & a super bore cleaner, and reports say it "dissolves rust", it looks like a great penetrating cleaner for dealing with rust that is already there.

I did a new test using steel strips that I sanded down with 80 grit sandpaper to a fresh surface, with water and salt water tests I compared an untreated strip of steel against a TSI 301 treated piece (again wiping the very bottom section off with clean dry rag), compared to Break-Free CLP, Rem-Oil, and I wanted to test Birchwood Casey stock wax again (made with carnauba and beeswax and silicone, recommended for metal protection also), I also tested again Mothers Brand pure Carnauba hard paste wax (high end car stuff). Those waxes make polished bluing look great, but I proved out again that they really aren't very good at protecting against corrosion, really.

Considering the TSI 301 is a very light penetrating oil, it did "fair", it did have some rust preventing qualities, but it was no where near as good as Break-Free or Rem-Oil. TSI is a non-petroleum product, it won't burn (won't diesel), and Neal Johnson suggests it for use on airguns, he says it won't eat the seals etc.

TSI 301 will be my choice as a bore cleaner, after cleaning if one wanted to "preserve the bore for storage", (thinking firearms here), Rem-Oil or Break-Free as a final patch through would be a good ticket.

I did an "appearance test" comparing TSI, Rem-Oil & Break-Free on two different barrels, one an old parkarized military barrel, and the other was a polished blue barrel on an early model Beeman R7.

Rubbing it on then doing a pretty thorough "wipe down with clean cloth", the Break-Free had the nicest looking most consistent look to it, the TSI was fairly streaky, the Rem-Oil was very slightly streaky. Break-Free is a bit thicker, but the conclusion I've come to is that if I want to prevent rust, I'll use Break-Free. (Not near airgun seals etc). As Neal Johnson suggests TSI 301 for airgun cleaning etc (won't diesel, doesn't harm seals), that would be the ticket when in doubt, re: a safe wipe-down product for airguns as applicable.

My favorite product after all this testing for rust prevention is Break-Free CLP (with Rem-Oil a close second), and after application to wipe it pretty well down with a clean cloth, and diligently from now on wipe the gun down after any handling with a touch of Break-Free on a cloth.

I hate rust. I'd let my military guns go too long without a protecting wipe down, now I'm going to go through every dang gun I own, field strip as applicable, stocks off on the airguns, and protect them, to prevent that "DANG!" emotion at seeing a touch of corrosion trying to set in. Using SOMETHING is as much a lesson here as "what works best".

I hope this info was useful to you, and next time I pick up a nice used gun from somebody, I hope they will have taken preventive care to avoid that dreaded rust - corrosion - (or, shudder), pitting.

Frank H.
bestnet-at-mail.com.43048.0
David

Excellent info! - nt

Post by David »

.43049.43048
pdeal

Yes- Thanks for sharing these results! NT

Post by pdeal »

NT
pdeal-at-mylanlabs.com.43051.43048
Michael

Re: Rust prevention tests done, TSI 301, Rem-Oil, Break-Free

Post by Michael »

Great info. Did you happen to try FP-10?
: I'd heard great things about using TSI-301 (from Neal Johnson's etc) as a very good bore cleaner (for airguns especially and also firearms), as well it was described as helping to protect against corrosion. Well, I decided to test it out myself and see how it compared for preventing corrosion, I recently acquired two FWB 300's and I want to keep that bluing in mint condition!
:
: Though much of my interest in this is for airgun care and maintenance, I recently got all interested in rust prevention as some of my older military rifles in storage started showing a slight touch of corrosion, argg.
:
: A few years ago I'd done a large test of over 20 products, everything from RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) to Pledge furniture polish (somebody said it worked great for them), Rem-Oil, Cleanzoil, Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, Tetra gun oil, Tetra grease, Break-Free and Break-Free Collector, mineral oil, Marvel Mystery Oil, on and on, Mother's brand Carnauba paste wax, Birchwood Casey stock & metal wax, even Boeshield (waxy stuff developed at Boeing).
:
: For "long term storage", obviously a thick layer of something (about anything, cosmoline, whatever) will protect well, but the trick here is for guns you really use & handle, you want protection without goop or a thick film.
:
: I found that none of the "supposedly miracle rust proofers" like Sheath or Ballistol worked that well actually in a thin or "wiped off a bit" manner, (doing multiple water spray and salt water spray tests), but the top of the list of products that did perform well was Break-Free CLP (Clean Lube Protect) followed by Rem-Oil (again, when wiped down and not just left on thick).
:
: Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, none of that stuff was a miracle rust preventing product unless it was hosed on and left on. (I'm not fond of the smell of Ballistol either, I know it's popular in Europe, maybe it's better at fingerprint oils than water spray tests, but it didn't hold up that well). THE best performing, when wiped off to a reasonable "using the gun" surface film, was Break-Free, with Rem-Oil second best but pretty good, with the test of tons of products I'd done last year.
:
: Doing that rust test, I applied the products but not super thick, just well rubbed in, then I wiped off pretty well with a clean dry cloth the bottom half inch or so of the iron strips & the sanded nails & the blued stripper clips used in the test, to see how the protection was if the goop was "wiped nearly off". That's where the Break-Free and Rem-Oil really shined, with the Break-Free being a bit better than the Rem-Oil (but it's thicker, Rem-Oil is a great penetrator and leaves a thinner film, though it gets streakier faster than Break-Free).
:
: OK, so now I wanted to see how TSI 301 compared to all of these, as Neal Johnson's raves about it as a bore cleaner and said it protects metal as well. It IS a super cleaner & a super bore cleaner, and reports say it "dissolves rust", it looks like a great penetrating cleaner for dealing with rust that is already there.
:
: I did a new test using steel strips that I sanded down with 80 grit sandpaper to a fresh surface, with water and salt water tests I compared an untreated strip of steel against a TSI 301 treated piece (again wiping the very bottom section off with clean dry rag), compared to Break-Free CLP, Rem-Oil, and I wanted to test Birchwood Casey stock wax again (made with carnauba and beeswax and silicone, recommended for metal protection also), I also tested again Mothers Brand pure Carnauba hard paste wax (high end car stuff). Those waxes make polished bluing look great, but I proved out again that they really aren't very good at protecting against corrosion, really.
:
: Considering the TSI 301 is a very light penetrating oil, it did "fair", it did have some rust preventing qualities, but it was no where near as good as Break-Free or Rem-Oil. TSI is a non-petroleum product, it won't burn (won't diesel), and Neal Johnson suggests it for use on airguns, he says it won't eat the seals etc.
:
: TSI 301 will be my choice as a bore cleaner, after cleaning if one wanted to "preserve the bore for storage", (thinking firearms here), Rem-Oil or Break-Free as a final patch through would be a good ticket.
:
: I did an "appearance test" comparing TSI, Rem-Oil & Break-Free on two different barrels, one an old parkarized military barrel, and the other was a polished blue barrel on an early model Beeman R7.
:
: Rubbing it on then doing a pretty thorough "wipe down with clean cloth", the Break-Free had the nicest looking most consistent look to it, the TSI was fairly streaky, the Rem-Oil was very slightly streaky. Break-Free is a bit thicker, but the conclusion I've come to is that if I want to prevent rust, I'll use Break-Free. (Not near airgun seals etc). As Neal Johnson suggests TSI 301 for airgun cleaning etc (won't diesel, doesn't harm seals), that would be the ticket when in doubt, re: a safe wipe-down product for airguns as applicable.
:
: My favorite product after all this testing for rust prevention is Break-Free CLP (with Rem-Oil a close second), and after application to wipe it pretty well down with a clean cloth, and diligently from now on wipe the gun down after any handling with a touch of Break-Free on a cloth.
:
: I hate rust. I'd let my military guns go too long without a protecting wipe down, now I'm going to go through every dang gun I own, field strip as applicable, stocks off on the airguns, and protect them, to prevent that "DANG!" emotion at seeing a touch of corrosion trying to set in. Using SOMETHING is as much a lesson here as "what works best".
:
: I hope this info was useful to you, and next time I pick up a nice used gun from somebody, I hope they will have taken preventive care to avoid that dreaded rust - corrosion - (or, shudder), pitting.
:
: Frank H.


.43053.43048
AD

Can WD-40 be used to prevent rust on the barrel

Post by AD »

Can WD-40 be used to prevent rust on the body and barrel of the gun.
AD

.43054.43048
Michael

Rust Hunter Wipes by Bullfrog

Post by Michael »

I've been using this product for a few months and it has kept the corrosion and rust off everything, even the handle of my Dillon 550B in the moist basement. I haven't treated the handle in months and have used the press quite a bit. When I use the wipes any surface rust wipes off on the wipe, so I guess you can say that it dissolves rust. I use the vapor cups in the safe and sponge rubber vapor stick ons in my gun box. The only negatives are the smell and the vapor turned the rubber band on my scope to mush. They warn of keeping the product off wood, plastic and rubber. I have rubber grips on guns in the safe, a glock, and other plastics and it hasn't affected them. A little got on my wood gunstocks and it hasn't hurt them in months. I WOULD NOT USE IT ON OR AROUND AIR GUNS, although I've had one of the vapor pads in the gun case with my FWB 2 for months and there have been no adverse effects.
: I'd heard great things about using TSI-301 (from Neal Johnson's etc) as a very good bore cleaner (for airguns especially and also firearms), as well it was described as helping to protect against corrosion. Well, I decided to test it out myself and see how it compared for preventing corrosion, I recently acquired two FWB 300's and I want to keep that bluing in mint condition!
:
: Though much of my interest in this is for airgun care and maintenance, I recently got all interested in rust prevention as some of my older military rifles in storage started showing a slight touch of corrosion, argg.
:
: A few years ago I'd done a large test of over 20 products, everything from RIG (Rust Inhibiting Grease) to Pledge furniture polish (somebody said it worked great for them), Rem-Oil, Cleanzoil, Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, Tetra gun oil, Tetra grease, Break-Free and Break-Free Collector, mineral oil, Marvel Mystery Oil, on and on, Mother's brand Carnauba paste wax, Birchwood Casey stock & metal wax, even Boeshield (waxy stuff developed at Boeing).
:
: For "long term storage", obviously a thick layer of something (about anything, cosmoline, whatever) will protect well, but the trick here is for guns you really use & handle, you want protection without goop or a thick film.
:
: I found that none of the "supposedly miracle rust proofers" like Sheath or Ballistol worked that well actually in a thin or "wiped off a bit" manner, (doing multiple water spray and salt water spray tests), but the top of the list of products that did perform well was Break-Free CLP (Clean Lube Protect) followed by Rem-Oil (again, when wiped down and not just left on thick).
:
: Sheath, Ballistol, Militec-1, none of that stuff was a miracle rust preventing product unless it was hosed on and left on. (I'm not fond of the smell of Ballistol either, I know it's popular in Europe, maybe it's better at fingerprint oils than water spray tests, but it didn't hold up that well). THE best performing, when wiped off to a reasonable "using the gun" surface film, was Break-Free, with Rem-Oil second best but pretty good, with the test of tons of products I'd done last year.
:
: Doing that rust test, I applied the products but not super thick, just well rubbed in, then I wiped off pretty well with a clean dry cloth the bottom half inch or so of the iron strips & the sanded nails & the blued stripper clips used in the test, to see how the protection was if the goop was "wiped nearly off". That's where the Break-Free and Rem-Oil really shined, with the Break-Free being a bit better than the Rem-Oil (but it's thicker, Rem-Oil is a great penetrator and leaves a thinner film, though it gets streakier faster than Break-Free).
:
: OK, so now I wanted to see how TSI 301 compared to all of these, as Neal Johnson's raves about it as a bore cleaner and said it protects metal as well. It IS a super cleaner & a super bore cleaner, and reports say it "dissolves rust", it looks like a great penetrating cleaner for dealing with rust that is already there.
:
: I did a new test using steel strips that I sanded down with 80 grit sandpaper to a fresh surface, with water and salt water tests I compared an untreated strip of steel against a TSI 301 treated piece (again wiping the very bottom section off with clean dry rag), compared to Break-Free CLP, Rem-Oil, and I wanted to test Birchwood Casey stock wax again (made with carnauba and beeswax and silicone, recommended for metal protection also), I also tested again Mothers Brand pure Carnauba hard paste wax (high end car stuff). Those waxes make polished bluing look great, but I proved out again that they really aren't very good at protecting against corrosion, really.
:
: Considering the TSI 301 is a very light penetrating oil, it did "fair", it did have some rust preventing qualities, but it was no where near as good as Break-Free or Rem-Oil. TSI is a non-petroleum product, it won't burn (won't diesel), and Neal Johnson suggests it for use on airguns, he says it won't eat the seals etc.
:
: TSI 301 will be my choice as a bore cleaner, after cleaning if one wanted to "preserve the bore for storage", (thinking firearms here), Rem-Oil or Break-Free as a final patch through would be a good ticket.
:
: I did an "appearance test" comparing TSI, Rem-Oil & Break-Free on two different barrels, one an old parkarized military barrel, and the other was a polished blue barrel on an early model Beeman R7.
:
: Rubbing it on then doing a pretty thorough "wipe down with clean cloth", the Break-Free had the nicest looking most consistent look to it, the TSI was fairly streaky, the Rem-Oil was very slightly streaky. Break-Free is a bit thicker, but the conclusion I've come to is that if I want to prevent rust, I'll use Break-Free. (Not near airgun seals etc). As Neal Johnson suggests TSI 301 for airgun cleaning etc (won't diesel, doesn't harm seals), that would be the ticket when in doubt, re: a safe wipe-down product for airguns as applicable.
:
: My favorite product after all this testing for rust prevention is Break-Free CLP (with Rem-Oil a close second), and after application to wipe it pretty well down with a clean cloth, and diligently from now on wipe the gun down after any handling with a touch of Break-Free on a cloth.
:
: I hate rust. I'd let my military guns go too long without a protecting wipe down, now I'm going to go through every dang gun I own, field strip as applicable, stocks off on the airguns, and protect them, to prevent that "DANG!" emotion at seeing a touch of corrosion trying to set in. Using SOMETHING is as much a lesson here as "what works best".
:
: I hope this info was useful to you, and next time I pick up a nice used gun from somebody, I hope they will have taken preventive care to avoid that dreaded rust - corrosion - (or, shudder), pitting.
:
: Frank H.


.43056.43048
Frank H.

WD stands for "Water Displacing", turns to gum, tried it, n

Post by Frank H. »

WD stands for "Water Displacing", turns to lacquer, tried it, not great, it's only good for spraying on a handsaw that got left in the rain to displace water until you can dry it off...
Can be used on guns dropped in water in the field etc, but if you let it SIT and dry in the gun, it gums things up, it's claim to fame is displacing water though they say "lubes" on the can, it does until it dries to a gummy mess.
WD-40 is a terrible lube. And, not a literal "storage" rust preventer.
Frank H.

: Can WD-40 be used to prevent rust on the body and barrel of the gun.
: AD

bestnet-at-mail.com.43070.43054
Frank H.

I picked up FP-10 after the first big test, didn't try it on

Post by Frank H. »

: Great info. Did you happen to try FP-10?
I picked up FP-10 after the first big test, didn't try it on 2nd test, sorry.
ANYTHING is better than not doing a wipedown, use it if you've got it!
Frank H.
bestnet-at-mail.com.43071.43053
scott shaffer

Re: Rust prevention tests done, TSI 301, Rem-Oil, Break-Free

Post by scott shaffer »

As a coincidence I also recently looked at TSI-301 and its composition. Based upon the use of about 50% HCFC-141b and 10% d-limonene it will function an excellent degreaser cleaner. (The smell is from the orange smell of the d-limonene). It does contain a fair amount of water about 25%, and some methyl alcohol. It will burn and you can see that by lighting up the spray with a lighter much like hair spray would do, only less so. d-Limonene and methanol of course are flammable. I can't say that I prefer it as a lubricant, but it will act as a good cleaner for SB. I would not suggest use near seals and elastomers as d-limonene and 141b (banned from production after Jan 2003) will tend to extract materials from and swell elastomers, even Viton. Just my 2 cents

: I'd heard great things about using TSI-301 (from Neal Johnson's etc) as a very good bore cleaner (for airguns especially and also firearms),
scott-at-shaffer.com.43154.43048
Michael Ray

No more TSI-301???

Post by Michael Ray »

: As a coincidence I also recently looked at TSI-301 and its composition. Based upon the use of about 50% HCFC-141b and 10% d-limonene it will function an excellent degreaser cleaner.
<snip>
: I would not suggest use near seals and elastomers as d-limonene and 141b (banned from production after Jan 2003)
Is this to suggest they cannot make TSI-301 anymore?
.43223.43154
scott

Re: No more TSI-301???

Post by scott »

Not of the formulation I looked at. I assume that they will find a replacement solvent for the 141b and go from there eventually. There are any number of solvents they can use, but I am not privy to any of that stuff they might look at. If I come across a new lot I may shoot it to see what they changed.
: Is this to suggest they cannot make TSI-301 anymore?

scott-at-shaffer.com.43293.43223
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