Long term storage

[bangerjim]

Please tell us WHAT you are trying to store!!!!!!!!!

[Texas by God]

Wrap it up like a mummy in Cotton gauze soaked in paraffin. I think that might work on whatever it is you're talkin about.

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[Ozark mike]

Vasiline is awsome at preventing corrosion but is to simple cheap and crazy for some works for mine though

[abunaitoo]

I have many firearms that are not used for, sometimes, a year or more.
I try to take them out to clean and oil when I remember.
Looking for something spray on, that is not oily.
We have lots of humidity, (but not much humility), all year round.
Things rust just sitting there.
What I'm doing now is.........
Clean off surface rust.
With a shaving brush, I lightly coat with RIG grease.
Messy if I touch it, and seems to disappear after a while.
LPS3 and 4 seem to be some kind of wax coating.
Maybe it's something like the Birchwood-Casey Barricade????
Also "I'm a tool junki", Always collecting old tools.
Want to find something for them too.
Rust never sleeps here.
Everything here rust, corrodes, deteriorates (even our moral fiber).
probably a losing battle, but I'm trying the best I can.

[abunaitoo]

Friend once tried some pistol socks with silicone.
What a mess.
Silicons leached all over the place.
Plus the pistol still rusted.

[Petrol & Powder]

Not sure why you need a shaving brush to apply RIG.

Once again, the key is to prevent oxygen and water from reaching the surface of the ferrous metal. Lots of substances will accomplish that task. Some are expensive, some work better than others, but none of them are magic.

Oils can gum up and/or evaporate. Greases work better and if they are Ph neutral and stay soft, they all work pretty well. Adding wax to the grease (AKA Cosmoline) adds another component of protection because even if the petroleum carrier dies up, the wax remains and seals the surface.

There is NO formula for success. You're either going to have something that is expensive, easy to remove and not greasy OR you're going to have something inexpensive that requires a bit more work on your part. There's no free lunch.

Personally, I'll accept a little more work on my part to use an inexpensive but effective preservative.

Another part of this process is you MUST start with a clean, DRY, item. No amount of grease, oil, wax, whatever; will work if you apply it over rust, water, salt, etc. You have to start with a clean & dry surface. You must also coat that surface immediately to seal out oxygen & water.

RIG has never let me down but plain old wheel bearing grease will work. Because lighter oils will dry or evaporate faster than heavier greases, oils are better suited for short term storage.
As for the labor needed to remove the grease later, ......that's the price you pay for not having rust.

[Elkins45]

Johnson’s paste wax is a good choice for wood and metal guns.

[abunaitoo]

The RIG is the grease type.
White screw top plastic tub.
Shaving brush works great putting it on.
Just a light coat.
Any grease would probably work, but container is small, so takes up little space.
There used to be a spray on cosmoline.
Forget the name.
It worked great. But was a little sticky.

[Petrol & Powder]

I would put up with a little bit of greasy or sticky if it protects well and is inexpensive.

There really is no free lunch. Your choices are : expensive, ineffective or a little more work to remove it later.

Despite the hatred of removing it, cosmoline is still a good choice. Even after the carrier evaporates (which takes awhile) the remaining substance prevents rust. I don't mind removing cosmoline as much as others do but I understand the dislike for it.
RIG has never let me down and I gladly put up with the little bit of work to put it on and take it off. Honestly, a cheap tub of wheel bearing grease would work just as well but you don't need the other additives that are in that grease (although they cause no harm).

I've never seen a light oil that will hold up over extended time and I've seen some of the high dollar specialty gun oils fail even quicker than the inexpensive ones.

A trick that I was taught back when the world was flat, was to drive off the moisture before applying the oil or grease.
A parkerized gun would be disassembled, cleaned and then heated with a hair dyer to the point that it was slightly uncomfortable to hold. While still warm, it would be coated with oil or grease. It would then be re-assembled and wiped down one final time.