How to protect mild steel gun parts?

[Bmi48219]

So continuing with the saga of my Japanese made HAWES Tower pistol….
I was giving it a thorough cleaning and noticed dozens of surface casting imperfections on combination lock plate / flash pan, hammer, flint clamp and frizzen / pan cover. These parts seem to be made of fairly “soft” steel. All are in the white, with the barrel itself being very smoothly finished.
Mostly imperfections are surface dimples and irregular casting dips and seams. None of which are on pieces that would be stressed by the powder charge ignition.
I have dressed up most of these areas with files followed by progressively finer grits of sand paper down to 600 grit. It’s starting to look pretty good. I’ve had this pistol 54 years and have kept it well coated w / oil to preserve the finish. There are only a few spots of very slight tarnish, no perceivable pitting.
Now I’m thinking of ways to protect the steel from oxidation. Some sort of aesthetic coating or finish. For obvious reasons cerra-coat is not an option. Would coating with some sort of oil and mildly heating these parts aid in this regard? I know some steel can be surface case hardened but don’t know if that would help.

[HWooldridge]

Cold blue?

[LAGS]

I think Lamping would work.
That is , heating up the steel and dipping it in oil.
That does darken the finish and leaves a surface coating to protect it from rust.
Surface hardening will also help.
But if the steel is mild steel , be careful not to heat the cast parts to the point they melt.
Cold bluing is another option for competing you can do quickly.
I would have to see the parts to see if Browning or Slow Rust Bluing would look good.
But all options that you can do at home , will give you rust protection.
But just a good coat of oil on the White metal parts will give you some rust protection.
But you have to keep oiling the parts as the oil dries out and wipes off over time.

[M-Tecs]

Renaissance Wax is a brand of microcrystalline wax polish used in antique restoration and museum conservation around the world. Commonly used to polish and conserve metal objects, it is also used on gemstones and such organic materials as wood, ivory, and tortoiseshell. The product is sometimes used by reenactors to protect armor and weapons. Waxes are more protective and longer-lasting than oil, especially for swords and helmets that are frequently touched by human hands. It has recently been introduced in the world of guitar building, as a finish that protects and gives color to the wood.

[elk hunter]

X2 on wax.

[muskeg13]

A light coat of boiled linseed oil allowed to dry. This works on browned muzzleloader barrels.

[waksupi]

Gotta be careful of heat on these lock plates. I was sent a lock to work on many years ago from one of these. I found out it was made of pot metal, when I went to hot brown it, the plate melted!

I would personally would let it age naturally.

[uscra112]

If you want it to stay bright, wax it. Me, I'd just let it alone, to develop it's own patina.

[Noah Zark]

Corrosion-X.

Noah

[David2011]

Having a shop full of cast iron wood and metal working tools that were mostly acquired used, this has worked for me. After cleaning the surfaces back to bright, I coat with Boeshield T-9 and let it set for 24-48 hours and then wipe it off. Don’t use any solvents. Let it dry. Wax it. For shop tools I use Johnson’s Paste Wax but for firearms I would Renaissance use as M-Tecs said.

[georgerkahn]

I was gifted an ollld (unfireable) scattergun years back which shared quite a bit of surface rust. A gunsmith at a show I attended recommended using a product called G96 to clean all parts -- leaving the final spray on for a few minutes before wiping excess -- then leaving all to dry. When dry, he also recommended using a product called Flitz Gun Wax. Albeit the scattergun is no more than a wall-hanger -- it remains looking as rust-free/good as it did shortly after I applied the Flitz.
What I do.

[uscra112]

Corrosion-X.

Noah

My .02 worth - I have an Iver Johnson .22 revolver that is used to drive off raccoons and opossums from the kitchen porch. Lived in a kitchen drawer, and of course kitchens are often humid. I was using Corrosion-X on it. but it got rust on it anyway.

Phil

[KCSO]

Very Soft metal and I lost two frizzens trying to harden them One spark and they either went soft again or broke in half. I would brown and wax the parts for a more original look.