I am curious as everyone’s current favorite Cleaners, Lubricants, and Protectants. I was particularly interested in this crowds’ opinions on outside barrel protectants. I always wondered how those pretty double barrels held up to the sweat of daily African carry.
I have been tempted to put a light coating of Linseed or tung oil, like I do many of my hand tools, but figure there must be some product that is tough, dry and feels good in the hand.
This thread pops up regularly. Its a great question. Here's my answers of what every reader needs to own in their workshop.
#1 - Kroil. Get a big container. It's the world's thinnest oil. It creeps. Loosening a screw or cleaning a gun, there is no better. Its also half the components required to conserve a gray bore that needs help.
#2 - Ballistol. Its not anywhere near as good as Kroil for gun work, but it is harmless and doesn't rot wood. You can use it sloppily everywhere without consequence.
#3 - Foaming bore cleaner - Several good brands, wipeout being the best
#4 - JB bore paste. It's way, way finer than a lapping compound. Use a patch wrapped around a bronze brush in the bore, soaked in #1 Kroil, then glopped up with JB bore paste. 50 passes in a bore followed by a normal bore cleaning and you can remove filth you though were pits but were actually stubborn deposits of oxides/lead/plastic/copper/powder.
#5 - Bronze wool 0000 extra fine. It is softer than bluing and steel, but harder than rust oxide. This removes no finish nor originality, but it removes filth. NEVER use steel wool. Bronze wool is benign by comparison.
#6 Microfiber cloths - Buy them by the bail at Harbor freight. Retire them often. Dispose of them often. You should always have sterile-clean new ones for fine work, and old ones that are contaminated with particulate for rough work.
#7+8 - Dawn dish soap and a used fine bristle toothbrush. Used as warm dawn dish soap and a toothbrush, carefully going with the grain of the checkering, you can remove a century of oils/grime/filth that may make old, tired, checkering look very good once more.
Above all else, none of these can do any harm. (except kroil if you allow it to get on wood for a decade)