Long term firearm storage technique.

[8x57mm]

In cleaning out the garage, I found some leftover materials from the home addition and studio finishing we did a few years ago; odds and ends of lumber, flooring, etc. Among the stuff was a new wax johnny-ring. I was curious, because I knew that they were once made of beeswax, and this would make for a lot of bullet lube if it was indeed beeswax. But alas, I discovered most manufacturers stopped using beeswax by the 80's and started using microcrystalline wax (refined petrolatum).

Aha! Microcrystalline wax is pretty much the sole ingredient of Renaissance Wax, an expensive wax ($29 for a 7 oz can) used by the world's best museums to preserve many objects, including firearms. It is acid free, completely moisture proof, does not evaporate, and will not discolor or harm the patina of wood or metal.

A Johnny ring costs $2 and contains (I am guessing) 5-6 oz of microcrystalline wax. A very little goes a long way, The stuff melts at 175 degrees F, so a hot air gun should help get it off in relatively short order (at least a hell of a lot easier than other preservative types.)

JR

 

[Fixxah]

So it is cosmoline? Who knew?

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.

 

[8x57mm]

...uh not exactly.

Yes, cosmo is also a petro by-product, but much more a mineral oil, than a wax. It is that volatility which causes it to darken and harden over time.

Microcrystalline wax is far more refined, and was originally used by the British Museum for preservation of ancient wooden objects. It was later discovered to work exceptionally well on metals, and ivories as well. They eventually marketed it to other world class museums as Renaissance Wax.


JR

 

[qqac]

According to the spec sheet for the Hercules brand Johni-Ring, the material is CAS #8009-03-8. Other reference materials give a/k/a's for CAS 8009-03-8 as being white petrolatum, petroleum jelly, paraffin jelly and . . . cosmoline. Cosmoline, AFAIK, started as a tradename that has become a somewhat generic term for a class of petroleum-based, waxy lubricants and protectants, with different manufacturers using different formulations, but mainly 8009-03-8 blended with varying amounts of petroleum distillates to achieve the desired consistency.

http://www.herchem.com/specs/johniring.PDF

[URL="http://www.chemicalbook.com/ProductChemicalPropertiesCB9854422_EN.htm"]http://www.chemicalbook.com/ProductChemicalPropertiesCB9854422_EN.htm

[URL]http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/chemicals/cn/Cosmoline.html[/URL][/URL]

 

[flintoid]

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A few "acquaintances" of mine use this method. Just be sure to dig it up every 6 years... .machine grease bonds with PVC over time. They're both made out of oil... do the math.