Gun Oil on gold plate?

[RiverRat]

I bought an unfired Winchester '94 Golden Spike for a reasonable price last week because it had finger prints corroded into the gold plating on the receiver. I was able to remove the prints and polish them out with a couple of hours of elbow grease and 3M silicon treated Scotch Brite cloths made for computer screen cleaners.

My question is; Does gun oil affect the gold plating?
The dealer I got it from made a comment about the finger prints being caused by the gold plate reaction to gun oil. My engineering chemistry mind tells me gold plate should be pretty impervious to most contaminants. Anyone know from experience?

[TDDude]

I always thought gold was impervious to corrosion of any kind. It can be polished and cleaned but it never corrodes.

I would call the manufacturer. Something doesn't sound right. Especially when being told that gun oil is the culprit.

[The Annoyed Man]

I bought an unfired Winchester '94 Golden Spike for a reasonable price last week because it had finger prints corroded into the gold plating on the receiver. I was able to remove the prints and polish them out with a couple of hours of elbow grease and 3M silicon treated Scotch Brite cloths made for computer screen cleaners.

My question is; Does gun oil affect the gold plating?
The dealer I got it from made a comment about the finger prints being caused by the gold plate reaction to gun oil. My engineering chemistry mind tells me gold plate should be pretty impervious to most contaminants. Anyone know from experience?

Well, it evidently isn't impervious to the acids in human skin oil, or there wouldn't have been a fingerprint corroded into the gold plating. Sebum is an oily secretion produced by sebacious glands, tiny ducts adjacent to hair follicles. Sebum is secreted into the follicle, from which it spreads over the hair and skin. The main role of sebum is to waterproof the skin and hair.... ....Sweat is a salty, watery solution produced by sweat glands, numerous microscopic channels opening onto the skin surface. As sebum and sweat mix up on the skin surface, they form a protective layer often referred to as the acid mantle . Acid mantle has a particular level of acidity characterized by pH from about 4 to 5.5. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, above 7 is alkaline, and below is acidic.

My point is that it is possible for certain compounds which might be harmful to your metal's finish to be found dissolved in oils. That probably isn't true for gun oil that is still in the bottle, but once your (or someone else's) unwashed hands touch that gun oil after it has already been applied to the gun in question, all bets are off. I usually use a silicone impregnated rag to wipe down my firearms after I've cleaned them. It seems to me that since, unlike oils, silicone repels salts — hence its common use in marine applications — it is probably a better surface protector for firearms too than oils. And, silicone will impart the same shininess to the finish as will oil.

At least that's my take on it. I'm not enough of a chemist to guarantee that.

[Drewthetexan]

Is it 24 karat? Or alloy? I'd think an alloy would lose some of the anti-corrosive properties found with gold.

[RiverRat]

I almost had a DUH moment.....it was the fingerprints that were corroding the gold, obviously an acid from the fingers. I agree, it probably didn't have any oil on it when stored. I was thinking substrate plate leeching as on the copper base plating corroding thought, etc.....blah, blah.

As Einstein once said, "Nothing is simplier than it has to be."

I've never used silicon on a gun finish. I doubt I'll ever shoot it now, since it cleaned up so nicely. All I know is Hoppe's Gun Oil.

What silicon do you recommend for long term storage? Won't silicon gum up when it dries out?

[RiverRat]

Is it 24 karat? Or alloy? I'd think an alloy would lose some of the anti-corrosive properties found with gold.

I don't know. Most electroplates are done chemically using the gold cyanidation process and are 24K. I used to do a lot of experimental plating on flex circuits, like on common ink jet cartridges and flex IC packaging when I worked in the labs at 3M. The bottles of gold cyanide were stored in safes.

[The Annoyed Man]

I almost had a DUH moment.....it was the fingerprints that were corroding the gold, obviously an acid from the fingers. I agree, it probably didn't have any oil on it when stored. I was thinking substrate plate leeching as on the copper base plating corroding thought, etc.....blah, blah.

As Einstein once said, "Nothing is simplier than it has to be."

I've never used silicon on a gun finish. I doubt I'll ever shoot it now, since it cleaned up so nicely. All I know is Hoppe's Gun Oil.

What silicon do you recommend for long term storage? Won't silicon gum up when it dries out?

You can buy these rags — they are like a heavy wool sock with the toe cut off — that are already impregnated with the silicone. That's why I use. I don't remember for sure where I bought them, but it must have been someplace like BassPro, or Cabelas. I know you can also buy silicone spray. My guess is that someone like 3M sells it. If you can find the spray, it is probably more economical to spray your own rags and use those. The silicone impregnated "socks" that I buy seem to last a pretty long time. I've been using the same two for at least of couple of years now — maybe longer — and they still work just fine. The silicone goes on just like an oil. It gives the metal that same "oiled" looking finish; and no, it doesn't seem to gum up. Silicone is used in some applications as a lubricant. You're thinking of silicone rubber, which is another product.

[seamusTX]

I think it's not gold.

As you know, gold reacts only with aqua regia.

My gold wedding ring has been in everything from gun oil to baby barf, and it's as shiny as it was 29 years ago. I've seen gold artifacts that were recovered after hundreds of years at the bottom of the sea, and they were just as shiny.

Here's a photo of that rifle: http://cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Winchester_1969.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If that were all gold, the metal alone would be worth more than the entire rifle ($300-600).

- Jim