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Beeswax in lock mortise/barrel channel.

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Kyfrontiersman

Pilgrim
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Slainte, I read many many years ago I believe it was in one of the B.O.B books about applying beeswax in the lock mortise and barrel channel to aid in keeping water soaking into the bare wood in a down pour or a submersion if your canoe or dugout capsized. I’m not talking about using AcraGlass but plain beeswax. What’s everyone’s thoughts on it?
 
Sure, I melt it down and rub it in with a patch of old T shirt. To get it in the inlets I wrap the patch around the eraser end of a pencil. I just use paste wax on the exterior surfaces but like the idea of a more robust wax coating in those interior areas.
 
What’s everyone’s thoughts on it?

Well yes, it's fine for protection from rain, but if you drop that rifle into the creek..., don't expect it to seal the interior of the stock at the lock mortise. Now the wax could possibly reduce water being absorbed by the wood that remains inside the mortise, and thus prevent it from swelling and rubbing on the internal parts of your lock.

Also, in a heavy downpour, when you go to clean the rifle just after, in a dry setting, you're going to want to pull the barrel. While the beeswax will reduce water getting to the stock beneath the barrel, and may actually prevent it..., you don't want to find out that the beeswax almost prevented it, and discover that trapped water had corroded a nice pit or two in the underside of one's barrel. :confused:

LD
 
If my rifle that I paid a dear amount of my earnings for got all wet from rain or a dunk in water I would be dissembling it and performing a total wipe-down of all the parts then re-oiling/protecting the metal parts with some product to prevent corrosion before I reassemble it.:doh::ThankYou:
 
I have done a slight variation of this for years, I soften the beeswax with turpentine (keeping the mix in a jar for all sorts of things) and use this to coat the underside of the barrels and seal the wood, when remounting the barrel there is enough squeezed out to form a bead which i wipe away. I have not found any evidence of water getting in on the occasions i have dismounted the barrels.
Pete G's comment about gluing the barrels in makes sense but I've not had a problem yet.
I've heard of people using water pump grease for this but I've never liked the idea of it in contact with wood.
 
I have used beeswax as a "filler" for inlets for over forty years with good results. It will fill any inleting gaps.I used it in my boys rifle which was origonally a fifty caliber 15/16 barrel which I replaced with a 45 caliber 7/8 barrel. That was over twenty eight years ago and it is still holding up well.
 
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