good way to clean the lock

[hanshi]

I remove the lock for cleaning every time I fire and clean the gun. It's not always necessary to get the internals wet. Often, once the pan/frizzen/cock area is scrubbed clean with water, a Q-tip and a pipe cleaner moist with gun oil are used to go over all services and crevices of the internals. A drop or two of oil then goes on all contact surfaces. No rust in years.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Usually I just remove the lock and wipe it down with a damp rag with soapy water, rinse with fresh hot water, then either spray down with WD-40, or wipe down with Barricade. 3&1 Oil, or whatever gun oil I have handy for all pivot points.

If really dirty, I drop it into the sink full of hot soapy water, scrub down than rinse & finish as above.

I've seen pictures of Tom Knight's work, and you can't even see the residual crumbs and jelly residue from his toaster oven :idunno: :rotf:

 

[buzz]

For me i remove the lock after shooting drop it in warm soapy water then dip it in my bucket of coconut oil and wipe off then back on she goese
I never had a lock issue but then i shoot alot and live in a dry climate
Then a lite rub of lemon oil and beez wax mix
If im doing lots of taget shooting i put little gun oil on the locks moving parts

 

[MSK]

This however sounds like a singular, perplexing problem for the OP. He's provided that he's taken common sense steps to ensure the cleanliness and functionality of his equipment. In spite of his efforts, his lock has rusted. I am no expert, but my suggestion would be to clean and oil the lock, then NOT reinstall it for a prolonged period, both for observation purposes and peace of mind. Also, there is the possibility that the mortise wood might have something in it (un-neutralized nitric acid perhaps?) attacking the metal. He may wish to look into perhaps dealing with the wood area too.

Just my farthing.

Smollett

 

[Artificer]

I am also not a fan of using WD 40 in guns as it seems to suck up dust and all kinds of contaminants and form them into a hardened almost glue like substance that can keep parts from operating correctly. This is even more of a problem when people flush parts with it and don't get the parts really dry afterwards. I can't begin to tell how many shotguns I've seen this done in and the gun stopped working until the parts were cleaned and properly oiled.

Gus

I can see that continued applications of WD-40 over & over each other without a soap & water scrub out or steam clean in between would gum up works eventually.
I see the use of WD-40 in the cleaning process of my guns lock to be in its primary designed purpose. That is as a Water Displacer & that is what the WD in its name stands for. Having just had the lock wet then I want something to displace any moisture that may be left in there. Wiping off excess WD-40 & using a gun oil on moving parts is done every time after I clean the lock.
I see no chance to get a gummed up situation here.

Thanks for the clarification. OK, so you are not allowing the WD 40 to build up and only using it as a water displacer. That sounds a whole lot better.

Gus

 

[Artificer]

Good idea to investigate for that!

Gus

 

[ZUG]

I agree and will add this; some metals will start to rust at the blink of an eye through no fault of the owner. A lot of metals have very small open pores which trap corrosion and like cancer - spread. What I find that works for me is to polish the back of the plate to a high degree with silicone carbide automotive paper to 600 grit then buff with polishing rouge. This puts a layer of the polishing compound on and in the metal pours and help fight corrosion over a longer period of time. Then use a good oil on the moving parts. :thumbsup:

 

[bpd303]

I never use soap & water on my locks. WD40 is a good cleaner, then an application of 3in1 is all I need.

 

[buzz]

When im cleaning clocks from the cleaning solution goese into a water bath then in to alcohol rinse then into the oven at 190^ for 10 mins

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Send the lock out and have it case hardened, that will stop these kinds of problems in every instance except for neglect.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

My method.
* Scrub lock with hot soapy water.
* Rinse with hot water and dry.
* Spray with WD-40 to drive out water and dry.
* Lube with Balistol.

Just one on many methods.