Pores, steel ain't got them
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Of bacon grease
- Thread starter tenngun
- Start date
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And how many times do we hear references to just that. Fouling in the pores. I suspect under an electronic microscope one could see the crystalline make up of the steel.
I have a theory regarding why bacon grease may not rust a cast iron pan, but might rust a shiny metal of a gun's bore.
Cast iron (and carbon steel) cookware surface is protected by a passivation layer that forms when the skillet or pot is seasoned for the first time. In my opinion that passivation layer is composed of magnetite (black oxide of iron), carbon and probably baked on greases/oils. It offers some measure of protecttion from corrosion specially in presence of a grease. That's why some people don't use dishwashing liquid on their "seasoned pans, or they grease the pans after washing and drying.
That black oxide of iron is basically the same stuff as rust bluing, the difference is we don't usually have a layer of carbon and/or burned grease on top (in guns)
Some people talk about" seasoning" their barrels as if they were a cooking skillet. Although theoretically possible, in normal use the barrels we use don't reach temperatures required for the passivation layer like one on skillets etc. Combustion gases are very hot, but thermal mass of the barrel prevents it from heating up much making resulting layer a lot thinner.
Also if a thin surface rust happens to form despite seasoning in a cast iron skillet it will be converted to black iron oxide the next time the skillet is used. High temperature in presence of water does that.
Therefore I think it is possible for salt containing bacon grease to be perfectly safe for seasoned cast iron skillets and the same bacon grease may corrode unblued insides of barrels.
With regards to blued parts of the gun(and those guns that have bluing on the inside of the bores) , I don't know. Grease and bluing may be enough to counteract the salt (until some water gets there at least)
Cast iron (and carbon steel) cookware surface is protected by a passivation layer that forms when the skillet or pot is seasoned for the first time. In my opinion that passivation layer is composed of magnetite (black oxide of iron), carbon and probably baked on greases/oils. It offers some measure of protecttion from corrosion specially in presence of a grease. That's why some people don't use dishwashing liquid on their "seasoned pans, or they grease the pans after washing and drying.
That black oxide of iron is basically the same stuff as rust bluing, the difference is we don't usually have a layer of carbon and/or burned grease on top (in guns)
Some people talk about" seasoning" their barrels as if they were a cooking skillet. Although theoretically possible, in normal use the barrels we use don't reach temperatures required for the passivation layer like one on skillets etc. Combustion gases are very hot, but thermal mass of the barrel prevents it from heating up much making resulting layer a lot thinner.
Also if a thin surface rust happens to form despite seasoning in a cast iron skillet it will be converted to black iron oxide the next time the skillet is used. High temperature in presence of water does that.
Therefore I think it is possible for salt containing bacon grease to be perfectly safe for seasoned cast iron skillets and the same bacon grease may corrode unblued insides of barrels.
With regards to blued parts of the gun(and those guns that have bluing on the inside of the bores) , I don't know. Grease and bluing may be enough to counteract the salt (until some water gets there at least)
Crow-Feather
32 Cal.
OK Cast Iron rifle barrels
