OT- I have serious moister problems

[Mich Hunter]

And not in a good way either I am most positive this issue has been covered in the past, but I can't find it. Well, I usually do a spot inspection on my firearms every couple months or so. I pull them out of the safe and give them a good wipe down with CLP (along with many other oils). All are stored in gun socks also (that might be my problem). Well, I stared to pull out a couple today and started to notice a couple small rust spots starting to form on one of my leverguns. As I pulled out a couple more I started to see it again. Now these spots are smaller than the head of a pencil, but its still there.

My safe is stored in the garage (no choice) but I do run a golden rod and several packs of silica. But it still seems like it's not doing the job. I live in a pretty dry climate (South Dakota) but we have had a very wet year. I have though about sealing them up in these
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ ... RAGE%20KIT because I hardly shoot many of them. I know its a sin to say that nut it's the truth. It's pretty much the same thing we do in the Military. They get oiled up, bagged and stored for years on end. I have thought about sealing the majority of them up and just keeping out a few that I use often. Another option would be these http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ ... N%20SLEEVE but I am not sure how well these work.

I am kind of at a loss here. I love to handle them when I can but I am not opposed to seal them up in bags covered in cosmoline either. Does anyone else have this issue.

[madman4570]

I dont know your situation but too bad you could not get
them out of the garage.Dont put them in the basement either
if at all possible.I put my big gun safe on the second floor
of my two story.its the driest there.What I did is buy a sheet of 3/4" 5 ply plywood, cut 2 pieces of 36x36 inches out of it or how big you safe bottom is and place them on top of each other in the corner area of one of the bedrooms.Corner is strongest load bearing.
The corner of the room combined with 1.5 inches of 5 ply was plenty
strong for the weight.(mine is 700 lbs)+weight of guns.

If there is no way and the safe MUST be in the garage I would
remove the gunsocks keep them wiped down with lemon pledge
wax and get 4 of the gallon size burlap bags and place kitty litter in them and place the 4 bags at each corner in the safe. Check
the litter every 1-2 months for excessive moisture and change when
needed.Otherwise change 1 every year if they seem dry.
This has worked well for a friend of mine for many years.
When he is ready to use his gun he just wipes off the thin coat
of pledge and the gun looks brand new.Again thats just my thoughts. Good luck!!i

[Rusty]

Might also add some damp rid. They sell it here in the grocery stores.

[AJMD429]

Is there some moisture source there you can deal with (i.e. combustion appliance, dryer, etc.)?

How about a 25 watt light bulb or some 'hotter' thing than the 'golden-rod' device? You'd want to make sure it was fireproof though.

Silicone-spray soaked cloths stored in a screw-top pickle or peanut butter jar (it evaporates through zip-lock bags when I tried that) stay coated and you can do a wipe-down periodically.

[stretch]

You might also consider a vapor barrier under your safe if it's right on the concrete.
I put two coats of UGL DryLock under mine in the basement. Of course, my basement
is heated during the winter, which helps a lot. I've seen no problems with my setup.
I also run a goldenrod.

Do you have access to heat for your garage? That would help.

All of the other suggestions are good ones.

[Wind]

Hey there Mich hunter - I've used a Kleen-bore product called Rust Guardit for years. My job took me over the horizon, sometimes for years. I would hose all the long guns and pistols down with this stuff and I've never had a problem. I bought cheap vinyl gun rugs for the pistols. This kept them from sticking to each other while piled in the safe. The long guns just stood in their respective racks. It applies like spray paint (might be a good idea not to get the cans confused here) and wipes off with a rag soaked in laquer thinner, Hoppes #9 or the like. Using the thumb and index finger grip on the wood parts, you can get as heavy a coat, as well as squirting it into barrels and cylinder openings. It's not as messy as the old G.I. cosmoline by a long shot and seems to do the job. Hope this helps. Watch yer top knot. Wind

[Mich Hunter]

My safe doesn't sit on the concrete. I do have a barrier underneath. My main concern is my present oil is just not cutting it. I am looking for a long term solution

Wind,

Thats what I am looking for. Is it safe for wood stocks?

[Wind]

Hey there again Mich hunter - Seems to be fine. There are no warnings on the can. It does say you shouldn't squirt it in your eyes, up your nose and that sort of stuff. Says it protected in a 100 degree, 100% humity cabinet in excess of 30 days. I have had no negative issues at all. I bought a couple cases of it and clean off a gun, go shoot it, and then hose it back down again and put it away. I like the stuff. Hope this helps. Wind.

[C. Cash]

I've heard good things about rig. I've never felt the need for it though. I pull my guns regularly and do the bores, exteriors with Hoppes(including under the wood) and a spray into the action with Ballistol or Rem Oil. My guns have made it through some extremes using only this process...including humid Puerto Rico and living in a dark, damp basement for 2 years here in Pennsylvania. It was so bad there that much of my ammo was ruined, but the guns made it with no rust problems. Regular maintenance will work(2-3 weeks max for me before it gets the complete going over in moist weather, but sometimes have gotten away with much longer). You have to be real thorough and consistent if they are in a moist environment though. You grease/cosmoline idea for the guns that don't get used sounds like a good idea, and then you would have less guns to go over. Other than that keep up the moisture control with the rod and dessicant as much as possible. Get em somewhere else if you can, but understand the problem you have. Been there, done that!

[marlinman93]

Desicants like silica, or Driz-Air and others should not be kept in the safe with your guns. Yes they do attract the moisture, but then where does it go? It stays where it's attracted to, in the safe. Best to use your heater and leave any moisture repellants, attractants, etc. for outside the safe, not inside with the guns. I've see safes that were carpeted and the floor was damp, even with various silicas, etc. inside. They don't work for long term storage.

[Modoc ED]

CORROSION X

Spray all your guns down with Corrosion X

[C. Cash]

Desicants like silica, or Driz-Air and others should not be kept in the safe with your guns. Yes they do attract the moisture, but then where does it go? It stays where it's attracted to, in the safe. Best to use your heater and leave any moisture repellants, attractants, etc. for outside the safe, not inside with the guns. I've see safes that were carpeted and the floor was damp, even with various silicas, etc. inside. They don't work for long term storage.

They make the kind(or they used to) with the indicator at the bottom. If it turns pink it means the beads are saturated and you toss it in the oven for a bit to remove the moisture. As long as you don't allow it to become saturated, I don't think your doing much harm. I've used it and not had any problems, but not sure if it really does all the good that I think it does.

[marlinman93]

But when they attract moisture to them, what stops it from being pulled in from outside the safe? I'd rather treat my guns and keep attractants out of the safe.

[C. Cash]

But when they attract moisture to them, what stops it from being pulled in from outside the safe? I'd rather treat my guns and keep attractants out of the safe.

An interesting thought Val, and you might be right. Something to think about for sure.....

[brucew44guns]

CORROSION X

Spray all your guns down with Corrosion X

Noah had a post on here awhile back, about all the good virtues of Corrosion X, now I see Modoc Ed uses it. It's about 90 bucks for a gallon jug of it, but after going to their web-site and doing some looking at it, I think it may well be the answer to what ever ails your guns in rust and keeping the finish like new. It's an Aircraft/Industrial formula that is super duty, my guns are in the basement, 60% humidity, and 65 degrees. No sign of any problems at all. It's an investment, but a gallon of the stuff will last a long time, I put a mustard squeezer bottle full of it on the bench, use it often.

[Sixgun]

Simple, add another Golden Rod or two--cheap----plus, get 'em out of the socks. I never did like anything touching my guns-------------------Sixgun

[Mutt]

I live about 2o-25 miles as the crows fly from the coast of Texas . My safe has one of the black rods instead of gold . I don't know what the difference is . And I also have 3 boxes of 450 grams silica gel each . Protects 33 cubic feet each . Safe is 60 tall -22 deep 30 wide . And about every 3-4 months I wipe the down in and out with silicone cloth and Break Free CLP . So far so good.....And while reading this report I started cooking the bags now. First time since I bought the bags about 6 years. ago. Just turning pink , hard to see the color.

[Ray Newman]

For years, I also applied RIG, but it is no longer available.

I live in WA, AKA "Water World". My safes are in the garage & detached shop. Both concrete floors have a moisture barrier. The shop has a thermostat operated heater set to about 50 degrees, The attached garage is fully insulated, which does help.

I do not know why the Golden Rod isn't working well for you. About 20 years ago, I bought my 1st safe & installed a Golden Rod. It last over 15 yrs. before I needed to replace it.

For those Not-In-The-Know:
http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/

Another worthwhile item is a Bull frog "Rust Inhibitor Shield." It gives off a gas that forms a moisture barrier on metal. I install a new one each year & keep the old one in the safe for an additional year, then discard it.

http://www.bull-frog.com/

Some claim having both the Bull Frog & the Golden Rod is overkill, but it is sure cheaper than trying to repair rust....

I think for long term storage, the Brownell's bags made by Birchwood-Casey will be hard to beat. I have about 8-9 milsurps rifles that I want to put away, & I am thinking about putting them in the Birchwood-Casey bags.

[Modoc ED]

Simple, add another Golden Rod or two--cheap----plus, get 'em out of the socks. I never did like anything touching my guns-------------------Sixgun

Good point Sixgun. Those socks are touted for being oil/silicone impregnated but they can also absorb water. Nothing like a wet (water), oily rag (sock) wrapped around a rifle while being stored. They (socks) are good for transporting a gun but that's about it.

I've used Corrosion X for years with never a problem.

[El Guapo]

RIG (rust inhibiting grease) is just as good as it always has been. For long-term gun storage give the bores a liberal coating using a cotton bore mop. The exteriors can be coated with a RIG impregnated rag. RIG has the consistency of vaseline and is no problem to wipe off when you want to go shooting. RIG Products is located in Sparks, Nevada at 702-331-5666, but I bought my last from Brownells.