Spring/Piston Balistol Bad for Blueing?

[Hoppalong Doc]

Earlier today I heard mention via ytube that my favorite go to for almost everything, Balistol, will damage the blueing on my guns. I've been using it liberally on both my pb guns as well as my airguns for about 6 years now. It makes everything shine, eliminating fingerprints, disolving oil residue, wiping away dirt, and making everything look better than new. Where's the harm? My guns look better than new. My blueing and wood stocks shine. Was this guy blowing smoke up my barrels? You mean I can't believe everything I hear on the tube? Orv.

 

[FL22]

Let me think about this for a nanosecond, “YT guy” or Stephen Archer, I’ll go with Steve, he hasn’t lead me down the wrong path.

Ballistol - The Product With A Million Uses - Hard Air Magazine

Ballistol is a great product that has a million uses. I’ve been using it on airguns for over 10 years and it continues to amaze me with new capabilities.

hardairmagazine.com

 

[Roamin Greco 1]

Earlier today I heard mention via ytube that my favorite go to for almost everything, Balistol, will damage the blueing on my guns. I've been using it liberally on both my pb guns as well as my airguns for about 6 years now. It makes everything shine, eliminating fingerprints, disolving oil residue, wiping away dirt, and making everything look better than new. Where's the harm? My guns look better than new. My blueing and wood stocks shine. Was this guy blowing smoke up my barrels? You mean I can't believe everything I hear on the tube? Orv.

I'm with you, Orv. I can't imagine mineral oil, which is basically what Ballistol is, can be bad for metal. Perhaps the logic is since Ballistol will remove rust and bluinh is a kind of rust (oxidation of the underlying metal), then Ballistol must be bad for bluing. But so far in my experience, my oily rags don't seem to be changing color just from rubbing down blued gunmetal.

However, I know that wood can be negatively affected from too much exposure to oil (except perhaps boiled linseed oil), but a rubdown with a slightly oily rag doesn't seem like it would be harmful even over time unless the rag is literally dripping in oil every time.

 

[Hoppalong Doc]

I appreciate knowing that Balistol is based on mineral oil. It was safe enough for babies bottoms back in the seventies when my kids were born. In six years of using it, there's been no harm.

 

[guidodg]

it's nonsense...no truth in it at all