Need advise about a Type 94
 

Hey guys,
Last night I picked up a Type 94 from a friend of mine. He bought it from a vet years ago and it sat in his safe. It was made in december of 42 and has a February of 41 holster with it. It is all matching including one of the two mags and has a Type 14 nickeled cleaning rod with it that was there when captured, according to the vet. Finish is a solid 99% with the only appreciable bluing loss being the top of the fromt sight. When my friend bought it, he never even took it apart so I would venture to say it has not been apart for a VERY long time. In fact, I think it was fired very little if at all. The magazine follower shows slight wear so it had to have been loaded at some point. When I disassembled it, it was immediately obvious that the original assembly cosmoline was still in there.....quite a bit of it and the internals show no sign of use other than slight spring scraping on the barrel. When I removed the spring there was a spiral of cosmoline left on the barrel....it had sat undisturbed that long. There was still cosmoline in the barrel and chamber too. I will never shoot it as I will never find another this nice and if I sell it, I assume the condition will bring a premium. Usually, the first thing I do when I buy a firearm is completely dissassemble it and clean it meticulously. This also serves as a complete inspection of mechanisms and parts condition. I did not clean this yet other than the barrel to truly see the condition of the rifling. While cleaning the barrel, I noticed that the cosmoline had sat so long that the spiral pattern from the spring would be a chore to remove. It might in fact be stained from the cosmoline. This leads me to my question. Do I leave the cosmoline as it is or do I remove it. Will the fact that it still has the stuff in there add to the value or will it cause degradation of the pistol as it ages? Thanks and sorry for being so long winded!

Brian, this is strictly my own opinion, but I am not in favor of leaving original cosmoline on antique metal surfaces UNLESS it is in some kind of sealed container. I think as the preservative ages, it will decompose eventually and become a wick to moisture. My personal recommendation is a complete, but gentle cleaning and then relubricating the items with modern rust preventive grease (Rig) or wax (museum wax) as a new start on their continued long term preservation and storage.

Some long time collectors might like to see that dried cosmoline, but I am not one of them.

I'm leaning the same way John. Thanks!