Maintaining straw conditions...
 

Can anyone let me know what is the straw % remaining on my 1917 DWM Luger? It looks like kind of gold color to me but the poor lighting makes it possible to take nice shot at night.

Also how to maintain its straw condition. I use those silicone guns and reel cloth/rag to wipe down the Luger everytime after I handle it will the chemical on the silicone cloth damage the strawing or overall condition of the gun? I just thought it is suppose to protect the gun from rust etc.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...Picture113.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...Picture121.jpg

Same pics except they were taken in daylight.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...f/IMG_5123.jpg
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o...f/IMG_5127.jpg

Appling Renaissance Wax on the metal, and handling it with clean cutton glooves on will lock its current condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

Finish looks original to me and looks great.

Thanks Alvin will look for some Renaissance Wax right away. Starting to look up on ebay now as we speak...

Vern, The straw coloring on your PO8 small parts is a heat applied surface finish (not inbedded in the metal like the rust blue) so it rubs off quite easily. The wax may help a bit, but just avoid contact with other surfaces, is the best protection. TH

Roger that Tom. Will avoid touching those part from now on.

Thanks for the tips.

I would not recommend a product such as Renaissance Wax which creates a seal over the finish. It is very difficult to remove at a later date, instead use a good light grease such as Rig Universal Grease which provides excellent protection without creating a seal.

Albert

Albert -- Remington Oil, Hoppe's 9 Oil etc will resolve R-Wax.

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Originally, I used RIG Grease. But it dries too quickly. Also appling grease outside is a little bit messy. Now, I use RIG for internal and bore protection only. For Broom, it won't cause further issue because the grip panels are isolated from the interior of the gun so the grease won't hurt the wood even if it melts somehow. For Parabellum, applying grease inside could be dangerous for the wood grips.