RIG and Lugers

Johnny Peppers · 03-26-2002, 04:39 PM

Bought a 1920's era Luger commercial that had been stored with RIG some 12 to 15 years ago. The pistol had been thoroughly cleaned and coated with rig inside and out before storage. To say the least, the pistol was virtually glued together. Where the RIG had been put on parts with minimum clearance, the parts were very hard to get apart. Where the curved part of the trigger touches the front of the triggerguard the RIG had hardened to make the trigger impossible to pull without possibly bending something. The toggle assembly was solidly stuck in the receiver. The takedown lever refused to budge until heated under a heat lamp. After heating, everything slowly started to come apart with the axel pin being the hardest part to get out. Where clearances were critical, the RIG had turned very hard and required soaking to break it loose from the metal. Where the RIG was just wiped on the inside surfaces that did not touch it still remained fairly soft. I have been using RIG for years, but generally tear everything down at least yearly for inspection and cleaning. I will have to say that there was no sign of rust anywhere

03-26-2002, 06:29 PM

Its good to know that there is something that good.

ViggiG

Big Norm · 03-26-2002, 10:51 PM

Interesting thread. I am happy to hear that a heat lamp loosened everything up.

Big Norm

Johnny Peppers · 03-26-2002, 11:09 PM

The pistol was virtually glued together. I believe a light preservative oil would be better inside, or maybe one of the synthetics would not gum up. I know this was an unusual case for the pistol to remain untouched for so long, but the pistol was a good case study in preservatives.

Marvin · 03-27-2002, 06:43 AM

Hello Johnny,

I guess the RIG did it's job as a rust preventative though. I have seen some pistols ove the years that had the hard "varnish" like goop on the inside. I have no idea what it was, but there was no rust underneath.

I have heard, but don't know if it is the truth, that RIG is a thinner version of Cosmoline. Has anyone else heard of this before? If any of you buy the old military surplus rifles from Turkey, Yugoslavia, etc., these rifles must have 10 lbs of Cosmoline on them. There is so much, you almost have to soak them in kerosene to get the stuff out.

Marvin

Big Norm · 03-27-2002, 11:40 PM

Marv,

your mentioning kerosene just made me think. Does kerosene do any damage to the finish? It seems like there would be a lot of old guns that would have old oil caked in tight places. What comes to mind would be the adjustible front sights on early artillery Lugers.

A long time ago, I suggested Vasoline Petrolium Jelly as a presevative on this forum. Nobody remarked to my suggestion. But I still wonder it it would do the job.

Big Norm

Marvin · 03-28-2002, 06:54 AM

Big Norm,

The kerosene seems to work pretty good on the old military rifles with only a small amount of finish usually. I MIGHT use some kerosene on a Luger, but I don't think I would leave it for a long time. If you can get Safety Kleen solvent, it works great and does not harm the finish. The only problem is that you need to know someone that has the cleaning equipment and "borrow" some from them. The Safety Kleen guy probably would not sell a small amount.

Marvin

03-26-2002, 04:39 PM	#1
Johnny Peppers User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Calion, Arkansas Posts: 1,042 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	RIG and Lugers Bought a 1920's era Luger commercial that had been stored with RIG some 12 to 15 years ago. The pistol had been thoroughly cleaned and coated with rig inside and out before storage. To say the least, the pistol was virtually glued together. Where the RIG had been put on parts with minimum clearance, the parts were very hard to get apart. Where the curved part of the trigger touches the front of the triggerguard the RIG had hardened to make the trigger impossible to pull without possibly bending something. The toggle assembly was solidly stuck in the receiver. The takedown lever refused to budge until heated under a heat lamp. After heating, everything slowly started to come apart with the axel pin being the hardest part to get out. Where clearances were critical, the RIG had turned very hard and required soaking to break it loose from the metal. Where the RIG was just wiped on the inside surfaces that did not touch it still remained fairly soft. I have been using RIG for years, but generally tear everything down at least yearly for inspection and cleaning. I will have to say that there was no sign of rust anywhere

03-26-2002, 06:29 PM	#2
Viggo G Dereng Guest Posts: n/a	Re: RIG and Lugers, Thanks Johnny, Its good to know that there is something that good. ViggiG

03-26-2002, 10:51 PM	#3
Big Norm RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 1,864 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Re: RIG and Lugers Interesting thread. I am happy to hear that a heat lamp loosened everything up. Big Norm

03-26-2002, 11:09 PM	#4
Johnny Peppers User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Calion, Arkansas Posts: 1,042 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: RIG and Lugers The pistol was virtually glued together. I believe a light preservative oil would be better inside, or maybe one of the synthetics would not gum up. I know this was an unusual case for the pistol to remain untouched for so long, but the pistol was a good case study in preservatives.

03-27-2002, 06:43 AM	#5
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: RIG and Lugers Hello Johnny, I guess the RIG did it's job as a rust preventative though. I have seen some pistols ove the years that had the hard "varnish" like goop on the inside. I have no idea what it was, but there was no rust underneath. I have heard, but don't know if it is the truth, that RIG is a thinner version of Cosmoline. Has anyone else heard of this before? If any of you buy the old military surplus rifles from Turkey, Yugoslavia, etc., these rifles must have 10 lbs of Cosmoline on them. There is so much, you almost have to soak them in kerosene to get the stuff out. Marvin

03-27-2002, 11:40 PM	#6
Big Norm RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 1,864 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts	Re: RIG and Lugers Marv, your mentioning kerosene just made me think. Does kerosene do any damage to the finish? It seems like there would be a lot of old guns that would have old oil caked in tight places. What comes to mind would be the adjustible front sights on early artillery Lugers. A long time ago, I suggested Vasoline Petrolium Jelly as a presevative on this forum. Nobody remarked to my suggestion. But I still wonder it it would do the job. Big Norm

03-28-2002, 06:54 AM	#7
Marvin User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Upstate S.C. Posts: 1,132 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: RIG and Lugers Big Norm, The kerosene seems to work pretty good on the old military rifles with only a small amount of finish usually. I MIGHT use some kerosene on a Luger, but I don't think I would leave it for a long time. If you can get Safety Kleen solvent, it works great and does not harm the finish. The only problem is that you need to know someone that has the cleaning equipment and "borrow" some from them. The Safety Kleen guy probably would not sell a small amount. Marvin