Cleaning Oily Gunky Mildew Guns?

Cavalry said:

Long story short, I am involved in an estate with a substantial amount of firearms that have been neglected for a couple years. I am not a stakeholder but phrased it as I would be interested in helping out for first picks at a discounted rate. They were oiled but left to sit out in the open in a house with no attention. Dust, dander, etc has fallen on any horizontal surface and mildew has formed and is eating the dust as well some mildew on the oiled wood, fabric and leather. The mildew/dust on metal comes off but is very sticky.
If they were mine I would do a detail strip and just do it right. But I do not have that sort of time or inclination.

Thought #1 Pull the wood, wipe with water/vinegar. Metal goes in the solvent tank and gets scrubbed with a soft brush, blow off and oil

Thought#2 Go to town with my steamer on them assembled (outside). It will flash dry almost immediately so I am not worried about rust. As long as I dont dwell on the wood or damaged finish I do not foresee issues with the steam. Oil and send it.

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FP1201 said:

Smokers in the House? They get covered with a film of nicotine and dust that's nasty and difficult to get off without a serious solvent such as Acetone or Lacquer Thinner (which I recommend with proper PPE) The Furniture will dry out and look devoid of finish, but that's really just the surface and really should be thoroughly cleaned including a light sanding with Copper or Stainless Wool.
I suppose one could cheat to get a quick & dirty by spraying the action or surfaces needed for inspection with a can of Carburetor Cleaner and paper towels.
On the inverse, I had to recover and preserve about fifty guns from a House Fire: smoke & water only, so I bought gallon cans of WD-40 with Spray Bottle: sopped and slathered it on and inside...worried about "cleaning" them all later...worked.

Another simple chemical that works remarkably well is "Foamy Glass Cleaner with Ammonia" it's astounding how much gunk will come up with that stuff, and it works great sprayed into Bores/actions after shooting corrosive ammunition.

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Cavalry said:

Non smoking home. They leave their windows open in the summer so its not humidity controlled, entrance of pollen, dirt, etc. Dude was sick for a couple years. He wasn't able to keep up on the maintenance for that environment but did previously.

Sprayway glass cleaner is a good idea. I have not tried it. That might work soften the gunk and blow it off with compressed air.

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Cavalry said:

Non smoking home. They leave their windows open in the summer so its not humidity controlled, entrance of pollen, dirt, etc. Dude was sick for a couple years. He wasn't able to keep up on the maintenance for that environment but did previously.

Sprayway glass cleaner is a good idea. I have not tried it. That might work soften the gunk and blow it off with compressed air.

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Cavalry said:

There is no rust to speak of as they were oiled I believe with CLP as I saw some there. The problem I ran into with the test subject is the nooks and crannies for example around a hooded sight. CLP loosened but did not remove the dust/mildew. Blowing off with compressed air makes a mess.

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Mosinitis said:

Never saw mildew on oiled metal, are you sure it's not gummed up oil?
Double ended tooth brush from M16 cleaning kit and pipe cleaners with stiff bristles should take care of gunk once it is loosened by CLP. You don't need to get it out from every nook and cranny, only where it interferes with function. It's oil based rust protection.
Just like cosmoline on surplus guns, I don't take all of it out, just most of it and from places where it is in the way, like bore and chamber of the barrel and bolt parts.

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