Fettling materials & tools - what to use & where to find them

first time here and all I can say is wow good info for us noobies

 

Vaping's come a long way in the last few years and wire for DIY prickers is now available (on eBay, for example) in many materials, including stainless steel and titanium, and in a wider range of sizes. It's now possible to obtain both size and stiffness to suit your needs!

 

Back in the early 1990's, when I first got into collecting stoves, I used to lubricate the leather pump washers with mineral (engine) oil.
Since I started buying and fettling old air rifles a few years ago, I learnt that mineral oil isn't the stuff to use on leather washers, especially on airguns....It causes dieseling, where the temperature created by the air being compressed ignites the oil and causes the pellet to be blown out of the barrel with a bit too much force....the oil also causes the leather to eventually rot. The stuff airgunners use to lubricate the leather piston seals is neatsfoot oil, which is aparrently extracted from the ankles of cows. This doesn't cause the leather to rot and it doesn't cause dieseling in air rifles either...I got a bottle of it off ebay and am re-lubricating all me leather cup washers on me stoves and lamps with it. Another use for it is for cleaning and conditioning horse leathers...saddles, reighns etc...also good for boots.!!

 

Opposite for me, been using mineral, not engine oil, for many years. Never needed to try neetsfoot oil.

 

OLD THREAD
Thank you @Ellie and welcome to the site.
That is good to know and i'll resist temptation to drift re vaping.

Hello old timer @Cyril Benn,
That too is good input, thank you. I can't imagine what posting comments was like in 2005. I'm impressed with this site's current search function,
A search of pump leather will find this 2009 post, which relates to what you have shared.
Thanks again omc

PS a few factors
*the stable reference site allowing search of related valid content posted during 14+ years and counting . well organized . I find it intuitive user friendly . Updated details added to old posts like the one I linked (conversations can span 10 years with same principals !).
And membership longevity, Cyril exemplary of that.
FIVE thumbs up to Ross and crew, thank you !!!

*in-general i'd say the site performs extremely well, my access is desktop/laptop use (others like their apples, so we hear)

When there are outage issues etc. we know a process is underway to resolve the issues directly.
29,660 views

 

We did it like this.

....Arch

 

Interesting, I wonder what makes mineral oil combust while neatsfoot oil doesn't, under the same temperature and pressure. Something similar happens among diesel fuels, that trait is called cetane rating.

I use whatever oil I have handy to lube pump leathers - they're just not that picky. Steal a few drops from whatever motor oil jug I have open, usually.

 

In 2001 to post on CCS1, we had to use smoke signals, because the internet hadn't been invented yet. You can't imagine how much trouble it was then to even find the site....

 

Did you all ever use the tapping on the pipes used in prisons?

 

@Ellie I'll have to check the coil wires I have almost forgotten my dripper collection.

Welcome BTW.

 

May be useful Drills?

 

Gary, that is a VERY good price.

 

I am in the process of refurbing my old stoves. An 8r and a Optimus 96. I have seen the suggestions for cleaning the brass and I will be trying them out. But could someone explain why Brasso isn't used....it's widely available here?

 

Brasso and other cleaners contain ammonia and forms of ammonia. It can cause cracks to form in brass. These stoves are pressure devices, so a crack is an issue not of any concern in decorative items like buckles of a belt.

 

Thanks for that @snwcmpr. Back in the cupboard goes the Brasso then!

 

Watch for other items with ammonia based ingredients. There are other suggestions members have if you search. I do not polish my stuff, except for the rare exception, so I cannot help there.

 

Founder member of the anti polishing league.

 

@Chas

'Autosol' is OK for brass and works very well.
I have been using it for 50 years!