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doubleriflejack
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Reged: 11/11/07
Posts: 352
Loc: Oregon, U.S.A.
Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it?
      #139481 - 25/07/09 07:22 AM

I have no experience at all using Rangoon oil, though I know it is available even today. It was used in the Victorian era, I am sure, and I have often wondered just how effective it was, and how it might compare with our modern gun oils of comparable usage? Anyone know what it is composed of, what is in Rangoon oil? Should anyone know about the history behind Rangoon oil, when its use was begun, etc., I would certainly enjoy hearing about that.

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Buchsemann
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Reged: 12/12/08
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Loc: Wisconsin, USA
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: doubleriflejack]
      #139489 - 25/07/09 10:35 AM

Jack,

I was curious and found this for you on the net:

____________________________________________________________________________________________


What was Rangoon gun oil?

A combination of dampness, heat, and a little honest sweat, is an ideal recipe for rapidly corroding unprotected steel.

By Mike George

Thursday, 13 December 2007

In a lot of old shooting books it says you should clean gun barrels with Rangoon oil. What was it, and who made it? These days you never hear it mentioned. Why?

Technical
MIKE George says:
Rangoon oil was not so much a cleaning agent as a rust preventer. As far as I know it was developed by the British Army, and was certainly in use by troops 150 years ago.

It was a tenacious oil with a very slow evaporation rate, and its purpose was to keep arms free of rust in hot, steamy jungle conditions.

A combination of dampness, heat, and a little honest sweat, is an ideal recipe for rapidly corroding unprotected steel.

Why has it gone out of use? Probably because there are better rust preventers available. And, with internally-chromed barrels and modern metal finishes on the outside, guns are less prone to rust than they used to me.

Don't confuse Rangoon oil with soluble oil compounds, which are best remembered with the trade name of Young's 303. Young's, mixed with water, was once a popular gun cleaning agent, and it is still available if you search around although I have never been very keen on it personally.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Regards,

Marcus

PS - I use sperm (whale) oil on all my firearms. It may sound like BS but I'm serious, I have quite a bit of the stuff. Attached below is a US Government document dated 1944 that provides a background on the substance. Records have mine traced back to a WWII government supply.



--------------------
Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

- John Dryden

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rigbymauser
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Reged: 15/05/05
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Loc: Denmark
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: Buchsemann]
      #139522 - 25/07/09 05:30 PM

I found this bottle here awhile ago..



Edited by rigbymauser (25/07/09 05:32 PM)

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mehulkamdar
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Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: doubleriflejack]
      #139545 - 25/07/09 11:55 PM

The Brits also used Singer's Three in One oil which used to be available in India until about fifteen or twenty yeras ago. After the original Singer company ended up being bought by a Japanese firm, I think they stopped manufacture. There is some Three in One oil that is still sold in India but it is more for lubricating sewing machines and things like that.

Not sure if this was similar to Rangoon oil (which I have never even seen, though I have used Three in One oil quite a bit) but I thought I'd put this out.

RHB or GPSB would know about the stuff if something like it is still available in India.

Good hunting!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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doubleriflejack
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Reged: 11/11/07
Posts: 352
Loc: Oregon, U.S.A.
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: Buchsemann]
      #139553 - 26/07/09 04:12 AM

I knew about sperm oil, as it was often used by old time clock makers, though it has long since been replaced by modern much better lubricants, especially synthetic. I have training in antique clock repair, and have done quite a bit of that sort of thing, so early on I learned about the sperm oil. Rangoon oil in nothing like that, and, indeed, it was developed for the British military, especially for the preservation of gun metal. I recently saw an empty can of Rangoon oil dated in the 1850s, so it has been around a bit longer than any of us, and is still available today. Thanks for the interesting information---one can't have too much knowledge!

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9.3x57
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Reged: 22/04/07
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Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: doubleriflejack]
      #139561 - 26/07/09 08:17 AM

So what is it?

--------------------
What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

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Buchsemann
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Reged: 12/12/08
Posts: 439
Loc: Wisconsin, USA
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: 9.3x57]
      #139604 - 27/07/09 04:36 AM

Gents,

I'm giving up for the moment. I certainly have learned more about Rangoon (as the capital of Burma) and the Rangoon Oil Company searching the Internet but I haven't found beans with regard to what is actually in Rangoon oil that made it a rather well know rust inhibitor. For now I'm in that "It is what it is" mode.

I guess I'm a little old fashion (traditional perhaps by circumstance) with my use of sperm whale oil on my forearms and other things. It's a little different for sure but as I haven't found anything that has done a better job for me, based on my personal requirements for lubricity and rust prevention, in any environment whether the arms are in storage, standard range use, shooting competition, or in the field (to include some incredibly cold conditions of the upper Midwest - USA), I'll probably stick with it. The stuff goes a very long way. To give you an idea: I have completely wiped down two lathes, two milling machines, four drill presses, three punch presses, one surface grinder, and many other smaller machine tools three times a year for the last five years using two smaller cotton rags soaked with no more than a total of two ounces of the stuff (whale oil). The results: With five of the major machines being in used in varying humidity and temperature - no rust. The other machines are in a more controlled environment - no rust. I have no idea as to what the total surface area of all of the aforementioned machines is but I'm pretty sure it's substantial. I do not use the whale oil as a cutting fluid or as a lubricant for the machines. I use cutting fluids specific to the materials I work with and my default way lube is Vactra No. 2. This whole thing (what I've used the whale oil for) may sound nuts but it works. How many times I've wiped down every gun in my collection over the years with as few rags as I have is minor in comparison. OK, I'll stop

Anyway, (sorry about flying off the main topic) I still would like to hear what the heck is in Rangoon oil if someone ever finds the answer.

Best regards,

Marcus

--------------------
Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.

- John Dryden

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333Jeffery
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Reged: 21/04/06
Posts: 103
Loc: Florida
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: Buchsemann]
      #139814 - 31/07/09 09:49 AM

I have both Rangoon oil (from H&H), and Young's 303. The Rangoon oil is definitely intended as a preservative. It has the consistency of a heavy oil. Doesn't have much lubricating ability, though. Smells much like Johnson's Paste Wax. I've used it a few times on some of my rifles, but I believe that modern compounds (like Eezox) are a better choice for serious rust-prevention.
As for the Young's 303, it's a cleaner, as well as, a lube. Works quite well removing fouling. Reminds me a good bit of Ballistol, just without the funky smell. Again, modern gun products would do a better job.

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Cazadero
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Reged: 17/10/11
Posts: 561
Loc: Texas
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: Buchsemann]
      #271641 - 12/10/15 01:14 PM

interesting

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Viking338
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Reged: 11/08/11
Posts: 480
Loc: Queensland Australia
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: Cazadero]
      #271645 - 12/10/15 04:59 PM

Yes I liked the info about the Sperm Whale Oil. Some of the old school stuff did well hey, just not PC to use whales anymore, some part of me thinks that is a little sad really.

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mehulkamdar
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Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.
Re: Rangoon oil, used in Victorian era, just how good was it? [Re: doubleriflejack]
      #271678 - 14/10/15 10:12 AM

Courtesy Google Scholar. Can't copy and paste it for some reason, but the formula is here.

If you must have the book, it is "Petroleum and its products: an account of the history, origin, composition ...
By A. Norman TATE" Copyright of 1863. Free to read on Google at the moment, but you might want to download a copy inn case they decide to take it off.

WOuldn't be too easy to distill the various hydrocarbon components with asphalt, though, if you fancy home-brewing it.

Good hunting, gentlemen!

PS This company in the UK sells Rangoon Oil, though I am not sure if they ship to the US. You might want to email them if you prefer using it for your guns to later products.

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

Edited by mehulkamdar (14/10/15 10:16 AM)

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