Scratches??

[14indy]

Just picked up my second Henry, a Big Boy .44 (my first is a golden boy .22). I have two questions:

1st, My dealer said never to use a micro-fiber towel for wiping down. Said this will put small scratches in the brass which happened to them.

2nd, This 44 has a very small blemish or scuff on the side of the receiver close to the trigger area. Can this be buffed out, if so with what?

[Mistered]

I am needing to polish the receiver of my BBB sometime and am thinking of trying the Never-Dull wadding polish. I have used it often to polish the brass frame and parts of my 1851 Navy repro pistol and it does a great job on it with no scratching. I suspect it would work as well on our Henry's (and your small blemish) but depending on the severity of your blemish it might take a more aggressive approach but be careful- polishing is one thing but it's easy to remove too much metal - especially brass - so proceed with caution!

[PT7]

Henry recommends some cleaners for the brass on their rifles, including "Nevr-Dull." Check out bottom of page 9 in the Big Boy instruction manual. https://assets5.henryusa.com/uploads/20 ... Manual.pdf

[Mistered]

Henry recommends some cleaners for the brass on their rifles, including "Nevr-Dull."

That is good to know. I always liked Never-Dull as the impregnated liquid seems to 'bind' the fibers of the wadding together when used and creates a very fine polishing medium. AND I like the disposable aspect of it !

[clovishound]

Sorry, all I could think about was

Scratches, I'm dependin' on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it's all left up to you.

[RanchRoper]

My 1860 is getting a few character marks on it, but not near as bad as the target board...try not to lose sleep over the blemishes. Stuff it in the scabbard and hit the trail.

[Mags]

There are at least 2 suppliers of Nevr Dull. I have used neither as I don't like the chemicals evolved.

Researching their Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS):
Eagle Nevr Dull contains: solvent naphtha (petroleum), heavy aliphatic (basically kerosine).
George Basch Nevr Dull contains an ammonia solution.

I would not use anything containing ammonia on brass. It can make brass shine up real pretty, but the shine more quickly tarnishes than leaving it alone. Ammonia solutions might also give brass a pinkish tint with repeated use. Don't use ammonia solutions on brass-lite, with repeated use the brass-lite can take on a cracked appearance and/or cause it to peal.

I personally use Renaissance Wax. Can be used on wood too. Apply and buff.

[Colt46]

I try not to worry about scratches, the bought the guns to shot, shooting guns means they are going to get bumped, bruised, and scratches. I use a cotton t-shirt to wipe then down and polish it a bit. I use a child's poster paint brush to spread some oil on the barrel and mag tube. I do try to be careful with all my guns but if I wanted a show gun I would put in a glass case.

[Mags]

When I first saw my Henry rifle in the gun store it was love at first sight. For me its a show gun I can shoot. I expect it will eventually collect its share of 'character' as a result of use, still I want the brass and wood to always look purdy and shiny as possible. Weird, I don't like shiny brass on anything else except a Henry.

[PT7]

That's the best way, Colt.

I remember the time at an indoor range when I was changing barrels (calibers) on my Bond Arms derringer, I dropped a stainless steel barrel onto the concrete floor--probably a four-foot fall, damage just missed the muzzle crown. I said ouch, and it definitely was that! Although I really like to keep my firearms sharp-looking, this barrel had acquired some character from that fall. Never fixed it, and it continued to shoot accurately.

Another character change was with my stainless steel Vaquero SA .357 magnum. It had very a very bright steel shine on it out-of-the-box. After several times shooting and cleaning, it acquired some "gray shadows" in the finish for whatever reason. Very noticeable, and the six gun looked a lot older really quickly, although still looked good. I also scratched the loading gate with a cleaning brush. It had become a "character," too.

I think the biggest lesson I've ever had about having tools that would get scratched, etc., was with the only brand new car my wife and I ever bought. She mainly drove it for work. One afternoon heading back home she got caught in two very heavy-duty hailstorms. Every upward surface was damaged, windshield cracked, bug deflector destroyed, and so on. The car was appraised just shy of being totaled. Many cars in that town got clobbered that day. After getting the insurance processing done, I had a hefty check in hand.

So I had a choice to make. Spend the $$ to repair the car, or pay the loan off. It was a tough choice then because I liked my car to look sharp, too. Well, I kept the car with all the hail damage intact other than fixing the front window. It was a silver color, and all the golf-ball size hail marks eventually "faded" over the years. We decided to rename the car "Dimples" and drove it totally debt-free for eleven years. Cool. That lesson has stuck with me, and scratches, bumps & thumps are not quite as bad anymore.

I'm sure there will be more "history from good use" recorded on my two Henry Carbines in the days ahead. Forward, and c'est la vie!

I try not to worry about scratches, the bought the guns to shot, shooting guns means they are going to get bumped, bruised, and scratches. I use a cotton t-shirt to wipe then down and polish it a bit. I use a child's poster paint brush to spread some oil on the barrel and mag tube. I do try to be careful with all my guns but if I wanted a show gun I would put in a glass case.

[14indy]

The instruction manual on page 15 states " we suggest you use Peek Metal Polish, Fritz, or Nevr Dull. Some of you have talked about Nevr Dull, but what about the other two?
Great forum!!!

[PT7]

Based on the caution below, the question comes to me as to why Henry would recommend this product for care of their brass?
Sure is a lot of brass out there on Henry rifles....

Does anyone let a patina guide the looks of their brass Henrys? I did that for quite a while with my BBB, and it sure creates some neat character for the rifle!

I have used Renaissance Wax quite a lot...on my BBB and to bring back some life into our almost-antique dresser top. It did a good job on my stuff. But similarly to the caution posted here about use of the Nevr Dull, there are cautions out there about Renaissance also.

So that leaves us choices & decisions, choices & decisions....ad infinitum.

There are at least 2 suppliers of Nevr Dull. I have used neither as I don't like the chemicals evolved.

Researching their Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS):
Eagle Nevr Dull contains: solvent naphtha (petroleum), heavy aliphatic (basically kerosine).
George Basch Nevr Dull contains an ammonia solution.

I would not use anything containing ammonia on brass. It can make brass shine up real pretty, but the shine more quickly tarnishes than leaving it alone. Ammonia solutions might also give brass a pinkish tint with repeated use. Don't use ammonia solutions on brass-lite, with repeated use the brass-lite can take on a cracked appearance and/or cause it to peal.

I personally use Renaissance Wax. Can be used on wood too. Apply and buff.

[CT_Shooter]

The instruction manual on page 15 states " we suggest you use Peek Metal Polish, Fritz, or Nevr Dull. Some of you have talked about Nevr Dull, but what about the other two?
Great forum!!!

I've used Flitz, which does a great job on the brass, even removing slight scratches; but, it also removes bluing, so apply it with a Q-tip to avoid getting it on the screws. A little goes a long way. That said, for about the last year I've just been using Ballistol to wipe down the entire rifle and haven't noticed the brass tarnishing. Again, a little goes a long way and the entire rifle gleams. When it's not at the range, I keep my Brass Big Boy hanging on the wall. Beautiful gun.

[Mags]

I've shared info on the products Henry recommends and their own Henry Big Boy Polish a few months ago somewhere under another topic. I'll cover it here in a 2 part reply.

To be clear, I've never used any of the products Henry lists in their user manuals or on their website. I have good reason for not using them. When looking at cleaning solutions I've never used before, I look up the MSDS of that product. Something I needed to do in my job before I retired. Based on what I could find or not find I chose not to use them.

o I could not find an MSDS for the Henry Big Boy Polish. So chose not to use it.
o Nevr Dull I talked about above, so you already know why I chose not to use it.
o Flitz has multiple products. With someone saying they use Flitz, ok, but which product? Flitz is one of the best at sharing their MSDSs. You can find them here: https://www.flitz.com/safety-data-sheets-msds/ Some comments about the some of the ones people might think of using.
Flitz Brass and Copper Polish - Corrosive Acid Salt: Urea Monohydrochloride.
Flitz Metal ... Polish (liquid) - Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillates and and a small amount of abrasive cristobalite (quartz dust).
Flitz Metal ... Polish (paste) - Nasty contents - Hydrocarbons, alkalines, amides and ammonia.
Flitz Gun Bore Cleaner - same MSDS as Flitz Metal ... Polish (liquid).
Flitz Gun Rifle and Faucet Cleaner - Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillates without abrasives.

Seams if folks are to use a Flitz product it would be the last one. Is it the one removing the bluing? The Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillates might do that. In the next part I'll share MSDS content of Peek Metal Polish and Renaissance Wax.

[CT_Shooter]

Seams if folks are to use a Flitz product it would be the last one. Is it the one removing the bluing? The Hydrotreated Light Petroleum Distillates might do that. In the next part I'll share MSDS content of Peek Metal Polish and Renaissance Wax.

That's very interesting information, Mags.

This is the version of Flitz that I have used that is great on the brass, but that also removes bluing.

Flitz BU 03515 Metal, Plastic and Fiberglass Polish Paste.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014 ... UTF8&psc=1

There are no component details on the tube that I can use to know if it is the "last one" or not. But, I did find this information on their website:
https://www.flitz.com/content/SDS-%20Me ... ressed.pdf

You could provide HRA with your expert evaluation of the various brass cleaner products that they recommend so they can better provide useful information to buyers to better care for their rifles.

[Mags]

Flitz Metal ... Polish (paste) - Nasty contents - Hydrocarbons, alkalines, amides and ammonia.

This is the version of Flitz that I have used that is great on the brass, but that also removes bluing.
Flitz BU 03515 Metal, Plastic and Fiberglass Polish Paste..

CT it looks like you're using the 'nasty one'. Flitz Metal ... Polish (paste) - Nasty contents - Hydrocarbons, alkalines, amides and ammonia. In my write up I had abbreviated the product names where the ... (dots) appear.

On amazon take a look at this product:
https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-Rifle-Gun- ... tz+gun+wax
The amazon description says its formulated with carnauba and beeswax. Neither are pH neutral. So I wouldn't use it on shiny brass. Also, the msds isn't the same as the one posted on the Flitz website. The product on amazon contains petroleum distillates and Kaolin clay (sodium potassium aluminum silicate) very mild abrasive and filler/thickener.

[CT_Shooter]

...it looks like you're using the 'nasty one'.

So, when you say "nasty", how does that translate to irreparable harm to the firearm, if at all? I no longer use it on my BBB, but I'd certainly want to know how my rifle could be damaged by continued use, if I did. What is an alternative product that you have found acceptable?

[Mags]

The stuff is mildly corrosive. So I wouldn't use it on shiny brass and from your experience on blued metal. Probably fine on stainless steel. On plastics and fiberglass I would think repeated use would eventually dull. On wood probably eventually bleach out (wear down the finish) of the wood. That may be ok if you were wanting to refinish and oil the wood.

[Mags]

This part of my write up covers Peek Metal Polishes and Renaissance Wax.

Similar to Flitz, there are multiple Peek Metal Polishes. These all contain solvents, some of them acids and ammonia.
Peek Premium Polish - Distillates (petroleum)-hydrotreated light, Kerosine, HYDROCARBONS, C10-C12, ISOALKANES, AROMATICS and Ammonia
Peek Metal Polish Cream - Odourless Kerosene and Ammonia
Peek Metal Polish1 - Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light, Kerosine, HYDROCARBONS, C10-C12, ISOALKANES, AROMATICS, Ammonia and Oleic
PEEK METAL/FIBRGLSS POLISH Spray - ALUMINUM OXIDE, PETROLEUM SOLVENT, ISOPARAFFINIC HYDROCARBON, ISOBUTANE, PROPANE
Peek Polish Foam - Heavy Naphtha (Petroleum)-Hydrotreated, Isobutane, Propane, Ammonium Hydroxide, ALUMINUM OXIDE
Peek Multipurpose Metal Polish - Amides, rape-oil, N-(hydroxyethyl), ethoxylated and Glycerol, ethoxylated.

Renaissance Wax - Blended white micro-crystalline waxes with white spirits. Why I use it.
This wax is used by museums of antique guns, swords, knives, armour, leather, metal sculptures, leather, wood, etc. Its pH neutral, no acids or alkalines. Also resistant to moisture and weathering environmental corrosion and does not discolor.

end of my spiel.

[PT7]

An interesting "spiel" so far. From my minimal understanding of use of wax (yes, I use Renaissance), is that prior to using it the rifle's wood and metal should be cleaned first. There have got to be cleaning chemicals, natural "grease" from one's hands (fingerprints), dirt, sweat, bullet residue, etc., that have landed there just from using the rifle. Eventually this stuff might have some build up to it.

So how and with what cleaner does a person get this yuck stuff cleaned off the rifle before waxing it? And then the followup Q. How long or maybe how much Renaissance is applied before that has to be removed from the firearm, and you start over again with everything squeaky clean?

It seems like when bringing back our quite-old wood dresser top using Renaissance, I may have goofed in not first doing such a clean. My daughter helps with cleaning, and often uses a aerosol spray polish when dusting it. The Renaissance Wax seemed almost to "clump" and had very light "milky" spots here and there. Again, the dresser top is quite old and has had a variety of polishing chems placed on it over the years. I wouldn't want to create the same build up on the beautiful Henry wood of my carbines.

Anyway, is there this prep required first? Another spiel from this different angle might be helpful.