I found this on another board, it is so unusual and funny I had to pass it along.
Could it really be Whale oil?
Yesterday I was shooting the worst looking of the Sistemas I got from Gandar Mountain to see how it functioned before I tore it down for parts replacement and refinishing. We all found it to shoot very well and even fed hollow points with out a hitch. After the shooting session we went back to the club house to wash up and have a soda before heading home. A few of us noticed something rusty looking staining our hands and smelling a bit rank. We washed up and it went away. Later that evening, I decided to break the gun down to get it ready for its bath in Evapo-Rust and small parts evaluation to see what needed replacing. After I got the mainspring housing off, that smell was there again, but it wiped away with Ed's Red, taking the rusty goo with it. The worst was when I took out the firing pin and extractor. It smelled like bile with a super stinky fish oil smell that my wife detected up stairs while I was in the basement. I flushed the parts with brake cleaner and wiped them down with Ed's Red until finally it was gone. I can only conclude that this particular gun was oiled years ago with Sperm Whale Oil and never really broken down again and cleaned with modern solutions. Man, did it stink, and I had to take the latex gloves, patches and paper towels in a plastic bag out side to the trash can. Whew! Be ware of this when taking apart an old gun that looks like it was neglected.
-ken
Could it really be Whale oil?
Yesterday I was shooting the worst looking of the Sistemas I got from Gandar Mountain to see how it functioned before I tore it down for parts replacement and refinishing. We all found it to shoot very well and even fed hollow points with out a hitch. After the shooting session we went back to the club house to wash up and have a soda before heading home. A few of us noticed something rusty looking staining our hands and smelling a bit rank. We washed up and it went away. Later that evening, I decided to break the gun down to get it ready for its bath in Evapo-Rust and small parts evaluation to see what needed replacing. After I got the mainspring housing off, that smell was there again, but it wiped away with Ed's Red, taking the rusty goo with it. The worst was when I took out the firing pin and extractor. It smelled like bile with a super stinky fish oil smell that my wife detected up stairs while I was in the basement. I flushed the parts with brake cleaner and wiped them down with Ed's Red until finally it was gone. I can only conclude that this particular gun was oiled years ago with Sperm Whale Oil and never really broken down again and cleaned with modern solutions. Man, did it stink, and I had to take the latex gloves, patches and paper towels in a plastic bag out side to the trash can. Whew! Be ware of this when taking apart an old gun that looks like it was neglected.
-ken
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