Post by HeadHunter on Aug 9, 2021 18:29:37 GMT
Outline of the problem
One of the many 'faults' that commonly arise with CO2 guns is that the CO2 piercing seal can dry out due to medium and long term storage or just general lack of use. A good dose of Crosman pellgun oil and an overnight soak will more often than not sort it out and bring it back to full working condition, although some guns are easier to do than others (revolvers vs Autos). The problem that I've always found is that Pellgun oil, whilst being a sure fire miracle cure for silicon seals, has such a low viscosity that getting it to stay on the damned seal can be problematic in itself. The problem is even more compounded when prior to noticing that the seal is failing you pop a new CO2 capsule in the gun and further damage the already dried out seal by over tightening it trying to get a good seal, this normally results in having to replace the whole seal, which again can be an absolute nightmare on certain guns.
This problem has given me pause to think about a suitable remedy, one that's easier than the present corrective measures and hopefully will not ultimately result in needing replacement parts fitted in the worse case scenario.
One solution
Through trial and error, I've managed to find a suitable solution to the problem. All it requires is a tube of Crosman Pellgun oil and a dab of pure silicon grease, when they're mixed together in a roughly 50/50 ratio it makes a sticky pink gum (that I've nicknamed 'Gun Gum',lol) that adheres to everything but contains enough pellgun oil to keep the seal in tip-top condition whilst at the same time forming a barrier to stop the seal from ever drying out. I've been using it for a good while now on all of my guns, I've been smearing on my main seals (frame to cylinder) on all my revolvers as well as taking an old CO2 capsule and dabbing a bit of the Gun Gum on the top of it and fitting it into the gun (no need to tighten) and just rotating it a few times to make sure it covers the whole of the seal. I've also been using it as a lubricant on the recoil valves on my autos and on the magazine to valve connection point too, as it's stickiness seems to keep it in place better than just using Pellgun oil.
Obviously, using this on a gun prior to it going into storage would be excellent as it's not just protecting the seals but also conditioning them too, just doing this at the end of the shooting season or even just as part of your regular yearly maintenance schedule would help to prolong the lifetime of the seals indefinitely and hopefully stop any nasty seal replacement jobs from ever happening.
This stuff (Gun Gum) should not be seen as a replacement for Pellgun oil ! In normal use pellgun oil will work it's way through the gun to liberally coat the insides of the valves and pressure ways and Gun Gum is intended solely for the protection of the external seal surfaces, so continue to use pellgun oil as you normally would (I recommend one drop on EVERY CO2 capsule) and everything should be just fine.
Tip
Once mixed thoroughly it lasts indefinitely, I made a little tub of it up about 8 months ago and it hasn't separated back into the two main ingredients yet. I've found that when you mix it, if it feels too runny then just add a little more pure silicon grease until you get the right consistency, it should be sticky but not too sticky as it does need to stay where you put it without it dripping off. It doesn't take long to make and the consistency can be a bit trial and error but once sorted is well worth the hassle.
For the Future....
I'm actually looking into adding a teflon/PTFE additive into the mix so that I can use it as an 'All in One' solution for all my CO2 powered replica internal lubrication, protection and maintenance needs, that way I'll never have to worry about getting some of the petroleum based greases (that I currently use on my moving metal parts) contaminating and ultimately destroying the internal seals of any of my beloved guns.
One of the many 'faults' that commonly arise with CO2 guns is that the CO2 piercing seal can dry out due to medium and long term storage or just general lack of use. A good dose of Crosman pellgun oil and an overnight soak will more often than not sort it out and bring it back to full working condition, although some guns are easier to do than others (revolvers vs Autos). The problem that I've always found is that Pellgun oil, whilst being a sure fire miracle cure for silicon seals, has such a low viscosity that getting it to stay on the damned seal can be problematic in itself. The problem is even more compounded when prior to noticing that the seal is failing you pop a new CO2 capsule in the gun and further damage the already dried out seal by over tightening it trying to get a good seal, this normally results in having to replace the whole seal, which again can be an absolute nightmare on certain guns.
This problem has given me pause to think about a suitable remedy, one that's easier than the present corrective measures and hopefully will not ultimately result in needing replacement parts fitted in the worse case scenario.
One solution
Through trial and error, I've managed to find a suitable solution to the problem. All it requires is a tube of Crosman Pellgun oil and a dab of pure silicon grease, when they're mixed together in a roughly 50/50 ratio it makes a sticky pink gum (that I've nicknamed 'Gun Gum',lol) that adheres to everything but contains enough pellgun oil to keep the seal in tip-top condition whilst at the same time forming a barrier to stop the seal from ever drying out. I've been using it for a good while now on all of my guns, I've been smearing on my main seals (frame to cylinder) on all my revolvers as well as taking an old CO2 capsule and dabbing a bit of the Gun Gum on the top of it and fitting it into the gun (no need to tighten) and just rotating it a few times to make sure it covers the whole of the seal. I've also been using it as a lubricant on the recoil valves on my autos and on the magazine to valve connection point too, as it's stickiness seems to keep it in place better than just using Pellgun oil.
Obviously, using this on a gun prior to it going into storage would be excellent as it's not just protecting the seals but also conditioning them too, just doing this at the end of the shooting season or even just as part of your regular yearly maintenance schedule would help to prolong the lifetime of the seals indefinitely and hopefully stop any nasty seal replacement jobs from ever happening.
This stuff (Gun Gum) should not be seen as a replacement for Pellgun oil ! In normal use pellgun oil will work it's way through the gun to liberally coat the insides of the valves and pressure ways and Gun Gum is intended solely for the protection of the external seal surfaces, so continue to use pellgun oil as you normally would (I recommend one drop on EVERY CO2 capsule) and everything should be just fine.
Tip
Once mixed thoroughly it lasts indefinitely, I made a little tub of it up about 8 months ago and it hasn't separated back into the two main ingredients yet. I've found that when you mix it, if it feels too runny then just add a little more pure silicon grease until you get the right consistency, it should be sticky but not too sticky as it does need to stay where you put it without it dripping off. It doesn't take long to make and the consistency can be a bit trial and error but once sorted is well worth the hassle.
For the Future....
I'm actually looking into adding a teflon/PTFE additive into the mix so that I can use it as an 'All in One' solution for all my CO2 powered replica internal lubrication, protection and maintenance needs, that way I'll never have to worry about getting some of the petroleum based greases (that I currently use on my moving metal parts) contaminating and ultimately destroying the internal seals of any of my beloved guns.
