What did my sweat do to the finish on my airweight?
- Thread starter westczek
- Start date
The Real Hawkeye
Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2009
- Messages
- 436
- Reaction score
- 305
Rubber grips are notorious for causing corrosion and rust on a daily-carry concealed handgun. When moisture from sweat accumulates under the rubber grip, it tends to stay there for a long while, since the rubber, unlike wood, will not absorb it, and it has plenty of time to work on corroding the metal.
is it just the finish that's breaking down (and if so does it even matter?), or is it the aluminium that's corroding and getting weaker?
be careful with wood grips, too... I have some exotic wood stocks by a well known maker (that I still buy from) and the tannins (?) bled out of them the first summer I had them and caused pitting on the stainless steel grip frame... this wasn't even a carry gun, happened sitting in my house!
noticed too that the grip maker doesn't use that species of wood anymore...
be careful with wood grips, too... I have some exotic wood stocks by a well known maker (that I still buy from) and the tannins (?) bled out of them the first summer I had them and caused pitting on the stainless steel grip frame... this wasn't even a carry gun, happened sitting in my house!
noticed too that the grip maker doesn't use that species of wood anymore...
Last edited:
Would you care to share the wood you're refering to?
I think Jackson Pollack is haunting your revolver and it must be exorcized.
rosewood picazo
apparently they still use it for others grips, just no j-frames, right now at least
maybe the wood wasn't dried properly, I don't know, never made an issue of it
nachogrande
Member
SWEATING AND GUN FINISHES
being the type of person that breaks a sweat reading a book or swimming, living in Fl, and likes leather holsters. I have similar problems. my edc is a 637-2 j frame and the wear esp on the top & grip strap is awful. that's why I carry that instead of the s/s 640 no dash with presentation grips that I much prefer but would not be happy if I got any marks on it. not only do I sweat thru my clothes and boots but also belts and holsters. carrying a gun of any finish in a leather holster that has absorbed salt is not a great idea and special care and treatment of the gun and belt/holster is needed. padded nylon isn't much better imo and I hate plastic, but gotta give props to the safariland drop down retention 3 thigh holster. mostly plastic & nylon it is comfortable, works very well but I still kinda feel a bit like a Mall Ninja even though I ONLY use it in the field.
being the type of person that breaks a sweat reading a book or swimming, living in Fl, and likes leather holsters. I have similar problems. my edc is a 637-2 j frame and the wear esp on the top & grip strap is awful. that's why I carry that instead of the s/s 640 no dash with presentation grips that I much prefer but would not be happy if I got any marks on it. not only do I sweat thru my clothes and boots but also belts and holsters. carrying a gun of any finish in a leather holster that has absorbed salt is not a great idea and special care and treatment of the gun and belt/holster is needed. padded nylon isn't much better imo and I hate plastic, but gotta give props to the safariland drop down retention 3 thigh holster. mostly plastic & nylon it is comfortable, works very well but I still kinda feel a bit like a Mall Ninja even though I ONLY use it in the field.
tlay
US Veteran
I have had the same problem until I started using Renasance Wax on all of my guns. Not only do they look much better but they also are better protected. Also try a crossbreed holster. It protects the gun from touching your skin.
Ranger514
Member
For those of you who have corrosion on your handgun, or any other important piece of metal equipment: ACF50 made by Lear Chemical Research is used in the aviation industry to halt corrosion, and is highly endorsed. I use it on my motorcycle frame to prevent winter corrosion from the salt compounds used on our roads. One application is good for 2 years.
ACF-50 ANTI-CORROSION BLOCK COMPOUND from Aircraft Spruce
ACF-50 ANTI-CORROSION BLOCK COMPOUND from Aircraft Spruce
mc5aw
Member
The only way to avoid corrosive issues is to carry a plastic gun. I've had several J-frames develop the squigglies, but got over it quick since they are CCWs. Ultimately, it's a cosmetic issue not a mechanical one. Can it be annoying? Yes. Should it be a concern? No. Keep the area under the grip clean, dry, and coated with a thin layer of BreakFree/etc. and there shouldn't be any further corrosive problems.
surferdaddy
Member
The clear coat on my 638 was chipping everywhere. I noticed that the areas where the aluminum was exposed was not reacting to my copious amounts of leg sweat so I used acetone and removed all the clear coat over a year ago and it looks great and I have no corrosion. Just saying, it seems like people think it will turn all white and corroded but this has been opposite of my experience.
Surfer
Surfer
surferdaddy
Member
elm_creek_smith
US Veteran
My 1982 Model 37 Airweight doesn't have any corrosion problems. Must be the nice, shiny, traditional nickel plating. 
ECS
ECS
surferdaddy
Member
They are my ultimate pocket carry grips. They are not, however, fun to shoot with.
haris1
Member
hammer,trigger,and thumbpiece
I have some scandium guns that i carry and shoot. At least three
of them exhibited rust on the thumbpiece, the back of the hammer and the back of the trigger. I popped the sideplates and nothing else had issues. My stainless and blued pieces showed no issues.But this is very strange: I have a black M and P 9mm auto that I shot a week ago. I did not wipe it down after shooting it.The gun sat in a drawer of a cabinet in a humid room(my dehumidifier broke) and a week later the "stainless" slide was full of rust. I cleaned all the guns and got a dehumidifier that dropped the humidity from the 80's to about 30. I wonder if I had wiped the guns,oiled them whether the humid room would have caused rust anyway.. I believe these guns got a double whammy: I did not wipe them down and put them in a humid room
Any thoughts on this?
I have some scandium guns that i carry and shoot. At least three
of them exhibited rust on the thumbpiece, the back of the hammer and the back of the trigger. I popped the sideplates and nothing else had issues. My stainless and blued pieces showed no issues.But this is very strange: I have a black M and P 9mm auto that I shot a week ago. I did not wipe it down after shooting it.The gun sat in a drawer of a cabinet in a humid room(my dehumidifier broke) and a week later the "stainless" slide was full of rust. I cleaned all the guns and got a dehumidifier that dropped the humidity from the 80's to about 30. I wonder if I had wiped the guns,oiled them whether the humid room would have caused rust anyway.. I believe these guns got a double whammy: I did not wipe them down and put them in a humid room
Any thoughts on this?
feralmerril
Absent Comrade
I have never had a gun rust on me with the exception of a BB gun I abused as a boy. I once lent a shotgun and it came back a few days later rusted. Some people have acid or salt in their system and have more of a problem than others. I dont sweat. My wife makes up for that. For the last 50 years I have lived in the west, high desert etc. Outside of always wipeing down a gun after useing them with a oiled cloth I seldom clean them and havent had a problem. One or two I carry a lot and still havent had a problem with them. What amazed me was when I was a guard our guns were carried 24/7 by many guards. They were transferred from holster to holster at least three times a day. Out of hundreds of them I never seen a rusted one. Some were colt offical polices from the early 1950s.
Similar threads
