Queston about the brass...

[Panhandle Slim]

I'm just curious to to see how the rest of the Henry community keeps the brass receiver looking decent.
I'm not trying to polish it up, it's just that my Henry seems to have collected some rather unsightly hand
prints and what looks like some kind of corrosion on the brass.  I keep it in a safe with a de-humidifier
rod plugged in. Is there a factory coating on the brass? I don't take great pains to keep the brass looking
factory as I want it to get that aged brass look.  What do you all use to clean your rifle up after use?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

I used to use Brasso and polish on a cloth wheel to keep my '66 looking jewel-like.  Then I started shooting BP.  I took a LOT of flak from other Henry & '66 shooters:  "You'll attract the hostiles with that shine" and so forth.  Well, I haven't cleaned it in several years now and its looks have grown on me.  It has character.  'Course, the ex-Platoon Sergeant in me HATES seeing brass that doesn't shine.      Oh, well.

Brasso & Flitz will do well.  That corrosion will happen no matter where you keep it, if you handle it.  No oil or GoldenRod will help.  Just elbow grease.  Some Paste Wax, however, might do OK - but then you'll have to get THAT off the next time you want to clean it up!  The manufacturers spray a varnish over it to keep it nice - but that has to come off, too - eventually.

I'm not sure that Uberti sprays varnish on 'em at the factory, perhaps not - but I could be wrong.  They probably do and I just didn't notice it with all the polishing I used to do.

[Red Creek Robert]

I use a product called NEVER-DULL. It come in a blue can, This removes all the ugly prints and leaves behind a nice gold brass luster; I'll rub a thin coating of STOS lubricant over the brass, this seals up the open pours. Then when you pull cover off your Henry 1860 to show it off it still looks great no matter how many hands were lucky enough to touch it.   

Best regards,

Red Creek

[Sod Buster]

Like, Steel Horse Bailey, I don't shine it 'cuz I don't want to give away my position to the enemy. 
I did shine it once just before a state championship shoot but it was back to it's old self by the time the shoot was over.

[Ransom Gaer]

I haven't touched either my '66 or my Henry.  Both have developed nice patinas from all the BP I shoot.  And that that dull finish really is better for sneakin' up on the bad guys with.

Ransom Gaer

[Halfway Creek Charlie]

Polish My Henry?
Not on your tintype young feller!
I hope to live long enough to see it turn that mustard yellow, but that takes years and years.

[Abilene]

Howdy Slim,
I've seen some Henries and '66's with ugly fingerprints on them.  Not sure what youirs looks like, but you might want to go ahead and polish it up to get rid of them and the corrosion, and then start over on the aging process.  Be careful to always wipe down the receiver really well before storing to get rid of the finger oils.  Some people's finger oils are more acidic than others.  Shooting BP in it is of course the good way to get a nice patina, but it takes some time.  After polishing, you can give it a head start by mixing some BP fouling (say, the patches that have been run through your bore, or swab the inside of some shells that have fired BP) with water to make a paste and wiping that on the brass.  Actually, even a paste made from unfired BP will darken the brass somewhat.

[Panhandle Slim]

Thank you one and all for the replys.

I am quite familiar with Nevr-Dull.  In fact, somewhere around here is the original can I
was issued in Coast Guard Boot Camp in 1982! Darn near a museum piece. I'll give that a try
first. 

Abilene - thanks for the BP tip!  I've got a .50 cal muzzleloader that I need to re-sight the
scope on.  A perfect opportunity to collect BP fouling.

[USCG Flyer]

I am quite familiar with Nevr-Dull.  In fact, somewhere around here is the original can I
was issued in Coast Guard Boot Camp in 1982! Darn near a museum piece. I'll give that a try
first. 

Now hold on...that may be the best way to DIRTY up the brass. That USCG issue Never-Dull is special...more like "Always Dull".  I seem to recall that my belt buckle actually attracted finger prints when I used it. The funny thing was, unlike the Indians, the dirty brass seemed to attract Company Commanders.

[Pitspitr]

If you want to keep it yellow (as opposed to patina brown) "paint" it with clear fingernail polish. It too will eventually come off, but it's tough and cheap.

[sundance44`s]

I bought an old Mowrey Rifle 1959 vintage front stuffer ...it looks like the brass has never been polished on it ....thats why I just had to have it ...it was a rainey day gun show buy ..I probally won`t live long enough to ever see the brass on my Henry look like this one ...wish I knew how to hurry the ageing process on the Henry .....If anyone knows a way to age the brass , please post it .

<<<<<<<<<<<<<and why didn`t they make me a toy Henry rifle .

[Ransom Gaer]

I think it's kinda funny how someone asks how to keep the brass on their Henry or Improved Henry nice and clean and/or shiny on the Henry forum and invariably it turns into how to get that nice patina that so many of us like.   On slightly more serious note I thought about trying to keep the brass backstraps on my revolvers shiny, but finally gave up.  Too much work and I prefer the patina anyway.

Ransom Gaer

[Panhandle Slim]

Now hold on...that may be the best way to DIRTY up the brass. That USCG issue Never-Dull is special...more like "Always Dull".  I seem to recall that my belt buckle actually attracted finger prints when I used it. The funny thing was, unlike the Indians, the dirty brass seemed to attract Company Commanders.

We used to refer to it as "Nevr-Shine".  Actually, just being there at Cape May attracted Company Commanders. 

I think it's kinda funny how someone asks how to keep the brass on their Henry or Improved Henry nice and clean and/or shiny on the Henry forum and invariably it turns into how to get that nice patina that so many of us like.   On slightly more serious note I thought about trying to keep the brass backstraps on my revolvers shiny, but finally gave up.  Too much work and I prefer the patina anyway.

Ransom Gaer

Aww, c'mon now.. I don't want my Henry clean and shiny - I just want the palm-prints gone.  Frankly, I think Uberti would be on the right
track if they could sell them with the patina already on the brass.

[Dakota Widowmaker]

Once a season, I break my Henry down and clean the innards and polish up the reciever.

I do use some flitz and 0000 steel wool where I see a fair amount of carbon buildup. Otherwise, just a flitz rag and elbow grease.

I take it out back and hose down the reciever with 10:1 water/balistol and then use the air compressor to blow out all the crud. The do the same thing again, but, with RemOil.


For "final" cleaning at the end of the season, I soak the reciever in Ed's Red along with the spring and follower and then coat it with RemOil before storage.

[litl rooster]

to hurry the ageing process on the Henry .....If anyone knows a way to age the brass , please post it .

.

  Take it out and shoot it.  Alot

[sundance44`s]

Would this be cheating ?     http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl;jsessionid=ac112b2d1f4394183a8fa34447de9f7bd4a9c5853b73.e3eTaxePaNqNe34Pa38Ta38Oc350?it=A&id=4395&sc=13&category=145