For long term storage or display of bare and colored metal surfaces, here's the museum's way of doing it--
Clean metal parts with gentle solvent, Stoddards or kerosene, dry with cotton clothes, heat by small torch or burner until 'the water leaves' (you'll see it), then wipe a hard, canuba-containing floor wax throughly and brush the wax into nooks and corners and crannies. My favorite is 'Trewax', but Johnson's works fine.) Let stand an hour and wipe off excess wax and polish with a soft cloth. Reassemble with clean cotton gloves.
This treatment allows the display of firearms with nothing but occasional dusting for maintenance. AS LONG AS SOME IDIOT DOESN'T TOUCH IT.
Mueseums adopted this in the 1890s and still use it today, but air conditioning has made it not as important.
If a gun is to be handled its best to put a very light coat of hardening oil. (Engish gun oils such as Young's 303 and Lightwood Rangoon oil) over everything. It smells good and it keeps fingerprints out of the wax coating.
Collector grade guns are never touched on metal surfaces and are handled only by the wooden parts as a matter of courtesy, but the wax treatment gives an extra measure of protection.
For hard use of very expensive guns the same treatment, but using a mixture of beeswax, linseed oil and turpentine instead of 'hard' wax. I've had quail plantation 'gun boys' bring a stack of $100,000 shotgun pairs in oak and leather boxes after the season and say, 'Boss say he'll be by next week to pay you." and walk out without a receipe! I guess the 'boss' told him I'd know what to do with them....
Yeah! I knew what to do. Stay up late at night slobbering over them and marveling at gunwork only recently revived to that level. Truly works of useable art..........like engines, but without the grease..
