Those old Fultons were prone to that.
Personally, I always just did a full teardown and used a wire brush. There's no PCB's to anything delicate like that that will get messed up, so you can get a bit rough with them.
If that "rust" is from a battery that shows why we call them "alklaleaks", I'm not sure if mixing an acid and a base is entirely wise. Chemical reactions can be a little unpredictable.
Ah, I see.
I almost have to wonder if that is Cosmoline; the preferred anti-corrosion protection of the US military. It would make sense for an actual military light. It looks brown, and while it goes on like a grease, it dries out over time to become more of a wax. It also has a **very** distinctive odor. Not quite "old garage", not quite "soggy cardboard", and often strong enough to catch a whiff of at arms length.
**If** it's Cosmoline, it can be removed with WD40 and a bit of scrubbing. And a bit more scrubbing. If you're lazy, you could just let it soak and wipe it off with less scrubbing. It'll make a mess though. Kerosene and gasoline are common field-expedient substitutes as well, though I'd stick with the WD40.
Unless they changed the construction, there is no iron or steel in the Fultons, so it's not the rust most people are familiar with. Copper oxidizes though, and there's no telling how long military gear will sit in storage, possibly in inhospitable environments like the salty spray of the big grey boats I used to call "Home". I believe that the last design change for the Fulton was going from the MX 99/U to the MX-991/U almost fifty years ago by adding a couple of tabs to protect the switch from accidental activation, so I'm fairly confident that the light you got was the same as the ones I used.
Is cosmolime brown like rust in high quantities and is slipperyish if yes I got that but I also see some blue like oxidized metal what should I use to clean that then WD40 and soak it and scrub?
Cosmoline is brown, yes. And like I said, it starts out as a grease then fries to a wax.
Blue is a little weird, but exposure to certain salts will give copper a blue patina. If they missed a spot with the Cosmoline and the light was **ever** anywhere near an ocean, like in a shipping container on a cargo ship, then it's plausible. That would be actual metal corrosion that would take some abrasives to get off. But take take off the packing material first and see if it actually got the metal.
Worst-case scenario, you have a spot that needs a wire brush. But worry about that later.
Yep. Just spray a bit on there, or better yet spray a paper towel and wipe some on for more coverage, then let it soak in for a bit before wiping it off. It might take a few repeats depending on how much they used. Once the paper towels stop coming off brown, then you can deal with the blue spots (if they are still there).
Those old Fultons were prone to that. Personally, I always just did a full teardown and used a wire brush. There's no PCB's to anything delicate like that that will get messed up, so you can get a bit rough with them.
Would vinger help dissolve the rust before the brush?
If that "rust" is from a battery that shows why we call them "alklaleaks", I'm not sure if mixing an acid and a base is entirely wise. Chemical reactions can be a little unpredictable.
There were no batteries in the flashlight ever until I tried turn em on and didn't work
Ah, I see. I almost have to wonder if that is Cosmoline; the preferred anti-corrosion protection of the US military. It would make sense for an actual military light. It looks brown, and while it goes on like a grease, it dries out over time to become more of a wax. It also has a **very** distinctive odor. Not quite "old garage", not quite "soggy cardboard", and often strong enough to catch a whiff of at arms length. **If** it's Cosmoline, it can be removed with WD40 and a bit of scrubbing. And a bit more scrubbing. If you're lazy, you could just let it soak and wipe it off with less scrubbing. It'll make a mess though. Kerosene and gasoline are common field-expedient substitutes as well, though I'd stick with the WD40. Unless they changed the construction, there is no iron or steel in the Fultons, so it's not the rust most people are familiar with. Copper oxidizes though, and there's no telling how long military gear will sit in storage, possibly in inhospitable environments like the salty spray of the big grey boats I used to call "Home". I believe that the last design change for the Fulton was going from the MX 99/U to the MX-991/U almost fifty years ago by adding a couple of tabs to protect the switch from accidental activation, so I'm fairly confident that the light you got was the same as the ones I used.
Is cosmolime brown like rust in high quantities and is slipperyish if yes I got that but I also see some blue like oxidized metal what should I use to clean that then WD40 and soak it and scrub?
Cosmoline is brown, yes. And like I said, it starts out as a grease then fries to a wax. Blue is a little weird, but exposure to certain salts will give copper a blue patina. If they missed a spot with the Cosmoline and the light was **ever** anywhere near an ocean, like in a shipping container on a cargo ship, then it's plausible. That would be actual metal corrosion that would take some abrasives to get off. But take take off the packing material first and see if it actually got the metal. Worst-case scenario, you have a spot that needs a wire brush. But worry about that later.
Soo rn just soak it and brush with WD40?
Yep. Just spray a bit on there, or better yet spray a paper towel and wipe some on for more coverage, then let it soak in for a bit before wiping it off. It might take a few repeats depending on how much they used. Once the paper towels stop coming off brown, then you can deal with the blue spots (if they are still there).
I'll prob just put wd40 in there and use a brush to clean it as I don't have many tool would that work?
Can I dm u?
Am going to put some wd40 in the flashlight make sure mostly everything is covered let it soak a bit then brush it off?