About 15 years ago I worked on one of those metal valve Bush & Lane
actions like Ed Gaida spoke of in 990514 MMD.

The action had been restored three years earlier.  The owners said that
it quit working a few months earlier and the technician came out and
applied a liberal dose of Neatsfoot oil to each valve.  On taking apart
the valve blocks I noticed that the lower valve seats were so corroded
that the valves couldn't seal.  I cleaned them off and It worked fine
for about nine months.  I was called back again and cleaned them.  In
the meantime, while cleaning my shop, I had made a discovery.

On one of my shelves was a little bottle of Neatsfoot oil that I had
not used for a long time.  It had a needle applicator set in a die-cast
screw-on top.  This top had almost completely turned into a Jell-O-like
consistency, with a white crust formed around it.

When I saw this I knew I would be hearing from these people again, as
the valves were pretty well impregnated with the stuff.  Sure enough,
they called.  What I ended up doing was making a wooden substitute,
which worked very well and everyone was happy .

So if any you techs out there read this -- heed the warning.

Brian Thornton - Short Mountain Music Works
109 North Cannon Street, Woodbury, TN 37190
Ph: (615) 563-5814
http://www.mindspring.com/~goatboy/smmw.htm