You're welcome Jack!
Thank you Arkady
Thank you Flintlock76 for a very comprehensive reply. That is basically what I have been doing. My question really dealt with some recent things I've seen and read. I have many vintage cast locomotives but I just recently picked up a 6110 Scout and was going to experiment with it but now I will not. It has no zinc pest so just a light cleaning and some light waxing should get it looking good.
This was once a common practice, but I don't advise it. For openers, the oiled surface attracts and holds dust. It can also darken painted or stamped numbers. All of the Lionel steamers I've ever seen in their original paint were semi-gloss, not shiny, so a glossy shell isn't going to look original anyway
Years ago, some collectors would go crazy with oil, apperntly thinking they were beautifying their locomotives. Some of them even did it to diesels. I once acquired a Lionel 6220 that had been oiled. I eventually got the oil off the shell, but the Santa Fe decals had been irreparably stained pink and had to be replaced.
No, the metal won't absorb the oil, and it certainly isn't going to cause zinc rot. But oiling locomotive boilers has a lot of drawbacks and no particular advantages, so I strongly advise against it.
Pocono JackI've heard that rubbing oil on a vintage cast metal locomotive shell will help to clean it and return some sheen to it.
In my experience it's not a good idea to rub oil onto a painted metal surface. What's going to happen is the oil will penetrate surface flaws in the paint you might not see and lift the paint off the metal. It won't happen right away but it will over time.
For cleaning dust and dirt off the shell the best thing to use is some water with dish detergent and a soft tooth brush, then let it air dry or use a hair dryer if you want. To give it a bit of gloss (but not too much) use a paste wax. Wax won't hurt the paint.
At any rate oil won't break down any metal bonds or cause zinc pest. Zinc pest is caused by impurities left in the zinc alloy during the smelting process. I don't know how old your locomotive shell is but if it's vintage Lionel or any other in the same age bracket if zinc pest hasn't happened by now it probably never will.
And once zinc pest starts you can't stop it. Zinc articles that get the pest disintegrate fairly quickly.
One last thing, zinc pest is not the same as zinc corrosion. Zinc corrosion is pretty much the same as corrosion on other metals, it has a very light gray look to it but it's only on the surface and can be cleaned off readily.
I've never done a locomotive shell, but I soaked cast trucks in WD40 and let them dry for a few days naturally with no ill effects. Cleans all the gunk out and seems to add a nice sheen to it.
I've heard that rubbing oil on a vintage cast metal locomotive shell will help to clean it and return some sheen to it. Also it will be absorbed by the metal after a few days. I've also heard quite thw opposite, that is not to rub it with oild because it will break down the cast metal bonds and contribute to zinc pest. My question is which is true? Is it harmful or helpful? If it's okay to do this and it will cause no harm, which type of oil is best to use?
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