Cleaning Solution

D

drumbeat

New member
Not sure where to post this: Can anyone tell me any reason not to use automotive parts cleaner to clean a gun. Just for the heck of it I soaked my 22 LR and 22 Mag cylinders in a pan of parts cleaner. After about an hour I took them out and ran a brush down the tubes and a bronze brush across the ends. The ends were spotless...no lead rings, ect. Bottom line is the cylinders have never cleaned so easy or looked so good. I've got 5 gallons of the stuff. What say you?
 
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Some parts cleaners "may" degrade or damage bluing.
Parts cleaners are intended to clean bare steel auto parts, not blued.

As long as the specific product you have doesn't degrade the finish over time, its usable.
 
If you want a cheap alternative to Hoppe's bore cleaner, check out Ed's Red here, or do a google search on Ed's Red. There are many sites that have reprinted the original Usenet news posting of Ed's Red bore cleaner.
 
Just for the heck of it I soaked my 22 LR and 22 Mag cylinders in a pan of parts cleaner.
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What kind of parts cleaner? The Varsol equivalents are very similar to kerosene with a detergent mixed in and should be okay. At least they don't attack enamel paint. Some of the new environment friendly parts cleaner are water based and may lead to corrosion if they aren't fully rinsed out and displaced with oil. Your Single Six has stainless external main parts. Springs and other internal parts may be carbon steel.
 
most of the newer solvents are citric based,which is a mild acid.
I don't think I would soak things very long,just to be on the safe side.
 
Normal parts cleaner is just mineral spirits. Very safe on guns (although I would remove all the plastic stuff first). For cleaning crud/cosmoline/etc off of metal parts, brake cleaner (non-Chlorinated stuff) works great.
 
Ditto what doyle said.

After soaking, scrubbing with a soft brush, and blowing out with compressed air, save the mineral spirits to start charcoal fires or clean some more guns.
 
Parts cleaner sounds OK to me. Cleaning guns is not rocket science. I clean mine by giving them a bath in diesel then blowing off the excess with an air hose then wipe down. The bluing never looked better on my S&W revolvers.:)
 
That Ed's Red having acetone in it what would it do to pistol grips or gun stocks:eek: I think I will stay with Pro-shot one step cleaner:D
 
... save the mineral spirits to start charcoal fires or clean some more guns.
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Stick to using it for cleaning guns.

There is lead residue in firearms from both bullets and primers.

Adding it to food is not a good idea.
 
I've been using WD-40 lately and it works great. Because it's an aresol it's best to apply to a patch first and then the gun.
 
I've been using WD-40 lately and it works great. Because it's an aresol it's best to apply to a patch first and then the gun.
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You just waved the perennial "red flag" in front of the charging bull......:D To be honest, I use it on my very first brush & patch before I go into the long ritual of cleaning...;)
 
I have a .22 rifle I got from my grandfather. The only way it was ever cleaned prior to my obtaining it was a liberal spray-down with WD40, barrel, chamber, and whatever else looked like it needed it.

When I got it it stank to high heavens. I took it down and spent about two hours cleaning the filth off. It's still not perfect, but it's certainly a lot smoother now.

Hope this data point helps.
 
Russ5924 said:
That Ed's Red having acetone in it what would it do to pistol grips or gun stocks
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From http://www.9mmlargo.com/eds_red.htm:
Acetone is included in "ER" to provide an aggressive, fast-acting solvent for caked powder residues. Because acetone is an aromatic, organic solvent, it is recommended that users leave it out if the cleaner will be used in enclosed spaces lacking forced air ventilation. The acetone in ER will evaporate, liberating volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere unless containers are kept tightly closed when not in use. The cleaner is still effective without the acetone, but it is not as "fast-acting."
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