Cylinder discolored

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BoogieMan

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I have 2 SS revolvers. 686-6 (7shot) and a 460xvr. These are my only revolvers and the only other revolver I have experience with is a blued 38spcl. My issue is the the open end of the cylinders has a substantial black in a pattern matching the forcing cone. Also on the 460 the outside edge at the same end gets some black/blue area at the area closest to the edge of the bore.
I hit it all with #9 and then Powder Blast (orange smelling stuff) and they look great with the exception of the marks. I am assuming this is normal from heat and powder burns. Can anyone else confirm this? Is it just Magnums that do this?
 
It's carbon fouling. The easiest way to remove it is with Lead-Away cloths.

NEVER use them on blued guns, though, as it will strip the bluing in short order.
 
Yes, it's carbon fouling. No, it's not just magnums that do it.

As Mike mentioned, you can get rid of it (LeadAway, brass brush, pencil eraser, etc), but it'll re-appear as soon as you fire the gun again, so a more practical alternative is to let it be: Just wipe the heavy stuff from front of the cylinder as part of your regular cleaning, but otherwise, accept The Ring as an endearing quality inherent in the revolver's design.
 
The best I have personally used to remove the rings is Kleenbore Lead Away cloths. Comes in a big sheet and I just cut a corner when I want to use it. Makes the cylinder face look brand new.

http://www.amazon.com/Kleenbore-Gun-Care-Lead-Cloth/dp/B002IEIDG4

That said....

I pretty much stopped using it because , like was mentioned, the rings come back after every range trip. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to keep the gun looking new, when in reality the rings cause no difference to the way the gun functions. Now I just clean the gun and don't worry about the "burn rings".

I will say, though, that Hoppe's #9 is useless in my opinion. I wont go as far as using the lead away cloths anymore, but the #9 doesn't hardly even clean the cylinder surface of the "heavier" stuff. I started using another product I had for my shotgun, "Clenzoil :Field and Range". It works much better then #9 by FAR. Just put some on, let it sit for a couple of minutes and it almost takes all the rings off (just a faint making afterwards). Very good product.

http://www.amazon.com/Clenzoil-Bottle-Field-Range-Lube/dp/B000VGGN22


I'll keep the lead away cloths for photo-shoots, lol ;)
 
Painstakingly cleaning the carbon rings on the cylinder face every time you shoot the gun is like refinishing a carry gun to get rid of holster wear. No matter how much you do either, it is just going to keep happening. It is a losing battle and it is best to just accept it.
 
There are more reasons to accept them and leave them be...
As far as I'm concerned, when I'm looking at a used stainless gun and they are -NOT- there, I wonder (worry?) about how they've been removed. Knowing that know amount of elbow grease or typical gun solvents will do it, I worry about how the seller has done it.

Some folks use Flitz creme on a small piece of paper towel... and that works also. But no matter how fine, Flitz is an abrasive and it's doing it's level best to... remove metal.

When I look at a used stainless revolver offered for sale, a shiny cylinder face is a detractor for me, plain & simple.
 
Sort of like scrubbing the treads on your car tires after every trip because they get dirty.

Jim
 
But you DO clean once in a while don't you?

And if so what do you use on blued revolvers? Got to clean the cylinder when shooting 38 in 357 and shorts in a Single Six I would think. But I'm a newbie!
 
Do you know how long you would have to polish 410 stainless steel, heat treated to a RC35+, to actually take any meaningful thickness of material to even come close to effecting the function of a revolver?

Maybe if you took the cylinder off the frame/crane, put it on a lapping machine with some weight behind it, added some polish and left it on for a long time, then yeah.. you might take a little bit off. Polishing by hand with a cloth and some polish?... sorry, dont buy it.

(Machinist for 25 years and lap various materials every day at my job).
 
Sort of like scrubbing the treads on your car tires after every trip because they get dirty.
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Well played sir. I needed a good laugh and that did it.

I use a Lead Away cloth as well but I don't worry about it after every range session.
 
And if so what do you use on blued revolvers? Got to clean the cylinder when shooting 38 in 357 and shorts in a Single Six I would think. But I'm a newbie!

There's a difference between cleaning the CHAMBERS of build up andcleaning the FRONT of the cylinder.
To clean the chambers on any revolver, use a bronze chamber brush from Brownell's.
For .22LR revolvers, just use a .223/5.56mm AR-15 bore brush which is a larger diameter than a .22LR bore brush.

To clean blued cylinder faces you can soak the area with a good bore solvent, then scrub with a brass toothbrush, or you can try a carbon remover like Slip 2000 Carbon Killer.
Shake the jar really well then soak a couple of patches and put them on the carboned area and let stand according to the time listed on the jar.
After soaking scrub with a brush.

You can pretty well clean off a stainless cylinder, but blued you often just have to live with due to the delicate bluing.
 
There are more reasons to accept them and leave them be...
As far as I'm concerned, when I'm looking at a used stainless gun and they are -NOT- there, I wonder (worry?) about how they've been removed. Knowing that know amount of elbow grease or typical gun solvents will do it, I worry about how the seller has done it.

Some folks use Flitz creme on a small piece of paper towel... and that works also. But no matter how fine, Flitz is an abrasive and it's doing it's level best to... remove metal.

When I look at a used stainless revolver offered for sale, a shiny cylinder face is a detractor for me, plain & simple.
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Agreed, 100%.


Do you know how long you would have to polish 410 stainless steel, heat treated to a RC35+, to actually take any meaningful thickness of material to even come close to effecting the function of a revolver?
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Not very long actually, even with a Leadaway cloth. Which, despite the marketing hype, IS abrasive. If it removes bluing mechanically, it's removing metal.
 
Not very long actually, even with a Leadaway cloth. Which, despite the marketing hype, IS abrasive. If it removes bluing mechanically, it's removing metal.
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Bluing hardness is a FAR cry from the actual hardness of the hardened metal under that bluing. It is total nonsense that your going to wear out your revolver cylinder face and take enough material off to cause any gap to become noticeably larger by simply polishing it once in a while. Too many people repeat that over the interwebs... they always claim that they know a person who knows a person who heard of a guy that it happened to..... I stand by what I wrote.. polishing once in a while is not going to effect anything.
 
"Sort of like scrubbing the treads on your car tires after every trip because they get dirty."

You don't? You're a dirty, dirty boy....

I like that. :p


"And if so what do you use on blued revolvers? Got to clean the cylinder when shooting 38 in 357 and shorts in a Single Six I would think. But I'm a newbie!"

Carbon rings on the front of the cylinder don't show up nearly as badly on a blued gun, so it's almost a case of out of sight, out of mind.
 
They do nuttin' to impede the function or accuracy of the gun. So I look at them like beauty marks and don't bother with 'em.
 
Bluing hardness is a FAR cry from the actual hardness of the hardened metal under that bluing. It is total nonsense that your going to wear out your revolver cylinder face and take enough material off to cause any gap to become noticeably larger by simply polishing it once in a while. Too many people repeat that over the interwebs... they always claim that they know a person who knows a person who heard of a guy that it happened to..... I stand by what I wrote.. polishing once in a while is not going to effect anything.
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This is nonsense. Bluing is not a coating or plating. Bluing is a surface treatment. It is not ON the metal, it is IN the metal. I'll repeat, if you are removing bluing mechanically, you are removing metal. Albeit a very small amount, you're still removing metal. If you are altering the surface finish, you are removing metal. Just like the carbon scoring, it's not carbon buildup ON the metal. It's carbon IN the metal. To remove it, you just remove the metal holding it.

DO NOT assume that everyone who posts something online that doesn't jibe with your reality is just repeating something they've heard. I've tested the stuff myself and you ARE removing metal with LeadAway cloths. Which is why I would never use them.

It's up to the individual to decide if it's worth taking the chance, only to satisfy their own needs and what they think is clean. For practically speaking, removing the carbon scoring serves no useful purpose.
 
"Just like the carbon scoring, it's not carbon buildup ON the metal. It's carbon IN the metal."

Say what, now?

You're saying that the carbon becomes molecularly bonded with the stainless steel?

I'm sorry, but that's not even close to correct.
 
This is nonsense. Bluing is not a coating or plating. Bluing is a surface treatment. It is not ON the metal, it is IN the metal.
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Bluing is a chemical conversion coating that is approximately .0001" thick. It is not impregnated beneath the surface of the metal. That is why scratches and holster wear appear in blued firearms. Listen, I'm new to firearms and I will readily admit that... But, I am not new to metallurgy.
 
"chemical conversion coating"

IIRC it's a form of iron oxide...

Yes. It's magnetite (Fe2O4). By bluing a gun, you're technically removing metal because the very top layer of iron undergoes the conversion.
 
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