Gun Scrubber/Brake Cleaner

E

ehenz

New member
I read somewhere that Gun Scrubber is a high priced version of automotive brake cleaner. I have allready made the switch but I am getting second thoughts. Thus far, I have cleaned my 1911, .22 rifle and pistol several times without any problems. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience on this issue?

Thanks in advance for any responces.
 
I have not seen the ingredients of GUN SCRUBBER listed on the can but CRUD CUTTER and SUPER X brake cleaner (at least the two cans I have) show the same ingredients. SUPER X = $2.00/can
CRUD CUTTER = $8.00/can

BTY, do a search on this topic.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
I do not know what the ingredients of Gun Scrubber are but the Brake Clean that I use at work is mostly toluene, A good solvent/cleaner but a little rough on plastics.

Good Luck
 
I use Carb Cleaner from Autozone @ $.90 a can. I just take off the grips before hosing away and make sure to relubricate.
 
I've found Prestone's brake cleaner to be LESS aggressive than Gun Scrubber. I've used it on Glocks and a Kimber plastic mainspring housing with good results.
 
I use REM-ACTION quite a bit. I would like to save some money and use brake cleaner, but have been concerned with plastics damage (particularly with Glocks). Has anyone experienced any problems with using brake cleaner? PS. Thanks for the Prestone tip.
 
Been using brake cleaner to clean the action on my 1911 anddd .380 ACPs and to keep toothbrushes clean during gun cleaning; clean brushes carry out more cr@p. On another thread, someone said that brake cleaner leaves less residue than carb cleaner. Any comments?

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Show someone the way
to the NRA

[This message has been edited by Ledbetter (edited March 14, 2000).]
 
Read the ingredients. Some of the brake cleaners contain a fair amount of water. I don't use these.

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"An unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

Cesare Beccaria, the father of modern criminology
 
I am in the automotive industry and use brake cleaner quite a bit.It is very caustic.I have actually seen it destroy powder coating wich is as strong as Tennifer.It will take off paint like nothing and will harm bluing.Don't take the cheap way out if you love your guns.The other stuff costs more for a good reason.
 
Goat is correct, you have to be VERY selective with where you put the brake cleaner. On the other hand, a squirt behind the knee of a fellow worker wearing shorts makes for some great fun! The reason that brake cleaner leaves no residue is a safety concern...not really a problem with carb cleaner.
 
A couple of guns on the SIG list, includng one who does gun refinishing for a living, swear by Brake Cleaner and swear at carb cleaner.

Carb Cleaner is made by a lot of different manufacturers and you can't be sure you're getting the same formula from one batch to the next. Brake cleaner, in addition to being generally easy on plastic (brakes have plastic parts, nowadays) tend to be made by one or two manufacturers, and are more consistent from batch to batch.

Avoid the carb cleaner, pick on brand of brake cleaner that works, and stick with it.

(Carb cleaner is harder on your skin, too!)
 
I have found that electric motor cleaner works well also. It is easy on plastic parts.

YMMV



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.45 Super... Fat and FAST...

"No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority" - Thomas Jefferson
 
Muscles, other than the fact that it leaves a residue, i guess there's nothing else wrong with carb cleaner...in my mind, the residue will work against lubrication. If you think that carb cleaner doesn't leave a residue, check again. There's no reason for cc manufacturers to make a product that goes completely away. A carb will work with a little residue in/on it, but brakes might not.
 
To check your cleaner for residue just spray a little on a clean plate glass window. (Not the kitchen window when your wife is looking.) It will run as the solvents are evaporating, just like it does in your firearm. Let it dry and see for yourself what is left. Clean it up with windex before you're found out.
 
I have used Gun Scrubber, (non-chlorinated)brake cleaner and electronic parts cleaner. They have all cleaned well, and caused no apparent harm. The brake cleaner is cheapest.
 
What about Acetone?

I have a metal spray bottle that is designed to be filled with liquid (or paint), then pressurized with a normal air compressor.

Will acetone harm the finish?

I'm not worried about grips of wood as that would be removed before I use it.

I just want to flush the gunk after I've done the scrubbing.

Besides price, the other issue is that I live 100 miles from the nearest place to buy "Rem Clean" or "Gun scrubber" or anything like that, but I can buy acetone in town.
 
Acetone is extremely flammable--to the point that a 1:9 mixture in water (10% acetone:90% water) will still burn. Pure acetone has a low flash point--it catches on fire very easily. That's why most fingernail polish remover is made without acetone nowadays. Be careful with it.
 
Walt, Brake cleaner is actually the worst product for plastic. As far as I know, no current car manufacturer uses plastic parts on their drums or disks, which is what the cleaner is for. If you are cleaning your brakes, and get spray on the shoes or pads, you have to discard them because of the dectructive residue left by the cleaner.

The reason I asked is because it's well known that you can use carb cleaner on brakes, but not vice versa. Brake cleaner is too harsh on carbs with plastic parts (float bowls ect.) while carb cleaner isn't strong enough to affect them. Not to mention, carb cleaner can usually be had for $2-$3 a can while most brake cleaners run about the same as Gun Scrubber.

All the products mentioned, Gunscrubber, Brake Cleaner, Carb cleaner are bad on plastic, brake cleaner being the worst. I accidentally got gunscrubber on a video game joystick, and it melted it like it had caught on fire. I would never use any of the products mentioned on a plastic part.

If carb cleaner "cleans" as effectively as Gunscrubber, and doesn't erode the finish, I would consider using this product. I always wipe the parts down with Brakefree and or WD-40 afterwords, so I am not concerned about residue.

Too bad none of my Hollys are blued, then I wouldn't have to ask :) .
 
If you have a polymer frame pistol like the Ruger P95, DO NOT use break cleaner on it!!! It leaves a residue that is almost impossible to get off. It will also eat / melt plastic grips. Bad stuf. Stick to Hoppes #9 or some other suitable solvent.

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Glocks may come, and Glocks may go, but WALTHERS are FOREVER!!!


Off my meds (quit smoking), armed to the teeth, and loose on an unsuspecting society!!!
 
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