Gun Scrubber/Brake Cleaner

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MusclesMcGee:
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. .[/quote]

Your experience has been different than mine: I ruined one set of Beretta grips with Carb cleaner, and discolored another set of plastic grips, as well. And there have been plastic spacers, etc. in some disk brakes I've seen. (Vibration dampers?)

(Your comments and experience with carb cleaner also flies in the face of what I've been told by guys who refinish guns for a living. Maybe both of you have been lucky.)

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I always wipe the parts down with Brakefree and or WD-40 afterwords, so I am not concerned about residue.[/B][/quote]

WD-40 is not a good choice, as it will leave a residue that will become gummy/sticky, over time. Too much WD-40 could eventually lead to jams. Breakfee is good stuff.
 
I've used Gunscrubber on my Glocks for years with no apparent problems. I guess I'll continue to shell out the extra money for it since brake and carb cleaner are so harsh(maybe I'll check out electronic parts cleaner if it is more mild?).
 
I have used carb cleaner since the Corps.
No ill effects on any weapons from M16-1911-glocks.
WD-40 is a deep penetrating lube that may "infect" your primer is enough is used. I opt for the Hoppes pure lube.
 
Walt, my experience with these products comes from working on cars, not refinishing guns. What kind of Carb cleaner ruined your grips ? There are aerosol sprays, liquids you run through your tank, and one product that is a goop you let the carb soak in. None of these products harmed any of the plastic float bowls, nylon washers, rubber sight plugs, or power valves in my carbs. Even so, I wouldn't use any of these products on plastic parts in my gun.

Brake cleaner is designed to be far more heavy duty than carb cleaner as it is cleaning up much rougher stuff. The surface of the drum and disks (which are all metal unless something is new on the market) have to be COMPLETELY clean so as to avoid slippage when the brakes are applied. Its a heavy duty degreaser and gets rid of brake dust buildup. It will eat through just about anything other than metal. I would be VERY careful with this on your gun.

Carburators mechanically are very similar to firearms. Carb cleaner was designed to remove crud from the small holes and valves brought in from your gas tank after dissasembly. Thats why I think it is a very similar product to Gunscrubber, it acts like compressed air and blows out crud and buildup in hard to reach spots on metal parts with tight tolerances.

The product I am most interested in is the condensed goop carb cleaner you put in a bucket and let your parts soak in. You could ostensibly take off the grips, take out the barrel and just let your gun soak in this over night. You could wipe it down the next morning and run a patch of CLP over it and voila ! Clean gun ! My only concern is the blueing...hmmm...I'll try it on my stainless tonight.
 
Well, I don't know what is harshest on metals, carb cleaner or brake cleaner but the can of SUPER-X Brake cleaner lists the ingredients as being: Carbon Dioxide (CAS #124-38-9), Xylene (CAS #1330-20-7) and n-Heptane (CAS #142-82-5) and the can of CRUD CUTTER lists the same ingredients.

Super-X @ $2.00/14 oz can v. Crud cutter @ $8.00/14 oz can.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
I once squirted Gun Scrubber inside a couple of rotary magazines for my Steyr Model M professional rifle. The cleaner dissolved the glue on the magazines and they fell apart. It cost me almost $200.00 to buy new magazines. Ouch...
 
In my opinion, using brake/carb cleaners isn't worth it except in a worst case scenario. I have a pistolsmith friend who once had someone bring in a Beretta 92 that the plastic grips had literally melted off of when he used one of the brake cleaners to clean it. That would be especially worrisome with a polymer framed gun.......
 
Never use carb cleaner and never ever use wd-40 as both leave residues that can be dangerous and will gum up when exposed to powder residue.

Carb cleaner, when properly used, leaves vitually no residue. But.... be especially careful when using it on plastic or painted finishes. Many handgun sights have little drops of paint or plastic inserts that can be damaged.

All of these solvents are dangerous to inhale and skin contact should absolutely be avoided. ALWAYS USE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA. Avoid any cleaners with tricloroethane or any other clorine based solvents. Sure you will find some old mechanic that will tell you that I'm full of it but alot on mechanics come down with cancer in their hands and forearms because of this sort of exposure. You should also limit your exposure if you are actively or planning on making babies.One neat thing about these cleaners is that once they get on the gun and pick up lead they will send it straight into your body if you get it on your skin. You may say "hey i don't need the extra brain cells" but the effects of lead on offspring is horrible. Lots of rubber and latex gloves will pass the solvents straight through to the skin. ddt
 
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