Is it safe to submerge a steel gun in some sort of cleaning fluid?

B

bbbigbossbb

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I want to thoroughly clean out my revolver and polish it and I was just wondering if there is any sort of liquid that I could submerge the gun in to clean the hard-to-reach spots?
 
Many, many years ago, when I was much less experienced, I soaked a blued revolver in liquid drain opener. It started to boil after a minute, cleaned and stripped the bluing off the little pistol at the same time. :D:D I did re-blue it, but it was never quite the same.
 
Just be aware that you need to remove that solvent when you're done cleaning and relubricate any applicable areas where the solvent stripped off the lube.

In general it's not a really great idea to flood a gun with solvent if you don't have a strategy for getting the solvent out of all the hard to reach areas and putting lube back ito hard to reach areas as needed.
 
I have a set of proper screwdrivers for Smith and Wesson from Brownells to accomplish internal tasks such as you have, with relative ease. Luckily revolvers usually do not require that sort of intensive cleaning very often. There are products that appear to be what you are looking for, I think it is Cylinder and Slide shop? that makes a "DUNKIT" that you can dunk guns in to clean, then another that deposits lubrication. I have not tried that. Have not even read anything about it recently, as I was not interested in it. EDIT- OK I did the footwork for you. Go to Cylinder-Slide.com and look up Dunk Kit on the left hand side of the page. Not cheap. But they claim it works. Read the details.
 
You can soak them but you will should blow them out with compressed air and be sure to replace the lube which is now gone. Just a little where it is needed. Revolvers rarely need to be internally stripped and flushed like this unless it went into a lake.
 
For the last 10 or 12 years, I've been using Ed's Red as a soak and cleaning solution for my steel and aluminum handguns and have not had any issues.
 
I have an older Marlin/Glenfield model 60 (1980) that was made back before they started using plastic.

And it got pretty dirty after shooting a lot of ammo though it, and not getting all the nooks and crannies when I cleaned it. Finally, it got to the point it wouldn't function reliably.

So, I took the stock off, removed the scope, and stuck the action end in a plastic glass (from the soda vending machines) of acetone.

It cleaned it up right nice, and didn't damage anything on the gun. It did melt the cup a bit, but I figures on throwing that away anyway. Acetone evaporates quickly, so I didn't have to worry about lingering chemicals.

However, if you try it, be danged sure you don't have any plastic parts on your gun, and use the idea at your own risk. It's just something I tried once, and I've found better ways of cleaning my guns. ;)

Daryl
 
Home-made Dunk

......equal parts; Marvel oil, diesel fuel, Mobil 1 ATF, WD-40 in a surplus ammo box. Remove shoes, dunk overnight, blow off with compressed air. I don't have any rubber guns so can't attest to viability there. Works on carbon steel, stainless, and anodized aluminum. Use it over and over.
 
I have to agree CraigC.
I give my S&W revolvers a bath in straight diesel every cleaning they get. The bluing on them never looked better. I actually think it enhances it. I have left them in it for days at a time. Diesel is a very light weight oil that cleans very well.
 
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I like to bathe my guns in a relaxing camomille bubble bath in the dim light of a few candles as they listen to classical music. Makes'em good as new, and relieves all the tension they've built up during a rough day at the range.
:D
 
Here's the link for Dunk-Kit. It is a tad expensive. After looking for alternatives, I too found Ed's Red bore cleaner (you can find more links by searching).

I bought all the ingredients for Ed's Red (except for the lanolin) but I haven't mixed a batch yet, as I'm not out of Hoppe's bore cleaner yet.
 
I've been shooting all my life and have never soaked a gun in any type of solvent. My guns are cleaned regularly and cleaned any time they are shot. I'm actually surprised to see so many people soaking their guns.

Not to hijack the thread, but is soaking a gun really necessary?
 
If you have a dirty old Glenfield 60, dunking is the way to go. I stir up some old kerosene with mine every now and then, like it was a big swizzle stick.
 
The single best dunking/soaking solution I have ever tried was given to me by an old gunsmith. I've used it for years. In a .50 cal ammo can, mix equal parts of Kerosene and WD-40. Add a cup or two of Marvel Mystery Oil.

Soak gun, scrub everything, slosh around in the cleaning mix a few more times and let it drip dry or blow out with compressed air.

Everything evaporates except the Marvel Mystery oil. Leaves everything coated with a light even coat of oil. You can then oil parts as you wish, or, just leave it alone...
 
I have years of experience cleaning complex parts (aircraft). We always disassemble before cleaning so we can be sure to remove all cleaning agent before re-lubrication and re-assembly. The same applies to firearms on which you may trust your life.

I do have to agree with CraigC, there is a lot of harm done by too much cleaning.

"Sacramento" Bruce Conklin
 
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