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Ever used brake cleaner as a gun cleaner?
kidthatsirish
Member Posts: 6,985 ✭✭✭
Just figured I would ask who has or has not used brake cleaner on a firearm before. I used it once the other night, it really got rid of grunge, and didnt seem to hurt the gun or finish. (poly and steel)
Comments
It will also remove any paint such or non-etched or stamped writing.
So why is it safe to spray on brake parts that have plastics? Am I missing something or what?
I'm just telling you I ruined a set of Beretta grips and a recoil buffer using it. I'm not telling you not to use it, go ahead if you wish. You may find out the hard way like I did.
I figure brake parts are made of plactics that are somewhat resistent since they are exposed to brake fluid.
I'll never use the stuff on a gun again.
There is also a spray gun cleaner that will do the same thing and contains acetone, but it says on the back label not to spray it on anything other than metal parts. The brake clearner may say the same thing.
So why is it safe to spray on brake parts that have plastics? Am I missing something or what?
The rubber parts of a brake system are different than run of the mill o-rings,hoses,ect. Drop a old brake cylinder cup in engine oil and see what happens after 48 hours.
Try using ether (starting fluid) for a cleaning agent. It's more forgiving than brake clean.
Don't ever let it contact paint, varnish or oil finished wood!
It is a excelent stripper of the above! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[;)]
im a HUGE fan of using the right tool for the job. sure, it usually costs more and increases the effort and aggravation, but you know its going to work. to my eyes, doing it right the first time always makes more sense than half assing it and then trying to fix it later. this was a big problem for me in the deep sea merchant marine where we maybe be weeks away from a port call where we can get the "right" solution and have to make a "good enough" job out of it what we have on hand. ive lost many nights sleep over whether a mickey mouse repair was going to hold out long enough or at least fail in such a way as nobody got hurt. of course, as the safety officer and medic, worrying over my crews safety was sort of my principal job description so i guess thats par for the course.
Brake cleaner is a awesome degunker for guns, tools, lawn mowers and even brakes; just use caution around SOME plastics and stock finishes. Ours has a hint of orange fragrance in it to reduce the harsh chemical smell.
Try using ether (starting fluid) for a cleaning agent. It's more forgiving than brake clean.
Makes damn fine battery cleaner too, so I'm told!
quote:Originally posted by flyingcolumn
Try using ether (starting fluid) for a cleaning agent. It's more forgiving than brake clean.
Makes damn fine battery cleaner too, so I'm told!
Yeah, well, some times it's not "forgiving"[;)]
I will give one warning: never use it on anodized aluminum! It will discolor it.
I used it on a Browning double auto and found out the hard way!
Never used brake cleaner, but have used carburetor cleaner on all steel parts only.
Don't ever let it contact paint, varnish or oil finished wood!
It is a excelent stripper of the above! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[;)]
Yep, if you've used paint stripper on a stock and a few little spots still have finish clinging to them after you've scraped, just give them a shot of carb cleaner. Works well, and it's less messy than reapplying the paint stripper.
If you're shy of time it beats a complete breakdown, as it seems to remove every bit of crud.
I've used it. It works good. Pissed my team leader off something awful, though, when he would inspect my M4 and not find a flake of carbon deposits in it.
Rather use brake cleaner than put it in a sonic cleaner. A white M-16 does not look good.
I also have the ULTIMATE carbon eater,..GM Top Engine Cleaner (TEC) but they discontinued it[V]
I first clean all parts with with a good gun cleaning solvent (Butch's [^]) and brush, then blast them with GunScrubber or non-chlorinated brake cleaner. At this point - when all residues have been removed from the parts - inspection for wear, cracks,etc. is much easier and thorough.
By using this, when it comes time for reassembly I know that my fresh lube will be working as designed with zero chance of contaminants.
I also have the ULTIMATE carbon eater,..GM Top Engine Cleaner (TEC) but they discontinued it[V]
The ultimate I've used is carbon tetrachloride.
However, serious precautions must be taken.[B)]
When my ruger mk. 2 gets dirty I take the grips off and clean it with brake cleaner.
This is exactly how I started using brake/carburetor cleaner on my guns.
That MKII can be ridiculous to clean thoroughly.
1. I spray some down the bore before shooting to remove any oil left- I store most of my guns with the bores lightly oiled.
2. When cleaning handguns, after cleaning the bore (and cylinders on a revolver) and disassembling, I spray the whole thing down with brake cleaner to get all the carbon out of the slide, mag well, etc. Remove the grips for this. Let it dry, then I spray down with a light mist of oil and grease any parts that should be greased. Note I don't do this after EVERY shooting, but when I do a thorough takedown and cleaning, it's a must.
as long as you use NON CHLORINATED breal cleaner you will be fine. I have some on my cleaning bench.
Bingo! We have a winner. NON CHLORINATED. Comes in a green can. I get it at
Walmart.
On 1100s I take out the trigger housing and mechanism and spray the heck out of it with Brake Cleaner,, the gook really runs out.. then blow it off with a compressor and it is spotless.. A very light coat or Rem Oil and it is good again for another 1000 rounds....