Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants

[JayW]

Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants

I was spending way too much time on the Internet the other day searching for firearms related stuff (casting and reloading). I ran across the above link.

Example:
50/50 Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar to remove barrel lead. (Wow. head scratch)

My question to the forum is have you used any of these recipes? If so do you have any others to add?

 

[Bob J]

I have used this recipe once on a very heavily leaded gun that I bought..... Worked great but be aware that the resulting compound (lead acetate) is very toxic and if you leave the formula in the barrel too long you can get oxygen pitting.... Wear gloves and be careful how you dispose of it....

I use a fair amount of "Eds Red" with my recipe being:

1 part Dexron ATF
1 part Kerosene
1 part Odorless Mineral Spirits

I leave out the acetone since my understanding is that it is primarily in the recipe to help remove wad residue from shotguns and I don't shoot enough of those to need that capability....

Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants

I was spending way too much time on the Internet the other day searching for firearms related stuff (casting and reloading). I ran across the above link.

Example:
50/50 Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar to remove barrel lead. (Wow. head scratch)

My question to the forum is have you used any of these recipes? If so do you have any others to add?

 

[JayW]

I have used this recipe once on a very heavily leaded gun that I bought..... Worked great but be aware that the resulting compound (lead acetate) is very toxic and if you leave the formula in the barrel too long you can get oxygen pitting.... Wear gloves and be careful how you dispose of it....

I use a fair amount of "Eds Red" with my recipe being:

1 part Dexron ATF
1 part Kerosene
1 part Odorless Mineral Spirits

I leave out the acetone since my understanding is that it is primarily in the recipe to help remove wad residue from shotguns and I don't shoot enough of those to need that capability....

Thanks Bob. During your awesome casting class at Shirley EddieCoyle suggested we remove any potential copper fouling from barrels before shooting cast boolits. I saw on this "Homemade" site that using a strong Ammonia solution will do the trick. The 10% Janitorial Strength stuff I found at my local Ace hardware. I plan on trying it out.

 

[Bob J]

He's right.... The lead really likes to bond to copper (think solder) and the results are that a heavily copper fouled bore will always lead.....

Mark shoots a lot of Milsups, some of which were significantly fouled..... Based on this research Linky we have been using KG12 with great success....

Thanks Bob. During your awesome casting class at Shirley EddieCoyle suggested we remove any potential copper fouling from barrels before shooting cast boolits. I saw on this "Homemade" site that using a strong Ammonia solution will do the trick. The 10% Janitorial Strength stuff I found at my local Ace hardware. I plan on trying it out.

 

[Signa427]

Jack Daniels!!! ...... no but seriousley, Thick Motor oil works good for lubricants. There is such a thing as copper-based motor oils as well, for all that lead.

 

[ARV]

Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants

I was spending way too much time on the Internet the other day searching for firearms related stuff (casting and reloading). I ran across the above link.

Example:
50/50 Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar to remove barrel lead. (Wow. head scratch)

My question to the forum is have you used any of these recipes? If so do you have any others to add?

going to have to try that tomorrow. My .45 has some leading right in front of the chamber. It was that way when I bought it.

I use Ed's red to clean my guns, I do have the acetone in it. The recipe mentioned that it worked on the shotgun wad fouling, but it was also there to make the cleaner work faster. I had some laying around so I threw it in. Works as well as anything else I've used.

 

[JayW]

going to have to try that tomorrow. My .45 has some leading right in front of the chamber. It was that way when I bought it.

I use Ed's red to clean my guns, I do have the acetone in it. The recipe mentioned that it worked on the shotgun wad fouling, but it was also there to make the cleaner work faster. I had some laying around so I threw it in. Works as well as anything else I've used.

Can you let us know how it goes?

I have a SR9 where I'm seeing leading near the... muzzle (front of the barrel). I scrubbed the crap out of it with a brass brush and Hoppe's 9. It didn't help much. I also bought some brass wool to try out. If that does not work I'm going to try the 50/50 solution above.

 

[ARV]

I will when I try it. I didnt get out of work until 4am today (got home at 5) and had to be back at 1pm so I slept as much as I could. If I feel up to it tonight I'll give it a go. Soaking for days in Ed's red and Hoppe's and scrubbing with a brass brush helped some, but only a little. Believe me, if I destroy the bbl you will all be the first to know. A new Star PD BBL wont be easy to find.

ETA: taken from Wikipedia of all places -

An aqueous solution of lead(II) acetate is the byproduct of the 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar used in the cleaning and maintenance of stainless steel firearm suppressors (silencers) and compensators. The solution is agitated by the bubbling action of the hydrogen peroxide, and the main reaction is the dissolution of lead deposits within the suppressor by the acetic acid, which forms lead acetate. Because of its high toxicity, this chemical solution must be appropriately disposed by a chemical processing facility or hazardous materials center. Alternatively, the solution may be reacted with sulfuric acid to precipitate insoluble lead(II) sulfate. The solid may then be removed by mechanical filtration and is safer to dispose of than aqueous lead acetate.

 

[ARV]

I'll write in more detail tomorrow, but the vinegar / peroxide mix is so effective its almost scary.

 

[Bob J]

Lead acetate can also be absorbed through the skin.... Be careful to wear gloves when handling....

I will when I try it. I didnt get out of work until 4am today (got home at 5) and had to be back at 1pm so I slept as much as I could. If I feel up to it tonight I'll give it a go. Soaking for days in Ed's red and Hoppe's and scrubbing with a brass brush helped some, but only a little. Believe me, if I destroy the bbl you will all be the first to know. A new Star PD BBL wont be easy to find.

ETA: taken from Wikipedia of all places -

An aqueous solution of lead(II) acetate is the byproduct of the 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar used in the cleaning and maintenance of stainless steel firearm suppressors (silencers) and compensators. The solution is agitated by the bubbling action of the hydrogen peroxide, and the main reaction is the dissolution of lead deposits within the suppressor by the acetic acid, which forms lead acetate. Because of its high toxicity, this chemical solution must be appropriately disposed by a chemical processing facility or hazardous materials center. Alternatively, the solution may be reacted with sulfuric acid to precipitate insoluble lead(II) sulfate. The solid may then be removed by mechanical filtration and is safer to dispose of than aqueous lead acetate.

 

[ARV]

Well looks like I'm typing this for a 2nd time. Ugh.

Here's what I did:

-Took the barrel out of my Star PD. There was leading for about 1/8" ahead of the chamber, about 3/4 the depth of the rifling (which itself is rather shallow)

- Plugged the chamber with a spent casing placed inside two "fold and close" baggies to give a tight seal (best I could come up with)

- covered the barrel with another bag and rubber banded on, to protect bluing (found out this was not needed later when some fresh solution got on the barrel and did nothing to the finish)

-mixed (by eye) 50/50 store brand white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.

- added enough solution to cover the leading, about 1/4"

-Watched with a light, saw bubbling and cloudiness by the lead, bare steel had no signs of reaction what so ever.

- waited 20-30 seconds and dumped out, running dry patches down the barrel followed by some Ed's Red to clean out whatever solution & crud was still in there.
(this was out of an abundance of caution, as the barrel wouldn't be that easy to replace if I damaged it)

-repeated 3x

-Each time a black smudge would come out on the first tight dry patch through the bore.

- All the lead is gone, the bore is bright and shiny with no signs of pitting or discoloration.

Interesting point: This seems to work better on the lead in the bore than it did on a sliver I cut off a cast boolit. The reaction the the bore was almost immediate, the sliver of hard lead took about a minute to start reacting.

This is not something I would use on a S&W registered magnum or a collector Luger (or anything that cant be replaced) JUST in case something were to go horribly wrong, or even use every day on most guns as I'm don't think repeated use of even a weak acid in a barrel will do it much good with heavy use. But for occasional difficult lead it seems to work well, and fast.

Other people have mentioned and I will too, be careful of the byproducts of this process. It results in lead acetate, which is easily absorbed into the body and much more toxic than pure lead. Wear Gloves! It also has a sweat flavor (Romans used acid in lead containers to make a sweat drink) so as appealing as it may seem, don't go adding it to your morning coffee

YMMV.

 

[JayW]

Well looks like I'm typing this for a 2nd time. Ugh.

Here's what I did:

-Took the barrel out of my Star PD. There was leading for about 1/8" ahead of the chamber, about 3/4 the depth of the rifling (which itself is rather shallow)

- Plugged the chamber with a spent casing placed inside two "fold and close" baggies to give a tight seal (best I could come up with)

- covered the barrel with another bag and rubber banded on, to protect bluing (found out this was not needed later when some fresh solution got on the barrel and did nothing to the finish)

-mixed (by eye) 50/50 store brand white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.

- added enough solution to cover the leading, about 1/4"

-Watched with a light, saw bubbling and cloudiness by the lead, bare steel had no signs of reaction what so ever.

- waited 20-30 seconds and dumped out, running dry patches down the barrel followed by some Ed's Red to clean out whatever solution & crud was still in there.
(this was out of an abundance of caution, as the barrel wouldn't be that easy to replace if I damaged it)

-repeated 3x

-Each time a black smudge would come out on the first tight dry patch through the bore.

- All the lead is gone, the bore is bright and shiny with no signs of pitting or discoloration.

Interesting point: This seems to work better on the lead in the bore than it did on a sliver I cut off a cast boolit. The reaction the the bore was almost immediate, the sliver of hard lead took about a minute to start reacting.

This is not something I would use on a S&W registered magnum or a collector Luger (or anything that cant be replaced) JUST in case something were to go horribly wrong, or even use every day on most guns as I'm don't think repeated use of even a weak acid in a barrel will do it much good with heavy use. But for occasional difficult lead it seems to work well, and fast.

Other people have mentioned and I will too, be careful of the byproducts of this process. It results in lead acetate, which is easily absorbed into the body and much more toxic than pure lead. Wear Gloves! It also has a sweat flavor (Romans used acid in lead containers to make a sweat drink) so as appealing as it may seem, don't go adding it to your morning coffee

YMMV.

ARV thanks so much for the informative post. Not exactly sure when but I am going to disassemble my Ruger SR9 and try this with my barrel.

Thanks for pointing out how you plugged the barrel. It is not a super big deal but I was wondering how I'd do that myself.

You words of caution on the use of this method sound reasonable. With that said though I wonder if folks have use this with rifles. I think about people using cast boolits. Taking that a step further if they are using a gas rifle. I've read about leading in the gas system or gas port due to sizing or hardness issues. My assumption would be it would be a problem making sure all of the solution would be removed in that scenario.

 

[ARV]

You could flush the gas system with some kind of canned air or CLP, gun scrubber etc, but I would do it outdoors and with some kind of mask on. Does the SR9 have a (blackened) stainless barrel?

I did notice that the first time I did it there was a small cut in the plastic and some of the solution got inside the case (did not leak or get into the chamber itself though) and turned a bright yellow color. Cleaned the inside of the brass pretty well where the drop or two got on it.

Then again, the gas port on something like an AK or SKS can be cleaned with either the tool made for it or a pin punch. It doesn't have to be perfect. I would think you can be a little more aggressive with a gas tube than you would ever want to be with a barrel. With my AK I would likely just run some steel wool on a brush through there.

 

[Len-2A Training]

To plug a barrel, a much better device could be a rubber plug/stopper. Home Depot/Lowes may have some, but not the smallest sizes. Medical supply places should carry smaller ones. IIRC, there was one such store in the "V-intersection" beside Landmark Center in Boston. [In the old days, we had chemistry sets and hobby stores sold this stuff, don't think it's allowed any more.]

 

[ARV]

I had some nice test tube size corks, but for the life of me I couldn't find them.

 

[Bob J]

I used a plug of plumbers putty when I deleaded mine.....

 

[john_h]

To plug a barrel, a much better device could be a rubber plug/stopper. Home Depot/Lowes may have some, but not the smallest sizes. Medical supply places should carry smaller ones. IIRC, there was one such store in the "V-intersection" beside Landmark Center in Boston. [In the old days, we had chemistry sets and hobby stores sold this stuff, don't think it's allowed any more.]

I found some in the small parts bin at my local Ace Hardware. Works well for a 9mm. They are black rubber and not silicone, but they worked well when I tried an internal Kroil soak (and when I removed all the exterior park from another barrel, but that's another story).

 

[JayW]

You could flush the gas system with some kind of canned air or CLP, gun scrubber etc, but I would do it outdoors and with some kind of mask on. Does the SR9 have a (blackened) stainless barrel?

I did notice that the first time I did it there was a small cut in the plastic and some of the solution got inside the case (did not leak or get into the chamber itself though) and turned a bright yellow color. Cleaned the inside of the brass pretty well where the drop or two got on it.

Then again, the gas port on something like an AK or SKS can be cleaned with either the tool made for it or a pin punch. It doesn't have to be perfect. I would think you can be a little more aggressive with a gas tube than you would ever want to be with a barrel. With my AK I would likely just run some steel wool on a brush through there.

The SR9 has a SS barrel.

Also thanks others on the ideas for stoppers. I'll be heading over the Ace Hardware to look for black rubber stoppers. If I do not find any that is fine as well. I always find something there to buy.

I do have a plumbers putty around here somewhere as well. I'll use that as a backup.

 

[Gammon]

Chore Boy scrubbing pads are an excellent way to remove leading. They are copper scrubbing pads available at your local supermarket. Just cut a piece off of the pad and wrap it around an old, worn bore brush and scrub away.

PS I lube all of my guns with synthetic motor oil mixed with a touch of superfine moly powder. 20 wt for centerfire pistols and rifles and 0 or 5 wt for semi auto 22 rimfires. Works just as well as any of the "Super Lubes" for a fraction of the cost.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

a lot of black powder shooters mix up equal parts

hydrogen peroxide
murphy's oil soap
denatured alcohol

this works really well for cleaning out black powder guns, and i've used it to clean up residue on smokeless guns too, but not enough to say if it works well for that or not.