Gun Cleaning Mats? A waste of money!

[Brubz]

In my opinion there is no gun accessory that is a bigger waste of money than the gun cleaning mat.these mats are available at the local gun shop or the big box sporting goods store anywhere from $9.98 and up. I've seen some that were $25!.
I just place a hand towel across my workbench area and it works just fine. Am I missing something?

 

[dogtown tom]

I think it depends on what you want.
I want padded, non absorbent, lint free....and that ain't an old bath towel.

 

[Hokkmike]

Like mine - $19.25.... Use it whenever I clean my guns. It protects table surface, firearm, is non skid, and keeps oils/solvents in check.

 

[tark]

I just place a hand towel across my workbench area and it works just fine. Am I missing something?

No, not really . Whatever works best for you... works best for you! But I prefer dogtown tom's method and reasoning.

 

[Old Dog]

I use 'em. Just a sucker for unnecessary accessories, I guess. Wipe 'em down with a little WD-40, let 'em dry.

 

[Blue Jays]

I have a nicely padded mat to protect both my guns gleaming workbench top from solvents and oils.
I typically place a layer or three of newspaper so the whole mess can be wrapped-up and tossed.

 

[tarosean]

Ive got a number of the tekmats.. Work fine for me.

 

[beag_nut]

I use a generic paper "shop towel" on top of my 40-year old solid maple workbench I made myself. There are so many stains on that bench that it has become "immune" to any more. And both the maple and paper towel are softer than any gun finish I have ever encountered. The maple is so impermeable that a simple wipe gets it clean. Sometimes fancy is not necessary.

 

[Demi-human]

Gun cleaning mat, with printed face, non absorbent: $25

Refinishing one walnut kitchen table, because of one 2” spill of a $3 cleaning agent, that leaked through a towel: $350

And it isn’t always guns, this time the wife was happy I fixed it before the husband came home from Wisconsin.

I sold her on gun cleaning mats, for doing her nails…

 

[CapnMac]

If a person wants something inexpensive, and not covered in trademarks or the like, just go shop for toolbox drawer liners.
Oil-proof, flexible, has some "give" to them.
Also, customizable, too.

One of my running buddies took a scrap bit of plank and took a hole saw to it to make a Hoppe's bottle-sized hole, and another to hold an inverted pluming cap as a removable "catch basin." And, a long dado to hold a cleaning rod so it doesn't roll away. The drawer liner was cut to fit around all the "bits."

 

[CapnMac]

Refinishing one walnut kitchen table, because of one 2” spill of a $3 cleaning agent, that leaked through a towel: $350

That was not a recent repair Neighbor wanted their heirloom walnut table stripped & refinished--US$1200 was the quote, and no chairs included.

Mind, I used to own a couch that always had a whiff of Hoppe's #9 after a newbie spilled near an entire bottle one day . . .

 

[Beck]

Mats are ok with me. I don't spend big bucks on them. But back in the day before gun mats were a thing I used a large trash or leaf bag with newspapers on top of that. Now the question is, where to find old newspapers!

 

[drband]

Lyman gun cleaning mat— works for me & protects my bench.

 

[kidneyboy]

I have a bench dedicated to gun cleaning and tinkering. I have a mat but it doesn't always get used. The legs from denim jeans get used on occasion as do cotton t shirts. White cotton t shirts are slipped under every firearm I disassemble so I can see the parts.

 

[PapaG]

Shopmate, plywood top with 2X4 screwed underneath to grip it, old hundred times washed, no lint, and good to go. Great for refinishing.
I have at least four of these and can use them for loading benches, bench rests, gun vises, tv stands, ooops, that was a commercial from the sixties.

 

[Brubz]

What about a kitchen table placemat are they too thin?

 

[Capybara]

Love my gun mats. I have the exploded view of my Ruger RPR 6.5 CM, the mat is huge and long because the rifle is. So when I am working on an AR or other shorter rifle, plenty of room on the sides for parts and tools I am using.
I don't use the mat to protect anything, I like how if you drop a small gun part, it just stops and doesn't roll off of the bench onto the garage floor, that's the big plus for me.

Also learned that when drilling Aluminum, DON'T do it on your gun mat because you will NEVER get Aluminum shavings out of the rubber mat, they are there for life. Luckily I was using a freebie cheap one that came as a gift
on an order for something else, it was a small, generic handgun mat and it is now history as those shavings will never come out.

 

[DeepSouth]

I usually cut the side out of a cardboard box and just use a piece of cardboard, disposable cleaning mats I suppose as I toss them when done. With that said, I’ve wasted more money on dumber things.

 

[nettlle]

Cleaning rifles and handguns has always been a violent struggle for me. I tried gun mats but they just got wadded up and in the way. Maybe I need some remedial gun cleaning instructions.

 

[herrwalther]

I thought they were a waste of money too. Just threw down a towel. Wife got tired of the towels smelling like gun oil. Even after a cleaning or two. So now I have a few Tekmats. Good, soft spot to lay a firearm down on when cleaning.

 

[rust collector]

I have a counter mat and a pad for small bits, but my go-to is a cheap yoga pad. Easy to see parts against light background, textured to reduce rolling, and light padding in case of drops. Wood clamped to each end weights it down when hanging or on cleaning bench. https://smile.amazon.com/CAP-Barbel...id=1676769583&sprefix=yoga+mat,aps,125&sr=8-9

 

[Buzznrose]

I generally use Home Depot mats…sometimes Amazon mats….

 

[DTL]

I bought a 24" wide roll of vinyl shelf liner for $3 cut a piece to fit my desk area. That & a couple micro fiber cloths(12 for $6 on Amazon) & I'm good for life.

 

[Demi-human]

I just place a hand towel across my workbench area and it works just fine. Am I missing something?

No, you are not missing the good sense to not clean things on fine furniture.
But some only have the kitchen table…

My work bench is Formica, so without a pad, the towel slides all over, or the puddle does.

What about a kitchen table placemat are they too thin?

It’s all about the material. Thin can work if it is impermeable.

That was not a recent repair

Just the spot, just to match.
But I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress.
She said he had them open five tables to pick from and it was his only thing he got to choose.

It said hand finished lacquer underneath.

It was a five dollar can of spray and a hand rub.

I was quietly pleased she was so worried about his table. Tears stifled more than once. He is a lucky man.

 

[trackskippy]

Ive always just used old newspapers the local county paper sends us for free each week. Open them up, with a couple of water bottles, etc, behind it, so the one half "stands", and with a couple of paper towels laid in the work area is where everything lays, and youre good to go. The "back" stops/catches any spray from brushing ect flying around and the paper towels soak up anything at the parts, used patches level.

When youre done, roll it all up and throw it away.

Ive always just done my cleaning on the kitchen or dining room table. Been doing it a couple of two or three times a week, every week, for as long as I can remember, and never had an issue with the furniture being hurt or damaged.

Ive been given a couple of the padded/coated pads in the past and they never really held up very well to use on the workbench. If you want something that will, the old drafting table mats work great, and a lot better.