Using Brake Cleaner to clean guns can be dangerous.

[rick newland]

This has not been mentioned. If you use brake cleaner be sure to completely oil your weapon afterwords. You do not want to surprised by seeing lots of little orange flakes covering your favorite firearm a few days down the road. Now, in my Army days break cleaner worked great on my m-60 after spending a couple of weeks in the damp German forest with several thousand rounds of blanks put through it.

 

[Shadow 7D]

The refrigerant also when mixed with diesel exhaust fumes makes a different type of gas, main point use the product in the manner labeled, ie. don't burn it, don't weld with it and don't use it on cherry'd hot metal.

A number of 'gun' products are nothing except relabeled mechanical/automotive products, with the obligatory 100% price increase.

 

[Owen]

By the way, would this brake cleaner hurt nickel plated guns?

not half as much as using a copper solvent like Hoppes, Sweet's, or Butch's.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The refrigerant also when mixed with diesel exhaust fumes makes a different type of gas

Under what possible circumstance would this ever occur?

 

[CHEVELLE427]

See, I am not in to learning lessons by making mistakes, I prefer learning from others mistakes.

me too
and and i don't even have a basement to get high in

i use my stuff outside over an ant hill, guess it kills 3 birds with 1 can

gun grime
ant's
and me.

i think you spray break free after your done with the brake clean it will get into all them spots that need oil. so far my AR has not complained=====yet======

 

[FROGO207]

Step 1
Take gun apart and remove plastic parts.
Step 2
Spray and/or soak METALLIC parts in carb cleaner (my solvent of choice) to get carbon deposits off.
Step 3
Spray cleaned parts with oil (PB Blaster my choice of oil), wipe down and assemble.**
Step 4
Lube all moving parts with synthetic oil or molly grease as needed.


** PB Blaster will attack some plastics so test on inconspicuous place first.

This method has worked well for years in my gun/reloading room to remove carbon deposits.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Eezox also contains a chlorinated solvent, btw, so it might have the same risk.

Chlorinated solvents are very effective and very nasty. You don't want to be exposed to them much. I use gun-specific products for all routine cleaning, mostly either Mirachem gun cleaner or Hoppes Elite (both products are similar in chemistry and effect, but Mirachem seems a little better). Gunzilla is supposed to even better but I haven't used it.

IMHO the only real place for brake cleaner is when you need BARE metal in order to paint or put on some metal treatment process (bluing, park, etc.). Otherwise I think it's wasted effort and use more ordinary gun cleaners.

 

[mack]

i like using brake cleaner on pistol barrels - usually I have stripped the barrel out of the gun and just use the brake cleaner to blow all the loose powder and carbon out - seems to work great and saves a lot of extra patches - then I use a powder/carbon solvent followed by a copper solvent and then lastly I relubricate all the metal and I'm done.

I do really like the foaming cleaners for rifle barrels - wish I could find it cheaper.

One thing I have changed since I started years ago - is that I allow the gun cleaners time to work - I find that the guns will end up just as clean if not cleaner and I will have expended much less time and elbow grease getting them clean.

 

[nathan]

Highly carcinogenic. The first time i ve used it many years ago, i didnt like it. Plain ole Hoppes Soln is fine as well as Ed s Red, cheap and easy to make. Always wear latex gloves to protect skin contact.

 

[John Wayne]

NAPA is my friend
Sally's Beauty Supply is my friend.
CVS is my friend.

Ok, you've got me on the last two. Care to elaborate?

 

[GunLink]

Thanks for the heads up. I have Brake Free CLP in my cleaning kit, but I don't use it all that much. I usually use #9 solvent for most of the cleaning and hoppes oil to lube and protect.

 

[wally]

Obviously all solvents should only be used outside or in a well ventilated area. I'm pretty sure chlorinated solvents have been off the shelves for the consumer market for a pretty long time, I know I have not seen chlorinated brake parts cleaner in a long time.

I'll wager, Sally Beauty Supply for Hydrogen Peroxide, I suspect quite handy for removing stains from stocks before refinishing. CVS 95% Isopropyl Alcohol, a great de-greaser and drying agent, prior to cold blue touch-ups.

I often use brake parts cleaner (cheap) from Walmart or O'Reilly's to flush the crud out of guns (especially .22LR pistols) followed by a quick relube instead of taking everything apart for a good cleaning, its basically the same stuff as Birchwood Casey "Gun Scrubber" at about 1/3rd the cost and saves a lot of time.

 

[murraywc]

Carb Cleaner

I haven't tried brake cleaner but when I was in basic training our drill seargent gave up carb cleaner. It is the best cleaner I've ever seen. It gets rid of carbon really well and it doesn't hurt the gun at all because it is made for metal of a carburator. One thing i like is that you can get it in a dip if you ever need to clean small parts or clean an old bolt really well. It also evaporates very quickly. I also use WD40 as a cleaner and lube as well.

 

[ljnowell]

When we run rookie school at my fire deparment this is one of the mixtures we always show them.

Just pouring brake cleaner into a pile of chlorine will cause it to ignite and put off some nice fumes.

You are thinking of brake fluid, i think, not brake cleaner.

 

[Sky]

One of the guys did a test on many gun oils and Breakfree CLP. The test was conducted with nails. Only Breakfree CLP and one other kept the rust off the nails with a salt spray for two weeks!

Many of the designated gun oils lasted 2 to 5 five days. Breakfree CLP contains PTFE "Teflon" which even when the stuff dries it leaves a protective coating.

Friend never cleans the guns at his gun range. Just gives a couple of squirts of Breakfree clp and rents them right back out.

Tried to find that thread about the test but did not see it; but it is here somewhere!!

Finally found it

http://www.thegunzone.com/rust.html

 

[evan price]

Yep, non chlorinated brake cleaner works great to get the crud out. I lube my guns heavily so the carbon deposits are usually kept soft and saturated by the oil and grease. A spritz of CRC Braakleen and good as new. As was said, keep it away from most plastics and rubber grips though because it will ruin some polymers.
I use Mobil1 synthetic 0W20 motor oil to lube my guns and some silicone grease on slide rails. No problems yet, and I like to run my gins fairly wet.

 

[NukemJim]

Argon gas is used in MIG Welding. I've never seen it used in gun cleaning. The article at the link states that the phosgene gas can be produced in the presence of the Chlorineated cleaner, heat and argon gas.

Not sure how dangerous the cleaner is otherwise.

NukemJim

 

[mbt2001]

The doomers are going to start stockpiling break cleaner now... Terrorists too I guess. Maybe it would be best to send this article to DHS, so they can get some controls set up looking for oddballs buying this by the barrel full.

 

[Texas Gun Person]

You are thinking of brake fluid, i think, not brake cleaner.

You are right.

Shows how long it has been since we have had any rookies.

 

[stchman]

To John Wayne:

I know exactly what he means by Sally's Beauty Supply. I buy the little empty bottles there for like $1.50 to put Hoppe's #9 or other stuff in. The girls that work there look funny at me when I tell them I store my gun chemicals in them when they are used for hair dye.

Now CVS (Pharmacy I assume) I have no idea.

 

[hso]

The story is a warning about the consequences of not taking the time to understand the hazards of the chemicals and tools that you're using.

Because the specific conditions to produce phosgene through photochemical decomposition (heat + uv only likely to come from MIG or TIG welders to produce the hazardous incomplete combustion product) aren't going to take place outside of similar conditions it isn't directly applicable as a warning on the use of these products in normal firearms maintenance for most gunowners.

OTOH, it is a good warning for gunsmiths who just might use these products AND MIG or TIG weld on a weapon before the solvent volatilizes away AND it is a good warning for all of us to understand what we're using and how to use it safely.

 

[don]

nukemjim, argon gas is inert. It ain't gonna react with anything that I know of which is why it is used in welding- it will not combine with the metal being welded even at the extreme temperature of welding.

 

[hso]

don,

The point he's making is the same as mine that the conditions in the story are different than what we would experience. Gunsmiths might need to be cautious if they were using the stuff and MIG welding, but your typical gun owner just cleaning their guns won't have that problem to contend with.

 

[Flobert]

BraKleen is outstanding. And what kind of nurd would use it on a hot gun? Just use it and smile. If you have a Safety-Kleen station at your work, maybe use that. But for most of us, BraKleen is outstanding.

There's some brand, or was, called Earth-Safe, you can't get it to burn, in fact it puts out fires. I know this because I'm half a pyromaniac, and this boss I had was half a pyromaniac, and put us both together and ......

 

[Zach S]

Friend never cleans the guns at his gun range. Just gives a couple of squirts of Breakfree clp and rents them right back out.

I know someone in NC that does the same. I rarely clean mine. I have a Kimber (now my EDC) that I put 5000 rounds through before I cleaned it. It never failed to go bang.

Brakleen didnt work. I had to bead blast it. Thankfully its a stainless pistol.

To John Wayne:
Now CVS (Pharmacy I assume) I have no idea.

They have some real nice Q-tip looking things in the makeup isle. They hold up a lot better than a Q-tip though. One side is a bulb, the other is pointed. Freaking awesome.