Use Brake Parts Cleaner?

Status
Not open for further replies.
tws3b2

tws3b2

Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2019
Messages
1,151
Location
Asheboro NC
Does anyone use Break parts cleaner to flush out the old oil and grime in semi auto rifles? The reason I ask is years ago I used gun scrubber to clean out a old lever action rifle I picked up at a pawn shop that needed a good cleaning. At the time I did not know how to disassemble and reassemble the gun. Later when I did learn how to disassemble I was surprised to see how clean the action was. Fast forward, I have learned to disassemble and reassemble all guns I own, lever actions, pumps and semi autos. Every year or so I disassemble each for "rag on" cleaning. Now I come against the Remington 550-1 and it's dreaded sear spring cup/screw. I can do it. I just don't want to. Using break parts cleaner to clean barrels and parts for re-bluing. I found it works very good removing old oil and grime.
Now, my question. After all that. Does anyone use Break parts cleaner to flush out actions rather than disassembly ? I can re-oil from outside.
 
tws3b2 said:
Does anyone use Break (sic) parts cleaner to. . .
Click to expand...
No, but you can, provided you remember that Brake Clean removes all the oil, and you must not leave the parts dry (free of oil).

Most other cleaners leave enough oil behind to avoid corrosion. Brake Clean doesn't, and a thorough re-oil is necessary. With this in mind, I only use it when degreasing is desired. . . not often.
 
Yes, brake cleaner is very heavily used. Has some good uses but maybe just short of WD40 is misused/overused for firearms.

As mentioned, it degreases things so you must oil afterwards. And no it won't magically clean closed off areas so just pushes the dirt around and degreases the dirty bits, so you need to try to get oil in there which may not be possible.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
I wouldnt let it near any painted, plastic, rubber, or varnished wood. It can remove paint and varnish, and cause plastics and rubbers to swell, discolor, and crack.

That said, its a good grease and carbon remover. Generally, I keep it away from firearms especially newish ones with plastic guts.
Click to expand...
I remove the wood and there is no plastic, rubber or other non-metal parts in the 550 and as far as I can tell no harm to bluing. Just wondering if any other harmful effects noticed by others. Thanks
 
I’ve used brake cleaner,gun scrubber is pretty close. That Remington 550-1 isn’t that hard to take apart and reassemble. I’d go that route. Give the bolt and trigger parts a good soak in Hoppes and scrub the rest.
 
Brake cleaner is great for breaking down cosmoline, a long term chemical preservative used in combloc countries on milsurp rifles. It will also remove any built up grime from past oil or grease applied to the parts. This is useful when you want to get a very deep clean on metal parts that won't strip off surface treatments such as blueing. Just some things to remember: only use NON-CHLORINATED break cleaner. I usually get mine from auto parts stores and make sure it says non chlorinated on the can. Second, as mentioned, only use it on metal. It will have a negative effect on almost everything else such as rubber, most plastics, wood etc. Third, it removes all oil. So metal will be vulnerable to rust. What I normally do is soak a part down with break cleaner, scrub with a brush to remove stubborn crud, wipe off with a clean cloth, then soak with oil and organize on another clean cloth.

As long as you follow the advice so far given, it will work well. I usually keep a can or two around for when I need it.
 
Brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner,, and electrical contact cleaners are a big NO NO for any wood, plastic, or rubber parts. And it doesn't matter if they are NON Chlorinated or not.
 
I don't. For me, I just drip solvent or ballistall or some gun clp, and let it sit a bit and then spray it out with canned air. This is how I clean bolts or trigger groups, or anything I'm not taking apart.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that when you use a product made for guns, from a reputable company, it has been tested on guns to insure compatibility with typical firearm materials. And if something does go wrong, you have a chance of getting satisfaction from the company if you used it in accordance with the instructions.

When you use a product that is made for some other purpose, you get to do the testing yourself and if something goes wrong, the maker only has to say that it wasn't ever intended to be used as you are using it and they're out of the picture.

I use products that aren't specific to guns on occasion. I will test some products to see if they do obvious damage, in other cases I just avoid getting the product on any parts that could theoretically be damaged. In other cases, I will mine MSDS sheets for ingredients to try to match them up to ingredients in firearm-specific products.
 
edwardware said:
Ok, enlighten me. Why should I always use non-Chlorinated (flammable) Brake Clean?
Click to expand...

Non- chlorinated brake cleaner has always been the recommended stuff to use on guns. Internet rumor is when chlorinated brake cleaner heats up it produces phosgene gas which is quite toxic. I've always used the non chlorinated stuff so I've never had a problem and would rather not test the idea myself. I didn't do so well in chemistry as a student, not gonna pick it up now.
 
herrwalther said:
phosgene
Click to expand...
Ah, that. No, you can't heat residual chlorine compounds fast enough (before they evaporate) to produce phosgene in a meaningful amount. You can produce phosgene with the UV discharge off a welding arc, hence one of the uses of flammable Break Clean.

That said, if you have even marginally sufficient ventilation to be welding, the phosgene is not a concern.
 
Last year I used gumout on my Miroku Liberty chief. It had 1960s grease packed and dried out all through the action. It freed the action up and then flushed out the majority of it when I took the side plate off. I need to do it again because there was crud left in the nooks and crannies.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Milkmaster
  • Locked
Does carb cleaner melt synthetic stocks?
Replies
11
Views
2K
HighVelocity
H
C
  • Locked
Gun Maintenance
2
Replies
46
Views
3K
stonecutter2
stonecutter2
Blackbeard
  • Locked
How do you clean 'em?
Replies
14
Views
1K
akodo
A
Hazwaste
  • Locked
Cleaning Firearms
Replies
15
Views
1K
Nightfall MVII
N
U
  • Locked
using an ultrasonic cleaner on gun parts?
Replies
19
Views
2K
Jim K
J
Back
Top