Eureka! You can Steam clean guns!

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ZeSpectre

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I don't know why this never occurred to me until last night but the wife was using her "Scunci Steamer" to clean the bathroom and suddenly I had one of those "Ah HAH!" moments.

So I took down my SKS and my Rossi 92 SRC and had at them. I am happy to say that every nook and cranny in the receivers are now pristinely clean. The hardest parts of the deal were making sure that the blasts of steam didn't throw gunk all over the place, and then making sure the water was all dried out. A good spritz of Breakfree, wipedown and a couple of dry patches through the barrel and then re-assembly and wow, they almost look unfired.

Tonight I'm going to field strip my Ruger 22/45 MK III and maybe even my Savage 64 ('cause I hate getting into the chamber on that one).

I wonder if this would blast cosmoline out as well...hrmmmm.
 
You never, never, never buy a household item as a present for your spouse! If they run a business that they make money with that is their money then IFF the item will be used to help them make more money or make money easier you could consider it. If you will benefit from the item in any way (the house you live in is cleaner) then stay out of that trap.

OTOH, there's nothing wrong with telling your wife that You'd like to have one for your hobby.
 
HSO beat me to the punch on that one <grin>.

Yeah, just tell your wife you want one for -your- hobby, you'll be amazed at the other things it winds up being useful for. Not great for any "large area" cleaning but if you want to get burned on spots off the stove or grit and crap out of crevasses and such then it's amazing. Oh and also for cleaning toaster ovens (unplug first) and microwaves it does an amazing job.

And apparently, now, for cleaning guns :D
 
As a running joke, I get Mrs White some sort of cleaning item every Christmas. Noting too major, a mop, a broom or dustpan, sweeper bags,refills for the swiffer, a bottle of Murphy's oil soap...

But here we have another sexist double standard... Why is it that is isn't acceptable to buy women cleaning products as a gift but perfectly acceptable to buy men tools as a gift? Buy the wife a vacuum and its sleep on the couch and no sex for a month, but buy the husband a new snow blower and he's the happiest guy on th block?

But back on topic, I've used a pressure washer to clean cosmo from guns before. No steam, but with a little engine degreaser and cold water at 2500 PSI, cosmo doesn't stand a chance.
 
Buy the wife a vacuum and its sleep on the couch and no sex for a month, but buy the husband a new snow blower and he's the happiest guy on th block?
Click to expand...

Because what guy wouldn't want a new snowblower?!
 
I've always cleaned muzzle loaders and Black Powder guns with boiling water. When I was a young recruit, with the M1 rifle, we would set up garbage cans full of water with immersion heaters in them, then completely disassemble the M1s and dunk every single metal part in the boiling water. The water quickly evaporates off the hot metal, and all you do is lube and reassemble.
 
Vern - I thought they were still using Springfield Trap Doors when you were a young recruit. :D
 
Tips

I was talking to a guy around here who has been in the gun industry for quite some time. He told me that if you remove all the wooden parts from a gun you can run it through the dishwasher (with no problems) the careat was that you did not use dishsoap, and you needed to dry it well, and it helped to use something in the water, but he could not remember what the something was. I have a Sears model 12 (a $25 gun) I might try it on. Anyone else try this?
 
Dishwasher? Yeah, sure, just talk to some current SF types. They've used them for years.

Ze, just wait until you see the dishwasher thing that SF and SEAL types clean their weapons in.:D

"But, honey, it's O.K. to put my pistols in the dishwasher. Special Forces does it.":evil:
 
but buy the husband a new snow blower and he's the happiest guy on th block?
Click to expand...

Because it has engine-driven rotating blades. What red-blooded man doesn't like rotating blades propelled by a gasoline engine?

*Tim the Tool Man Taylor grunt*

/Bought the girlfriend a reverse osmosis water purification system for Christmas (a few months early).
//Phoenix water tastes like monkey poo. RO'ed water is wonderful.
///She bought me the Black & Decker power drill I needed to install it.
////There are now a significant number of things that I've now put holes in (purposely, not causing damage) thanks to the drill. Hooray for power tools!
 
Well yeah, that would be nice...if we had a dishwasher.

Oh and Creeping Incrementalism, you hit it right on the button. You fill it and plug it in and it heats up the water with some kind of built in heating element. Then there is a button you push and WHOOOOOSH out comes the steam.

It's really at it's most effective within about 1 inch of the nozzel and as I've said it's not for big-area cleaning jobs but man you sure can clean out a stovetop, or a gunked up kitchen faucet, or a gunked up SKS :D with it!
 
The steam cleaner does work on cosmoline, I've done it. At surplus rifles a number of people have reported using the dishwasher to get cosmoline off the stock and metal work of surplus rifles.
 
The steam cleaner does work on cosmoline, I've done it. At surplus rifles a number of people have reported using the dishwasher to get cosmoline off the stock and metal work of surplus rifles.
Click to expand...
The do-it-yourself carwash works pretty good on cosmoline also. Gotta watch out for the high-pressure setting though, get the wand too close and it may damage the stock.
 
You never, never, never buy a household item as a present for your spouse!
Click to expand...

Does a Galil count as a "household item"? Good thing it's for Hannukah, and not that other winter holiday mentioned... :D
 
Snap, I thought everyone knew about this :uhoh: .

Also great for steaming out dents on your wood. It's a must if you do any type of C&R collecting.
 
But here we have another sexist double standard... Why is it that is isn't acceptable to buy women cleaning products as a gift but perfectly acceptable to buy men tools as a gift? Buy the wife a vacuum and its sleep on the couch and no sex for a month, but buy the husband a new snow blower and he's the happiest guy on th block?
Click to expand...
You've obviously never stepped into the hardware store saw some grown men toys and had to repress the urge to giggle like a school girl.
 
Because what guy wouldn't want a new snowblower?!
Click to expand...

None here thanks, it's more like a sump pump in the valleys of the PNW, maybe dam buiding equipment.

Steamer idea is awesome, I know we don't have one, but my wife would see through that like clear blue water if I got her one of those things. She may just have to get an SKS for xmas instead, then I could push for the steamer angle. And yes, my wife actually likes shooting, I was taken aback by it too. She got really jazzed this year when elk hunting and took to all the crappy weather stuff much better than anticipated....lucky me:neener:

jeepmor
 
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