Help, I think I ruined my brand new AK
- Thread starter krolden
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Hokkmike
Member
Sorry. Where did you hear to do this? Anyway, your problems are cosmetic at worst. If nothing else, see this is as an opportunity to refinish your AK and make it better than it was. Or, just use it like it is. Kind of like those jeans kids buy with worn knees and holes already in them.
The next time you clean it use CLP, or Hoppes, or Rem Oil......!!!
takhtakaal
Member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2007
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- 853
the naked prophet
Member
Yep, it's ruined. You should send it directly to me...
Seriously though, take off the rest of the paint, and finish it fairly cheap with DuraCoat. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu39.htm
Seriously though, take off the rest of the paint, and finish it fairly cheap with DuraCoat. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu39.htm
Danus ex
Member
We all know how you feel. Just yesterday I put an arsenal-refinished M38 in a vice to un-cant the front sight and only after I had pounded on it did I realize that I didn't change the vice jaws to something that wasn't steel. I took the barreled action out and found a square of newly scratched off finish right on an obvious part of the receiver. Fun. A while back I made a similar booboo with an almost mint Mexican Mauser. That's life!
Anyhow, don't get pulled into the never brake cleaner/always brake cleaner argument. It's more important that you understand what happened at a simplified level. As was pointed out, your finish appears to be some kind of paint or varnish over some kind of phosphate coating (Parkerizing). Simply put, brake cleaner eats paint, so cleaning your gun with it will mess up that top layer. You'll need to use something else on that particular rifle if you want to keep the original finish. Brake cleaner is fine on non-painted and non-varnished/lacquered/shellacked metal finishes.
Anyhow, don't get pulled into the never brake cleaner/always brake cleaner argument. It's more important that you understand what happened at a simplified level. As was pointed out, your finish appears to be some kind of paint or varnish over some kind of phosphate coating (Parkerizing). Simply put, brake cleaner eats paint, so cleaning your gun with it will mess up that top layer. You'll need to use something else on that particular rifle if you want to keep the original finish. Brake cleaner is fine on non-painted and non-varnished/lacquered/shellacked metal finishes.
Wolfgang2000
Member
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- Sep 7, 2007
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- 376
Use cleaners for guns that say "FOR GUNS". Yes gun scrubber is ALMOST the same a brake cleaner. But Gun Scrubber is DESIGNED FOR GUNS. It won't strip the finish of a gun.
I don't understand why we spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a firearm, then want to save a dollar on a can of cleaner.
But don't feel to bad, I bet it happen to us all, at one time.
I would get a can of high heat flat black paint and "refinish" it.
I don't understand why we spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a firearm, then want to save a dollar on a can of cleaner.
But don't feel to bad, I bet it happen to us all, at one time.
I would get a can of high heat flat black paint and "refinish" it.
Bartkowski
Member
I have never had a problem with brake cleaner or carburetor cleaner when using on firearms. I am very careful so I don't get it one the wood, and plastic on guns that have it. Neither have ever taken off bluing, they do dry the metal out but all you have to do is re oil it. I have seen carburetor cleaner "melt" plastic before and can imagine that it will easily strip paint, but haven't seen it effect bluing.
TexasRifleman
Moderator Emeritus
Well I use brake cleaner a lot really. It's not ideal for all finishes but some can tolerate it just fine.
The thing is the AK here doesn't really have a "finish" it has a paint job.
It's nothing to worry about, on the cheaper import guns those kinds of finishes are pretty common.
moooose102
Member
well, for those of you bashing krolden, i guess you have NEVER MADE A MISTAKE! we bow down to you. NO WE DON'T! the guy was genuinely upset, and rightfully so. it may be "only" an ak to some of you, but this guy just spent some of his hard earned coin on a new gun. show a little sympathy! geesh! anyway, i use brake clean on certain parts of my guns, after i strip them. of course they are all blued. as for your ak, if you are handy, i would go ahead and strip it the rest of the way, and get some "KG" GUN KOTE. they make it in about a hundred colors, so you can customize it to your likeing and once it is on and cured, that will be the end of your problems. that stuff is TUFF! but i still wouldn't advise using brake clean on it after you finish it.
jpwilly
Member
SOME Brake cleaner is corrosive and containes clorine!
Joe the Redneck
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- Aug 10, 2006
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- 249
First, I've used carb cleaner "down the bore", not on the surface, with no problem. By no means does carb cleaner "strip" metal finish.
Second, it did't "eat away" the paint, the paint was bad from the factory. This is totally not a bid deal. Just get the high temp paint and yo are GTG.
Joe
Second, it did't "eat away" the paint, the paint was bad from the factory. This is totally not a bid deal. Just get the high temp paint and yo are GTG.
Joe
woodyjustin42
Member
OK
Well the guy already said he felt stupid about using brake cleaner, so why does everybody rub it in I guess nobody has ever done something like that. Well at least your gun is still fine and you will probably use rem-oil now. You know I used to use sand for my 240g barrels and worked great(not the bore though) everybody has different methods live and learn.... And oh ya baby wipes with aloe-vera and alcohol etc you name the wipe I used it I even punched the bore on my m-4 with baby wipes.
Well the guy already said he felt stupid about using brake cleaner, so why does everybody rub it in I guess nobody has ever done something like that. Well at least your gun is still fine and you will probably use rem-oil now. You know I used to use sand for my 240g barrels and worked great(not the bore though) everybody has different methods live and learn.... And oh ya baby wipes with aloe-vera and alcohol etc you name the wipe I used it I even punched the bore on my m-4 with baby wipes.
pgeleven
Member
why on gods green earth would you spend money on a new AK? you can get a used one at almost any discount sports store that sells weapons (dunhams, for michigan) for less than $350. think of it as the previous owner did all the breaking in for you and you get to reap the benefeits with a tuned weapon. then you can beat the crap out of it and ding it up while not feeling too bad. its not going to break on you, and theyre not meant for showroom quality, unless you plan on gold plating the sucker. take it with a grain of salt and appreciate the relability over looks.
Brian Dale
Member
I use brake cleaner on guns. They're guns, not van Gogh paintings. I keep solvents away from plastics.
It's a rifle, specifically an AK-type rifle. It was invented to go through wars. Protect it from rust and you'll be fine.
Shoot it and enjoy it.
It's a rifle, specifically an AK-type rifle. It was invented to go through wars. Protect it from rust and you'll be fine.
Shoot it and enjoy it.
My suspicion is that the OP's rifle already had corrosion on the steel and which was hidden by the paint job. The gun was probably not prepped in any way before painting. Cleaning the rifle just knocked the paint off. Nothing to do with whatever cleaner used on it.
I have used brake cleaner on my guns, all of them in fact for at least 15+ years. All my M1911s, glocks, SIG, H&K P7/PSP, P7M8, P7M13, Ruger, Browning, AR15, Shotguns, whatever. One of my shooters is in the $4k range and several more are in the $2K+ ranges. I don't use it on wood and I don't use the types with chlorine in it but that's it.
Brake cleaner is the same stuff as Gunscrubber, they are formulated to remove carbon deposits and oils/grease. What magical ingredients do you think is in Gunscrubber? Go ahead and drink company Kool-aid if you want, guns are made for war, they are made to suck-up anything industrial and work.
I have used brake cleaner on my guns, all of them in fact for at least 15+ years. All my M1911s, glocks, SIG, H&K P7/PSP, P7M8, P7M13, Ruger, Browning, AR15, Shotguns, whatever. One of my shooters is in the $4k range and several more are in the $2K+ ranges. I don't use it on wood and I don't use the types with chlorine in it but that's it.
Brake cleaner is the same stuff as Gunscrubber, they are formulated to remove carbon deposits and oils/grease. What magical ingredients do you think is in Gunscrubber? Go ahead and drink company Kool-aid if you want, guns are made for war, they are made to suck-up anything industrial and work.
Hey folks -
Arsenals (pretty much all of the stamped ones) are finished with a terrible spray-on finish. About half are parkerized underneath the paint.
I've literally removed the finish on my SLR-106F with Mpro7 (which is one of the most gentle gun cleaners on the planet).
That's just a fact of life. No, it's not screwed up. Keep it oiled good or send it off for refinishing. End of story.
That said, the arsenal is STILL worth twice the price of a WASR. And - until Saiga starts importing their guns 'un-sporterized', it's just about your only opportunity to get something that good in a box.
Arsenals (pretty much all of the stamped ones) are finished with a terrible spray-on finish. About half are parkerized underneath the paint.
I've literally removed the finish on my SLR-106F with Mpro7 (which is one of the most gentle gun cleaners on the planet).
That's just a fact of life. No, it's not screwed up. Keep it oiled good or send it off for refinishing. End of story.
That said, the arsenal is STILL worth twice the price of a WASR. And - until Saiga starts importing their guns 'un-sporterized', it's just about your only opportunity to get something that good in a box.
Halo
Member
Anything that will be stripped off by brake cleaner will also be stripped off by that "designed for guns" Gun Scrubber. That's why they've released a whole new "synthetic safe" formula of it. The only mistake the OP made was perhaps not being aware of just how aggressive of a solvent brake cleaner is, and that it should not be used on finishes or plastic. A $7 can of "made for guns" Gun Scrubber would have done the same thing in this case. These aggressive solvents should be relegated to cleaning internal components unless you know for sure that they're safe for the exterior finish and furniture. Glocks, for instance, can be thoroughly hosed with brake cleaner if you so desire.
To OP - don't worry too much. As others have said, if the finish was so crappy that brake cleaner took it off, well, it was going to come off sooner rather than later anyway. It's true that some of these rifles simply have a painted finish. The top cover on one of mine had a scratch that went down to bare metal. BBQ grill paint took it right back to original appearance.
To OP - don't worry too much. As others have said, if the finish was so crappy that brake cleaner took it off, well, it was going to come off sooner rather than later anyway. It's true that some of these rifles simply have a painted finish. The top cover on one of mine had a scratch that went down to bare metal. BBQ grill paint took it right back to original appearance.
It might rust if you don't keep oil on it, but I've seen guns far more neglected than that that didn't look much worse for the wear.
You didn't ruin it - you just took some finish off.
I agree with the others.
We generally refer to stuff like that as idiot marks for a reason, and some of my guns also have them.
You didn't ruin it - you just took some finish off.
I agree with the others.
We generally refer to stuff like that as idiot marks for a reason, and some of my guns also have them.
MachIVshooter
Member
Not a thing wrong with using brake clean, so long as one understands what parts it can be safely used on. I use brake clean on all my stainless, parkerized, and blued finish guns. I keep it away from polymer or painted guns, and I'm always careful to remove any plastic or wood from the gun before I blast it. Brake clean gets what the Hoppes and toothbrush don't. And it ensures the oil won't be contaminated/thinned by cleaner, as it evaporates very quickly and takes just about any solvent residue with it.
My polymer and painted guns get scrubbed with hoppes and then washed with very hot water and dish soap.
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