Removal of Lead Stains - What's Your Secret?

[pezo]

A “lead away” cloth will do it all. Only use it on the face and inner window. Never use it on blues guns. FWIW I also stopped bothering and just use hoppes and a nylon brush to keep crud from thickening. It’s character of a well used revolver.

 

[billsch8]

I agree with many of the previous posts. When I first got into stainless revolvers, I would use the "lead away" cloth and diligently clean the face of the cylinder off every time I cleaned the gun. Of course, it comes back as soon as you shoot it again. So what's the point of cleaning it spotless? Just a lot of extra work! So, now I clean the cylinder face along with the rest of the gun with my normal cleaning solvent (Hoppes #9, Shooters Choice, etc.) and that's it. It gets the powder off reasonably well and leaves the burn rings. No extra scrubbing or time spent trying to get it "brand new" clean. I actually really like the "patina" and I think it gives my stainless revolvers a bit of character. Kind of like the "turn rings" that appear on the cylinder.

 

[Rodentman]

As stated above, I feel the rings add character. No harm in leaving them. Patina is a good word for them.

 

[Load Master]

I understand that a lot of folks feel it is pointless to clean the cylinder face. I have a hard time not cleaning. As suggested by some, I tried one of the specially designed cleaning cloths.

The photo below shows the before and after. I should mention that the photo on the far left was after soaking with Hoppe's #9 and wiping down with a cotton cloth. The middle photo is a light wiping with the cleaning rag. The remainder of deposits came right off. Thanks to those that suggested the special cleaning cloth. They really do work.

 

[CraigC]

They're also abrasive and remove metal.

 

[blue32]

I did it once and will never attempt it again. I used Hoppes #9 and it took about 14 days of constant application and wiping off with a cloth. It took one cylinder to erase all that work and time.

 

[PO2Hammer]

Birchwood Casey foaming bore cleaner and a nylon brush with a little patience works well for me. The foam lets it soak.

 

[Waveski]

"Patina is a good word for them."

Point of order , if I may - Lead stains have nothing to do with patina. Lead stains are a deposit of one metal on top of another. Patina has to do with oxidization.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

I will repeat what I said earlier.

Once you have enough revolvers you will stop worrying about carbon rings on the face of the cylinder.

You don't have enough revolvers yet.

 

[Load Master]

I will repeat what I said earlier.

Once you have enough revolvers you will stop worrying about carbon rings on the face of the cylinder.

You don't have enough revolvers yet.

I will NEVER have enough so I guess I am doomed to clean carbon rings.

 

[CraigC]

What DWJ says is true. When all I had was a handful of guns and shot a couple times a month, I obsessed about such things. Now that I own a lot more and shoot a lot more, I don't obsess about cleaning at all but especially those carbon rings.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

IMO the Lead-Away cloth by Kleenbore is the best cloth on the market. Do not use it on Blue revolvers or they will no longer be blue.
https://www.amazon.com/Kleenbore-Gun-Care-Lead-Cloth/dp/B002IEIDG4

Birchwood Casey makes one too if you can't find the other locally.
https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Ca...sr=1-3&keywords=lead+cleaning+cloths+for+guns

 

[CraigC]

Despite the marketing, the lead removal cloths are abrasive and do remove metal.

 

[Ironicaintit]

My secret is that I don't worry about them.

Time is better spent in making sure they are functionally clean, properly lubed, well fed, and handled ably.

 

[Steve S.]

Boretech “Eliminator”; 5 minutes, like new.

 

[cal44mag]

I use grease.

Elbow grease.

And a lead away cloth.

But only on stainless revolvers.

 

[drobs]

I briefly watched a fella clean those rings off with a green kitchen scrub pad while passing through a gun shop in Springfield.
I bet he's real handy with a dremmel.

 

[beag_nut]

The only time when one should worry about the presence of those dark rings on the front of the cylinder is when one is ready to sell the revolver, to impress the buyer. Other than that, ignore them, no matter how anal one is. Those rings also exist on blued revolvers, and always have, but no one ever noticed them before the use of stainless steel.

 

[loose noose]

Well let the flaming start, I've got about 50+ handguns, some of them SS revolvers, and all I've ever used on the cylinder face of the SS is 4-0 steel wool and a bit of CLP, been doing it this way for years and have not noticed any deterioration of the cylinders at all especially in the area of accuracy. Incidentally it takes less than a couple of extra minutes to have a nice clean revolver. JMHO

 

[ColtPythonElite]

With the naked eye you not notice the deteration of using steel wool over and over on a cyclinder face, but do it enough and you will probably notice it with a set of feeler gauges.

 

[danez71]

I understand that a lot of folks feel it is pointless to clean the cylinder face. I have a hard time not cleaning.

Just realize that this is a case where cleaning can damage what is being cleaned by virtue of the abrasive cleaning product.

I'm curious and don't mean to be condescending or any negative intent.

Do you clean the visable inside part of the exhaust tip on your cars to the point of being shiny new looking?

It's virtually the same thing. And if you do, the important difference to know is that there no chance you'll never ruin you car by cleaning the inside of the exhaust tip whereas you can by doing it to your revolver.

 

[4v50 Gary]

On stainless steel firearms I use lead removal Wipe Away. If it's wire brushed stainless I used a wire brush across the chamber mouths. I use the same brush around the area where the barrel protrudes into the window of the frame. I won't do these things on a blued revolver though.

 

[stchman]

I use the Hoppe's #9 soak and a brass cleaning brush. I get the brushes at Harbor Freight and they work well.