Simple Green for Gun Cleaning

[P7]

Hi All: I use an ultrasonic cleaning tank for my handguns. I've been using MPro7 as the celaning medium. It's good stuff but expensive. Anyone have thoughts or experience using Simple Green or another household cleaner in an ultrasonic tank or otherwise?

P7

 

[HSMITH]

Lots of guys over at Glocktalk use it, but I don't remember specifically if they have tried it in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have not tried it in any form on guns, but think it would work good. I am a HUGE simple green fan, but clean my guns in less conventional ways.......

I typically fight lube schmeg and powder fouling combined and it laughs at soaps. This might sound like a souther fairy tale, but ya'll hold ma' beer an' wachiss...... Mobil 1 15w-50 motor oil cleans VERY well and is my preferred gun oil. $4 a quart and fits my solvent role and my lube role, win-win to me!!! Wouldn't work well in an ultrasonic but might help for a quick cleanup....

You might take a stroll over there and see what a search turns up, it is regularly discussed.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jeff White]

The Army fobids the use of Simple Green on any weapons because of damage to the finish.

Jeff

 

[Navy joe]

No. SG is very good at penetrating and is an electrolyte. I don't think you can get it all flushed out unless you do a to the last pin detail strip and hot water flush every time. You will build in corrosion problems. Even with stainless or plastic guns you have concerns with springs. I've personally fixed someone's stainless USP that they dishwashered, everything in the slide was rusty.

The Navy forbids SG on aircraft due to corrosion concerns.

 

[P7]

Thanks for your thoughtful replies. I'll avoid SG for gun cleaning.

P7

 

[tc300mag1]

Mobil one sounds intersting any reason why you use 15w-50 instead of 10-30 ? and also i bet amsoil would be cats meow seems to be better than mobil one ..

 

[denfoote]

I use it!!
Hot water and simple green!
I think it works better than Hoppies!!

 

[HSMITH]

TC, I have a personal thing about Amsoil that prevents my using it. YMMV.

I like the 15W-50 becuase it stays put, and doesn't migrate through the gun.

 

[JNewell]

I'm interested in Jeff's post. I have used it in the past without any apparent problems on SS and carbon steel in an u/s cleaner. I always followed with a water u/s bath, though, at high temp so the parts dried almost immediately after coming out.

Be advised that SG will attack aluminum. Do not use it on aluminum.

 

[Alerion]

I've personally fixed someone's stainless USP that they dishwashered, everything in the slide was rusty.

But I thought you were SUPPOSED to clean your gun after every time you used it.

Tom

BTW, Just kidding. I know better than to put my guns in the dishwasher. Everybody knows you're supposed to hand wash them in the sink!

 

[TonyB]

I go to the car wash and hold my Glock sideways out the window.....
Seriously I only use gun cleaners and lubes on my guns...call me crazy..I used to clean my guns after every time I shot them,but now(except for my CCW)I usually wait for at least 200 rounds....

 

[Joe Demko]

Scroll partway down this page to find out what the makers of Simple Green have to say about using their own product on aluminum.

 

[Kestrel]

hsmith,

What kind of personal problem do you have with Amsoil? (What is Amsoil, by the way?)

Thanks,
Steve

 

[ChickenHawk]

I used to use SG and hot water. I'd blow-dry the gun afterwards until I thought it was completely dry (it was usually bordering on too hot to hold by then).

After I learned how to detail strip my guns (i.e. down to firing pins, springs, and little bits on the table) I noticed I had some rust on the springs that aren't visible without a detail strip!!

I don't do that any more.

Now I clean thoroughly with a clean cloth and use CLP where that is useful. Several times a year (not very often but after several thousand rounds through any particular piece) I detail strip and clean/polish the little stuff.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[zahc]

What kind of personal problem do you have with Amsoil? (What is Amsoil, by the way?)

Amsoil is really clean high performing synthetic oil. I am also interested in his reponse.

 

[lee n. field]

I use it sometimes, full strength, on blued or stainless guns.

Re nickel, I wrote the company about it. I got a reply that said basically: "sure fine, absolutely safe, use it in a 30 to 1 dilution and clean it off promptly". That doesn't give me a lot of confidence that it's nickel safe.

 

[tc300mag1]

I use amsoil in my 4wheelers and race motors thats why i asked about it so i would like to know too

 

[Penforhire]

Interesting. Simple Green was recommended in a care-and-feeding video about my Ruger Mark II. I was considering it. But rust = bad!

 

[JNewell]

Have seen SG (undiluted) basically strip anodizing off aluminum.

As far as this goes:

Everybody knows you're supposed to hand wash them in the sink

I know the post was in jest, but the issue with machine dishwashing detergents is that most contain chlorine, which is (as I guess we all know) a very powerful oxidizer...

 

[HSMITH]

WAY off topic here. I will respond via PM to those that asked about the Amsoil.

If there are any more questions or comments on my opinion of Amsoil please PM me with them.

 

[Edward429451]

The only time I use SG to clean guns is when I detail strip them, and it works great. I follow up with a thorough rinsing with hot water and let them air dry awhile then blow them out and let dry some more. Then I do a oil bath (SG strips oil off) and let that cure for awhile then attack it with rags, Q-tips and pipe cleaners. Then reassemble. I've never had a rust problem come to light. Good stuff.

I did have one case of SG stripping the anodizing off off a flash hider though.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Edward,

You probably avoided the rust problem I had because you're using SG when you detail strip. Thus you're managing to dry everything thoroughly.

I'm sure my rust problem had nothing to do with the Simple Green, it was that I didn't get everything completely dry after rinsing with hot water (even though I thought I was doing so).

As I indicated the place I found rust was where I couldn't see. Actually it was the firing pin spring on my Glock 26. Clearly water had gotten in there when I immersed the thing and then didn't completely dry when I used the blow dryer.

Anyway, that was my experience.

Cheers,
ChickenHawk

 

[wintermute76]

I know the post was in jest, but the issue with machine dishwashing detergents is that most contain chlorine, which is (as I guess we all know) a very powerful oxidizer...

I thought only oxygen oxidizes

 

[caz223]

I use murphy's oil soap in my ultrasonic, and be sure to use very hot water, and minimize cleaning time to avoid finish damage.
The whole point of doing this is part of a detail strip, and lubing it properly afterwards.
It's not a substitute for cleaning, it's to clean what you would miss in normal cleaning.
I do it at least yearly as part of a detail strip, and check for worn parts, replacing springs, etc.

 

[sm]

Rinse, finishes,

This was touched on...
In another life we didn't have ultra sonic cleaners per se' there were sonic cleaners used for somthing else. At the time we used a white coated sauce pan ( yes that white with red trim gammaw has) and Tide ( tm) detergent, we had a 'steam cleaner" that resembles a mini whiskey still.

We needed to cut soap/grease and grime. Any other type of material of saucepan would permantly discolor the metals, Tide at that time was the only laundry soap that would work...others turned the metals black ( a reaction).

Fast Forward

Ultrasonic cleaners came out ( finally and affordable) and we bought 28% ammonia and diluted it ( about a shot glass to 1/2 gal). We need to remove the soap/grease/grime, ammonia cuts this and rinses off the metals we used. We also became high-tech with electric steam cleaners ( old ones still work better). Now after a bit we used various soaps and stuff because ammonia is not GOOD for a lot of metals...NICKEL for one...it will seep into cracks and the nickel will flake from the base metal. Not good.

I used Simple Green, it worked with the metals I used, but the metals I used would not rust [gold ,platinum], and I could rinse clean with a steam cleaner.

So a buddy said lets use the Simple Green and the Ultra Sonic and using a gun ( and no I will not give the name) lets clean and rinse as the public does and see what happens. Yep it will corrode, rust will occur, and the aluminum gets funky. Now I like SG, But we did the same deal with regular dishwashing soap ( Ivory if you must know) , toothbrushed, ultra sonic,steam cleaned and air compressor ( same as before with exact duplicate of firearm) we didn't have a problem. Old boy had money, access to have guns fixed by factory ( little T&E you might say).

There is no holy grail. dunno, Sometimes when something sounds to good - it is.