Bore solvents

[Don McDowell]

Brownie as always glad to have folks putting what works for them out for others to see. Thanks for your input, keep it coming.

Heard another use for the Cowboy Blend stuff, it is turning out to be a great thing to clean moulds with. Haven't tried it yet, but I got a couple of moulds that could probably use a good bath.

[powderburner]

that would be a good idea . especially for the adjustable base moulds, there is always a carbon or lead or oxidized something at the base line,

[Don McDowell]

My thoughts as well Dean.
Course those rings make it handy to set the base plug to the various lengths a feller uses.

[powderburner]

yes they do , ,I been casting at 735 or so and have almost eliminated the rings ,I dont seem to have any worse variance than hotter and the bullets drop out without any persuasion,I went down from 750-60

[Kurt]

I have always used Murphy's oil soap for cleaning the powder rifles and got along fine using it. When running dry patches through and if I see some gray on the dry patch I dampen a patch with penetrating oil, dont make any difference what kind it is, and run one loose patch through and wait a few minutes to let the oil get under the lead and with that patch folded over and run it through again. It gets what little lead is in the bore.
The important thing is when cleaning the bore and that is get it dry. Two dry patches does not do it usually if one uses a water/oil mix like NAPA or OIL soap. This has a tendency to leave moisture droplets in the grooves. When checking the bore with a scope with 20 X magnification you can see this after running a final oily patch through. After a few days when you pick up the rifle again and run a dry patch through just before shooting and checking the bore with a scope you will see dark spots that the moisture pushed the oil back.
Two patches are not enough to dry a bore especially when you use a lubed bullet or lube wads. there are always water droplets that stay behind.
I like to use a cotton ball for my final pass through before oiling the bore.

Kurt

[alfajim]

Just thought I would bring this old thread back up on bore solvents for lead removal.
Having spent the past 30 -40 yrs in the racing engine field and the last 20+ yrs as a engine builder and machinist when ever a engine came in with a burned piston before the bore could be reworked the aluminum had to be removed. so we would use muriatic acid to dissolve the alum from the cylinder walls. Also when having to rework steel parts that were plated, cad or cadII we would dip them in the acid till it stopped fizzing no more plating worked to strip rust. then rinse with hot water, clean & neutralized.
So has anyone thought to use a weak muriatic acid solution on patched to remove the lead then water or soluble oil water and then dry & oil?

Jim

[Don McDowell]

I would be worried about the acid etching the bore ?

[Lumpy Grits]

if someone wants to put Muriatic acid in their gun bbl. Had better do some research on what it does to steel.
Most engine blocks are made of either alum or iron. Neither of which a gun bbl is made from.
Gary

[alfajim]

if someone wants to put Muriatic acid in their gun bbl. Had better do some research on what it does to steel.
Most engine blocks are made of either alum or iron. Neither of which a gun bbl is made from.
Gary

That's the beauty of muriatic acid it doesn't attack the steel or the cast iron only dissolves the alum or the zink lead based coatings like cad plating which have to be removed to weld the steel parts.
Some times it would take a while to get the alum off the bore. It would leave a very light surface rust if not rinsed or wiped off right away.
Be interesting to research affects on steel, also this is what plumbers have used to clean sewer pipes for many years.
I believe the standard neutralizer baking soda will stop the acid action.

Jim

[Lumpy Grits]

if someone wants to put Muriatic acid in their gun bbl. Had better do some research on what it does to steel.
Most engine blocks are made of either alum or iron. Neither of which a gun bbl is made from.
Gary

That's the beauty of muriatic acid it doesn't attack the steel or the cast iron only dissolves the alum or the zink lead based coatings like cad plating which have to be removed to weld the steel parts.
Some times it would take a while to get the alum off the bore. It would leave a very light surface rust if not rinsed or wiped off right away.
Be interesting to research affects on steel, also this is what plumbers have used to clean sewer pipes for many years.
I believe the standard neutralizer baking soda will stop the acid action.

Jim

Then use it if you want
I'll stick with my 50/50 mix of Dextron ATF and Turpentine.
I would suggest you call a few bbl makers and get their input-I'm pretty sure what they'll say.
Gary