Cleaning BP with solvents?

Hi: I asked on ALR forum so should ask here to. Does anyone clean BP fowling with ED's REd or Hoppes#9 or do you just use cold water? Dan

soap and water for over 30 years...then oil and never any rust

Petroleum products don't dissolve the crud. Water does. Can't say much more than that.

In my opinion (so take it for what it's worth!) the most important thing to clean out of blackpowder guns is the rust-encouraging salts formed by the combustion of the saltpetre in the powder. Since these dissolve easily in water but not in organic solvents, plain old H2O is my choice for removing them. The solvents may be good for other things, but water is best for getting the bad stuff out of your gun.

To clean black powder fouling from your gun, the best and cheapest thing is hot soapy water. I like to scald my bore with boiling water after cleaning it with soapy water. I follow that with a few dry patches to get out as much water as I can then I spray a goodly amount of WD-40 down the bore to remove the residual water. Then I run a few more dry patches through the bore to remove the WD-40. After that, I run a couple patches with Bore Butter on them through the bore.

I learned long ago that all of these black powder solvents are just a way to get your money. Hot soapy water has always been best and still is.

Only solvent I use is water. Soap isn't even necessary. :wink:

Water........

Thank You all.I have always used water . I was curious about other methods. Dan

water has a remarkable chemical ability to neutralize both mild acids and mild base substances. It has been a long time since my oceanography class in which the actually chemistry of the process was covered. But it holds true for both fresh and to an extent, salt water.

Sometimes certain deposits are slightly resistant to wetting by water. kind of like water beading off a freshly waxed car. A surfactant/emulsifier helps the water soak into those deposits and basically acts as a wetting agent. Just a bit of soap will do the trick to help the water do it's job.

the exact opposite effect is desired for flash pan powder on damp days. As a result there are powders that can be added to the prime powder that makes it hard for water and moisture to soak into the powder. I have seen water bead up on top of such treated powder without soaking in and dampening the powder. A plant pollen called Lycopodium powder will do that job.

Soap & warm water. Followed up with Sheath (now Barricade) and an alcohol wipe before loading up the next time.

water works good.

:grin: H20--- "The universal solvent" :thumbsup:

H2O is the "universal solvent", nothing better for BP, I use a small amount of alcohol (99% about $12/gallon in the vet section of your Farm/Tractor supply kind of store) to remove trace water from bore and lock prior to oiling. I used to think boiling water and barrel too hot to touch while cleaning just had to be better but it will cause "flash rusting" of the bore within minutes if not seconds. I now use just warm water (that's not even necessary but cold makes my hands ache) and maybe a couple of drops of dish-washing liquid in a #10 coffee can of water. Linen Tow on a jag and scrub till the Tow is clean.

O-K, I'll tell ya what I do, just because I want to tell you how the "other side" does things. I and my son use Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, which emulsifies black powder residue on contact. Water works fine, but Butch's works faster, is non-toxic, has a built-in drying agent (so I don't need poisionous rubbing alcohol) and isn't that costly cause you don't use much cause a little goes a long way!

It's distributed by Lyman and available at most bp stores. Also good for soaking parts in that are a little "crusty", as the residue just wipes off with a paper towel!

Because it chemically neautralizes the residue, things that are "range-cleaned" with Bore Shine can be shot the next day or so, or I've waited up to a full week to thoroughly clean my rifle, will no ill effects what-so-ever :shocked2: . Hot water makes rust, if you don't FINISH the cleaning job the same day as you use the water :wink: .

Just my :2

Dave

Water, hot or cold. Hot water does cut crud quicker (just like on dirty dishes), but you don't have to use it. It won't cause rusting any faster than cold does, that's an old wive's tale. Besides, if you wipe the bore dry after cleaning and oil it well, it ain't gonna rust anyways. I like 3 in 1 oil for oiling.

I use hydrogen peroxide, Rubbing Achohol and Murphys oil soap mixed 1/3 each, have used this for 30 years as well as everyone in my club. Would never put water in any firearm. My opinion.

elglide said:

I use hydrogen peroxide, Rubbing Achohol and Murphys oil soap mixed 1/3 each, have used this for 30 years as well as everyone in my club. Would never put water in any firearm. My opinion.

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I tried using the witches brew(holloween coming doncha know) but gathering all the ingrediants, then mixing them then placing in a labeled and marked bottle not worth the trouble to me. I use Hoppes #9 and proud of it. Afterwards I dry with patches wether a pistol or long gun and then bore butter the bore and oil with Rem oil. If I am doing a reenactment I will clean with water on sat. after the battle then on sunday it gets the same thing and then a deeper cleaning on monday after I get home. At the end of the seaon I tear em down and cleam all the componets and put away till I need em.

elglide said:

I use hydrogen peroxide, Rubbing Achohol and Murphys oil soap mixed 1/3 each, have used this for 30 years as well as everyone in my club. Would never put water in any firearm. My opinion.

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If you're using rubbing alcohol you're putting water in your firearm - rubbing aka isopropyl alcohol is 30% water volume....

peroxide is worse than water

I have always used water,I have also found that using cold water will flash rust just like hot water does, cold water maybe a bit slower to produce flash rust than hot water the trick is to dry it out quicky after rinsing then apply WD40....leave that in the bore for a little while,dry it out then use a good oil for long term rust prevention