Windex

[Carl Fowler III]

Figured this out after using Windex to clean the carbon off the glass of my pellet stove and hands.
I use Windex for cleaning my flintlock, the barrel is 42" and pinned to a full length stock. I didn't want to use water and get it under the barrel and cause rust and after seeing how well Windex cleaned carbon I figured why not give it a try on my flinter! Works like a charm, after 2 patches most of the cleaning is done I then squirt 3 sprays into the barrel and run another patch down blowing out any crud in the breech area thru the touch hole...dry patches till dry and then WD-40 to clean out any left over moisture...followed a day later with ballistol patch. Anyone else ever give Windex a try?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sure, Windex, or a large jug of generic, vehicle, windshield washer fluid, are well known as barrel cleaners. :grin:

LD

 

[Don Steele]

I sort of stumbled upon using "Glass Plus" to clean BP residue from my barrels, lock, etc.
Spray it on, lightly brush with an old toothbrush..
Works GREAT. :thumbsup:

 

[Okie Hog]

Many years ago, Mike Venturino, the former blackpowder editor of Shooting Times put me onto Windex With Vinegar to clean my blackpowder guns. It is now called Windex Multi-Surface. It neutralizes the fouling left from firing blackpowder and the BP substitutes which is a base.

Before leaving the range i swab the bore with a patch wet with Windex. Makes cleanup at home very easy.

 

[Stumpkiller]

If you don't want to use water then Windex isn't helping you much. It's 95% water and the rest is alcohol, some with vinegar or ammonia, and a bit of detergent.
http://www.scjohnson.com/en/products/msds/msds_united_states.aspx

Won't hurt (neither will water if you're careful), but you can make your own up a lot cheaper.

 

[BrownBear]

I got curious about Windex and the windshield washer fluids after reading so much about them here. They do work great.

But my test wasn't over. I put plain water in an empty Windex squirt bottle and tried that.

Same same. Couldn't tell a bit of difference.

It occurred to me that it wasn't the Windex that was magical. It was that dandy little squirt bottle. Just lots easier to control where the water went. It's the EXCESS of water that causes most problems, and the little plastic squirter thinger our forefathers carried works as well today as it did 300 years ago.

 

[Darkgael]

Yep. Windex works because it is mostly water.

Pete

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use water and a "dollop" of Pine-Sol or Murphy's Oil Soap to clean. Just warm from the tap and maybe a half-capful of the soap per quart of water.

The Pine-Sol was some I got when I was testing lube ingredients and since 2003 I've used maybe half of the bottle. It doesn't take much. I think it does make a difference vs. plain water and the old chemist ghosts in my past tell me the surficant properties of the detergent will trap some of the salts, ions and less soluble burnt particles to prevent them from hanging onto the metal.

I'm sure Windex works just as well, and as you say it comes in an easy to apply squirt bottle. This is pretty low tech stuff we're working with and doesn't have to be too sophisticated. Many, many ways to get to the same goal.

 

[BrownBear]

Many, many ways to get to the same goal.

Man, that oughta be the motto for this sport!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Just another temporary wonder product in the search for the better mouse trap.

Only thing I ever found that comes close to water is old smelly WW2 US Army surplus bore cleaner. The kind with benzene and other hazardous EPA banned chemicals in it. After a range session, swab the bore and wipe the barrel and lock with the stuff and it kept the bore and everything for a few days till I could get to a thorough cleaning. For a multi day match, the bore cleaner treatment was all that was needed overnight until the next day.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Windex with ammonia for me. Been using it for years.