Hi Gang:

     Not wishing to hijack the JB thread, I would like to mention some information that may help people clean their guns.

     Many years ago, I talked with Bruce Hodgson about cleaning rifles that had used ball powder.  At the time, ball powder was supposed to be leaving a bore coating that was very difficult to remove.  Bruce told me to use Bon Ami cleanser for cleaning ball powder residue.  It worked very well and would NOT harm a bore.  I have no idea as to whether or not this was true as I never had a problem cleaning my rifle's bores.

     This stuff might the bee's knees for stubborn BP and lead fouling!  Anybody up to giving it a try?

                                                                            Zeke

I remember well Coast Guard boot camp in 1966, clean bores in those worn out M1's were used as a instrument of disipline. We shot different rifles, drill guns did not have firing pins.  Inside of mine looked like the black hole of Calcutta.  You had to use what you had to get it clean.

Two patches wrapped around the brass brush rolled in "sugie" powder action stuck in a bucket of hot water. Pumped in and out just like cleaning a muzzle loader.  Came out clean and slick plus the hot water evaporates, added a little oil and never got a demerit for my rifle.

Did it hurt the bore ? I doubt it, if a bore is fowled you need to get it clean.  Abrasive powders probably wear less than more aggressive methods like Steel wool.  Personally except for well known products to take out copper I have always been afraid of chemical solutions.  On something like a Trapdoor or old rimfire I try J-B first then go for the Steel wool if it won't clean. But would not hesitate to use  household cleaning powder if that's all I had.  Watch the new ones though, some have additives like bleach in addition to the abrasive.

Boats

Quote:


  You can imagine what that "jack leg" remedy did to the main bearings, .   .   .   ., Not Good !      

     Hi All:

     I too saw a guy run a box of Bon Ami through his new Desoto Hemi back in the day.  It was an accepted practice for new car engines then! It was claimed to seat the rings for a perfect fit.

     Sinichrome polish in a model airplane engine? Is that stuff the embedding type of an abrasive? How is the build up removed from the bearings? When does it become abrasive free? 

     I use a copper cleaner that is called Blue Goo that is home made and it will remove copper without any possible damage to the barrel.
It is safe as water in your rifles!

     It is not a commercial product but one can make it at home very inexpensively.  It was developed by a chap who spent his career as a chemical engineer.

     I have used GM Top Engine Cleaner but was not impressed by the results! I was told that this stuff is designed to operate at elevated temperatures.  This why the directions state to bring the engine up to operating temperature when adding the first dose and the second dose.  Oh yes, use rubber gloves when using this stuff!

     James Brost must be about 100 now.  He was very old when I talked to him many years ago.  Does anybody know if he is still alive? Seems that he was selling J-B Bore cleaner for many years!   


                                                               Enough for now,

                                                                Zeke
                                                              
                                                           

There is a fundimental difference in the way you clean a plain based cast bullet barrel and a barrel for a modern jacketed or gas-checked bullet. Unless there is leading a plain-based bullet barrel should just be cleaned till the fouling is out of it and the patch shows just some cooked lube. 
  A barrel for jacketed or gas checked-bullets must be cleaned till you remove all the copper fouling is out as copper and lead don't mix well in a barrel.
  Your daddy learned to clean his barrel till nothing was left because of corrosive primers. the residue left by those old primers would get into everything and could ruin a barrel quick. Today with no corrosive primers we don't have to start from scratch getting some lubrication between the bore and the bullet.

40 Rod

[quote author=776866680D0 link=1287011725/9#9 date=1287151397]      Hi John Taylor:

     Just a few questions about your statement that steel wool was o.k. for a chrome molly but for bad stainless steel barrel  How did you come up with this information?  Is this information from some empirical testing or knowledge?  Have you done any tests to determine this effect?  If so, what type tests were done, who did the tests and who paid for these tests.

Years ago Douglas sent out warnings on SS barrels saying they were less scratch resistant than chrome moly. In the note it told how they made ss barrel out of a type of metal that worked with the button rifling. Anything any harder did not rifle as well. The advantage of SS is that it does not flame cut like steel, can't cut with a cutting torch. This helped to reduce throat erosion. The warning told not to use stainless steel brushes as it would damage the rifling. Most of the barrel companies are using 416 SS for their barrel.
I sometimes run 000 steel wool through a rebores to take out any burrs.
                                                         
John

I guarantee you that you are damaging your bore with steel wool. Assuming there are any sharp corners on the lands, the wool will round them and over time performance will be degraded. With stainless in particular 1-2 times is sufficient.

     Hi John:

      
    Aren't chrome moly barrels also button rifled? Softer steels for button rifling? Does stainless steel resist flame cutting better than chrome moly? If so, why are machine gun barrels all made from stainless?

                                                                   Have a good day,

                                                                   Zeke