Home Made Bore Solvent

[heelerau]

Gents, today I knocked up in equal volume, Hydrogen Peroxide, Isopropyl Alchohol (called Betadine) told by chemist this is the same as rubbing alcohol, not convinced) Murphys Oil soap.
  After a few minutes it frothed up, you could see bubbles streaming from the bottom of the glass bottle.   Is this normal? have left the cap loose and is seems to have quit now.


Cheers

Gordon

[smokinbuck]

I used that for a while also, many years ago. Water with a little dishwashing soap works better and doesn't affect the stock finish like the hydrogen peroxide.
Mark

[J Henry]

  It's the Peroxide,, same reaction if you put it on a cut!!

[heelerau]

Gentlemen, thanks for your advice.

Cheers

Gordon

[SCLoyalist]

The mixture was written up  in Muzzle Blasts back in the 1980s as the basis for a 'Three patch cleaning' method.   It works, although I always ended up using quite a few more than 3 patches.    I've found any cleaning solution except tap water has the potential to affect the stock finish.  Since peroxide will encourage rust,  if you use the mixture to clean your barrel, you may want to do a couple of tap water flushes to eliminate any peroxide, oil well, and check the barrel the next day.    SCL

[Curt Lyles]

 Ive read a report of this mix being explosive (muzzle blast article) I think, IIRC it biew up while sittin on a shelf while in a glass bottle.There are different strengths also .just make sure it don't get in your breech threads.Curt

[EC121]

Hydrogen peroxide is H2O2.  It decomposes into oxygen and water when one of the oxygen atoms is freed and bonds with another oxygen atom.  You end up with H2O and O2.  If the mixture is foaming, the peroxide is also decomposing into oxygen and water.  You will end up with oxygen and water after the bubbling stops.  The oxygen increases the oxidation(read that rust) of whatever it hits.  Probably why it stains finishes.  Save your money and use soap and water or some other cleaner.

[heelerau]

Thanks, you blokes, will stay with water that to date has been my normal cleaning routine and ditch the mix !

Cheers and thanks.

Gordon

[Kermit]

Isopropyl alcohol is an ingredient in rubbing alcohol, which may be diluted with water to as little as 70% or so. Should say on the label. Could just go buy some WWW--winter windshield washer fluid. Good, cheap, works. I'm still partial to water though, lately with a little Dawn dishwashing soap to break the surface tension. Don't know why, but the detergent in Dawn seems to cut crud better than others.

[WadePatton]

I drilled a 6-inch hole 65' into the earth to extract my black powder residue solvent.  Use a 1/3 hp submersible pump to send it to the house. 

A biology teacher in college called it "the universal solvent". 

My dogs drink it straight, but I prefer to freeze it and then mix it with gin and tonic.   

[George Sutton]

Betadine is iodine, not alcohol???

Centershot

[Hungry Horse]

 I don't use any solvent with Hydrogen peroxide in it. I used it once and couldn't stop the rusting. Peroxide is an oxidizer that makes rust grow like crazy.

                 Hungry Horse

[WadePatton]

Betadine is iodine, not alcohol???

Centershot

Povidone-Iodine 10% (equal to 1% available iodine)

same thing right?

[EdsPlace]

The extra cleaning power of the peroxide and alcohol is not needed and may damage your stock.  HOWEVER, if you have leading in the barrel, use equal parts peroxide and white vinegar and it will clean it right up.  I have used this in handguns occluded 50% or better.  The $#@* falls out in chuncks.

[satwel]

I used that same mixture many years ago. I got flash rusting in the bore. Luckily, I discovered it in time. Peroxide causes rust. Everything in black powder is soluable in water. All you need is water with drop or two of dish detergent to break the surface tension.

[WadePatton]

The extra cleaning power of the peroxide and alcohol is not needed and may damage your stock.  HOWEVER, if you have leading in the barrel, use equal parts peroxide and white vinegar and it will clean it right up.  I have used this in handguns occluded 50% or better.  The $#@* falls out in chuncks.

handy note on the leading, i've not tried that solution.

 

[Hungry Horse]

If you have a leading problem with a muzzleloader, you are doing something seriously wrong. Even the bullet barrels, owned by close friends, I have been around, didn't have a leading problem.

               Hungry Horse

[Dphariss]

The extra cleaning power of the peroxide and alcohol is not needed and may damage your stock.  HOWEVER, if you have leading in the barrel, use equal parts peroxide and white vinegar and it will clean it right up.  I have used this in handguns occluded 50% or better.  The $#@* falls out in chuncks.

Putting vinegar in the barrel is not a good idea IMO. It is acid after all and is more corrosive than BP fouling.  I have no idea what the peroxide will do but its going help things along by adding oxygen I think.

Dan

[WadePatton]

I never had leading in a M/L bbl.  But had plenty of it in the old days with revolvers and used the electronic gizmo.  Worked a lot better than "solvents" and brushes alone. 

Always heard that mercury was a great lead remover.  But didn't give it a go.  Now i don't have those issues.  enough suppository reference.

[Daryl]

I used mercury (had 2 pounds - not as much volume as you might think) as a lead remover for rifles and handguns for years. It is VERY effective, but one must use caution in it's use, of course. I doubt you could buy it today anyway. 

I even experimented with it as a hardening agent for lead balls around 1986/7, as noted in Forsyth's book - this is NOT as recommendation for you to try - mercury and especially it's vapours are poisonous.  Use antimony or tin instead.

[J Henry]

I use plain old Windex that has Ammonia in it,,,Inexpensive .easily available,easy to use and it works Figuring "back in the day" there was a limit to what was available to clean anything, they had to go simple or stay home,,Clean then clean again and don't forget the oil,grease,,,rust preventive of your choice.
 Then to "back in the day" their life depended on their rifle so they were very sure to clean it everytime they had a chance,not put it away and get,"around to it" someday.
  Windex with Ammonia,, been working for me for about,,47 years,got started late in BP,
 Clean is right next to reliable,,
 Lots of options on this posting,,so pick one and try it,,if it works,,   good if not pick another,,,,
 and always drink up stream from the herd,,,

[Mad Monk]

All of the BP residue is water soluble.  Except any graphite remaining after powder combustion.  But graphite represents only a tiny fraction of what is left in the bore.
How quickly  the residue dissolves in water depends on how the fouling was formed in the bore.  A thin coating of dust as in cold weather or heavy deposits of a putty like fouling formed when shooting in hot weather.  These differences control how fast the fouling dissolves.

Factor into this what type of lube was used during the firing of the gun.  The bore cleaning solution must be able to deal with the film of lube left in the bore.  If you don't remove all of the lube film you will have a coating in the bore that may still contain bits of powder foiling that then will lead to rust.  So play with some of the lube on a plate to see what will best remove it.


Mad Monk

[WadePatton]

All of the BP residue is water soluble...  So play with some of the lube on a plate to see what will best remove it.


Mad Monk

Thanks MM, but then won't the lube "on a plate" for testing be somewhat different than the same lube that has been exposed to bore temperatures and pressure?  I'm asking, not arguing-you know more than I know.

[dagner]

I used that for a while also, many years ago. Water with a little dishwashing soap works better and doesn't affect the stock finish like the hydrogen peroxide.
Mark

 good old original dawn dish soap

[Vomitus]

   I use the God given stuff. My gun/rifles like it cold,straight up!