Best method of removing lead??

dusty61

dusty61

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Hi,

I have a muzzle brake from a High Standard, Citation Supermatic. I took it off and it is right full of lead. What can I soak it in to remove the lead? It appears to be 1/4 inch thick build up.

Any help would be great. I`ve already soaked it in various bore cleaners with no luck.

Garnet
 
It's hard to acquire now days due to health concers, but metallic Mercury will eat that lead off so quick it will make your head spin!! Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
It's hard to acquire now days due to health concers, but metallic Mercury will eat that lead off so quick it will make your head spin!! Regards, Eagleye.
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I`d like to save the bluing tho...lol I was thinking maybe seeing it`s just the muzzle brake I`d run a flat bottom mill tool in there and cross my fingers.;)

Someone also to me to use Coke, that stuff eats thru anything..lol I do have access to a wee bit of metalic mercury but scared to use it.;)
What about heat? What`s the melting point of lead fouling?:evil:
 
If you are gentle with the endmill it should work really well. I have had to deal with the same issue on my S&W M41 and I can get away using a 3/8" twist drill because the hole doesn't have a flat bottom. I just use the drill bit in my hand - never under power of a drill. Even with the drill it is still hard stubborn crap to chew out of there - way harder than just pure lead. In the beginning I have tried soaking the comp with a variety of solvents with no luck.

I have heard about the mercury thing - but have never tried it.
 
Mercury tastes like peppermint.

Mercury will dissolve lead so fast, you won't believe it! It is not corrosive and will not harm blued finish.

It is nasty stuff and tastes horrible, so don't drink it. Other than that, it is reletively safe to use, don't boil it and breath the fumes (Mad Hatter) and just make sure you don't handle the stuff with your bare hands as it can be absorbed through the skin. Wear rubber gloves and jock. Wash your hands afterwards.

We used to play with the stuff in the school chemistry lab (twitch) and I never (twitch) suffered any bad effects (twitch).

I have a small glass jar of the stuff that I have had for years and is used for severe leading. I use a rubber bung to plug the bore, stand the barrel verticle, fill it right up and let stand for ten minutes. Lead will be gone.

Another method that works well is electroysis, which can be made using common household supplies, a metal cleaning rod and a battery charger. However, you can ruin a bore in minutes if you don't know what you are doing, so I am hesitant to recommend it.
 
englishman_ca said:
Mercury will dissolve lead so fast, you won't believe it! It is not corrosive and will not harm blued finish.
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What I always wondered is, once the lead is dissolved in the mercury, how does the lead get out of the mercury? Does it eventually get saturated with lead and can't pick any more up?
 
Rudy H said:
What I always wondered is, once the lead is dissolved in the mercury, how does the lead get out of the mercury? Does it eventually get saturated with lead and can't pick any more up?
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Eventually it will form a lead-rich amalgam that will not pick up any more lead, and this is where the tricky part comes in. You need a closed retort to recapture and recondense the mercury as you heat the amalgam. The lead will be left behind, the recaptured mercury may then be reused. The fumes are very seriously BAD for your health, so that is why the retort should be a closed fixture. BTW, do NOT get that metallic mercury near any Gold jewellery. It does the same thing to gold as it does to lead!!! Regards, Eagleye.
 
There is a new lead removal product made by Sharp shootR . It is a red gel that will dissolve the lead and form a pink creamy goop that will take the lead from the barrel without any harmful effects to the bluing. If it works as good as their "Wipe Out" bore cleaner it should be a winner.
 
lead remover

Yes, it works in 15 min. or so on a plugged leaded barrel.

I've used it for years on my 45's and it does wonder on a plugged barrel in about 15 min.

Simply dump in the sink and finish with jag-patches, etc... as usual.

It surpasses all the other s*** stuff I've tried in despair before.

BB

BEARMAN said:
There is a 50/50 WHITE VINIGAR + 3%HYDROGEN PEROXIDE METHOD GOTO www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#top then goto "lead removal" lots of interesting stuff here.
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lead

this is a bit pass , as I just read this post.
i jusy got a hi-standard on trade
and don't think the thing had ever been cleaned
don't know how the bullet made it out.
This one was in the box complete, and the tool
for cleaning the comp out, but this was built up to
much, found out a 9/16' drill bit is just right .
I ground it flat and put in the drill press and
turned it by hand -worked prefect, these comps
are not flat at botton, outside is deeper then center
 
Hi Garnet, I had the same problem with a muzzle brake on a Citation 106.

After scrubbing & trying untold numbers of bore cleaners I finally decided the part is made of steel, it's plugged with lead. So------

Heat will remove the lead. I placed the brake on a steel surface & with a propane torch I played the flame around the outside of the brake. The lead deposits melted out with no damage to the brake.

I used a low flame & worked slowly. It worked for me.:)
 
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