majormarine
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
i have this thick layer of stubborn baked-on carbon in the gas chamber of my gun, how do you clean it off? i try to use hoppes 9 but it doesn't seem to be effective...sigh...
how do you clean off stubborn baked-on carbon?
- Thread starter majormarine
- Start date
Try the Canadian Tire non-chlorinated brake cleaner. It's less hazardous to your health, but remember to use adequate ventilation, if you enjoy having a liver.
The problem with a lot of spray cleaners is the volatility is so high, they evaporate before they can penetrate into the carbon. I have a metal can with a mix of miscellaneous solvents (it's basically my waste solvent can). I sometimes end up letting parts soak in this for a couple of days, just to soften up the carbon. Try removing 50-years of carbon from the inside of an M1 Carbine operating slide... I usually end up having to scrape it out, even after soaking.
Good luck.
The problem with a lot of spray cleaners is the volatility is so high, they evaporate before they can penetrate into the carbon. I have a metal can with a mix of miscellaneous solvents (it's basically my waste solvent can). I sometimes end up letting parts soak in this for a couple of days, just to soften up the carbon. Try removing 50-years of carbon from the inside of an M1 Carbine operating slide... I usually end up having to scrape it out, even after soaking.
Good luck.
I no longer get caked-on carbon. I use BreakFree CLP where it would normally accumulate. Put it on now, put the gun away for a day, and then just wipe the carbon off. When you shoot, leave the area a little 'wet' with it. Miracle product.
I use brake cleaner for tough jobs, too, but be careful about overspray, it can wreck a wood finish really fast, some brands will even soften plastic.
Ed's Red contains these ingredients, as well as some others. I use it for cleaning everything, and it's terrific for clearing out carbon. because it's inexpensive to make, I sometimes submerge some parts in it for a while to let it do its magic.
You can actually buy these at Princess Auto in a couple of different flavours. Guys working with hydraulics use them for pulling out o-rings. About $5 for a pack of 4 different styles, IIRC. Not the greatest quality steel, but they'll do.
I go through a fair number since I need to have them on hand to give out to our guys on remote sites for use when replacing fiddly little o-rings in breathing air lines. Last time I was in, Princess also had a better quality version available with a longer shaft and a knurled anodized aluminum handle for better grip and leverage.
+1 on the Break-Free CLP. I used it a lot in the CF, and I use it as a cleaner with my own guns. When used in combination with a (relatively) soft metal bristled brush, it works wonders. Especially if you give it a bit of time to soak into and soften the carbon.
If you really want to get something super clean:
1. Clean it with CLP and regular brushes/picks/tools.
2. Give it a really good soaking with CLP and let it sit for a week.
3. Clean it again. You'll find that any leftover carbon is now super-soft and comes off pretty easily.
4. Use the brake/carb cleaner...just don't forget to do so in a well ventilated area. This will remove any last vestiges of carbon lurking dissolved in the CLP film on the metal.
5. Don't forget to protect it with some good quality gun oil (or just CLP) after degreasing with that brake/carb cleaner. After degreasing, your gun doesn't have much protection from moisture. What's the point of cleaning it if you leave it vulnerable to corrosion?
Yeah...that method is a lot of work. Far more than most people want or need to invest. The only real reason to want your gun to be that clean is because you WANT your gun to be that clean. I guess the urge to get every last speck of carbon off of certain parts of an AR can be difficult to get rid of once it's been implanted
The best stuff that I have ever seen for removing carbon from anything is Carbon Killer from SLIP2000. I use it on revolver cylinders, BP rifle barrels and anything else that gets baked on carbon. Plus, it has a fresh citrus scent and will not corrode your liver or lungs.
majormarine
CGN Regular
- Location
- Lower Mainland, BC
does brake cleaner harm the bluing of a gun, or the metal?
Nope, just leaves it completely oil & grease free, though. Re-oil for protection as soon as you're done whatever you're doing. Doesn't harm metal or bluing, but can damage some wood finishes and plastic parts.
BTW, I don't find the brake cleaner to be particularly good at removing carbon. It's real strength is as a degreaser, which is what it's intended to do as a brake cleaner.
The problem with carbon is that it doesn't dissolve at room temperature (it dissolves at molten steel temperatures) and NO SOLVENT WILL DISSOLVE CARBON. The solvents that you are using are trying to dissolve small amounts of oils/tars that are holding the carbon together and also softening the deposits. In short, they don't work worth a damn. (as we all know)
All of the "carbon" removers that involve oils or solvents, just soak into the carbon and eventually soften it for mechanical removal.
The best thing you can use is a chelating agent and surfactant type of cleaner. This gets "between" the carbon and the surface it is clinging to and loosens its grip. The surfactant disperses greases and oils, a soap.
So what is this miracle cleaner? MPro-7 is one.
It is going to take some soaking for it to get "under/through" the thick deposits, but it will work.
After you get it clean, then coat the surface with a drying type of film, or oil/grease, so that when the carbon builds up again, it is easy to remove because you will be removing the film that the carbon is stuck to.
Most of the carb cleaners, flammable brake cleaners, are just various solvents, such as toluene and xylene, (Lacquer Thinner). Non-flammable brake cleaner is a chlorinated solvent, again good for degreasing but not for removing carbon.
The "citrus" type cleaners do have chelating and surfactant properties, so they will work. Many of the newer "non-toxic" and biodegradable cleaners also have some chelating properties.
Best way to clean carbon is to mechanically remove it and after that, put a layer of something on the metal so future deposits won't stick.
All of the "carbon" removers that involve oils or solvents, just soak into the carbon and eventually soften it for mechanical removal.
The best thing you can use is a chelating agent and surfactant type of cleaner. This gets "between" the carbon and the surface it is clinging to and loosens its grip. The surfactant disperses greases and oils, a soap.
So what is this miracle cleaner? MPro-7 is one.
It is going to take some soaking for it to get "under/through" the thick deposits, but it will work.
After you get it clean, then coat the surface with a drying type of film, or oil/grease, so that when the carbon builds up again, it is easy to remove because you will be removing the film that the carbon is stuck to.
Most of the carb cleaners, flammable brake cleaners, are just various solvents, such as toluene and xylene, (Lacquer Thinner). Non-flammable brake cleaner is a chlorinated solvent, again good for degreasing but not for removing carbon.
The "citrus" type cleaners do have chelating and surfactant properties, so they will work. Many of the newer "non-toxic" and biodegradable cleaners also have some chelating properties.
Best way to clean carbon is to mechanically remove it and after that, put a layer of something on the metal so future deposits won't stick.
Last edited:
