cleaning bore brushes

17 July 2009, 10:14

McFox

If they were in contact with oil, I use warm soap water. If it is just to neutralize a bore solvent, I only rinse them under the tap. I use the ones by Dewey, which come in packs of 12, so it's not raelly an investment and I can afford to replace them rather frequently.

17 July 2009, 15:26

DocEd

I used Brake cleaner and Carb cleaner for years. I now use straight rubbing alcohol.

25 July 2009, 07:38

Don Slater

quote:
Originally posted by poppycarroll:
what is the best way to clean bore brushes?

They are relatively cheap compared to guns and ammo. If they are dirty enough to need cleaning, just throw them out! McFox was almost there!

I'd bet the materials used for cleaning cost more than the new brushes?

11 August 2009, 17:06

Jim C. <><

I keep a largish peanut butter jar of mineral spirits in my loading room for bore brush cleaaing. The large open top makes it easy to swish a brush around in the solvent easily.

Grit/carbon bits from the brush settle to the bottom fairly quickly, leaving the "user" part, the upper level, quite clean if I don't shake it up before using! The jars are free for the washing, the "oderless paint thinner" is cheap by the quart from Walmart.

Mineral spirits evaporates faily rapidly, leaves no residue, largely harmless to skin, low flammability.

11 August 2009, 20:08

swampshooter

Jim C, Thanks for the tip on odorless paint thinner. I can't stand the smell of the others.

12 August 2009, 07:37

Buliwyf

Brake cleaner.

12 August 2009, 13:38

shootaway

The issue is that they wear and become undersized.

12 August 2009, 13:42

McFox

quote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
The issue is that they wear and become undersized.

That's why Dewey sells 'em in packs of 12 at a reasonable price.

14 August 2009, 12:21

homebrewer

quote:
"odorless paint thinner"

Could this stuff be used as a bore cleaner? What might it do to the oil finish on a stock?

15 August 2009, 02:23

shootaway

quote:
Originally posted by McFox:
quote:
Originally posted by shootaway:
The issue is that they wear and become undersized.

That's why Dewey sells 'em in packs of 12 at a reasonable price.

That's how I buy them.I prefer pro-shot.

16 August 2009, 10:25

Alberta Canuck

quote:
Originally posted by craigster:
I just hose 'em with brake cleaner. Or, soak them in laquer thinner or boil them in soapy water.

You're ahead of me, Craig. I've never gotten to the laquer thinner or boiling water. My routine for cleaning my rifles just includes a 2 or 3 second spray of brake cleaner on the brush after the rifle is cleaned. I then take the brush off the rod and roll the brush on an old, throw-away T-shirt rag. That pretty much does the trick.

Most auto parts houses like Shucks, Pep Boys, etc., are always having sales on spray can brake cleaner, so it is often available for less than $2 per can. The time saving is worth that to me. And at that price, it is way cheaper than throwing the brush away the first time it gets dirty. One can will easily do 20-30 brushes...probably more, I never bothered to keep track.

Best wishes...maybe we can work it out to go slay a pickup load of sage rats next Spring.

AC

16 August 2009, 12:40

N E 450 No2

I use Gun Scrubber.

16 August 2009, 21:35

smedley

quote:
Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
quote:
Originally posted by craigster:
I just hose 'em with brake cleaner. Or, soak them in laquer thinner or boil them in soapy water.

You're ahead of me, Craig. I've never gotten to the laquer thinner or boiling water. My routine for cleaning my rifles just includes a 2 or 3 second spray of brake cleaner on the brush after the rifle is cleaned. I then take the brush off the rod and roll the brush on an old, throw-away T-shirt rag. That pretty much does the trick.

Most auto parts houses like Shucks, Pep Boys, etc., are always having sales on spray can brake cleaner, so it is often available for less than $2 per can. The time saving is worth that to me. And at that price, it is way cheaper than throwing the brush away the first time it gets dirty. One can will easily do 20-30 brushes...probably more, I never bothered to keep track.

Best wishes...maybe we can work it out to go slay a pickup load of sage rats next Spring.

AC

+1

I like the Brake and Electric motor cleaner better than Carb...cleans better and dries faster...Could never drag a dirty brush through a patched bore....

Once they get small from wear, they get tossed into the next size down bin...might be a little tight but they will go through!!!

______________________

Smedley

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16 August 2009, 22:31

Palmer

I use a jar of Eds Red.

ALLEN W. JOHNSON - DRSS

Into my heart on air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

A. E. Housman

27 August 2009, 22:15

Boss Hoss

Very short blast of Brake Cleaner is all it takes--been doing it for years.

05 December 2009, 22:18

butchlambert

Tell me a good reason for cleaning them.
Butch

06 December 2009, 04:33

ted thorn

quote:
Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
I keep a largish peanut butter jar of mineral spirits in my loading room for bore brush cleaaing. The large open top makes it easy to swish a brush around in the solvent easily.

Grit/carbon bits from the brush settle to the bottom fairly quickly, leaving the "user" part, the upper level, quite clean if I don't shake it up before using! The jars are free for the washing, the "oderless paint thinner" is cheap by the quart from Walmart.

Mineral spirits evaporates faily rapidly, leaves no residue, largely harmless to skin, low flammability.

The jar idea is a good one. A good reason for cleaning them? I clean about 100 times a year and wont buy that many brushes. I use them until they are wore out then they become the next size down.

06 December 2009, 05:36

butchlambert

Ted being a BR shooter we normally clean after each target. That means 25 or 30 times a weekend. That includes practice. The nasty is in the brush and not on the tips. What does that do with anything?
Butch

06 December 2009, 05:44

ted thorn

I suppose I'm just to cheap to throw them away.....and I'm O.K. with that. I tend to use most everything past it's lifespan before throwing anything away. Thats just me.

06 December 2009, 19:09

butchlambert

You can tell by feel as to when they are gone. A brush will last a weekend of competition. I buy them a couple dozen at a time.
Butch

06 December 2009, 19:19

Bobster

I keep a spray bottle of mineral spirits handy and blast out the crud/solvent after brushing. I have guns from 6.5-8mm, so as the brushes wear I move them to a smaller bore.

06 December 2009, 20:25

Boss Hoss

quote:
Originally posted by butchlambert:
You can tell by feel as to when they are gone. A brush will last a weekend of competition. I buy them a couple dozen at a time.
Butch

Butch--short blast of brake cleaner will make them last a lot longer but the cost of brake cleaner vs new brush is a toss up.

06 December 2009, 20:40

butchlambert

When I started BR shooting many years ago a veteran shooter asked me what in the hell I was doing as I cleaned my brush with Brake clean.
He said if I had a brush for a hunting rifle and used it a couple times a year, clean it with BK as the solvent will eat the brush over a period of time. In a BR match of at most a weekend a new brush is gone anyway.A National event of a week will take at least a couple.
Butch

02 January 2010, 00:20

Fish30114

Brake cleaners and Carb cleaners have nasty stuff in them--KNOWN carcinigens (sp?) I change brushes regularly, but I do blast em clean with the citrus based guns scrubber, I think it does great, it's in an aerosol can, and it's safe for humans!

05 February 2010, 00:02

ar corey

quote:
Originally posted by Fish30114:
Brake cleaners and Carb cleaners have nasty stuff in them--KNOWN carcinigens (sp?) I change brushes regularly, but I do blast em clean with the citrus based guns scrubber, I think it does great, it's in an aerosol can, and it's safe for humans!

I can guarantee you if it dissolves oil, rust, crud etc. it is not safe.

Might be safer yet not inert.

Because chemicals or metals are not red flagged by Proposition 65 does not mean they do not have an MSDS. If you check MSDS info. you will find extremely toxic compounds in most every cleaner.

There is also much corruption and taking chemicals to labs. and having advanced testing done will reveal toxic chemicals.

About the only true, non-toxic cleaners are plain acetic acid(vinegar) and old fashioned Borax. Odourless cleaners are better than vapour cleaners.

Just make sure to having lots of nitrile gloves around. Cleaning guns, mechanic work, etc. should always be done with nitrile gloves. Buy them XL and they can be worn for hours if needed.