Removal of "residue" from the muzzle break

[Les]

I recently acquired S&W Model 41 with .22 short conversion. S&W .22 Short muzzle break has a lot of hard powder/lube deposits. Aluminum (?) muzzle break has a nice black finish on it. It is nice, shiny and does not look like anodizing. I am afraid to use solvents. S&W Customer Service recommended soapy water. I have muzzle break soaking in the soapy water for the last 2 days but it does not seem to work. Any ideas please?
Les

[Steve Swartz]

I think some members of the army team used hydrogen peroxide and ??

Alternately, you can scrub your muzzle brake with toothbrushes/pipe cleaners and hoppes . . .

"Elbow Grease" seems to be the most common muzzle brake futz remover that I've seen.

Are the muzzle brakes removable without disturbing front sight, or are the brakes for the model 41 "integral?"

Your approach may differ based on whether or not you can easily remove/clean/reoplace the brake without mesing with zero.

Steve

[eugenegazda]

The unburnt powder and lead residue does not adhere strongly to the aluminum muzzel brake. I always just used a small screwdriver or scratch awl and the stuff just popped off.
Gene

[Les]

Thank you for your advice. Muzzle brake is not part of the barrel and it has beed designed in such a way that it can be easily removed. "Residue" came with the pistol. It looks like it has been deposited quite some time ago. It is very hard and can not be removed using "soft" tools. I tryed. Since this part is no longer available from S&W I am afraid to damege it.
Thanks again.
Les

[Richard H]

Another thinh to try is VIM the bathroom cleaner, used it for years to remove stuburn oil stains from aluminum engine parts. I would try it sparingly to see if it works and ensure that it doesn't damage the finish.

[Bill A]

I have an old 41 with this muzzle brake. Keeping it clean is an uphill battle. I simply took mine off. Muzzle brakes tend to spread groups anyway.

Bill

[deleted1]

Get a piece of steel and cut it to size to fit into the bottom and sides of the brake---then scrub with that---you can soak that until the sun turns Lime green and you are not going to remove squat. That is what used to be supplied with the old Hi-Standard fluted barrel Trophy to clean the brake.

[Bruce Martindale]

Surprise; It's plasma sprayed lead. I get it off extended sights etc by playing a low flame from a propane torch on the surface for about 5 sec then it peels off with a razor blade. For a brake you have to hold a shallow angle so you dont dig into the aluminum. Most people take them off. good lick

[Les]

I have no intention of using the muzzle brake. All I am trying to do is remove the residue without any damages. Here is what worked so far. Several applications of Kano Kroil "The Oil That Creeps" softened some of the residue to the point that I was able to remove it with a plastic pick. What was left, looks like lead. Will try the flame trick next.
Small pieces of this stuff when soaked in a mixture of vinegar and peroxide would desolve but I am concern that this might damage the finish.
Thanks again.
Les

[pgfaini]

Anybody tried Pam, the no stick frying spray? I've used it for years as a splatter shield when MIG welding. It not only keeps the torch nozzle clean, but also the surrounding areas. I've not got a muzzle brake to try it on, but if the lead being deposited is truly "plasma sprayed" (as in plasma cutter), Pam might work. Worth a try, I'd recommend the garlic flavor with Italian guns!:>)
Paul

P.S. Of course, this is recommended as a preventative measure. I doubt that it will do anything to loosen or remove lead already deposited.

[Lonnie]

Not recommended due to extreme poison potential, but lab grade mercury will remove all lead as long as it is degreased first.

In Texas you have to sign all kinds of forms and one pound of mercury is not cheap.

Steps:
1. Thoroughly degrease the comp.
2. Wear every protective item possible.
3. Use a plastic tub lined with a plastic trash can liner.
4. Layer the lined tub with sheets of newspaper- no shiny sheets.
5. Get a platic or styrofoam cup large enough, strong enough to hold the comp and about half the pound of mercury.
6. Put the comp in the cup and immerse with mercury.
7. Wait 48 hours.
8. Dump the comp and mercury onto the sheets of newspaper.
9. Using a bronze or stiff plastic brush, brush off all the old lead. It will appear like ground pencil lead graphite. It will sit atop the liquid mecury.
10. Wipe with paper towel. It will be completely devoid of lead.
11. Slowly pull each sheet of newspaper from the top working down. The graphite-looking lead will cling to it.
12. Carefully wrap the exposed newspaper sheets inward.
13. Continue the cleaning process for your mercury with the sheets of newspaper.
14. Return the mercury to its original container.
15. Place all mercury-exposed material inside the plastic trash can liner and seal. It must be disposed of back at the scientific supply where you purchased the mercury. DO NOT PLACE IN YOUR REGULAR TRASH.

[Slo cat]

Hydrogen peroxide and household vinegar, 50-50 mixture, will act on lead. One can see small bubbles rising. Thick leading is loosened and light leading is dissolved. The loosened thicker leading can be pried off with a small screwdiver or similar implement. Do not leave steel in this mixture overnight as it will remove blueing and attack the steel. 20-30 minutes immersion is OK. I have cleaned aluminum comps with this too, but I don't know if overnight immersion will damage aluminum. I once left a Marvel steel compensator over night in this mixture, and it was ruined.

Best Regards,
Slo cat

[Nicole Hamilton]

Try J-B Bore Paste. Great stuff. Don't overdo it, as it a lapping compound, but my experience is that it makes short work of most hard deposits. If you can get a patch in there with some of the paste worked into it, e.g., in a barrel or on a ramp, that's the way to go. But if you can't get in there with a patch, try a bit of it on a soft nylon brush. Afterward, clean with something like CLP to remove any residue.

[Asa Yam]

From a materials standpoint:

DO NOT USE MERCURY!!! Aside from its toxic effects ("mad as a hatter" comes from the neurological effects of mercury and mercury salts on hatmakers - who used these compounds to cure fur hats), mercury seeps between grains of aluminum, causing liquid metal embrittlement (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_metal_embrittlement for a brief overview). When a load is applied (i.e., firing the pistol), the part fails due to the reduction in ductility.

Other chemical means of removing lead may be safe. Avoid hydroxide solutions, as prolonged exposure will dissolve aluminum. With the exception of hydrofluoric acid (which is really nasty and dangerous stuff), most acids don't attack aluminum. (Sulfuric acid is used as part of the anodizing process.) Vinegar is actually acetic acid.

One way of speeding up a chemical reaction is to heat it. Another is to drive a current through it. The latter is how electrochemical cleaning systems such as Outer's "Foul Out" work. From experience, Foul Out units are very efficient at removing lead deposits from inside of barrels.

For more info on homemade bore cleaners/lead & copper removal/other stuff, see http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm . (They discuss building a Foul-Out type device, and vinegar/hydrogen peroxide solutions for lead removal on that page.)