Quoted:
I use Fireclean and am watching this with some interest because I, too, am concerned about long term gumming.

My dad was a research scientist and used photospectrometers all day long, with a little bit of mass spectroscopy. ALL those things do is tell you the elemental components of a compound. In the case of the photospectrometers, you dissolved the samples in acid, injected them into a plasma "flame" (about 8000 degrees) bounced the light off a diffraction grating and measured the wavelengths. Each element has a particular signature and the resulting analysis shows you the elemental composition of the compound. This much hydrogen, this much lead, this much arsenic, this much aluminum. Only elements.

They don't do SHIT for distinguishing the molecular arrangements in organic compounds. They can't. If two compounds are made up of carbon and hydrogen they will show up pretty similar. Unless you can determine molecular weight, just knowing that you've got carbon and hydrogen isn't going to tell you the chain length or saturation or any chemical properties.

Let's look at the one obvious difference between Fireclean and Crisco-- Crisco is a hydrogenated fat and solid at room temperature. Fireclean is not.

We don't have to make any statement beyond that to know that Fireclean is not Crisco.

That said, maybe it is just a highly refined, highly purified vegetable oil. Frankly I am very curious myself. I am well aware of how vegetable oils gum in a high heat setting, I see it all the time with cast iron skillets, saute pans and my French cooktop (which is seasoned with heated peanut oil). I don't heat my BCG to 500 degrees, but high temps are certainly present in the chamber, barrel, etc.

The BIG QUESTION is simply this: has Fireclean somehow found a way to prevent gumming and oxidation? Their patent actually seems to claim that this gumming is part of the carbon protection. Yikes....

I'll say this: so far so good. Been using it for about 3 months now and parts do clean up pretty easily and BCGs seem to stay pretty wet through a range session. Jury is still way, way out, though. Time and experience should tell. If I see any sign of gumming I will stop using it. The only way to get the gum of is to use acid and I ain't taking Bar Keeper's Friend to my gun parts.

-Stooxie

Quoted:
I suspect that if you strip the metal parts of all oils like FireClean instructs and used Canola oil in the same manner you'd have similar results. Probably almost any oil for that matter.  
I've used FireClean and Slip 2000 with great results.  My only concern as previously stated is FireClean makes no claims to protect against corrosion and the rancid odor from the old bottle I have makes me concerned it will gum up long term.  

Also, as a consumer it does make me feel rather stupid to pay so much for repackaged Veg oil.  

Quoted:
For me M-Pro 7 LPX does everything Fireclean does for 1/3 the price and works in cold temps which Fireclean did not.
And I don't have to strip the parts with solvent before using it. IMO Fireclean just isn't worth it.

Quoted:
George Fennel knows his stuff.  I have used Weapon Shield with confidence since its debut.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcBu6q61G3M

Quoted:
Yeah I probably would not have mentioned it, I thought this was the GD thread. I know smart guys who dress like idiots and rich guys who wear thread bare suits.

Quoted:
oops. "According to every PhD who looked at the NMR results, FireClean and Canola oil appear to be "effectively” or "nearly” identical."
 

Quoted:


So far, people who have put canola/rapeseed on their weapons report it does NOT work the same as FC. There is a good thread in GD going right now though that should be fun to watch develop!

Quoted:
But seriously. Scientific evidence.

Quoted:
What makes this so golden, and part of why I like Andrew so much, is despite all this, he still says, repeatedly,
that it's a good gun lube and he's used it to good effect.  Just that it's overpriced and the marketing is
distasteful.  Most people would have gone full negative and shot it down as much as they could in every
way, but he seems as far as I can tell to call a spade a spade at every opportunity.  And he pretty
much always has as far as I can tell, for better or worse.  I dig that, it's pretty uncommon.

Quoted:
Labs tell us a great many things that are put to considerable positive use in the real world. Dismissing the utility of science over gun lube is rather foolish.

Quoted:


You say the idea never took off...

...and here you are bashing a product endorsed as the best product on the market by Magpul, KAC, and others, which is a spin off from the "idea that never took off"...



Also, vegetable based oils are being used more and more in industrial applications. Not less and less.

Quoted:
Eight pages on ..................................Oil!