This comes up from time-to-time. What's the word? Yea or nea? If yea, what do you do post H2O to chase the water off?

Once you clean anyting with soap and water, the next step is typically a fast rinse with warm clean water to remove soap (at this point you start to get "rust", since the ph of the soap was helping to this point).

Following the clean water, I typically mechanically remove water (shake, possible wipe and blow with dry compressed air).

Next step on a complex part is to rinse in a solvent which will mix with water (alcohol works very well, either straight or part of some brake cleaners).  Note trichlor does not mix very well with water nor the reverse.

Next the alcohol is mechanically removed (shake / blow dry).

Next step is to remove the alcohol (which tends to contain some moisture) with another solvent (i.e. mineral spirts / tricholor etc.).

Someplace in these steps may add a low temperature back to remove the last trace of moisture (either a small lab type oven or a space heater blowing over the cleaned items).

Blow dry and then oil all areas with general purpose oil (i.e. Break Free spray which foams up and then can be left to drip dry and possible blow out the excess).

Last step is to put on any heavier lubes at high wear points.

Well at least this is how I did it last weekend.


P.S. For muzzle loaders and other similar items, often the rinse is with warm (not boiling) water and then follow up with a water displacing oil while warm (the rust starts when the fresh water hits and boiling water on mild steel appears to make things worse) ... one of the areas where WD40 appears to work well to chase the water and then in turn is removed by the final oil (for Muzzle Loaders have had great luck with Brownells Rust Preventive #2).

 I do almost the same thing as JT.  I have whittled down my technique to this over the years:

 Wash and clean with a soft brush ( I have already done the bore at this time ).  I use Dawn because it cuts grease out of your way!!!  hee hee.

Rinse with hot, clean water.

Flush the weapon with WD40 and let sit for a few.

Blot up all excess WD and blast clean with compressed or canned air.

Oil as normal

Dawn worked well to clean the diffusion pump for the scanning electron microscope at work (early cleaning was using tricholo and Freon ... which worked well but at $800 a gallon for Freon cleaning agent was getting a little costly .... and very "not green" ;-).

Have one friend who uses WD40 for his primary cleaning solvent (flushes with WD40 and at the end blows dry ... then adds some type of "Gun Oil").

My only concern on using this much WD40 was in complex / close fitting areas (i.e. Remingtion 700 triger pack) that I might not get most of the WD40 out and thus have a chance of a little residue later if one did not blow dry well (like you idea of using "canned" air, would work well at a larger shoot).

On a connected note ... looking for good recommenations on bore solvents for the M16 (lots of dirty uppers fast ;-).  Been playing with MPro 7 for general light cleaning (just picked up a gallon), but mostly Hoppies #9 (have to keep off the aluminum per some recommdations).

For bolt guns or copper removal either Hoppies Bench Rest [b]or[/b] Shooter's Choice (for really bad bolt guns have at times gone to Sweets or Barnes plus JB for the one .264).  



 

What makes Hoppes #9 bad for Aluminum?

At least in the case of Bushmaster, it is best not to get Hoppie's #9 or one assumes any stronger ammonia containing solvents (i.e. Hoppies Bench Rest, Shooters Choice, Sweets etc.) on the aluminum receiver due to the nickel acetate sealant.

[url]
http://www.bushmaster.com/faqs/cleaning-repairfaqs.asp#1[/url]

 Interesting on the sealant....gotta remember that.

 As far as WD hiding in a gun, one could hit it with a blow dryer an heat the action just a bit so that the carrier chemical evaprates...that should do the tric...on AR's and M1A's it shouldn't be an issue.

Replace the WD-40 with G-96 and the gumming issue goes away.

I just cleaned an AK-74 I fired corrosive ammo thru yesterday.

Preserved it with G-96 last night.  Cleaned normally this morning and removed the lower handguard and spritzed it down with windex, scrubbed the muzzle brake with a nylon brush and then poured a pot of boiling hot water into the breach, gas block and the front sight/muzzlebrake.

Shook the water off and wiped it with a dry cloth.

The metal was warm enough to self dry.

Sprayed it again in G-96 and wiped the excesses off.

No need to force the water out if you get it hot enough and use enough of it to heat the steel significantly.

The now hot and dry metal soaks up the G-96 like a sponge.

Will lube and re-assemble tonight.  Have done this several times with total sucess.

When I use water...I throw whatever part I used water on in the oven at 215 degrees until its dry.

Doesnt even hurt the plastic.