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Posted: 5/4/2008 3:06:59 AM EDT
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Folks, I learned here that Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner works as good as Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber. So I substituted a $12.00 16oz aerosol Gunscrubber can for a $2.00 14oz aerosol brake cleaner can and have saved a lot of cash in the last 2 years. Also learned here that I can lube my guns with Mobil 1 Synthetic Motor Oil. In fact Mobil 1 worked better than BreakFree CLP and just as good as LP. Then again, substituted a $15.00 CLP 16oz bottle for a $7 quart of Mobil 1. Now, my question is what automotive product I can use to substitute this:  Does anyone here know what components are used in Hoppes No. 9? The label states that it contains kerosene. What gives Hoppes No. 9 its peculiar smell? I will be tempted to substitute Hoppes No. 9 if I can find an inexpensive substitute, but damn, I'll miss that smell  |
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I wondered about the GM cleaner, too. It's designed to clean out the EGR ports in your heads and intake manifold. It foams and desolves the carbon build up. I know it works better than reg. carb. cleaner - first hand. Anyway, the can I bought about 6 months ago was $12 so I don't know if it's cheaper than the store bought gun stuff or not. |
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Kerosene and chemically pure ethanol (no water) are the primary components of Hoppes Nitro Solvent. Little bit of ammonia as a "copper solvent"/reagent. Don't believe me?  Here is the MSDS if you need proof:www.copquest.com/knowledgebase/MSDS_Hoppes_No_9_Solvent.pdf Straight kerosene will do most of what Hoppes does without missing much. The rest is accomplished through mechanical action. (scrubbing with your bore brush) I use pure kerosene to clean my guns since it does just as good a job as the bottled commercial stuff. Leaves a "light oily" film behind without the concern of potential corrosion being caused by the ammonia component residue that may remain behind. Oh yeah, It ain't "automotive" either...  TK
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What?  There are purpose made gun cleaners that work better ( although I've not found them to be worth the added expense too often ), but there is not a significant difference in toxicity between them and Ed's Red.
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Sure there is. Look up Slip 2000 and M-Pro 7 products. These are some of the very best gun cleaners to be had and are fully non-toxic unlike Ed's Red. |
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Gents, Thanks for the replies, specially TK for the Hoppes MSDS. I'll try the straight kerosene first to see how it disolves carbon deposits. Then probably I'll mix it with ethanol, acetone, etc... just want to experiment a bit to see if I can end up with something similar to H9. And for sure I'll give the banana oil a try  Bump for more ideas/comments. PS. A pic of my new oilers. I got'em at Brownells. 
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TacDoc, S'pose if you wanted to go truly "automotive" you could use straight diesel fuel. I suspect that as a "field expiedient" it would be just as effective as Kerosene (or Hoppes) and would also leave behind a light oil film that would serve to protect the surface after it was cleaned. TK |
Try some Odorless Mineral Spirits, mix in some BF CLP to your liking. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=7&t=358886 |
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For the NFA items (they tend to get very dirty, very often ;-). We have been using a couple types of mineral spirits (either low odor with a flash point of 105F or a 140F+ version that is sold as safer parts washing fluid ... not water based). In the past I have used 8% AFT to help clean, however, for the last several years have instead been pre-cleaning the worst spots (bolt and chamber) with either Hopplies, MPro-7 or even Break Free CLP. This year have to try the Break Free in mineral spirits. |
Diesel is Kerosene without the extra refinement, so it would leave a film behind. Just don't get yer gun too hot, it might diesel on. |
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