Dishwashing liquid for barrel cleaning

[Steff]

Really out of a folly I have tried scrubbing a barrel with a bronze brush and dishwashing liquid (1 quart liquid, 3 quarts water). This was after having patched it out and leaving it to soak with KG-1 carbon remover and subsequent clean white patches coming out of the muzzle.
The result was an eye opener. The foam took on a dark grey colour during the process. I actually got down to bright bare steel, which I have never achieved with any solvent. I must add that I own a Hawkeye bore scope, which means I am not guessing or believing.
Hard times coming up for the solvents industry .

 

[Waz77]

Make sure you clean well after as most liquids have salt in them

 

[Steff]

Make sure you clean well after as most liquids have salt in them

Absolutely! Also I don't want to spatter bits of foam on my first shot after cleaning .

 

[Barkingsnake]

Really out of a folly I have tried scrubbing a barrel with a bronze brush and dishwashing liquid (1 quart liquid, 3 quarts water). This was after having patched it out and leaving it to soak with KG-1 carbon remover and subsequent clean white patches coming out of the muzzle.
The result was an eye opener. The foam took on a dark grey colour during the process. I actually got down to bright bare steel, which I have never achieved with any solvent. I must add that I own a Hawkeye bore scope, which means I am not guessing or believing.
Hard times coming up for the solvents industry .

What brand? I assume they're not all the same.

 

[Big Bang Theory]

Make sure you clean well after as most liquids have salt in them

I’d say all, not most. Not something I’d like to shove up my barrel....

 

[Steff]

What brand? I assume they're not all the same.

I was using Pril. But I bet that it doesn't matter what brand it is. It is the surfactants that seem to do the work and they are found in each every dishwashing liquid.

 

[Steff]

I’d say all, not most. Not something I’d like to shove up my barrel....

What's wrong with a little salt? It is not supposed to stay in the barrel for much longer than a scrub.
BTW I didn't find any salt on the list of ingredients.

 

[Big Bang Theory]

I’m sure it’s fine as long as it’s all cleaned off. Salt with any moisture at all will wreak havoc on most metals. Sodium chloride is in pretty much any dishwasher liquid that I’ve seen, and washing up liquid.

 

[Steff]

I believe I may have caused a little misunderstanding by my wording as I am not a native English speaker. I didn't mean 'dishwasher' but 'dishwashing' liquid, which you folks obviously refer to as washing up liquid.

 

[Rusty Gate]

Really out of a folly I have tried scrubbing a barrel with a bronze brush and dishwashing liquid (1 quart liquid, 3 quarts water). This was after having patched it out and leaving it to soak with KG-1 carbon remover and subsequent clean white patches coming out of the muzzle.
The result was an eye opener. The foam took on a dark grey colour during the process. I actually got down to bright bare steel, which I have never achieved with any solvent. I must add that I own a Hawkeye bore scope, which means I am not guessing or believing.
Hard times coming up for the solvents industry .

I use M-Pro Copper Cleaner & M- Pro CLX after. All the products so fat I've bought/used have a colour, nothing clear as yet. Any dish cleaner has an additive to break down grease/oil's & will come out emulsified in some sort grey/brownish way whatever it was.
After buying products to clean & coat the surface the last thing I'd recommend is adding any water content. I'd go with Red-X on a brush for carbon if I were to go away from approved products, clean through & re-apply my normal surface protector again. You'd be hard pushed to beat paraffin or diesel left to soak on carbon & scrubbed well.

 

[John Gryphon]

I wont drink it!

Dishwashing liquid - Standard products catalogue IFRC ICRC

 

[paul o']

Just use the correct cleaner's far to easy to obtain and less faffing around imo . Washing up liquid and water ? , I think this has to be up there with vinegar and brown paper for head injury's

 

[Steff]

Good to see that this bringing up some humor.
But seriously, I have not seen a ‚proven‘ solvent that really does the job properly. Unfortunately I cannot take any pictures with my borescope.

 

[paul o']

You could try the old ways wet brick dust and vim then boil it out with backing soda but now have a look at Hoppe's No. 9 Solvent, i'v used KG and many others but have just gone back to yester year and can't thing why I ever used anything other

 

[Barkingsnake]

I believe I may have caused a little misunderstanding by my wording as I am not a native English speaker. I didn't mean 'dishwasher' but 'dishwashing' liquid, which you folks obviously refer to as washing up liquid.

Ah, I see!
We use Fairy Liquid for such purposes.

 

[Steff]

For washing up or for barrel scrubbing?

 

[Mr. Gain]

Have you tried C2R (http://c2rcleaner.com/wp/)?

I used to clean with KG, but C2R does a better job and most of the cleaning takes place while you're doing something else.

 

[Steff]

Have you tried C2R (http://c2rcleaner.com/wp/)?

I used to clean with KG, but C2R does a better job and most of the cleaning takes place while you're doing something else.

Thanks for the hint. I didn't know the CR2. Your link doesn't work though.
But CR2 is a combined cleaner against carbon and copper fouling. This is fine to be used on patches and nylon brushes but it will eat away bronze brushes. I dare say there is NO cleaner in the world that will remove the carbon fouling in barrels all by its own. You will always need a bronze brush. And for this a copper neutral cleaner is required.

Yesterday I tried the washing up liquid on another barrel (.270 Win.), which had always been properly cleaned from new using KG-1 and Robla solo. But it was meanwhile showing more or less heavy carbon fouling in the grooves. So I gave it about 30 strokes with the liquid and a bronze brush and left it to soak for about 20 min.. Then another 30 strokes. After patching it out and inserting the borescope I nearly got a heart attack - Pitting!!! On closer inspection I discovered that it was not the steel that was pitted but the carbon fouling! Another clear indication that I am on the right track with my Fairy Liquid approach. I have never seen any commercial solvent crack open a backed in carbon surface like this.
Anyway, being a lazy son of a gun I did away with the rest of the fouling with JB's bore paste.

 

[Border]

I read this week about a benchrest shooter over here using fairy liquid and salmiakk (ammonia) for barrel cleaning.....

 

[takbok]

I read this week about a benchrest shooter over here using fairy liquid and salmiakk (ammonia) for barrel cleaning.....

The M98 (equivalent to C2R) bore cleaner that I use smells like ammonia.