CLR
- Thread starter Barlow
- Start date
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
Of course the home made mixture with Bon Ami is more aggressive. You have a mild abrasive in the mix...powdered feldspar. I think that the whole point with the CLR is to come up with a method that does not involve the use of an abrasive. My friend was quite impressed with his results, I might also mention that his method of application differed significantly from most of those that I read. He dipped a tight fitting bore mop in straight CLR and ran it up and down the length of the bore 20 or more times. Then he brushed with a bronze brush perhaps a half dozen or more cycles. He repeated this sequence a total of three times in just a few minutes, with no waiting period. A barrel that showed significant carbon in the throat after a conventional solvent, patches, bronze brush cleaning, did not have any black in it after that treatment. The whole thing took less than five minutes. If he had wanted to he could have simply loaded a nylon brush with IOSSO and achieved the same goal, but he wanted to see if a liquid could do the job that would have normally required JB or IOSSO. It did.
So is saliva.
Aicid is used to passivate satinless surfaces.
I’d be more worried about alkaline chemicals like amonia, i.e Sweets, than a mild acid.
That said, I found CLR to be marginal as a carbon remover
dc.fireman
Sling & Irons!
I have an 1899 Swedish Mauser, which was rebarreled as a CG-63 sometime in the late '50's/early '60s. It was tough to get it to shoot very well using many of the pet loads recommended here. I had used C4, Shooter's Choice, Gunslick Foaming Bore Cleaner, and Sweet's 7.62. I used IOSSO, and JB Bore Cleaner, getting it to where I thought it was fairly clean. I still had some difficulty getting it to shoot consistently.
I read about the CLR trick here about a week ago, and thought 'what the heck - I'll give it a try'. I used one patch, dampened with store bought CLR (in the silver jug), undiluted.
The first patch pushed a black 'tar ball' out the end of the barrel. The second patch went through, but with moderate difficulty. The third patch began pushing a black foamy mess out, and after finally getting to a tan colored foam, I switched over to water, and then dried it out with successive patches.
Once all was finally done, I used a few strokes with Shooter's Choice, and put it up for the night. I went back and tried a few of the older loads, and it shoots well enough in prone now that I won't hesitate to use it as a silhouette rifle.
I don't know what it's removing - but CLR is definitely cleaning SOMETHING that was left behind out of the barrel. YMMV
-tc
I read about the CLR trick here about a week ago, and thought 'what the heck - I'll give it a try'. I used one patch, dampened with store bought CLR (in the silver jug), undiluted.
The first patch pushed a black 'tar ball' out the end of the barrel. The second patch went through, but with moderate difficulty. The third patch began pushing a black foamy mess out, and after finally getting to a tan colored foam, I switched over to water, and then dried it out with successive patches.
Once all was finally done, I used a few strokes with Shooter's Choice, and put it up for the night. I went back and tried a few of the older loads, and it shoots well enough in prone now that I won't hesitate to use it as a silhouette rifle.
I don't know what it's removing - but CLR is definitely cleaning SOMETHING that was left behind out of the barrel. YMMV
-tc
Medic505
Gold $$ Contributor
I tried CLR this weekend and found it to work extremely well. It only took three patches that came out extremely black and a couple more that were more or less clean. After that I did my usual cleaning routine. It only took a few more patches and a little scrubbing with a bronze brush to remove what carbon I could see with my Hawkeye. I also witnessed it used on a barrel that would have been Issoed. The CLR took longer opposed to scrubbing with an abrasive and getting it over with. Best product I've used to get rid of the carbon ring. I also think what copper fouling I had came out faster using Bore Tech C-4 after the CLR. Dos XX called it "Carbon and Land Remover"..... I guess we'll see how that works out!
I put it through my barrel , I give my barrel a good cleaning after every trip . I felt the same way , what the heck I'll give it a try . What I thought was clean wasn't . The CLR removed more carbon the patch looked like the first patch after shooting . I was shocked . Will see Sunday " Range Day " how it shoots .
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I don't use a brush only the Parker hale jag , the cleaning patch wraps around the jag , gives alot of cleaning area . I shoot 30 rounds every range trip barrel doesn't heat up , I take time between shots . I give the barrel a good cleaning every range trip until patches come out clean . IveI been trying Ballistol , followed up with Hoppes#9 and dry it out . I think I will try Ballistol at the range to give a quick clean , clean the Ballistol out with #9 dry patch CLR dry patch followed with Wipe out - Patch out to finish.
divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
Don't know if it eats the metal proper, but took the anodizing off an AR gas block in an overnight soak.
If you would have put the block and mix in a sonic cleaner with some heat, it would have only took 45 min to accomplish the same feat. I deep sixed a sig mpx barrel and gas piston in my small sonic with 50-50 clr, it was adonized and most of it is gone, the piston itself is in the white now.
On this barrel accuracy not a concern, I'd have a tough time introducing something into a barrel that could induce rust into my rifle.
dmoran
Donovan Moran
Glad to read all the replies and input (interesting topic) ..... But have to say, and not meaning to piss anyone off:: but anyone who is not using a bore-scope does not know what is truly going on when cleaning a barrel, or what the different "cleaners" are effectively lifting and/or not lifting.
What a bore-scope does very effectively for cleaning, is tells the truth of what layers of fouling cleaners are and aren't effective at lifting, and what process' and procedures are the most effective. They show what portions of the barrel need more attention/cleaning and what portions do not, greatly improving the time spent in a barrel, and the efficiency of an entire cleaning process.
As to cost of a bore scope, I'm of the opinion the only thing expensive about a bore-scope is not having one. In gained barrel life and subsequent accuracy, they can pay for themselves in 1 barrel.
My 2-Cents
What a bore-scope does very effectively for cleaning, is tells the truth of what layers of fouling cleaners are and aren't effective at lifting, and what process' and procedures are the most effective. They show what portions of the barrel need more attention/cleaning and what portions do not, greatly improving the time spent in a barrel, and the efficiency of an entire cleaning process.
As to cost of a bore scope, I'm of the opinion the only thing expensive about a bore-scope is not having one. In gained barrel life and subsequent accuracy, they can pay for themselves in 1 barrel.
My 2-Cents
I guess Bon Ami is a very mild abrasive, milder than JB Bore Paste, I believe. however, wouldn't using a bronze brush with acid cleaner like CLR be considered abrasive as well?
I don't use the Bon Ami solution every cleaning. i use either Wipeout or Mercury Quicksilver Power Tune and the Sweets for any copper. once every 500 or 600 rds i will use the JB Bore paste if the borescope says so. I let the Lyman Borescope tell me what seems to be working.
BoydAllen
Gold $$ Contributor
I don't think that any solvent, or liquid cleaning product that has no particulate content would ever be considered an abrasive, brush or not.
PDS
Gold $$ Contributor
According to CLR's Material Safety Data Sheet the nasty ingredients in it are lactic acid and lauramine oxide which is a surfacant(detergent).
The MSDS says it is incompatible with metals except for stainless steel. It wouldn't be the first time somebody found a new use for a cleaning product.
The MSDS says it is incompatible with metals except for stainless steel. It wouldn't be the first time somebody found a new use for a cleaning product.
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
I am in CLR today have just the barrel.
Thanks,
Don
Thanks,
Don
I called CLR the lady that I spoke with advised that CLR will remove carbon and can be used on 414SS but may remove bluing.
She advised to not to let it set for more then 3 min on SS that had a protective coating kitchen or bath appliances .
The part I didn't like was "rinse off with cold water" I then ran four patches with CLR then four patches dry and the I used a water based cleaner Slip 2000 and it worked good checked my barrel with a bore scope and I was surprised how much carbon it removed with just four patches.
She advised to not to let it set for more then 3 min on SS that had a protective coating kitchen or bath appliances .
The part I didn't like was "rinse off with cold water" I then ran four patches with CLR then four patches dry and the I used a water based cleaner Slip 2000 and it worked good checked my barrel with a bore scope and I was surprised how much carbon it removed with just four patches.
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