dellet
Gold $$ Contributor
Big debate over whether Flitz bore cleaner can damage a barrel, as always the answer, is it depends.
Used as directed, probably not, but who reads instructions or labels. The directions are basically wet a bronze brush and push it through the bore. It does not say scrub, it does not say use it on a patch and scrub like crazy. This might be a clue to potential problems.
Other indicators on the label include things like safe for hot bluing, but not recommended for use on cold. Non-flammable, non abrasive. These are qualifying statements. To understand how these statements that are largely false are allowed, you need to look at the ingredients and government standards for labeling and transportation. These are found in required documents that are sometimes hard to find, luckily Flitz puts links on their sales website, they are included below.
Look at the easiest, the MSDS sheet lists the requirements for safe handling. What kind of labeling might be required to ship. Under the heading of Flammable, it’s listed as class 4. That means it has a flash point of 140-190* F. About the same low grade diesel, lubricants, motor oil, solvents. It Won’t spontaneously combust in the cleaning room, but you probably don’t want to set it too close to the fire cleaning your rifle in deer camp, or spill it on a hot wood stove. Most cooking oils flash above 400.
The ingredients sometimes are tougher, again Flitz makes it easy. The two main ingredients are aluminum oxide and limonene. Hard crystals and citric acid. The aluminum oxide is clearly abrasive, it just depends on the grit and pressure as to how much material it removes. Back to the directions on the label. Shake well before use. The abrasive mix is user controlled. Don’t shake it properly and the first half the bottle has less grit than the last half, or let the citric acid and water evaporate and you move closer to a paste than the liquid it was designed to be.
Citric acid for cleaning is just as controversial as aluminum oxide. It can be water or oil based. Water based citric acid has a reputation for pitting metal if not removed thoroughly after use. So clearly you don’t want that sitting in your bore for any length of time. So is Flitz oil or water based, that one is clearly on the label. It’s water based. Make sure you clean up after using the cleaner.
How big of a problem is this?
The USFS wrote an article on the damage done to chainsaws that were sprayed down with water based citric acid cleaners. Issued specific instructions about cleaning all metal parts after use and to never use it on a hot saw. Apparently saws stored after cleaning were severely damaged and a couple of fires prompted a written policy change.
Use as directed.
On a bore brush there is very little surface contact and low pressure. A soaked patch will have a huge area of contact and high pressure. Not hard to imagine which has the greater potential for removing metal. Here the safe for hot bluing vs cold should raise an eyebrow. In short one is a deep treatment, the other a surface treatment. Both a form of oxidation. One of the things citric acid is great at is removing oxidation. To remove it, you strip it to bare metal, by chemical, or manually by use of abrasive material. Flitz has both. Considering that they had to include do not use on cold bluing on the label, my guess it’s pretty good at it. How deep cold bluing goes into the outside of the barrel and can removed, might be an indicator of how much metal it can remove on the inside. Even if it’s only half as much, it’s too much.
Bottom line is you can’t trust labels to be factually true, only true to a certain definition. Flitz bore cleaner fall into the category of try it for yourself. How you use it will determine if it’s the greatest thing in the world or the devil in a bottle. Both can be true.
www.flitz.com
Used as directed, probably not, but who reads instructions or labels. The directions are basically wet a bronze brush and push it through the bore. It does not say scrub, it does not say use it on a patch and scrub like crazy. This might be a clue to potential problems.
Other indicators on the label include things like safe for hot bluing, but not recommended for use on cold. Non-flammable, non abrasive. These are qualifying statements. To understand how these statements that are largely false are allowed, you need to look at the ingredients and government standards for labeling and transportation. These are found in required documents that are sometimes hard to find, luckily Flitz puts links on their sales website, they are included below.
Look at the easiest, the MSDS sheet lists the requirements for safe handling. What kind of labeling might be required to ship. Under the heading of Flammable, it’s listed as class 4. That means it has a flash point of 140-190* F. About the same low grade diesel, lubricants, motor oil, solvents. It Won’t spontaneously combust in the cleaning room, but you probably don’t want to set it too close to the fire cleaning your rifle in deer camp, or spill it on a hot wood stove. Most cooking oils flash above 400.
The ingredients sometimes are tougher, again Flitz makes it easy. The two main ingredients are aluminum oxide and limonene. Hard crystals and citric acid. The aluminum oxide is clearly abrasive, it just depends on the grit and pressure as to how much material it removes. Back to the directions on the label. Shake well before use. The abrasive mix is user controlled. Don’t shake it properly and the first half the bottle has less grit than the last half, or let the citric acid and water evaporate and you move closer to a paste than the liquid it was designed to be.
Citric acid for cleaning is just as controversial as aluminum oxide. It can be water or oil based. Water based citric acid has a reputation for pitting metal if not removed thoroughly after use. So clearly you don’t want that sitting in your bore for any length of time. So is Flitz oil or water based, that one is clearly on the label. It’s water based. Make sure you clean up after using the cleaner.
How big of a problem is this?
The USFS wrote an article on the damage done to chainsaws that were sprayed down with water based citric acid cleaners. Issued specific instructions about cleaning all metal parts after use and to never use it on a hot saw. Apparently saws stored after cleaning were severely damaged and a couple of fires prompted a written policy change.
Use as directed.
On a bore brush there is very little surface contact and low pressure. A soaked patch will have a huge area of contact and high pressure. Not hard to imagine which has the greater potential for removing metal. Here the safe for hot bluing vs cold should raise an eyebrow. In short one is a deep treatment, the other a surface treatment. Both a form of oxidation. One of the things citric acid is great at is removing oxidation. To remove it, you strip it to bare metal, by chemical, or manually by use of abrasive material. Flitz has both. Considering that they had to include do not use on cold bluing on the label, my guess it’s pretty good at it. How deep cold bluing goes into the outside of the barrel and can removed, might be an indicator of how much metal it can remove on the inside. Even if it’s only half as much, it’s too much.
Bottom line is you can’t trust labels to be factually true, only true to a certain definition. Flitz bore cleaner fall into the category of try it for yourself. How you use it will determine if it’s the greatest thing in the world or the devil in a bottle. Both can be true.
Gun Bore Cleaner
Flitz Bore Cleaner safely removes carbon, copper, and lead buildup. Gentle on factory gun bluing while effectively cleaning barrels for optimal performance.
