Cleaning mix?

[Richard Dittman]

Last year when I was shooting at Friendship, a fellow shooter told me to try a product called “Awsome”. I bought a couple quarts of it at the Dollar Tree for a dollar each. I use it full strength and it does a great job.

 

[FishDFly]

That has been mentioned here in the past and it seems to get very favorable reviews from those who use it.

One of the cleaners that is seldom mentioned is Black Solve which is used by some of the top shooters at Friendship and other places. Use mix 4 oz. to 28 oz. of water to get a quart of cleaning solution. It is a product of Dixie Gun Works. It works very well. It has a following with line shooters.

Those who are wipers put it in a spray bottle and use it for cleaning between shots.

 

[Eutycus]

Last year when I was shooting at Friendship, a fellow shooter told me to try a product called “Awsome”. I bought a couple quarts of it at the Dollar Tree for a dollar each. I use it full strength and it does a great job.

I heard about Awesome on a forum, I dont recall which. It's a swell grease cutter and has a thousand uses. Good stuff!

 

[nkbj]

There's something in the kitchen, the garage or the bathroom that beats the 2 to 1 mix of hydrogen and oxygen but I'm still looking for it. I know it's there and when I find it I'll give a yell.

All kidding aside, I've found that changing water sources (like from southeast Texas to Indiana) changed the rust color after cleaning. If your water chemistry promotes orange bore I reckon it does and you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[smoothshooter]

Hi, I have been a BP flint locker for close to fifty years now and was shooting last weekend. Another gentlemen was also enjoying the day and we got to talking. He said that if I wanted a really easy way to clean my gun I should use a product called Simple Green. He uses it on his patches too. Says clean up is a breeze with it. Dilutes it fifty-fifty with water. Has anyone else used this stuff and if you have, how did it work? Thanks

70% Isopropyl Alcohol.
Cheap, and gets patch grease residue out as well.

 

[Eutycus]

There's something in the kitchen, the garage or the bathroom that beats the 2 to 1 mix of hydrogen and oxygen but I'm still looking for it. I know it's there and when I find it I'll give a yell.

All kidding aside, I've found that changing water sources (like from southeast Texas to Indiana) changed the rust color after cleaning. If your water chemistry promotes orange bore I reckon it does and you gotta do what you gotta do.

My Air Conditioner drips water by the gallon everyday down here in humid South Texas. My well water is extremely "calcified"and contains alot of minerals and such. Do any of you think the AC water would be any better than the hard well water? Or not enough differance to really matter?

 

[FishDFly]

"Do any of you think the AC water would be any better than the hard well water? Or not enough differance to really matter?"

Water is water and do not see how one is going to be better than the other at dissolving black powder residue.

 

[nkbj]

My Air Conditioner drips water by the gallon everyday down here in humid South Texas. My well water is extremely "calcified"and contains alot of minerals and such. Do any of you think the AC water would be any better than the hard well water? Or not enough differance to really matter?

Who knows man, give it a try!
I don't know if the chemistry of your hard water will make a good or bad difference compared to distilled.

Our water now is from a layer of limestone and who knows what that gets run through the salt filled water softener on it's way to the faucet. Ee-ooo!

 

[Grenadier1758]

The air conditioner won't have the chemicals in it. The soap binds to the chemicals in the water when you want the soap to bind to the baked on oils and fouling. You should see more foam in the air conditioner water. The difference will be minimal for the purpose of cleaning a muzzle loader. If its very easy to get the air conditioner condensed water, use it. Let us know if its more troublesome than its worth.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Sometimes we like to over think things. What is better for cleaning ML's hard water or soft water-- REALLY! For ML's water is water. And also remember all those high dollar fancy cleaning agents out there are almost all water. Plain water or water with a little soap will clean your firearms as good as anything else.

 

[Kansas Jake]

Water may be water, but if you live in an area with extremely hard water you will know it doesn't clean as well as soft water. Well water in our area will leave a film on dishes and makes terrible coffee that develops a slick. I would guess the AC water is soft and would clean better. Since it isn't being used, use it to clean your barrel. I bet it cuts the fouling better than real hard water.

 

[Eutycus]

Thank you , I was going to reply with that line about "Water may be just Water." But hard water indeed does have gualities that soft water does not.In some places soap wont lather, beans wont cook, white streaks when you wash the car.etc. There is a distinction between hard water and just plain water.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Water may be water, but if you live in an area with extremely hard water you will know it doesn't clean as well as soft water. Well water in our area will leave a film on dishes and makes terrible coffee that develops a slick. I would guess the AC water is soft and would clean better. Since it isn't being used, use it to clean your barrel. I bet it cuts the fouling better than real hard water.

I have a well and my water is very hard. Also has so much iron sometimes the water has a red tint to it. But for cleaning ML's water is water.

 

[Juice Jaws]

+

Thank you , I was going to reply with that line about "Water may be just Water." But hard water indeed does have gualities that soft water does not.In some places soap wont lather, beans wont cook, white streaks when you wash the car.etc. There is a distinction between hard water and just plain water.

Different areas do have different water qualities but our ML's will come clean with hard or soft water, cleaning is easy, don't try to over think it.

 

[Pete G]

I think that there are about as many cleaning solutions as there are patch lubes.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I think that there are about as many cleaning solutions as there are patch lubes.

You are 100% right. If it works for you use it, no matter what the rest of us have to say.

 

[Eutycus]

Simple question, simple answer. Thats kind of how this forum works isn't it?

 

[David_B]

Do any of you think the AC water would be any better than the hard well water? Or not enough differance to really matter?

The only practical difference I know of is that with harder water (more minerals) it takes more soap because the soap uses it's superpowers to "sequester", in other words "get around" the minerals in the same way it grabs dirt. Since it's getting used up on the minerals it needs more soap to have enough for cleaning. Have you ever had the experience of showering in really hard water and your shampoo feels more like cottage cheese? Too much sequesterin' goin' on! I do not know if it really matters in BP cleaning. And Dawn? I can just sleep right through it. Evening twilight is a much more magical time.

 

[Eutycus]

Either one, hard or soft, gets the job done. I just threw the question out there. It's not like I was stumped. Any source will do. I was gonnna mention you may try pouring your canteen down the barrel, but with some of you that might not be water.

 

[WRustyLane]

Either one, hard or soft, gets the job done. I just threw the question out there. It's not like I was stumped. Any source will do. I was gonnna mention you may try pouring your canteen down the barrel, but with some of you that might not be water.

Water is not just water. Our well water has a lot of different chemicals in it: rust, calcium, minerals, etc. A few years ago when I still had hep C, my wife bought me a water distiller. I began drinking distilled water and my viral load went from 6 million to 1.5 million by just drinking distilled water. My doctor wanted to know what I did to reduce the viral load and my liver enzymes were registering in the normal range. I told her that I started drinking just distilled water. I took the treatment through the VA and got cleared from the hep C in just 8 weeks--most were having to do the 12 week treatment. My wife and I have continued just drinking distilled water and making our tea and coffee out of distilled water. Now I cannot stand the taste of our well water nor water that has chlorine in it, yuk. The coffee and tea as well as other drinks we use distilled water and they really taste so much better. So I can tell you first hand that distilled water is better than hard or mineral laden water. I dunno if it helps any better cleaning muzzle loaders, though. I do use distilled water & Dawn to clean my flintlock.