Orange to clean Black powder?

[Dave Poss]

I ran out of my usual black powder solvant and found an areosol degreaser called Orange Lightning in my garage. So, I tried it. I've never had anything that worked faster and cleaned better than this stuff.Since I am no Chemist, I need your input before I make a habit of useing this stuff. Are any of these ingredients harmful to my barrel? If not, I strongly suggest it's use.
ingredients: d-Limonene, diproplene glycol monobutyl,ether,isopropylamine,dodecylbenzenesulfonate,liquefied petroleum gas,propane,butane. Also states enviro-friendly contains no petroleum solvents.
thanks for your help

 

[Stumpkiller]

What 'cha got there is your basic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent. Have no idea what d-Limonene or dodecylbenzenesulfonate are, but the rest are alcohols, hydrocarbons and a glycol. I suspect it releases a lot of water and oxygen, and may lead to rust if left overnight. It shouldn't hurt the metal (but I would keep it away from aluminum), and it is stripping it back to bare pores. Be sure to oil it well after the spray evaporates. Don't use it near a flame or pilot light, either! :shocking: If it were me I'd rinse it away with WD-40 and then oil the bore well.

I betcha it will remove the finish on your gunstock fairly well if it gets there, also.

 

[Tahquamenon]

Well, at least you are cleaning but for your sake don't smoke and keep away from an open flame!! ::

I'd also be concerned about removing lube from the pores in the metal.

Also, I would not imagine that this would do your stock and furniture any favors.

This works better than really hot & soapy (liquid laundry or dish) water and pump flushing? :hmm:

:m2c:

 

Most of the "orange" cleaners are basically just distilled citrus oil from peels. We used D-Limonene where I previously worked to clean because it was safe on the skin and not easily lit by a flame (it's considered a low flammability hazard). It is not as volatile as trichlor or acetone so does not evaporate quickly but it will cut almost anything. I use it in my parts cleaner exclusively because the only harm it causes to human contact is dry skin. However, I would be quite concerned about the effect on your stock finish although it shouldn't harm the barrel. It will strip all greases so the barrel will be very clean when you're done and will need rust prevention treatment.

 

[Old40Rod]

I always look for household chemical/hazard info here:
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/

Handsoap with HOT WATER works in a pinch for cleaning, just rinse, rinse, rinse.

 

[strongarm]

Outside of immediate problems of pitting or rust...what is the long term effect of what you use. WD-40 will leave a long term varnish in your barrel which is not good for accuracy as an example. :cry:

 

I don't know about the cleaner you mention but I do know from experience that an orange will ruin a blade of a pocket knife in a heatbeat when you use it to cut an orange open. I ruined a CaseXX doing just that. It pitted the blae and turned it black and it never would clean off it.

Woody

 

[Dave Poss]

Thanks for all the input. I do clean with a black powder solvant. Without having a hooked breech I have only taken my barrel out for the soap and hot water treatment a few times in the past 25 years....so I use solvant. the orange stuff was only used on a few patches to do the final cleaning and it got out a lot of stuff after I thought my barrel was clean. I agree that getting it on the stock would be a no-no. thanks for your help

 

[Bob J]

Longknife-
A longriflemaker friend showed me how he cleans flintlocks WITHOUT removing barrel; he takes a cleaning patch, folds it half and puts the frizzen down over it so it sort of blocks the touchhole and keeps soapy water from runnning out on stock. Damp patch with a drop of DAWN dish detergent and places it on jag and swabs. Repeats until clean, couple damp patches WITHOUT Dawn, dry patch until dry and then BREAKFREE on patch if its a client's gun. Now he is a PURIST so I think he's experimenting with olive oil as a period-correct bore oil on his own.

 

[bezoar]

Orange clean is a band thing when it comes to gun stocks. I used to work in a screen printing shop and used Orange clean to get the ink off me at the end of the day, one day i went home and touched my rifle, the crap disolved the finish leaving my finger prints in the finish. So id make sure the stock is far away from the orange clean at all times. and make sure your hands have been cleaned vigoursly with other soaps to get the orange clean off of them before touching any finished wood surface wether its your nicely finished gun stock or your wifes oak kitchen table.