Scotch Brite trick

[Dave Young]

Ihave read bits and pieces on using scotch brite pads/tooth paste to smooth out your barrel. Could someone clue me in on how to do this, or point me to a post that has the full process in it? Anyone ever have bad luck doing it?

 

I have done it to most of my rifles to get the sharp burrs out of a new rifle or to slick up an old one. (Probably just giving a needed good cleanin' back to bare steel.) Anyways, use a jag that is one size smaller than bore. A .54 jag in a .58 etc... Cut a piece of green Scotch-Brite pad about a 1 1/2" square and stick it on the muzzle of your rifle and start pumping like your cleaning it. Use a good gun oil for lube. Make the strokes go all the way to the breech and to the muzzle. Long slow methodic strokes. Takes about 4 minutes. I never counted the strokes. Use Scotch-Brite Brand and not 3M.

P.S. I have never hurt a rifle or a smoothbore by using this method.

 

[paulvallandigham]

The Scotch bright pad and toothpaste is about removing light rust from the barrel. Its not a lapping compound. You can use it to polish the lands of the barrel in a rifle, but if you have pits in the grooves, or serious pits in the lands, you need to cast an actual lap, and use laping compound to work on those.

Most guns can shoot okay with pits in the barrel. The pits do continue to hold debris, and require some soaking time to get them cleaned out between shootings, but they won't bother the accuracy of a PRB, where the patch, and not any lead, is what touches the bore.

To do a proper job of lapping a barrel, the breechplug should be remove, so that you can do a proper inspection of the entire barrel, and lap the full length of the barrel from the back end forward. To do lapping, you need a dedicated rod for that purpose, some way to melt and pour lead, and lapping compounds that are available from most auto supply stores.

If you have a badly rusted barrel, with lots of pits, and rough grooves, it probably will be cheaper to buy a new barrel than attempt to clean up the one you have. If the barrel is an antique, you may even want to consider having it lined with a new piece of steel tubing, rather than go to the time and expense required to bore out the barrel to another caliber, and then cut new grooves in the barrel.

I have used pearl drops toothpaste on a doubled wet patch on my cleaning jag to polish out a barrel that had rusted during storage. The metal turns the patch black. If the patch is tight enough, you can work the compound down into the grooves in addition to the lands, and polish the surface down a few 10 thousandths of an inch. The result will be a very smooth bore to load, and reload, fewer parts of the barrel that will hold residue very well, and usually better accuracy. The secret is to make sure that patch is tight moving up and down the barrel. When it does become easier, its time to put on more toothpaste, and even throw away the existing cleaning patches, and replace them with new ones, with new toothpaste. Alwets wet the cleaning patches, either with water or oil. The fluid keeps the toothpaste from merely sinking into the patch and away from the surface that is needed to rub against the steel barrel.

I also have tried JB Bore Cleaner, but this is more for simply polishing a bore, and not removing metal, or rust. It does do a good job of polishing, however. The company specifically disclaims the product as a lapping compound. It will remove light rust, but that is about it.

You can try a product called Flitz, which is sold as a chrome cleaner. It has chemicals and some fine grit in it that seems to help remove rust, and other stains mechanically from metal.

 

[Anthropy]

Brownells sells some JB brand bore paste used to smooth out the rough edges of the bore. You coat a patch with it and run it through the bore.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1160&title=J-B%7e+NON-EMBEDDING+BORE+CLEANING+COMPOUND

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1161&title=J-B%7e+BORE+BRIGHT

 

[slowpokebr549]

Valve grinding compound is more aggressive if you want to clean up a really nasty bore. You can get it at most auto parts stores. It is a bear to get all of it out though.Switch to flitz or toothpaste for a final finish.

 

[J.D.]

IMHO, Putting valve grinding compound on any flexible backing, either cloth or scotchbrite pad is a real bad idea. The purpose of lapping is to smooth out any irregularities in a bore. IMHO, any abrasive on any flexible backing will do more harm than good.

JB bore paste, or toothpaste is a VERY, VERY, VERY MILD abrasive that will remove almost imperceptible irregularities. They are more useful for cleaning discolored bores than lapping, so applying those to a patch is ok...if done very rarely.

Any aggressive abrasive, such as valve grinding compound needs to be used with a lead lap that is solid enough to not flex or bunch up inconsistently. Consistency is the name of the game when lapping. Can't get consistency with a flexible backing. Flexible backings won't get down into the grooves with enough pressure to do remove any imperfections, especially in those sharp corners that are often so hard to get clean.

Remember, any abrasive run through a bore creates wear. Uneven wear is bad, too much wear is even worse. Anyone who puts abrasives in their bore, just to clean it up a bit, without knowing what they are doing will wear out a bore in short order.

Lets compare frivilous lapping or polishing of a rifle barrel to throwing a coupla $100 bills in the washer every month, or so. It won't be long before those bills are worn out, maybe shredded and in pieces.

It's your bore, and your coupla hundred bucks. Do with them as you will.

Cooner, why use Scotchbrite brand and not 3M?
I'm not aware of any difference between the two.
J.D.

 

Those green Scotch-Brite pads are aggressive enough without adding anything but gun oil for lube. I have never heard of adding anything to the pads for polishing a bore. Why would anybody recommend something like that? It makes no sense unless the purpose is to destroy the barrel instead of polish out the burrs.

Lets add some sand to carborundum paper to really clean that wood sanded slick!!! :shake:

Here comes the theorizing and the thesis writers. :rotf:

 

[J.D.]

Why would anybody recommend something like that? It makes no sense unless the purpose is to destroy the barrel instead of polish out the burrs.

Here comes the theorizing and the thesis writers. :rotf:

Ignorance, pure ignorance, that's why. Someone passing on "common knowledge" thought lapping consist of putting some abrasive in a bore on some sort of backing, without making any attempt to learn how to do it right.

It ain't rocket science, but it does take common sense and a little learning...even if someone's gotta break down and read a book.

I can't tell you how many times I have been engaged
in a conversation something like this.

"Ya goin' to school?
"Nope."
"Then why are ya readn' a book?"
"Cause I know how." :blah: :rotf: :rotf:
J.D.

 

BTW, JD, I just saw your question about why not 3M. I have had bad experiences with the 3M pads. They have left deep scratches in the wood that was slick and shiny before. I guess there is some irregularity in the grit of the 3M product, not as consistant as the Scotch-Brite pads.
I have never had the Scotch-Brite brand leave scratches in the wood during the finishing process. Just my observation.

 

[J.D.]

Thanks for that information. I have never used the scotch brite pads on wood. Never thought of it.

I'll have to try it out on my next build.
An early Va with an A wt 40 cal 44 inches long, Chamber's Queen Anne pistol lock, Goering brass furniture with the home made small parts.

This is gonna be a sweet handling squirrel destroyer. :haha:
Thanks again.
J.D.

 

[bocalbender1]

Scotch is a subsidiary of 3M. wonder why it's different? :hmm:

 

Maybe 3M sells the junk off that they don't want to put the Scotch-Brite label on. I dunno. :hmm: