Solvent tanks?

[Bravo-Four]

Im buying a solvent tank. What kind of solvent is safe to use on both suppressors, and polymer/steel firearms? The tank im purchasing is to clean automotive parts, but can be used with the proper solvent to clean weapons. Any input in this area would be helpful. Thank you.

[Glockman454]

Well I am not going to be able to completely and directly answer your question but I will say proceed with caution.

As a past mechanic for many years I know MANY solvents will irritate and/or dissolve polymers and plastics.

Personally, I would never wash a polymer part in solvent. As far as my Glock goes, on occassion I will wash the polymer under warm water with dish soap when I have the gun dissasembled. Then blow it with compressed air to dry it.

Now this is not directly going to answer your question on solvent for a solvent tank as mechanics use, but if you are doing relatively small cleaning e.g. 6 or less gun cleanings, a large green can of BrakeClean will work great and not hurt the polymer. It MUST be in the green can as it is unchlorinated. If you use BrakeClean in the red can, at best, it will turn your polymer a hazy white. Leave it exposed long enough and it will virtually melt down due to the chemical reaction. There are other aerosol solvents such as gun scrubber and others, but the green can of BrakeClean is close to half the cost and basically the same.

BrakeClean is as it's name indicates, was intended to use as automotive brake cleaner. But again, the cleaning result is for all purposes basically the same as Gun Scrubber and much less cost.

However, I still avoid getting it on the polymer as much as possible.

You should, and I would think you would, ask a lot of questions from the retailer before you buy bulk solvent if you intend to expose polymer to it.

Many local oil companies sell bulk solvents. I am not referring to oil manufacturers like Valvoline etc, I mean the small retailers in many major cities.

If you do find something that it supposed to be safe, I would test it on something or some part of the gun that it not a major problem if it was slightly damaged or could be cheaply replaced. If it is Glocks you are cleaning, I think I would test it on the floor plate of a magazine as it is polymer. That way if the solvent eats it, that is petty cash compared to replacing the frame.

One little extra tip, and you may already know this, but WD-40 has no place in the gun world. The problem with WD-40 is it turns to a gummy varnish after several weeks and can cause mechanical failures which can result in a complete teardown to effectively remove the residue.

I personally repaired a friends .22 Rifle who once a year back, cleaned it and applied WD-40 to the moving metal parts. Needless to say, it would not cycle rounds properly and jam. We completely stripped it down and used brakeclean to clean it and used gun oil afterward and it did not even hiccup once after that.

Good Luck...

[hydromatikman]

I use a solvent at work that I know won't hurt any plastics or rubber. I can't remember what it's called but I will look at the buckets I just bought on Monday and let you know. You would think that after using it for 5 years I'd be able to remember what it is. I call my chemical salesman and they just know what I want.

[seed]

Honestly, when it comes to Glocks, they are so easy to detail strip and reassemble that I cannot think of a good reason to dip them in solvent tanks. Some other polymer-frame guns are pretty easy as well. If you are that concerned about your polymer framed gun getting super clean, it would be a very good idea to learn how to fully strip it and then clean it correctly. This will also help you to modify and repair it yourself, when needed. You will find a whole new avenue of enjoyment with your collection of firearms when you do this.

As for steel and alloyed frame guns, that is another matter...Depending on the model and manufacturer, they can be a bear to tinker with. So maybe a solvent tank might be useful to you for them...maybe.

[Rigormootis]

Personally, I'd fill it up with Simple Green if you plan to drop-in plastics. It won't give you cancer either (I assume it won't anyway). I used to use a variety of solvents and such for degreasing chains to guns and ended up using gool old simple & safe Simple Green much of the time. It smells good too.
;c

[Bravo-Four]

Originally posted by seed
Honestly, when it comes to Glocks, they are so easy to detail strip and reassemble that I cannot think of a good reason to dip them in solvent tanks. Some other polymer-frame guns are pretty easy as well. If you are that concerned about your polymer framed gun getting super clean, it would be a very good idea to learn how to fully strip it and then clean it correctly. This will also help you to modify and repair it yourself, when needed. You will find a whole new avenue of enjoyment with your collection of firearms when you do this.

As for steel and alloyed frame guns, that is another matter...Depending on the model and manufacturer, they can be a bear to tinker with. So maybe a solvent tank might be useful to you for them...maybe.

Im not so much concerned about dipping glocks or H&K frames in it. My primary concern is cleaning suppressors. They are difficult to clean internally, so I will be using the tank to assist in cleaning them. It would be nice to know a solvent name though, so I can clean the suppressors with a solvent that I can also use on my other firearms.

[Glockman454]

Originally posted by Bravo-Four
Im not so much concerned about dipping glocks or H&K frames in it. My primary concern is cleaning suppressors. They are difficult to clean internally, so I will be using the tank to assist in cleaning them. It would be nice to know a solvent name though, so I can clean the suppressors with a solvent that I can also use on my other firearms.

I have been away from the exposure to bulk solvents for years, but when I was a mechanic the most common solvent names were "stanisol" and "Agitene" Promounced like aa Ji teen.

Your best bet is to simply call local small oil companies and ask them what they carry and/or recommend.