Cleaner recommendations for old grease

[bruce381]

CA mineral spirits is nowhere as effective as non-CA mineral spirits.
I believe that CA mineral spirits is water based now.
Same for the paint thinner.

I buy my mineral spirits and paint thinners out of state now.

No you are partially wrong "mineral spirits" is same as always has been
BUT some other versions thinners have fazed out, it works fine but yes some of the hotter ones are not available.

[bruce381]

"After that, paint thinners and solvents all had to go to a low VOC formula which precludes the use of all the old style solvents like mineral or white spirits that were in all the various thinners and paints before 2013."

In finished products yes like paints and coatings but still avabible in quarts gallon ans pails go to home depot look at paint Isle.

[ar15barrels]

"After that, paint thinners and solvents all had to go to a low VOC formula which precludes the use of all the old style solvents like mineral or white spirits that were in all the various thinners and paints before 2013."

In finished products yes like paints and coatings but still avabible in quarts gallon ans pails go to home depot look at paint Isle.

I think maybe your area has different rules or understandings of the rules than my area as there are no more real mineral spirits in my area.
There are only the "low odor" recipes and those MSDS do not list the same contents as the old high voc versions.

https://www.solventsandpetroleum.com/uploads/6/0/3/7/60372849/mineral_spirits.pdf

https://www.dick-blick.com/msds/DBH_SDS_010321007.pdf

[bruce381]

believe what you want i'm in the business so have nice day

[smoothy8500]

Well, regardless of what "formulation" they call paint thinner, kerosene, or mineral spirits, at least they do some cleaning of old grease....

[Bullwinkle]

Everything suggested thus far works well. If you want something less harsh and biodegradable that still does the job, go to Home Depot and pick up a gallon of Simple Green Pro HD (less than $15). Mix 1:3 (one part Pro HD, 3 parts water).

Immerse the parts in the solution (safe for wood & plastic, too, though I usually use other products for those). Scrub where necessary. Then immerse in plain water to rinse.

Dry what you can with paper towels, (clean) shop towels, Q-tips, or whatever. Then heat-dry the metal parts. I use my BBQ grill (ever since my wife caught me using the kitchen oven and said "no more"). Just place the metal parts on a (clean/degreased) baking sheet and let them sit in a 250-degree (minimum) grill with the lid closed for about 10-15 minutes to let any residual water boil away.

Heating also has the advantage of opening the pores in the metal... so when you're done oven drying, immediately spray with Bullfrog Lubricant With Rust Blocker II (or similar product). Make sure you spray all sides. Use Q-tips or pipe cleaners or whatever to spread the lubricant into tight areas. Warning: Parts are hot.

Let the lubricant soak in while the parts cool. Wipe off any residual and reassemble.

This is how I clean my guns whenever I strip them down to the bare frame, including a 70-year-old rifle that was bought used, and it works great (IMO).

[67Cuda]

I hear elbow grease work pretty good.

[DArBad]

Everything suggested thus far works well. If you want something less harsh and biodegradable that still does the job, go to Home Depot and pick up a gallon of Simple Green Pro HD (less than $15). Mix 1:3 (one part Pro HD, 3 parts water).

Immerse the parts in the solution (safe for wood & plastic, too, though I usually use other products for those). Scrub where necessary. Then immerse in plain water to rinse.

Dry what you can with paper towels, (clean) shop towels, Q-tips, or whatever. Then heat-dry the metal parts. I use my BBQ grill (ever since my wife caught me using the kitchen oven and said "no more"). Just place the metal parts on a (clean/degreased) baking sheet and let them sit in a 250-degree (minimum) grill with the lid closed for about 10-15 minutes to let any residual water boil away.

Heating also has the advantage of opening the pores in the metal... so when you're done oven drying, immediately spray with Bullfrog Lubricant With Rust Blocker II (or similar product). Make sure you spray all sides. Use Q-tips or pipe cleaners or whatever to spread the lubricant into tight areas. Warning: Parts are hot.

Let the lubricant soak in while the parts cool. Wipe off any residual and reassemble.

This is how I clean my guns whenever I strip them down to the bare frame, including a 70-year-old rifle that was bought used, and it works great (IMO).

Simple Green, I knew that, but had forgotten and used nothing but Eds Red and elbow grease until inertia set in.

Thanks for reminding this old geezer.

[Wrangler John]

Cleaner

Back when I worked for a living I used:

Berryman? B-12 Chemtool? Carburetor, Choke & Throttle Body Cleaner [VOC compliant in all 50 states]

At work I used it to remove the rolling mill grease prior to welding, It would cut any grease and evaporated quickly leaving a dry clean surface. Also used it on firearms, reloading dies, and anything shipped with preservative grease. Just don't use it on wood, plastic or that paint finish on some metal parts - a Ruger 10-22 receiver will need repainting.

[compulsivegunbuyer]

believe what you want i'm in the business so have nice day

If you were in the business, then you would know that California is broken up into a multitude of air quality management districts, and that it depends where you are, as to what is available.

[ar15barrels]

If you were in the business, then you would know that California is broken up into a multitude of air quality management districts, and that it depends where you are, as to what is available.

The VOC map is actually better here as it shows that some areas don't have VOC limits other than the state's limits and the guy might live/work in one of those areas.

[sofbak]

The VOC map is actually better here as it shows that some areas don't have VOC limits other than the state's limits and the guy might live/work in one of those areas.

Your map is WORTHLESS without a legend that indicates what each color represents.....

C'mon almighty randall, are you slipping???

[ar15barrels]

Your map is WORTHLESS without a legend that indicates what each color represents.....

C'mon almighty randall, are you slipping???

The names on the colored zones are the names OF the air zones.

The importance is that there are many un-named zones which do not have specific VOC limits so therefore follow state guidelines.
The smaller lines within a zone are county lines.
Some zones span multiple counties while other zones are a single county.

[newbie1234]

I clean everything on the gun with Hoppe-9.

[Forestgnome]

I find WD-40 works surprisingly well at dissolving old grease. Great for washing out bearings with hardened grease.