gun solvent on aluminum alloy frames & parts?

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blackpowder

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Hi all around,

I am a newbe to aluminum frames. My S&W 6904 semi-auto has an alloy frame and even some (at least one) plastic parts inside the slide. Normally I clean off carbon and powder residue on my all steel guns with the same aggressive gun-solvent (Hoppes #9 or similar) I clean my barrels with. Was never a problem and the bluing didn't suffer.
Is it safe to use the same solvents on black anodized aluminum as well? Or better to use something else?
Thanks for your inputs on this !:)
 
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MEK can be very bad for many varieties of plastic.
 
Any product marketed as a firearm solvent is safe for your 5904, but I would use and remove quickly from the blued/anodized surfaces. No use tempting fate. :)
 
Our friend gunblue490 on YouTube has a long detailed video on cleaning and lubing ARs. His gun cleaning solvent? Low volatility mineral spirits. It's just that simple.
It's all I use now.
 
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I’ve been using Hoppes #9 on guns for 30 years, and I’ve owned probably a dozen aluminum allow 3rd gen guns. Literally just cleaned my 3953 with it the other day. I even use non chlorinated brake clean to flush out the frames of really dirty guns. Never been one issue. Wet a patch with Hoppes, wipe it down, and wipe down with a clean patch. Use a Hoppes soaked q-tip for the crevices followed by a clean q-tip, then compressed air for the whole frame to make sure I haven’t left any q-tip fragments behind.
 
Anodizing is a great metal treatment for aluminum. It will not be harmed by solvents. I would not use any acidic or alkaline chemicals on it and ultrasonic baths have the potential to damage the anodizing.
 
The clear / silver coating S&W uses on some of it's alloy guns can be damaged by soaking in old school aggressive solvents.
I ruined the finishes of two S&W J frame airweights by soaking in harsh solvent.... the finish started peeling off in spots.
The guns had been in a flood, underwater for a month and I soaked them in Ed's Red + extra acetone and Marvel Mystery Oil , for a week ... too harsh for that paint finish . It doesn't hurt a real blue finish though !
Safe is ...WD40 and solvents / cleaners like Hoppes Elite .
Find something that says safe for plastic . These new "safe" cleaners are expensive and not aggressive but shouldn't damage a finish .
WD40 is actually not bad for a cleaner...and it's not expensive .
Next time I'll soak in WD40 !
Gary
 
Last edited:
gwpercle said:
The clear / silver coating S&W uses on some of it's alloy guns can be damaged by soaking in old school aggressive solvents.
I ruined the finishes of two S&W J frame airweights by soaking in harsh solvent.... the finish started peeling off in spots.
The guns had been in a flood, underwater for a month and I soaked them in Ed's Red + extra acetone and Marvel Mystery Oil , for a week ... too harsh for that paint finish . It doesn't hurt a real blue finish though !
Safe is ...WD40 and solvents / cleaners like Hoppes Elite .
Find something that says safe for plastic . These new "safe" cleaners are expensive and not aggressive but shouldn't damage a finish .
WD40 is actually not bad for a cleaner...and it's not expensive .
Next time I'll soak in WD40 !
Gary
Click to expand...

S&W used to anodize aluminum frame revolvers, but I think it was when they brought out the line of scandium handguns that they stopped anodizing and started applying a spray on finish. That spray on finish is far less durable and more fragile than anodizing, but is likely a much cheaper process.
 
I don't own any Aluminum guns but the simple answer is to read the labels on Solvent containers. If they don't specifically state safe or not for Al. and you want to be 100% sure - call the manufacturer.
 
Many thanks for all the inputs. So I went ahead this morning and cleaned my 6904 the same way I do my blued steel guns - with the usual bore-cleaning solvents. Applied solvents to the contaminated parts on the frame and, after letting the chemicals do their job for a few minutes, wiping them off again before blowing off any residue with compressed air and lo and behold, no harm done to the anodized aluminum.
:)
 
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