I'm wanting to clean a revolvers exterior of oil before Renaissance waxing it. Will rubbing alcohol with a soft rag do ok or will it hurt the finish?

I've used common rubbing alcohol with no problems. Also works good is non carbonated brake parts cleaner spray from the auto parts store. Always try a sample on a small out of the way place like under the stocks.

__________________
Randy
Provenance nerd

I've had better luck with acetone than rubbing alcohol

I've had great luck on just about all kinds of metal surfaces using rubbing alcohol and a tooth brush. Plus you don't have to worry about getting it on your skin or breathing the fumes.

Acetone is what electronic repair men use to clean fittings of grease that need to be soldered. It works as well as anything I now of to remove grease and I've used it for years to clean the surface of firearms.
Jim

Brake cleaner contains acetone. It works very well. Just be careful about using it near finished wooden or plastic/rubber parts.

It (or any aerosol) works great for blowing the gunk out of hard to reach places, like the middle of the cylinder or semi-autos. Its great for cleaning revolver internals without doing a full disassembly, just pop the sideplate and spray down!

Remember to oil/grease thoroughly afterwards, as brake cleaner is a degreaser, and will live your firearm completely dry.

__________________
an actual conservative

I have a choice between 99%, 70%, and 50% isopropyl alcohol

What would be the best?

Doesn't the precent mean the ratio of alcohol to water?
I'd choose the one with the least water, 99%.

Rubbing alcohol & water dont mix. Whisky & water does.

I have no idea

It is the relationship between alcohol and water. I use 70% which is less expensive. One of its many uses is to remove oils.

I apply it using a large rifle patch, being as careful as possible not to allow the alcohol in to the internal parts of my firearms, and then remove any excess/dry it off with a clean soft cotton t-shirt.

Then the firearm is ready for Renaissance Wax.

I did receive a word of caution from Springfield Armory regarding the consideration that the alcohol will concurrently remove the oils from the metal which confirms my decision to use the "Brylcreme Method" with the alcohol - use as little as possible. There are other special coatings on modern firearms, i.e. Cerakote.

I recently bought one of the Springfield Armory 1911s (FBI HRT specifications) that has a special finish.

__________________
That's what we do!

We used to clean computer storage disk platters and read write heads with 99% isopropyl.

Might be good with a little orange juice too.

__________________
Back to back World War Champs.

I Think The Term IS .. NON-CHLORINATED ... NOT .. CARBONATED .. We ARE Talking Brake Parts Cleaner & Not Soda ..
Like Coke-A-Cola..

NOTE TO : 4barrel .. I Drink My Whiskey With Coke ... Cause I Don't Want to RUST MY PIPES .. LOL .. & I Would DEFINITELY USE 99% Rubbing Alcohol as it Dries UP & Dissipates WATER...

But That IS Just My Opinion .. & You Know What They Say About OPINIONS ... LOL ...

HAVE A GREAT DAY GENTLEMAN ... COWBOYUP57..

Rubbing alcohol & water dont mix. Whisky & water does.

Make mine branch water please....

Oh the rubbing alcohol works fine, and I have used lighter fluid to clean stainless and nickle also. Of course wipe dry, and the apply Rem-Oil..

Well AT Least You Will Have Some Whiskey IN That Ground Water..
To Kill The Bugs ... Must Be A J.R. Ewing Fan..
"MAKE MINE BOURBON & BRANCH DARLIN"

COWBOYUP57...

I'll take a nice spiced rum and coke over any Whisky

I have always used rubbing alcohol to clean my guns before I use the Renaissance Wax......what i use is the 99%......just because I acquired a 5 gallon bucket of it.......and yes, it is the percentage of alcohol to water......I have used it on all finishes, with no apparent issues.....it removes any and all oils...

Semper FI!

Acetone will melt most plastics, and wood finishes, be careful.

Alcohol attacks and absorbs water.

Isopropyl rubbing alcohols contain from 50% to 99% by volume of isopropyl alcohol, the remainder consisting of water. I would not recommend using it on blued steel.

So you wouldn't recommend 99% due to 1% of water content?

Brake cleaner spray, available at auto parts stores, is an excellent degreaser.

CAUTION! Use in a very well ventilated area, preferably outdoors!

No I wouldn't. As I said, alcohol also attracts, and absorbs water, humidity from the air. It's possible it could work it's way down into crevices, and screw threads, etc, and cause corrosion.

Hasn't on my guns. I always use it before applying RenWax.

So what would your recommendation be?

See post #21

While I realize this warning is out of place in the 1961 to 1980 sub-forum the finish S&W currently sells as "bluing" is gradually removed by solvents that contain alcohol. I added this for owners of fairly new S&Ws who do not know that at S&W traditional bluing is a thing of the past.

Thanks for he heads-up! Most likely brake cleaner would remove that as well! Best to spot test! It would also melt some plastics, and wood finishes!

Chlorinated Petro-Chemicals IN Brake Cleaner .. Carb Cleaner ..
Etc.. IS SOME POWERFULL STUFF .. It Will Melt or Distort Plastic..
UNLESS That Plastic IS Designed to Handle PETRO-CHEMICALS ..
& Could & Most Likely be CORROSIVE to METAL ... & Would Most Likely Hurt or Distort Most Rubber Gaskets or Grips ..

I Would Look into Possibly Using Some CRC -Electric Parts Cleaner NON-CHLORINATED .. Removes OIL & DIRT..
NON-STAINING .. LEAVES NO RESIDUE .. SAFE ON MOST PLASTICS .. BUT IS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE & You Would Need TO
Wear Gloves & USE OUTDOORS..

Sometimes IT IS A TRADE-OFF .. You Gain or Lose Some Benefits or Possible Harm .. Either TO YOU or THE GUN ...

As Usual ... TEST IN SMALL AREAS ... That Wont Be SEEN ..
Before Using ..

My Disclaimer IS : This Is MY OPINION , But What Do I Know..
I Have Only Worked IN The OIL & GAS Industry For 10 Years..
What Could I Possibly Know About .. PETRO-CHEMICALS ..

My Views Are Offered Here Only As An Educational Source ..

Gentlemen .. Have a GREAT DAY ... COWBOYUP57..

Also ... I Think They Make Specific Products For Gun-Cleaning These Days .. Don't They ??

Not all "Specific Products For Gun-Cleaning" are totally safe either.

You Are 100% Correct About That SIR ...
Personally I Use .. BREAK FREE CLP ..
Cleaner Lubricant Preservative ..
It Has Always Done A Good Job For ME ... & I Have Not Had ..
Any Bad Results In Over 10 Years ... As I Stated ..
Some Things Are A Trade Off .. COWBOYUP57 ...

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how anyone who lives in west Texas and "Worked IN The OIL & GAS Industry For 10 Years.. What Could I Possibly Know About .. PETRO-CHEMICALS .." and I can't stop laughing. For gosh sake give up your day job and go into stand-up comedy!

__________________
You want me to do what?

I use CLP as well but that's a totally different type and purpose of cleaning over what I'm aiming for.

I don't know what plastics you're referring to but I used acetone as a cleaner/degreaser on electronics for years as does anyone else in this field.
Electronic equipment contains a lot of plastic and I never melted any of it.
Jim

Yes Sir ... That May be True, But we were not discussing .. Acetone ..
Only CHLORINATED Carb & Brake Cleaner... Have A Nice Day ..
COWBOYUP57 ..

If you do decide to use one of the sprays, do it outside. Spray generously to run-off...it won't do anything to concrete, but it (brake cleaner, anyway) will yellow grass--so don't do it over the wife's gardenias. Wear eye protection. The spray stuff will ricochet and get you IN THE EYE if it can, and it don't tickle.

Given that I didn't take the time to read all that passed before, this may be old news----------but.

Note some rubbing alcohol contains glycerin. It seems unlikely glycerin will provide a suitable base for wax---very unlikely. Best read the contents portion of the rubbing alcohol label---thoroughly.

As an aside, Brownells' TCE Cleaner Degreaser removes any and all of pretty much anything from the surface of your gun.

Ralph Tremaine

Man they sure are proud of that stuff!

I'm enjoying this thread with some 66% ethyl alcohol, which includes some specific trace chemicals found in Kentucky. It will not hurt either a blued or nickel finish, as it does not leave its container until it's poured into a small glass, and thence taken internally. Don't drink and handle guns... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

__________________
50 Years of Wish You Were Here

[QUOTE=Stopsign32v;139222691]Man they sure are proud of that stuff![/QUOTE

It only costs a little more to go first class!!


RT

Why is everything made difficult.
Simple rubbing alcohol of any strength (or denatured alcohol) used on a cloth pad dampened with it will clean the gun surface nicely of the last traces of oil, fingerprints, ect you want to remove before the wax is applied.

It won't harm any bluing (hot salt, rust blue, charcoal blue, heat blue,),, it won't harm any plating.
Most modern wood finishes (polyurethane, ect ) are oblivious to it, but older shellac finishes will disolve in alcohol of any type (ethanol, methanol,,)
Some 'in the wood' oil type finishes of simple linseed oil, wax and solvent concoctions will usually be wiped away too no matter how long they've been there and curing.
So avoid the alcohol wipe on wood generally, but it's safe on blued and plated metal.

No need to flood the surface to clean it,,just a dampened cloth as mentioned and wipe it down.
I often use that as a last minute cleaner on metal parts before the first coating on a rust blue job even after a regular degreasing bath.

Isopropyl or Denatured alcohol works fine. They both work pretty much the same for the purposes of light cleaning of metal surfaces like this.

Safer to say that any of the acetone or other ketone compounds found in the powerful degreasers like brakecleaner are bad stuff.
I know how bullet proof we all are, but that stuff is really bad and is absorbed quickly thru your skin into the body and goes right to your liver where it stays.
Just my .02.