Is acetone good for cleaning guns? If used are there any special precautions in using it?

Breathing moderate-to-high levels of acetone for short periods of time can cause:

Nose, throat, lung, and eye irritation
Headaches and fatigue
Light-headedness and dizziness
Nausea and vomiting
Confusion
Increased pulse rate
Effects on blood
Unconsciousness and possibly coma
Shortening of the menstrual cycle in women
Swallowing very high levels of acetone can result in:

Unconsciousness
Damage to the skin in the mouth
Skin contact can result in:

Irritation
Damage to the skin

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Science plus Art

I always kept a lidded cup on my bench filled with Lacquer thinner to use to degrease small parts.

Other then the normal hazard warnings, the big danger is fire.... Lacquer thinner and Acetone are EXPLOSIVELY flammable.

Acetone does evaporate faster and seems to leave less of any kind of residue.

I never found any gun metals or standard gun finishes that were damaged by either.
Painted type gun finishes may be damaged, standard bluing, parkerizing, or plated finishes are good to go.

I personally wouldn't use either as a standard gun cleaning/degreasing chemical.
Too much is just too risky that a spark or pilot light might ignite it.
There's just too many materials that are great gun cleaners that aren't very flammable or hazardous.
I'd limit Acetone or Lacquer thinner for use on small components.

Why use acetone when there are much better cleaning products available specifically made for cleaning firearms? Personally, I would never consider using acetone on any of my firearms. But, that's just me.....

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

Isn’t acetone in finger polish remover? Sounds dangerous in that application

Be very careful with it on plastic guns/parts. I have read of instances where even brake/carb cleaner can soften & disfigure parts that are not steel. Getting acetone on your prized wood grips could/would strip the finish.

Yes acetone was the standard ingredient in fingernail polish remover for a long time. I think that's been changed with the new 'green' EPA law approach.

Acetone will soften and 'melt' many plastics. So you have to be careful with it around those materials. Some it won't effect,,some it will and the plastic will just soften and then melt into a soft goo.

Common toothbrushes are often the victim of acetone and melt into a mess as people think to use the dental brushes w/acetone in scrubbing out gun parts in an open tray of the stuff. You usually don't get too far when disaster strikes and the softened plastic is smeared all over the parts as you brush.

The Military M16 cleaning brush (toothbrush looking) will stand up to acetone and lacquer thinner OK. I've used those a lot.

Acetone will take of or at least damage most wood finishes and paint.
It evaporates so fast it's not really that great for oil removal as it doesn't get that deep before it's gone already. The very top surface and just below it will look clear of oil but deep down oil still sits.

Using whiting powder mixed with acetone is standard procedure to make a paste. I use plain alcohol instead. It really doesn't matter the liquid. The fact that the paste clings firmly to the wood and absorbs the oil as it comes to the surface is the key. The coating will sit there for a couple weeks at least and be renewed a few times.

I don't like to use too much acetone because of the health risks. I do keep a small amt in a plain plastic pill bottle on the bench for placing a stubborn to clean part or two in occasionally.
The plastic pill bottles hold up OK to the acetone and lacquer thinner.

A far cry from a summer job I had at a Kodak plant when in school back in the last century.
They had vats of acetone for some sort of use in the metal stamping procedures they did there (35mm film cans, ect)
Before lunch break,,you were 'allowed' to go over to one of the vats and open a cover and wash your hands in the acetone.
They dried instantly and very clean!!
....Already for a fine cafeteria vending machine lunch! mmmmm

Acetone is a great de-greaser , it will remove all traces of oil , lubricant , grease , fingerprints , melt most plastics...well just about anything ...except , strangely enough , Oral-B tooth brushes ... I use acetone and a Oral-B toothbrush to clean and degrease bullet moulds ...and they don't melt.
They may be Nylon and possibly not affected by acetone .

Nail polish is brushing lacquer ...lacquer thinner is nail polish remover ...acetone will remove lacquer too ...it's a stonger solvent .

For total removal of grease and oil I use acetone (the strongest and probably the most dangerous) or Lacquer Thinner ...probably still bad but not as bad ?
Be careful when using any solvent and don't breath in fumes of any of them. The only thing you want going in your lungs is clean air ... most anything else (but I didn't inhale... including medical mary-wanna) you want to keep out .

If you are looking for a bore cleaner/gun cleaner...do a search on the term : Ed's Red Bore Cleaner Recipe ...it contains acetone and 3 other ingredients and it works .

Let me add ...Acetone and Lacquer thinner will remove some of the "clear coat" or paint type finishes S&W uses on their alloy J-frame (AirLite and Air Weight) ...don't use /soak these finishes with any strong cleaner/solvent...it will mess up the finish big time . A 8 hour soak of a J-frame , that had spent a month under flood waters , caused the finish to start peeling off in spots...I didn't realize the finish was so fragile (paint?)
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Ed’s Red, a once famous home brew gun cleaner, used one quart of acetone, one quart of automatic transmission fluid, one quart of mineral spirits and one quart of kerosene. I think it also added melted lanolin. It was stored in a metal or glass jug, since it would damage plastic. I made a gallon back in the ‘90s. It did clean guns. I was very careful to keep it away from plastic or nicely finished wood. I never saw any deleterious effects on guns or humans. I never repeated the experiment after it was gone.

Google Ed’s Red - Ed’s original article is interesting and is still out there.

I've used it do clean guns that had been in storage for a long time (decades) and had a dried, cosmoline like film on them. That's it.

For anything else Hoppes or other less hazardous solvents have done the trick.

Acetone is not something I want to use regularly for all the reasons stated above - hazards and unintended consequences.

IF FOLKS WANT AN ALTERNATIVE TO CLEAN METAL GUNS AS IN THE BARREL, JUST USE MINERAL SPIRITS


Which is the base of most solvent gun cleaners

Or just go green and use Simple Green and some hot water


Dry well and apply an oil, use Mineral oil like Ballistoil


So much to do about cleaning a gun.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Anything wrong with the original Hoppes #9? It hasn't been here since 1903 for nothing! A large 32 oz. bottle will last many many years - and I shoot al lot! Ya don't need much!

Smells way better than acetone and tranny fluid too.

Thanks for all the great tips and advise. It looks like most respondents feel it is a good cleaning agent, but there are others doing the same job without the same risks. My S&W 41 needs to be thoroughly cleaned in order to function properly. I think I will just use acetone sparingly to keep it clean.
Thanks again

I wouldn't. That stuff is volatile. I never used it on guns but used to use large quantities of it in an industrial setting until we found something that wasn't so dangerous in terms of volatility and toxicity.

I even gave up on Hoppe's. I've had more than my share of exposure to chemicals in the workplace and I've gone non-toxic. There's more than one I'm sure but I've been using this stuff and it's great....I can clean my guns in the kitchen and an hour later my wife won't notice.

Gunwerkz – Use What Werkz

Non-toxic, biodegradable, and effective. I have no relationship with the company other than as a satisfied customer for several years.

As with others they make a lot of amazing molecular claims but do not tell us what's in it? I can not find a label or a SDS on it. Does your bottle have any info on it?

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Still Running Against the Wind

I always use diesel as a gun/bore cleaner. It makes bluing look great too.

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Where we go one, we go all