Cleaning cylinder face on blued gun

[Redlegvzv]

Please forgive me if this is a banal thread.

I have numerous blued revolvers and I really don't know a good way to clean the crud off of the cylinder face. Obviously a "lead away" cloth is out of the question as this will remove the bluing. These cloths work great on a stainless revolver.

Similarly, a brass brush, Hoppe's 9, and elbow grease will clean the cylinder face of a stainless revolver, but I would be afraid to try this on a blued gun for fear of damaging the bluing.

Right now I use a cloth soaked in Hoppe's 9 bore cleaner to try to dissolve the powder on the cylinder front, but I have no real belief that this does much good.

What is the consensus? Do we just live with the caked front cylinder? Or am I missing "the secret"?

 

[Alk8944]

If you are trying to remove the "rings", forget it. This can't be done without removing the bluing. You can use a bronze or brass brush if you want, these won't damage the finish.

 

[arjay]

Just clean off what comes off easily and call it good.I suspect more than a few of us have over done it [emoji1]

 

[iwanna]

Seems like the shooting deposits don't stick as well to bluing. I don't have too much trouble making mine look pretty acceptable, to me anyway.

 

[jack the toad]

The black stain doesn't show on the blue so I call it good with what a Hoppes soaked rag does. Pretty much what I do on SS.
IMO, the stain doesn't need removed if you're going to shoot it again soon.

 

[Laketime]

Since you posted this in the 1980 to present section,I don't know if you have one of the last of the Carbonia blued guns from early 1980 ,or the later two blueing processes used.If it's the old carbonia blue,it will hold up against Flitz cream to remove the rings and burnt carbon.If it is the later two methods ,then there is not much you can due without removing the bluing.

 

[one eye joe]

BACK IN THE DAY, I USED TO SOAK MY BLUED CYLINDERS IN HOPPES NO. 9, SOMETIMES FOR SEVERAL DAYS IN A COVERED TUPPERWARE CONTAINER. THEN I WOULD BRUSH THE FRONT WITH A NYLON TOOTHBRUSH. THAT USED TO DO A GOOD JOB, WITH NO HARM TO THE FINISH……

I UNDERSTAND THAT THE MODERN BLUEING PROCESS IS DIFFERENT NOW. I DON'T KNOW IF THE FORMULA OF HOPPES NO. 9 HAS BEEN CHANGED EITHER. AS A RESULT, I CAN'T PREDICT IF YOUR FINISH WILL BE HARMED OR NOT. IF YOU HAVE AN OLD GUN, AND AN OLD BOTTLE OF HOPPES, YOU SHOULD BE OK……..

 

[murphydog]

Cautious use of anything abrasive is the key, I think. I once took the finish off a cylinder face with too much scrubbing, but fortunately cold blue restored it well (and no, I will not sell it ever, especially as a NIB unfired gun ).

After it is clean, a coat of wax might help with future cleanups. Or, just keep shooting and don't worry about the rings...

 

[Nightowl]

I use a bronze brush and MPro7 gun cleaner and scrub until all the lead deposits are gone, without regard to cleaning black rings, as in stainless guns. I have a 35 year old 586 that has been cleaned a lot, as it may have as many as 50,000 rounds through it. The bluing has thinned on the front of the cylinder, but it a shooting gun, so I don't worry about it.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I have never understood why folks get so upset over evidence of honest use. When I see such guns on a table at a gun show, it is obvious what has happened, and it almost seems like the seller is trying to misrepresent to an unsuspecting buyer the condition of the revolver. That, in turn, makes me wonder what else about the revolver is being misrepresented.

Now, there are people who just want to have the cylinder face clean, but please do not use abrasives, sand paper, steel wool, or chemicals that harm the finish.

Personally, all I care about is making sure the cylinder spins freely, and that any obvious gunk is removed. Black rings do not bother me at all.

 

[Hapworth]

Learn to love the carbon flower blossom.

 

[Chukar60]

I use Frog Lube CLP. I stand the gun on end with the barrel pointing up, cylinder open and put a generous amount of CLP on the cylinder face. Let it sit for 45 minutes to an hour, then a good short bristle nylon brush. Gets the job done better than anything I have tried. On my purdy guns, I do it every time I shoot them. On the straight up shooters,s about every third or fourth session.

 

[jjbrewst1]

I use Flitz with my finger or a Qtip. Let it sit for 2 minutes then rub it off with a silicone rag. Takes about 2 minutes. It really works great for me.

 

[Smith357]

Similarly, a brass brush, Hoppe's 9, and elbow grease will clean the cylinder face of a stainless revolver, but I would be afraid to try this on a blued gun for fear of damaging the bluing.

I use a stiff nylon brush and solvent most of the time, once in a while I break out the bronze brush. I don't worry too much about the rings, I'm just going to shoot them again.

 

[Win75]

Soak the front of the cylinder liberally with Kroil and use a nylon brush to scrub the lead and carbon. Let the Kroil soak for several repeated sessions.

 

[mikeydio]

Carbon Killer

Slip 2000 makes a product called Carbon Killer. It comes in a jar and you simply remove the cylinder assembly and submerge it for 30 minutes or so. Then remove and just wipe off the carbon stains. Carbon Killer is like a soapy solution that will dry out the metal surfaces, so be sure to oil the entire assembly after use. It works well for pistol barrels as well.

I have been using it for years. It minimizes any abrasive methods for removing carbon fouling and thus caused no harm to critical surfaces, like the revolver exit throats.

Good shooting. Mike