How to clean a burnt revolver

[ISCS Yoda]

As many of you know, I had a house fire in 2018. Most of my firearms survived thanks to a Browning Pro-Steel gun safe. One nickel-plated Model 10, my living room self-defense gun, did not fare so well due to being hidden in a wooden cabinet. Anyway, I forgot about it until the other day, when I was going through boxes, and there it was. I don't want to shoot it, that would be an error, but it's covered in ashes, the stocks are burned, there's a lot of junk stuck to it.

What solvent can I just drop it into that will clean off the gunk?

Many years ago, I had a Walther Model 1 25 ACP pistol given to me that was completely covered in boat deck paint. I dropped it into a bucket of something and it eventually came clean and became a pretty nice piece. What that solvent was I cannot recall; thus, this inquiry.

 

[silicosys4]

if it got hot enough to burn off the stocks, it has ruined the heat treatment on the barrel/cylinder and is no longer safe to shoot. It also has ruined the springs and most of the internals. You could conceivably replace the barrel and cylinder, then all the guts, but that is a lot of expense to save a gun that realistically isn't worth what you'd have to put into it to bring it back to shootable condition.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

As I noted, "I don't want to shoot it, that would be an error", but I want to clean it up to put on a shelf. I have no intentions of trying to have it fixed - I was surprised that the ammunition didn't cook off, but the six cartridges were intact.

Like this:



I might even have it powder-coated like the green F&H pocket pistol. Now that it has occurred to me, that is EXACTLY what I am going to do to it. Suggestions for cleaning it are still solicited but I'm fixing to call Ace Powder Coating to see what he thinks. Yep; definitely gonna do that, maybe green, maybe MAGA red.....

 

[Autonomous]

To see if the bluing is not destroyed I'd suggest some sort of oil or kerosine and bronze wool or all copper Chore Boy scrubbers.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

It's nickel-plated.....

I just want the gunk off it and as soon as I speak to Ace I'll decide.

 

[kev74]

Hoppies and a brass bristle brush.

Or WD-40 and a brass brush.

 

[biku324]

^^^^This. I used a variation of this, Hoppe's #9 and stiff toothbrushes, to clean two generations of rust, barn dirt, powder residue, some of which was sunburned on (through a barn window) from a W. Richards 12 gauge sxs and a Stevens-Maynard Jr with good results.

Hoppies and a brass bristle brush.

Or WD-40 and a brass brush.

 

[Greyman50]

Kroil.

 

[gdnagle]

I know break fluid will remove paint don't know what kind of gunk is on it, I would make it unable to fire again remove firepin file it down just to make sure you don't accidentaly try to fire it again.

 

[mtrmn]

I don't know but I been told, Hoppes or any solvent that uses ammonia to remove copper will destroy the nickel finish.

 

[JwesleyN]

As many of you know, I had a house fire in 2018. Most of my firearms survived thanks to a Browning Pro-Steel gun safe. One nickel-plated Model 10, my living room self-defense gun, did not fare so well due to being hidden in a wooden cabinet. Anyway, I forgot about it until the other day, when I was going through boxes, and there it was. I don't want to shoot it, that would be an error, but it's covered in ashes, the stocks are burned, there's a lot of junk stuck to it.

What solvent can I just drop it into that will clean off the gunk?

Many years ago, I had a Walther Model 1 25 ACP pistol given to me that was completely covered in boat deck paint. I dropped it into a bucket of something and it eventually came clean and became a pretty nice piece. What that solvent was I cannot recall; thus, this inquiry.

I’ve had a few guns come in to be refinished that someone spray painted. I used acetone in a covered metal container to remove it. Don’t use plastic or Tupperware it will melt it but it won’t hurt blue or nickel. Hopped contains ammonia so don’t soak it in that. I refinished a badly neglected 70 series Colt Government model and used nickel stripper which worked quick but was left with a copper flash plating. I soaked it in ammonia for like a week and the copper disappeared. I’m not sure how S&W plated their guns but ammonia will remove copper. Once you get the gunk off see how the springs react. You say the rounds didn’t cook off? It doesn’t take much heat to get them to do that. I was drying some brass in an old oven at 350 and I heard a pop. Yes somehow a loaded round was in there.

 

[Shotguncoach]

I would recommend a month or two in a bath of Ed’s Red. A .50 caliber ammo can works well for soaking. Pull it out every couple of weeks and brush it with a stiff bristle toothbrush and plop it back in.

 

[H Richard]

The right stuff would be Ed's Red, a combination of Automatic Trans Fluid and Acetone and something else. I can't recall the correct formula. Hopefully someone will be along that has it. To work today I'd put in a sealed container of Kroil. Kroil is s penetrating fluid and will not harm any part of the gun. If possible get the grips off the gun first.

If the fire was not hot enough to cook off the ammo in in, the heat treatment has not been compromised, and once cleaned it would be safe to shoot. I would however, shoot it with only standard velocity ammo.

 

[Major 2]

Just musing here, but if you are

I’ve had a few guns come in to be refinished that someone spray painted. I used acetone in a covered metal container to remove it. Don’t use plastic or Tupperware it will melt it but it won’t hurt blue or nickel....

Similar experience, on a Ruby and a P38.
Straight Acetone in an aluminum tray was my juice, Ed Red which contains Acetone probably also work.
Just musing here, but if you are powder-coating or even better Cerakote, it needs fine glass beading surface prep.
Why not just go that route no solution dip needed ?