Lead Removal

[papalondog]

Probably been discussed a bunch, but it happened again to me this weekend. I picked up a beautiful 19-4 snubbie at the gunshow for a good price. Came home and started cleaning. The gun is like new, with all the bluing still on the recoil shield. Seemed to have a little flame cutting and when I cleaned the powder off the face of the cylinder it brought back memories. Molten lead all around the chambers. No flame cutting, just molten lead pasted around the forcing cone. I bought a 19 snubbie at the same show 4 or 5 years ago with the same issue. Is there any way to easily remove this lead buildup, or am I doing the right thing by soaking and scrubbing. It works, but sure takes time. Someone in this area sure shoots some soft lead bullets.

 

[papalondog]

Probably been discussed a bunch, but it happened again to me this weekend. I picked up a beautiful 19-4 snubbie at the gunshow for a good price. Came home and started cleaning. The gun is like new, with all the bluing still on the recoil shield. Seemed to have a little flame cutting and when I cleaned the powder off the face of the cylinder it brought back memories. Molten lead all around the chambers. No flame cutting, just molten lead pasted around the forcing cone. I bought a 19 snubbie at the same show 4 or 5 years ago with the same issue. Is there any way to easily remove this lead buildup, or am I doing the right thing by soaking and scrubbing. It works, but sure takes time. Someone in this area sure shoots some soft lead bullets.

 

[ArgMauser]

What I usually do is use a copper Chore Girl scouring pad. Make sure it is copper, which is -of course-too soft to scratch steel. Cut the Chore Girl into convenient size strips and wrap them around a bronze brush that fits the barrel. I dip the wrapped brush in a solvent, such as Hoppe's, WD-40, Kroil, etc. and go to work on the lead. The copper Chore Girl works much better and faster than the bronze brush alone.

There is a commercial cleaning tool designed to perform this job. It's called a Lewis Lead Remover, and it's designed to remove lead from chamber, barrel, and forcing cone of a revolver. To me, it seems the Chore Girl wrapped brush works better and is cheaper.

 

[Raider]

+1 on the copper pad. It works great.

 

[Ayms Pourly]

The chore girl worked better then the Lewis Lead Remover for me. Used it on a 629 worked great.

Ayms

 

[Bill22250]

Chore girl... ok

Lewis Lead Remover +1

 

[dwf6666]

I've used Outter's Foul Out for many years. It will remove all lead or copper deposits in chambers and barrels depending on which solution you use. It takes time but no elbow grease and there is no danger of damaging the barrel or chamber.

 

[n4zov]

At risk of raising the ire of the EPA and every other environmental protection group in the world, liquid mercury will remove every vestige of lead. It turns lead into a very fine powder that is probably toxic to every living creature in the world. I used to plug the barrel of a badly leaded .357 and pour mercury into the other end of the barrel. By the next morning, it was dissolved and the lead powder residue was floating on the mercury. I'm not necessarily recommending your try this, but it absolutely is the best lead removal method I have found.

 

[Drail]

The Chore Girl method works great for bore cleaning but on a heavily leaded forcing cone the Lewis tool is better I think. I have smoothed really roughly cut forcing cones by wrapping 400 grit paper around the Lewis tool and greatly reduced leading at that point. Mercury is evil stuff. I wouldn't mess with it for any purpose.

 

[raycat]

Can someone help me here, I do not understand how using a copper pad, to scrub with, will help. I am trying to get rid of copper/lead. It seem to me, it is strange to put copper in to try to remove the same. I am sure I am wrong, but could you clear this up for me. Also I can find Chore Boy copper pads, but I can not find anything about Chore Girls. Thanks

 

[albanian]

At risk of raising the ire of the EPA and every other environmental protection group in the world, liquid mercury will remove every vestige of lead.

Who wouldn't want deadly mercury and lead dust around? If there is one thing that I don't get enough of it is deadly heavy metals. LOL!

After I clean my gun with mercury, I like to wipe it down with an asbestos cloth as well.

 

[stang68]

I just used some Outers Nitro Solvent Gun Cleaner on my Model 19 that had lead streaks in the chambers and the forcing cone that was left even after I used the Chore Boy method with Hoppes. The Outers removed all traces with little effort.

 

[Drail]

Any of the copper scrub pads will remove leading if tightly wrapped around an old bore brush so it fits snugly in the bore. It will not remove copper. For that you will need a copper solvent.

 

[stang68]

My previous post regarding Nitro Solvent was in error. Although yesterday, right after cleaning, the streaks in the forcing cone and chambers were not visible, today they are.

 

[Ole Wild]

Take a fired cartridge (brass on only)...I use old .30-30 brass, get a hammer, and smash only the neck area flat with hammer. Wet forcing cone area with a good penetrating oil and start picking away with the now flat end of brass. This "tool" will also allow you to get between the forcing cone and the top strap. I use Kroil oil, and the lead just flakes off with my homemade pick. Easy and cheap!

 

[john traveler]

Copper chore boy scrubbing pads work because the copper strips have sharp edges that scrape the lead deposit off. You need mechanical abrasion to remove lead deposits. The chamber and bore brush does this through the scrubbing action of the bristles, but the ends of the bristles get worn down and become less effective. What powder solvents really do is migrate between the metal fouling and the steel surface, making it easier for the mechanical scrubbing to break free the leading. Ammonia does dissolve copper deposits, but if left in contact with steel, will pit it, and ruin the finish.