Recently? The test was years ago. And it's Ed's Red base, which has been around since Hatcher's time in between the wars.
By the way, it's worked great for at least 30 years. Personal experience.
Jeff
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Penetrating oil
- Thread starter zonker5
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By the way, it's worked great for at least 30 years. Personal experience.
Jeff
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WaMike
Member
I'll stick with Kroil....mostly because I bought a small can on sale some time ago and it appears that it'll last about 3 lifetimes.....
Bayou52
Member
I was thinking the same thing until I learned how well Kroil cleans a bore. I've started bore cleaning all the firearms with it after each range outing. Looks like I'll be buying more Kroil after all.....
If you're considering using acetone remember that it has a flash point of minus 4 degrees F. If evaporated acetone accumulates it can actually blow up. Use it with a lot of ventilation.
Me, I'm a Kroil guy for over 50 years.
Me, I'm a Kroil guy for over 50 years.
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I actually really enjoy that smell. They say that smell is the sense that is most linked to memory. When I sprayed my first can of Kroil this year, I was 7 years old again, playing at my friend's house down the street. I have always loved the smell, but I never knew what it was...I'm guessing his father used it for something in his work shop.
gman51
Member
WD 40 didn't surprise me as the latest WD 40 is almost useless. PB Blaster works so so. Liquid Wrench has been around like forever and it has always gave the best results of what I have tried.
Sounds like Kroil is safer to use than Acetone. I have never even seen it let alone use it before.
Sounds like Kroil is safer to use than Acetone. I have never even seen it let alone use it before.
Nemo288
Member
I always have a metal can of acetone in the garage as it is just about the most aggressive solvent you can still buy.
I used to use stuff like trichloroethylene at work to dissolve solder flux but those compounds have gone away for the most part.
Acetone is the only thing I could get to dissolve Tempilaq residue after annealing brass.
But I will never willingly use it in the house for the reasons stated above plus breathing any organic solvents is bad juju IMHO.
I use brake cleaner sometimes to degrease cylinder (and rifle) chambers and that also is done in the garage with the door open.
As far as the smelly aspect of gun juice goes, I think everyone will agree that new cars should smell like original Hoppes!
I believe that smell is mostly from isoamyl acetate, also known as banana oil.
Amyl acetate is a nitrocellulose solvent and actually is found in bananas albeit in a low concentration.
Isoamyl acetate - Wikipedia
If you really want a gun smell that will wake up the wife try Eezox.
Recommended for blind shooters as you can locate your gun 100 yards away just by the smell.
It's not a bad smell though, just pungent.
I am warming to it actually.
Probably bad for me as is everything else I like.
Now if they made a gun cleaner that smelled like single malt whisky.....
I used to use stuff like trichloroethylene at work to dissolve solder flux but those compounds have gone away for the most part.
Acetone is the only thing I could get to dissolve Tempilaq residue after annealing brass.
But I will never willingly use it in the house for the reasons stated above plus breathing any organic solvents is bad juju IMHO.
I use brake cleaner sometimes to degrease cylinder (and rifle) chambers and that also is done in the garage with the door open.
As far as the smelly aspect of gun juice goes, I think everyone will agree that new cars should smell like original Hoppes!
I believe that smell is mostly from isoamyl acetate, also known as banana oil.
Amyl acetate is a nitrocellulose solvent and actually is found in bananas albeit in a low concentration.
Isoamyl acetate - Wikipedia
If you really want a gun smell that will wake up the wife try Eezox.
Recommended for blind shooters as you can locate your gun 100 yards away just by the smell.
It's not a bad smell though, just pungent.
I am warming to it actually.
Probably bad for me as is everything else I like.
Now if they made a gun cleaner that smelled like single malt whisky.....
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Targets Guy
US Veteran
Good thread. Learning a lot.
Phish
Member
Can of Kroil is always on my table. We use it on refineries when there is a shutdown. When we first show up on the job there is usually a couple 55 gal. drums full of it. But I do like the ideal of making up some of this atf stuff which we have plenty of that wont costs much at all.
My buddy, earlier in his career, managed 2 different power plants, one an aero-derivative frame 7 turbine generator, the other a massive IC diesel the size of a big house. They used Kroil by the drum, especially to disassemble and clean turbine wheels. It would cut through the carbon build-up and free stuff up.
We all use it on our boats these days.
Now, the ED's Red type home brew, after the acetone, MEK, kerosene, whatever eventually evaporates, you are still left with the Dexron, which is about 5W20 oil with a lot of detergents and anti oxidants in it. Just fine as a leave behind lubricant.
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CptCurl
Member
I am a big fan of PB Blaster for general cleaning and keep it on my work bench all the time. It does a great job of bore cleaning also, but it won't remove copper fouling.
Curl
Curl
A test done four years ago is pretty recent in my book.
Back when Coca Cola was the real stuff, mechanics would wrap a rag around the frozen part and soak it with Coke. Then go for lunch and when they came back it would be ready to take off.
Maybe some ATF, acetone and Coke would make a better mix.
It was probably the phosphoric acid in the Coke that did the trick.
Phosphoric acid is used as a rust neutralizer when doing bodywork and prepping for paint. It converts rust (iron oxide) into iron phosphate, which is inert, and makes a good base coat when all extra loose iron phosphate is removed. Naval Jelly is just jellied phosphoric acid.
PPS1980
Member
Remember watching an old WWII movie on using 50 gal cans of diesel to clean cosmoline.
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Since they changed the formula in Hoppes we need SOMETHING to keep SWMBO out of the garage.
stang1911
Member
Think about it? If any of these where good penetrants they would leak out the crimped metal cans they come in! Just saying
Kroil will ignite at about 8-900 degrees, as will acetone. Have had Kroil light off when sprayed on the nuts of a real hot piping flange.
While acetone is easy to ignite don't fool yourself and thing that Kroil vapor is that much better. I keep my mixture in either hand spray bottles or a sealed can. I wouldn't be leaving an open container of Kroil around or spray it on something hot or around flames, just like anything with acetone.
While acetone is easy to ignite don't fool yourself and thing that Kroil vapor is that much better. I keep my mixture in either hand spray bottles or a sealed can. I wouldn't be leaving an open container of Kroil around or spray it on something hot or around flames, just like anything with acetone.
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I buy a quart sized can of Acetone from Home Depot every 15 years or so - because that is how long it lasts me! I ONLY use Acetone as a last resort cleaner. I have discovered many times that it "eats" into MANY products you try to clean. Just recently, I used it to clean rubber tire marks on my Workshop's vinyl floor (from my old air compressor's wheels vibrating) and after trying Alcohol, WD-40, Zippo Lighter Fluid, and Kerosene I gave up and pulled out the can of Acetone. Well, the Acetone took the scuff marks right off - HOWEVER in doing so it also took the tile floor's finish off too. Now instead of a black tire mark, I have a clear spot on that tile instead of the pattern. While cleaning the floor I accidentally spilled a little Acetone on my Work Bench top and it etched that as well. So my point is that Acetone is a very very strong cleaner but also "eats" many materials along the way and that is why Acetone is on my "last resort usage" list!! Personally I would NOT use it on ANY gun no matter how many report how well it works. I have no doubt it works well, but IMHO it works TOO WELL!!
As I stated in my first post on this thread, KROIL is the best I've ever used - just smells bad.
As I stated in my first post on this thread, KROIL is the best I've ever used - just smells bad.
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gwpercle
Member
I expected acetone to eat up the plastic handle of a cheap toothbrush I was going to use...I mean acetone eats just about everything but surprisingly, it didn't affect the toothbrush ....neither the handle or bristles....I'm not sure what they are made from but acetone doesn't eat them up. Maybe Nylon?
Gary
Gary
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I always wear TWO SETS of Nitrile Gloves when working with Acetone but if it is on the gloves for any length of time it eats right through both of them. 
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one eye joe
US Veteran
THANKS FOR SHARING THIS VERY USEFUL BIT OF INFO, zonker5......
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