Red Insert & Acetone Mix Cleaning

[Vtgw938]

Will an equal parts mix of acetone, ATF, mineral spirts and kerosene damage a S&W red insert if soaked for an extended period of time?

Thanks.

 

[M29since14]

I would not try it. I'd protect the sight with something if I was using that stuff to clean the barrel. "Soaking" - no question. Don't!

 

[gwpercle]

Define ... " Extended Period of Time "

That could be 1 hour ... or 1 year ... just how long is we talking about .

Although Ed's Red Bore Cleaner is 25% Acetone ... it is diluted with 3 other products . Acetone will not melt an Oral-B toothbrush handle ... nor will Ed's Red Cleaner ... I scrub parts with a toothbrush all the time .
But I don't know what a red S&W sight insert is made from , a good cleaning , toothbrush scrubbing of parts , barrel cleaning , cylinder scrubbing with brushes and patches takes about 2 hours and final wiping down when done does no harm...
I would say at least 1.5 hours in contact with sight insert ...
I would say 2 hours is safe from my experience and I'm a big fan of Ed's Red Cleaner , used it for years ... good stuff .
Gary

 

[chief38]

I realize many here like Ed's Red - and I'm sure it cleans quite well. Personally, I stay relatively clear of Acetone and only use it as a last resort cleaning agent (and never on guns). Acetone is very bad for your health, penetrates many of the disposable latex gloves I wear, eats many plastic items, and I have never found it necessary to use on guns. It also tends to strip original factory grips of their lacquer finish if it gets on them. Yes, I know that some other cleaners like old Hoppes are also toxic, but I have no issues using less toxic chemicals such as Break-free CLP, G96 CLP, etc.

My workbench top layer is made of 1/4" Sintra (a type of semi soft plastic sheet) which is impervious to almost every single chemical I've ever used. Acetone eats right through it! After seeing what happened to the Sintra - I stopped using Acetone on any regular basis.

 

[Vtgw938]

"extended period of time" = one to several days.

 

[Patrick L]

I mix my Ed's Red both with and without acetone. I only use the acetone mix on shotgun bores since it does help with the plastic wad fouling. I use the non acetone for general cleaning, plus I can put that in a plastic pump spray bottle. The acetone mix needs a glass bottle.

 

[glowe]

You can take it out and/or replace the insert using a Brownell's front sight insert kit. These inserts can be removed and if not damaged, you can glue them back in place, or if the insert is damaged by soaking, you can replace it using the kit.

 

[Laketime]

Cleaning your gun more frequently will avoid the need for soaking with anything.

 

[Laketime]

You can take it out and/or replace the insert using a Brownell's front sight insert kit. These inserts can be removed and if not damaged, you can glue them back in place, or if the insert is damaged by soaking, you can replace it using the kit.

I have never seen a replacement yet that matches the color and hue of the factory.To my eyes they all look like someone used a tooth brush to do a replacement.The worst is when they are almost translucent.

 

[Laketime]

Unless you have some barrell rust a Lewis lead remover kit will strip everything else out.No need to soak.

 

[Vtgw938]

When I get a revolver it has usually had 40-70 years of use before me. So it needs a soaking.

 

[Ruger 13]

Probably wouldn't do it any good!

 

[gwpercle]

"extended period of time" = one to several days.

For one to several days ... I would play it safe ...
Omit the Acetone from the mix , equal parts Kerosene, mineral spirits and ATF (conventional atf , not synthetic) and long soak .
Back in the day when the only cleaner was Hoppe's #9 a good "soaking" agent for rusty and grime caked on parts was straight Kerosene .
A rusty tool , soaked for 3 months in kerosene , saved a pair of side cutters my wife left in the flower bed for a year ... I thought they were "Toast" but 3 months in kerosene and I saved them !

Ed's Red without the Acetone is still a good cleaner ... the acetone is just to aide in getting up under fouling .
The best penetrating oil in the world is ATF (conventional) and Acetone 50-50 mix ... the test results show it beat every other product !

For those who wish to put Ed's Red with acetone in a plastic spray bottle ... simply use a empty " Windex" bottle . It will not "melt" and has a good sprayer . I have 4 bottles in my shop now ... remember " Windex" that's the one that won't melt with acetone and of course if you use Ed's Red w/o acetone it works fine ... the sprayer's off position doesn't allow any evaporation .
Gary

 

[Uraldriver]

I omit the Acetone from my Ed's red, I think it was added for Shotguns to clean the plastic that builds up from the wads.

 

[Marksman]

I simply cannot understand the need to soak the exterior of a revolver barrel in such a witch's brew, much less expect the red insert not to sustain any damage resulting from such treatment. A trick that I learned from a Pachmyer gunsmith long ago was to cast red inserts in place. Make a "form" from a couple pieces of business card and double stick tape. Two part epoxy is tinted with Testor's model paint, fill the dovetail and allow to dry. Remove the "forms" and use a needle file to trim the top and voila an easily completed red insert, done in little more time than it takes to tell. No telling how many inserts I've done over the last 45+ years using this method. Colors only limited by the shade of model paint, try it you'll like it !

 

[Capt. F.]

I simply cannot understand the need to soak the exterior of a revolver barrel in such a witch's brew, much less expect the red insert not to sustain any damage resulting from such treatment. A trick that I learned from a Pachmyer gunsmith long ago was to cast red inserts in place. Make a "form" from a couple pieces of business card and double stick tape. Two part epoxy is tinted with Testor's model paint, fill the dovetail and allow to dry. Remove the "forms" and use a needle file to trim the top and voila an easily completed red insert, done in little more time than it takes to tell. No telling how many inserts I've done over the last 45+ years using this method. Colors only limited by the shade of model paint, try it you'll like it !

Amen,
I've used this method and have never had a problem with my "epoxy" inserts. Plus, it's super cheap!

 

[Vtgw938]

I put a M28 barrel in the brew for a couple days which had two inserts put in by somebody and they softened up in good shape. Don't know what the plastic was. I really like soaking a "new" gun when I get it as it is easy to clean it and they just look better for it.

As a side note, after cleaning out the insert slots, I grabbed a hand clay bird thrower and hacked a piece of the red plastic off the handle and within a few minutes had a near perfect red insert installed.

I won't soak an insert or white outline sight but will everything else.

 

[glowe]

Thermoplastics will hold up better than thermosets in a strong solvent. Polypropylene, Polystyrene, PTFE, LDPE, and HDPE are examples of thermoplastics. Most are resistant to acetone.

Thermosets on the other hand will usually dissolve in acetone. Polyester, melamine, polyurethane, epoxy, and urea formaldehyde are examples. Problem is we do not know what type of plastic was used to make the inserts, but knowing that they were formed and poured as a liquid, might make it likely that it is a thermoset. Those holes were made to allow the liquid setting plastic to fill in and make the insert very secure. Gluing a piece in the slot may not work over time???

 

[Marksman]

Now that we've had the dissertation on plastics, how would one know which of these they had ?

 

[glowe]

Now that we've had the dissertation on plastics, how would one know which of these they had ?

Sorry, but several related questions were raised about plastics in general without reply. Bottom line is that thermoplastics like polyethylene can actually store acetone without incident, thermosets cannot because they will melt.