Lead Solvents?

[leadmonkey]

Somehow, I suspect that this is a subject that has already been beaten to death, but I really did try some searches before I decided to post this thread.

I recently overloaded a few rounds, and wound up with a badly leaded barrel. I spent a considerable amount of time and ruined a couple of bore brushes scrubbing it all out. I've since ordered some bronze wool for any future chores like this.

After spending some time researching this subject on the web, I have learned about numerous "lead solvents." Lots of glowing reports that they work as advertised. But I don't understand this.

Lead is a metal. AFAIK, the only chemicals that can "dissolve" lead are things that can also dissolve steel, and bluing. So can someone help me understand how these alleged lead solvents work?

[Pb2au]

Leadmonkey,
I cannot speak with any kind of knowledge/experience about lead solvents. I've seen the subject pop here on occasion and the answers run from using mercury to every witches brew you can think of.
I am a big fan of Occam's razor. The most simple answer is usually the correct one. Your favorite solvent, plus a bore brush wrapped in bronze wool or bits from a Chore Boy scrubber, plus some elbow grease will remove the leading in short order.

[bowenrd]

On occasion I will use "Shooters Choice" lead remover. It does not desolve the lead but it will help loosen it when left to soak a few minutes.

#1 method is copper Chore Boy (not plated steel) and a lot of scrubbing.

[leadmonkey]

...The most simple answer is usually the correct one. Your favorite solvent, plus a bore brush wrapped in bronze wool or bits from a Chore Boy scrubber, plus some elbow grease will remove the leading in short order.

Agreed. What I've found was that any "solvent" only helps the brush/scrubber by lubing the surface and making the shaved bits of lead easier to remove. Mineral spirits works as well here as the more expensive "lead solvents."

I've seen claims from some of these solvent makers that no scrubbing is necessary. They claim that the stuff dissolves the lead away. I'm skeptical of that. Just wondered about others' experiences.

BTW, nice avatar.

[Pb2au]

Thanks!
The idea of a solvent that can chemically break up/dissolve an element such as lead makes me seriously consider the ramifications of that. I am by no means a chemist in ANY capacity, but I could only imagine the resulting goo would not be something too healthy.
There are some chores in life that are best served by rolling up your sleeves and getting to it in a direct way.

[CastingFool]

I once worked at an aluminum processing plant. The extrusion dies were dipped in a hot caustic solution for cleaning the aluminum slugs out of the dies. The caustic would just eat away at the aluminum (if would eat away at you if you got it on you, too!) After an hour, the dies could be disassembled for further cleaning and inspection. The hot caustic solution did nothing to the steel dies. Maybe something like that could work on lead.

[Old School Big Bore]

I use the white label Shooters Choice and a heavy duty stainless brush (use carefully) for 'oops' heavy leading or good bronze brushes otherwise. I do notice a lot of lead in suspension when I'm using the lead solvent, gotta be careful about removing that slurry from your skin. Kind of afraid to use my Lewis tools with it, leery of hurting the rubber part.

[Alan in Vermont]

I'm a firm believer that most, if not all, of the miracle solvents serve best to seperate the gullible from their money.

[fourarmed]

I have never used it on really heavy leading, but Kroil does a very good job of penetrating UNDER lead deposits and lifting them so that a tight patch can push them out. Run a loose-fitting patch or two soaked with Kroil down the barrel, let it sit for a few minutes, then repeat with tight-fitting ones.

Mercury is the only thing I know of that will actually dissolve lead without attacking steel.

[Scharfschuetze]

I once hoped against hope that some of the lead solvents would be the holy grail of the cast boolit shooter, but I never did see anything exceptional in the results when using them.

I like the Lewis Lead Remover in my revolvers and pistols when I get something wrong and get leading in them, although for 99% of the time just a good bronze brush with my normal solvent formula (with about 20% Kroil) works fine in both handguns and rifles.

[mdi]

I have used kroil for the same reason fourarmed mentioned, and it works ok, not great, just ok. One "solvent" I've tried does dissolve lead, that's white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide mixture. But, if left in the barrel too long it can cause pitting (BTDT on a Dam Wesson barrel). I used a 50-50 mix, scrubbed it on with a bore brush and let it set for 1 hour. Pretty good but still a few streaks of lead left in the bbl. Second application I got "smart" and plugged the barrel and poured a little mix in the bbl. and let it sit for a few hours (actually I forgot it). When I cleaned the mixture from the barrel all the lead was gone, but there were some small pits along the bore, and I soaked the whole barrel in kroil to stop any reaction. Well, now I have a clean barel, no lead, but one with pits in it...

[djgoings]

Shooting a couple of gas check bullets before cleaning will help.

[Shiloh]

Acedic acid will dissolve lead. It will aslo etch the bore.
Stick with the tried and true methods of a bronze Chore Boy wrapped around a cleaning rod and some elbow grease.

Shiloh

[dudel]

Foul-Out. No scrubbing, no lead.

[upnorthwis]

I second the Outers Foul-Out. I had leading so bad in a .45 ACP that steel wool would only polish it. Foul-Out sucked it right out.

[whipper]

I use this
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_7i6k1w4njl_b
it works for me.

[Bloodman14]

Shiloh is referring to vinegar, it will dissolve lead over time. The ancient Romans used vinegar as a table condiment, and kept it in lead cups. After awhile, the lead dissolved, and was known as 'sugar of lead'. It was used as a sweetener in cakes, pastries, and the like. It's amazing what you can learn on this site, isn't it?

[btroj]

Use a physical means. Like chore boy or steel wool on an old brush.

[ryan28]

In my experience, anything that dissolves lead, also etches steel.

[nekshot]

for what its worth I recently cleaned 2 ex military barrels and I used a lead boolit as a plug and with the Hoppes Copper solvent in barrel 1 hour would leave a blackish sludge come out the bore when I would pull the boolit/plug and the lead in the boolits looked sand blasted. The solvent sure was attacking the lead wheel weights.