Brasso for copper fouling?

[rollmyown]

I read here recently that someone uses Brasso for copper fouling removal.

Has anyone else tried this?

How effective is it compared to other copper fouling targeting solvents?

Could it be harmful?

[res45]

I just use ACE Hardware 10% janitors strength ammonia,you can cut it 4 to 1 with water,K1 Kerosene or Kroil Oil if you like or just use it straight. Either way just use the same basic copper bore cleaning instructions you would with any other copper bore cleaner of the type.

I can get a qt. bottle at the local ACE Hardware store for around $3 that pretty much makes a lifetime supply for me.

[John Boy]

I just use ACE Hardware 10% janitors strength ammonia,you can cut it 4 to 1 with water,K1 Kerosene or Kroil Oil if you like or just use it straight. Try the 28% ammonia: plug the bore with a rubber stopper, fill the bore, leave in for approx 20 minutes - drain. You'll be surprised how effective it is

[pdawg_shooter]

+1 on the 28%. For some reason SWMBO insist I go to the garage to use it.

[curator]

10% "janitorial strength" ammonia cleaner from WalMart works good after you have de-greased and removed nitro-powder fouling with another solvent. For badly fouled bores alternate overnight soakings (fill the bore) with ammonia with other solvents. Sometimes the copper is overlaid with layers of powder or carbon fouling and the ammonia can't get at it.

[pipehand]

I remember Brasso from military days. Suppose you could use it if you wanted your copper fouling to be really shiny.
Now seems to be a good time too remind everyone that while ammonia can be used as a copper remover, and a brass polisher, even the smell of it will embrittle brass and copper so don't use it where you keep loaded ammo or brass waiting to be reloaded.

[Bullwolf]

I tried using Brasso to get heavy copper fouling out of a really badly fouled bore years ago. It was very ammonia stinky, and I can see where a person could get banished to the garage for doing so. It didn't work so well for me, and I ended up removing the the rest of the copper from the bore using many patches soaked in a copper solvent, and leaving them in the bore over time, to remove the worst of it.

I haven't used Brasso in a long time. I sort of avoid it now because it's ammonia based, and I try to keep it away from my brass for fear (real or imagined) of weakening my cartridge brass.

Lately I have ran a patch with Flitz metal polish on it, or JB bore paste down a really funky barrel or two.


- Bullwolf

[Multigunner]

Remember that whenever filling a bore to soak for hours or over night that besides the rubber plug in the chamber you should use a piece of rubber tubing over the muzzle so you can fill above the crown.
If a very strong ammonia solvent is left only partially filling the bore a tideline can form at the interface of solvent and air.
I used to fill only the chamber neck and a few inches of bore using Sweets or other powerful copper solvents. I'd make a plug by using a decapped .45 ACP casing like a cookie cutter to cut the plug from a rectagular rubber eraser.
To avoid air getting to the bore surface, and to spread the solvent while breaking up the surface of the fouling, I eased a steel cleaning rod with a dacron hair pad patch in the loop down the bore. Evey hour or so I'd ease the patch carefully up and down the bore.
This scrubbed away the softened fouling exposing more to the solvent.

In a time the expended solvent poured from the bore looked like thick burnt crankcase oil.

After using fresh patches to remove the residue I'd repeat the process several times till the solvent no longer had any metal fouling to work on.

I have used 0000 steel wool wrapped around the hair pad to speed up the process, but while this caused no bore damage so long as the patch was not a tight fit, I don't reccomend it.
Generally 0000 steel wool won't normally cut modern barrel steel, but older Milsurp rifles often are made of softer steel than that used since WW2.

[lister]

I've used Brasso yes it does smell, but it does clean light copper fouling powder residue and corrosive primer residues well. For a badly fouled bore on a 303 , the abrasive cookie round of 303 guys did wonders.