Dang! Ya'lls high-line. I'm a scrounger and coupon king... at least when it comes to gun cleanin' and lubing.
For lead fouling, I use Chore-boy scouring pads, with or without steel--I used the copper-coated CB pads before I found out they'd changed over from pure copper, and after I found out they were coating steel mesh with copper, I inspected my barrels and compared them and see no difference whatsoever. No more of those time-consuming swap-outs of expensive Lewis Lead Remover mesh screens. $2 worth of Chore Boy pads last 4-5 years. I just cut a little of the CB and wrap it around an old worn out bore brush and scrub back and forth til the barrel's warm. That usually does it--40 seconds, tops. Beat that with the Lewis Lead system.
For copper fouling, I pay the freight and use Hoppe's.
For everything else, I clean with Ed's Red. It's cheeep (that's my middle name), and I've usually got all the ingredients lying around in the garage. Here's the recipe:
1 part ATF (Dexron II, IIe or III, it doesn't matter)
1 part Kerosene
1 part Mineral Spirits
1 part Acetone (I don't use this--it's recommended as an ingredient when scouring shotgun barrels for plastic wad fouling)
I just store it in a plastic squirt bottle--if you add the acetone, you'll have to store it in a metal container--the acetone will eventually eat through plastic, and you'll have one helluva mess (aside from ruining whatever table etc you're storing it on).
For lubricant, Mobil One 20-50w because that's what I had layin' around. 10-30's okay, too, but the 20-50's less viscous. For fast moving parts where oil-slinging is a concern, I add a dab of Lubriplate and slush the two together. I've had a one-cup tin of Lubriplate since 1978. I'm about 1/2-way through it.
The great thing about Mobil One is, all I really need is "what's left in the bottle" after I pour the rest into an engine. I just stack up the containers upside down for a couple days to harvest my gun lube. Same for the Ed's Red ATF--there's always a extra 1/2 pint fresh ATF leftover after my tranny changes.
For lead fouling, I use Chore-boy scouring pads, with or without steel--I used the copper-coated CB pads before I found out they'd changed over from pure copper, and after I found out they were coating steel mesh with copper, I inspected my barrels and compared them and see no difference whatsoever. No more of those time-consuming swap-outs of expensive Lewis Lead Remover mesh screens. $2 worth of Chore Boy pads last 4-5 years. I just cut a little of the CB and wrap it around an old worn out bore brush and scrub back and forth til the barrel's warm. That usually does it--40 seconds, tops. Beat that with the Lewis Lead system.
For copper fouling, I pay the freight and use Hoppe's.
For everything else, I clean with Ed's Red. It's cheeep (that's my middle name), and I've usually got all the ingredients lying around in the garage. Here's the recipe:
1 part ATF (Dexron II, IIe or III, it doesn't matter)
1 part Kerosene
1 part Mineral Spirits
1 part Acetone (I don't use this--it's recommended as an ingredient when scouring shotgun barrels for plastic wad fouling)
I just store it in a plastic squirt bottle--if you add the acetone, you'll have to store it in a metal container--the acetone will eventually eat through plastic, and you'll have one helluva mess (aside from ruining whatever table etc you're storing it on).
For lubricant, Mobil One 20-50w because that's what I had layin' around. 10-30's okay, too, but the 20-50's less viscous. For fast moving parts where oil-slinging is a concern, I add a dab of Lubriplate and slush the two together. I've had a one-cup tin of Lubriplate since 1978. I'm about 1/2-way through it.
The great thing about Mobil One is, all I really need is "what's left in the bottle" after I pour the rest into an engine. I just stack up the containers upside down for a couple days to harvest my gun lube. Same for the Ed's Red ATF--there's always a extra 1/2 pint fresh ATF leftover after my tranny changes.
