Controversy re Simple Green and firearms cleaning.

[C.R.Sam]

For lo these many years I have been using Simple Green for darn near everything cept makin mint julips. De-greasing oiled birds, cleaning everything under the sun. Removing blood stains, washing my beard, parts cleaning, getting crud off/out of guns. etc etc.

Recently I have seen a couple of posts wherein it was expressed that Simple Green should not be used for cleaning firearms. Supposedly the cleaner would cause hydrogen embrittlement of the gun parts. Since I break old habits only when hit on the head with a hammer and having some experience with mil-spec requirements for arms and aircraft parts........I asked the good folks at Sunshine Products for their take on this.

I'm gonna keep on usin it.

Following posted with permission of the sender. Note that the test samples were cad plated, stretched to near tensile limit while being soaked for days.
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Dear Sam:
Thanks for your inquiry, and for being such a long-term supporter of
Simple Green!

The information you've heard comes from the military.  They put
cleaning products through a rigorous "mil-prf" testing before allowing
use on aircraft.  The hydrogen embrittlement test involves soaking a
coupon of cadmium plated AISI 4340 steel in full-strength and 10%
solution and then subjecting the coupons to tensile strength
(stretching) for 150 hours.  Failures prior to 150 hours produce a
failure of the cleaner to pass mil-prf.  ASTM stipulates that this
test is only applicable to the specified steel and results cannot be
extrapolated to any other kind of metal.  Simple Green did not pass
this test and, therefore, has not been marketed to the aircraft
industry.

However, Simple Green has been used to clean guns for over 20 years.
In my 8 years here, I've spoken with several police forces and
subcontractors to police forces that use Simple Green to clean
firearms.  None has ever reported any problems at all.  As long as you
don't soak guns or gun parts for more than a few minutes, and you
rinse well and relubricate, (which one would do anyway,) you will not
have any problems.

Thanks again for contacting us, and for choosing Simple Green!
Sincerely,

Carol Chapin
Environmental & Regulatory Coordinator
SIMPLE GREEN
(800) 228-0709
cchapin@simplegreen.com
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Sam...follow me, I know a shortcut

 

[beemerb]

Never did like to clean firearms with something that is water based but looks like this might be ok with some care.Sure looks good for BP fans

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Anybody know if Simple Green is easy going on tritium night sights (and the white plastic outlines around them)?

 

[echo3mike]

Used Simple Green to clean handguns. Worked well, wsp. when it's dried immediately after cleaning.

I just couldn't get past that minty fresh smell it left!

Regards,
S.

 

[E. BeauBeaux]

I have used Simple Green for the last few years for weapons. It really works well, especially on old military weapons with 30 year old crud on them. I wash it off with water then dry the parts with dry air, oil and reassemble.
Just my $.02 but haven't found any so called gun cleaner that works this good.

 

[Noban]

I have found nothing better than simple green and very hot water in cleaning my muzzle loader.

 

[simon jester]

Does it clean after use of corrosive ammo?

 

[Gewehr98]

It's good stuff. In the Air Force forensics lab I managed until 1999, we used Simple Green to scrub the stainless steel laminar flow hoods in our Class 100 clean rooms. (We rinsed with 100% de-ionized water, then a final rinse of 200 proof ethanol, my supply folks had to obtain a liquor license for the 15 gallons of ethanol I went through per month) Darned if the guys didn't leave the Simple Green solution on the glass too long, and it was etched by the stuff! One thing led to another, my buddy's compensated IPSC race gun was leading up pretty good in the comp chambers. So I took some more Simple Green solution, a stainless ultrasonerator tank, and his barrel, and let it buzz away happily for a couple hours. The lead and WW231 gook came out nicely, but so did the parkerizing on the compensator, heehee!

 

[C.R.Sam]

Gewehr98.....That sounds like a long time to leave the gun in a stout u-sonic cleaner. Mighta taken the parkerizing off with straight water in the tank.

Years ago I left a pot metal carburator in Oakite over night. All I got back was the brass and copper pieces, the body was part of the sludge in the bottom.

Sam...if its worth doin, it's worth overdoin at least once.

 

[Gewehr98]

You got that one right, Sam! No wristwatches in the dunk, either! Although I'd like to dissolve a Lorcin some day.

Our test for the ultrasonerators was to put a piece of aluminum foil in plain water, hit the power, and watch the foil totally disintegrate. If it didn't eliminate the foil, we considered the transducer to be suspect, and off it went for either rebuild or disposal through DRMO.

I purchased one from DRMO that wasn't supported by the manufacturer anymore, it still has plenty of snort, and I use it, with Simple Green, to clean the fouled spark plugs from my cold-blooded Harley!

Thought about using dish detergent and water in the tank to pre-clean my .223 brass before tumbling. That's probably taking it a little too far...