Spray Cleaner comparisons - ingredients

[dmeister]

I have seen a LOT of questions about using different spray cleaners for cleaning polymer parts and a lot of concern about damaging polymer frames. Most answers to these questions still leave a lot of questions about the safety of the spray on a particular firearm.

I searched for MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for a variety of chemical degreaser/spray cleaners including some that are commonly suggested on various forums as substitutes for Gun Scrubber Polymer Safe.

Depending on the age of the MSDS sheets I could find, these may or may not be accurate - updates can be made if errors are found.

I'm no expert, but a little research should find if the ingredients in these sprays will damage polymer frames. An email to your favorite manufacturer will probably get an answer as well.

Note that the Polymer Safe Gun Scrubber contains only 3 ingredients and the 3rd is the propellant. We KNOW this won't hurt modern polymers, so other ingredients should probably be considered suspect until confirmed safe for a particular application.

If someone wants to research the ingredients/applications, please post what you find in this thread!

Gun Scrubber - Polymer Safe

Hexane 65-70%
Isopropyl Alcohol 25-30%
Carbon Dioxide 1-5%

Gun Scrubber - NOT Polymer Safe kind - eats some plastics

Trichloroethylene <97%
Proprietary Ingredients <3%

SuperTech Brake Parts Cleaner Non-Chlorinated (Wal-Mart)

Toluene 33-43%
Methanol 26-36%
Acetone 17-27%
Carbon Dioxide <10%
Dimethoxypropane <5%

3M Electronic Equipment Cleaner

WATER 80-95%
ISOBUTANE 1-10%
2-BUTOXYETHANOL 1-10%

3M Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner

XYLENE 10-30%
HEPTANE 10-30%
PROPANE 10-30%
3-METHYLHEXANE 10-30%
METHYL ALCOHOL 7-13%
2-METHYLHEXANE 5-10%
ETHYLBENZENE 3-7%
2,3-DIMETHYLPENTANE 1-5%
DIMETHYLCYCLOPENTANE 1-5%
3-ETHYLPENTANE 1-5%
METHYLCYCLOHEXANE 1-5%
TOLUENE <0.3%
BENZENE <0.05%

Prestone Brake Parts Cleaner

Acetone 60-100%
Light Aliphatic Hydrocarbon 10-30%
Toluene 5-10%
Carbon Dioxide 5-10%

CRC Industries Isopropyl Alcohol Cleaner

Isopropyl alcohol 70-80%
1,1-Difluoroethane 20-30%

[joshh]

i bought the big can of polymer safe gun scrubber for $11. ive used it to clean various guns about 10 times and i'd say there is still about 1/2 a can left. for the money and peace of mind i suppose it's worth it. i am so nervous that ill spray down my pm9 or glock and it'll turn to $800 worth of plastic puddle.

[joje]

for what it is worth, super tech non-chlorinated brake cleaner sold @ walmart for a few bucks is standard fare in the keltec community. it leaves a bit of white residue but absolutely positively do not harm keltec polymer frames

[OldLincoln]

Jocko uses 3M Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner to clean the striker channel and doesn't lube after. That must be okay or he would have had problems by now. His cleaner doesn't list acetone and that could be why it's okay as Acetone removes all existing lubrication. if your cleaner has it, I suggest you lube after.

[Bawanna]

There's alot of junk in that 3m stuff, it has Toluene which is in alot of cleaners. The Prestone has acetone & toluene, that don't sound like good stuff for tupperware to me.
I'm not into chemistry too much but there's some wicked nasty stuff on those list.
I'm more of a detail cleaner than a dishwasher cleaner myself. We have a solvent tank with of course environmental friendly, all safe, non flammable city mandated stuff. It works good still, takes the oil right out of our skin, I hate gloves. Some of the guys hose down the whole gun (glocks) swish it around, relube and call it a day. I usually just clean individual parts best I can and not douse the whole tupperware frame if I can avoid it.
The striker channel (jocko cleanout) is all metal and on the slide so the frame don't get hosed. Although the non clorinated is not suppose to hurt plastic or polymer. ????? I've used it and mine hasn't melted down. Yet!

[getsome]

Wow, that 3M spray looks more like a recipe for rocket fuel than brake cleaner........xylene, toluene and benzene are really bad chemicals to get on your skin....I think I will stay away from that stuff without a bio suit on.... One thing I have used before is to take a bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol and put it in an empty windex bottle to clean with.... It will give you a strong stream spray to blast out crud with or a fine mist to cover more area.....Very safe and cheap.....

[dmeister]

I'm with "getsome". I'm going to try to find some 99% isopropyl alcohol locally and use it in a spray bottle. 99% is available as a cleaning agent from some industrial supply stores. It's expensive to ship since it's considered a hazmat.

I use the Prestone or Supertech brake cleaner to clean my cleaning supplies (bore brushes, nylon scrub brushes) but nothing else.

By the way, the Supertech brake cleaner strips silkscreened corporate logos right off of promotional products. I had two heavy duty plastic cups with corporate logos on them and the logos vanished when sprayed. Just watch out that it doesn't dissolve the product itself! Makes me wonder what kind of damage it would do to painted-on markings on sights.

[wyntrout]

This looks like the best... it has the most stuff in it!
*** Be sure to get out in the middle of an empty concrete parking lot and wear a Haz-Mat suit... the closed atmosphere type.***

3M Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner

XYLENE 10-30%
HEPTANE 10-30%
PROPANE 10-30%
3-METHYLHEXANE 10-30%
METHYL ALCOHOL 7-13%
2-METHYLHEXANE 5-10%
ETHYLBENZENE 3-7%
2,3-DIMETHYLPENTANE 1-5%
DIMETHYLCYCLOPENTANE 1-5%
3-ETHYLPENTANE 1-5%
METHYLCYCLOHEXANE 1-5%
TOLUENE <0.3%
BENZENE <0.05%

You guys with those painted on sights had better watch what you use. Earlier in the year someone cleaned those suckers right off... WAH!

Acetone will melt some plastics.

I got the Prestone stuff 'cause the name gives me warm fuzzies. I shake the stuff off as hard as I can after using any of it. I'm really careful not to throw my frame or slide onto the concrete.

Wynn

[wyntrout]

3M Electronic Equipment Cleaner looks like a rip off...

WATER 80-95%
ISOBUTANE 1-10% (propellant)
2-BUTOXYETHANOL 1-10%

I guess it's not an exact mix... 1 to 10% of the two-butt0cks ethanol must be the cleaner.

Wynn

[Bawanna]

I'm going back to Hoppes #9 and maybe the Elite or M Pro 7 (same stuff) myself. All these ingredients scare me. Keep it under your hat though, don't want to lose my macho image with Zena and MX5.

Inhaled Hoppes pretty regular for 45 years or so and I'm still breathing without the iron lung so either I'm wicked tough or the stuff don't kill ya.

[getsome]

+1 on the Hopps #9...Its cheap, tastes great, is less filling and also makes for great hair tonic for all both of them I got left....I think that list of chemicals in the 3M stuff goes a long way towards explaining jocko's behavioral problems.....

[Bawanna]

+1 on the Hopps #9...Its cheap, tastes great, is less filling and also makes for great hair tonic for all both of them I got left....I think that list of chemicals in the 3M stuff goes a long way towards explaining jocko's behavioral problems.....

You have hair left? Maybe I wasn't using it enough on the hair?

I questioned jocko awhile back about his behaviour and he said it wasn't a problem at all? Maybe that 3m stuff effects your memory, can't remember.

[OldLincoln]

I've used acetone as a cleaner for many years. Other than my eyesight, hearing and sense of smell going away, I haven't noticed any side effects. Well, eyesight is old age (had perfect before), ears are definately USAF, smell is many hours of 100% industrial ammonia to strip wax - I deserved that one.

Acetone softens PVC and I've used it to remove the marking on PVC pipe when leaving it exposed. Speaking of PVC, this stuff is magic to remove PVC glue. Just wash hands with soap after and don't rub your eye of pick your nose during the process.

My cleaner has Acetone and it did such a good job on the striker channel I used it on all the other parts needing cleaning (no plastic parts). Did over half the work all by itself.

[joshh]

big can is $9.95 at cabelas and it didnt melt my pm9 or my glock!

[wyntrout]

Buy a bunch and use the $20 off any order >= $150. I bought a lot of ammo on sale there with that coupon... 4 times! No tax and it covered shipping and then some.
I buy fingernail polish remover... acetone and some less toxic stuff: Acetone, water, glycerin, diglycerol, gelatin, fragrance(ummm!) and yellow 11.
I also buy the cans of acetone for removing stuff.... Not for guns, though. Hmm. I couldn't find any acetone in the garage, just some mineral spirits. I must have moved it. I do need some new lighter fluid. That removes a lot of stuff... so does gasoline... which is great for starting bonfires and grills... on your back porch... or close to the house. That charcoal lighter stuff is expensive, especially when you use a whole pint... or a quart!
Wynn