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Silicone oil treatment for baffles?

Laxguy59

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The Hen that laid the Golden Legos
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I thought this was neat.
http://www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html

Seems that when silicone oil gets on a metal surface, it’s nearly impossible to completely remove from the pores of the metal, and this may be key in creating a layer between the fouling and baffle’s surface.

There are a number of sources for pure silicone oil, and the least expensive source I found readily accessible was Dot #5 brake fluid. It comes in many different colors, depending on the manufacturer.

Interestingly, this brake fluid has a very high percentage of silicone and should at least be a good indicator as to if the silicone oil would work. Pure high-grade silicone oil is expensive and not easy to find at your local hardware store. I followed the same process of cleaning and preheating the parts before treating with the Dot #5 brake fluid.

The results were surprising. After a long shooting session at the range, pulling the silencer apart revealed a nasty mix of wet fouling and grit, but as I was handling each part, I noticed that every spot my gloved fingers touched, the metal was wiped clean. Laying the parts out, I was able to remove almost all the fouling with a paper towel.

With a couple of passes over the metal surface with a soft brush, the only remaining fouling was a small trace in the corners of the baffles. With only two hours in the tumbler, the parts were perfectly clean.

After an amazing first hunt of the 2015 season, I was pleased to find that my silencers which had been treated months earlier were still easy to clean.

After 350 rounds, nearly all the fouling could be removed with a wooden toothpick and some paper towels.
 
I think I'll give this a try on my Guardian 9mm baffles. I'll take pics of it when I try it.
In for results.

I'm assuming the brake fluid will also eat any finish it comes in contact with? On a car, it will eat any finish it touches. I don't expect my new silencer to look pretty forever, but I don't want to strip the finish before I ever get a shot off either.
 
In for results.

I'm assuming the brake fluid will also eat any finish it comes in contact with? On a car, it will eat any finish it touches. I don't expect my new silencer to look pretty forever, but I don't want to strip the finish before I ever get a shot off either.
I would only apply it to unfinished/nonanodized baffles. Not sure if it strips melonite/nitride/tennifer
 
Is anyone using the tumbling method or soda blast method of cleaning? I know about "the dip" and was looking at alternative methods. I had a rock tumbler years ago and remember how much noise it made. I was looking at soda blast set-ups and found one that several people reviewed and one actually bought for .22 baffle cleaning. It was $39.99 and came with media. I am thinking of ordering and giving it a go.
 
In for results.

I'm assuming the brake fluid will also eat any finish it comes in contact with? On a car, it will eat any finish it touches. I don't expect my new silencer to look pretty forever, but I don't want to strip the finish before I ever get a shot off either.

Dot 5 will not harm paint. Interesting read.
 
Is anyone using the tumbling method or soda blast method of cleaning? I know about "the dip" and was looking at alternative methods. I had a rock tumbler years ago and remember how much noise it made. I was looking at soda blast set-ups and found one that several people reviewed and one actually bought for .22 baffle cleaning. It was $39.99 and came with media. I am thinking of ordering and giving it a go.
In soda blasting, the media is literally baking soda. So the cost and/or availability of media shouldn't be too much of an issue. In the automotive industry soda blasting busted on the scene big time and then it's popularity quickly began to fizzle because of top coat adhesion issues caused by the residue left behind by the blasting. This could possibly be a good thing in this application? Wet blasting is being used a lot with soda now. It eliminates the residue problem and creates a dustless system.
 
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