I thought this was neat.
http://www.rrdvegas.com/silencer-cleaning.html
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.