Suppressor Solvent

[journeyman713]

What your favorite Solvent for cleaning removable baffles in a suppressor (Banish 30)?
What to avoid?

 

[MidGAHunter]

People clean their suppressor?

 

[Unckebob]

I never considered cleaning my Centerfire can.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I don’t clean my 30 caliber can but I do clean my 22 silencer.

I soak the baffles in clr overnight then rinse them off.

 

[buddtc]

Just double check that there aren't any solvents that will void the warranty. That being said, soaking the baffles in CLR overnight does the trick pretty well. Make sure you clean the actual can before putting everything back together. Good luck!

 

[Slsnpsy]

Ive never cleaned any of my centerfire suppressors. Anyone know if/when it might be necessary to do so?

 

[journeyman713]

Ive never cleaned any of my centerfire suppressors. Anyone know if/when it might be necessary to do so?

I cleaned it after about 50 rounds, probably could have waited, but cleaning is necessary. Was not an easy job to get it clean. They say the longer you wait, the more difficult the disassemble becomes, baffles could bind up.

I do have several small bottles of gun cleaners and sprays, but not enough to soak it.
I tried soaking overnight in mineral spirits, did nothing. Carburetor cleaner works with some scrubbing.

Bulk gun solvent is not cheap so hoping for more feedback before spending.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Ive never cleaned any of my centerfire suppressors. Anyone know if/when it might be necessary to do so?

Best thing to do is weight it. When you’ve got a few ounces of build up, it’s gone too far. TBAC for example recommends cleaning after there’s about an ounce of build up because it makes it harder to clean the more it builds up.

It’s not something you can gauge by round count or anything else because there’s so many factors involved in the rate of build up. Just having a bit shorter barrel in the same caliber and load will resort in quicker build up. In general it’s going to take thousands of rounds though unless you’re talking about something like a 22LR that just has dirty nasty ammo.

But yes you need to clean them. Build up increases weight and decreases performance.

Depending on the type of can will depend on how you clean it. If it’s titanium you just soak it in a CLR overnight and flush then repeat if the buildup is excessive. CLR will turn an SS can funny colors though.

The Bore Tech suppressor cleaning system works amazingly but is not cheap either.

 

[robtattoo]

I have no personal experience with this (can't have a suppressor) so take it for what it's worth, but i was just reading a thread somewhere about how effective Seafoam is for soaking suppressor baffles. I can't even remember which forum it was (either here or 24hr) but the general consensus was that it rocks for softening/loosening carbon deposits.

Just one of those silly things my brain squirreled away.

 

[Slsnpsy]

Best thing to do is weight it. When you’ve got a few ounces of build up, it’s gone too far. TBAC for example recommends cleaning after there’s about an ounce of build up because it makes it harder to clean the more it builds up.

It’s not something you can gauge by round count or anything else because there’s so many factors involved in the rate of build up. Just having a bit shorter barrel in the same caliber and load will resort in quicker build up. In general it’s going to take thousands of rounds though unless you’re talking about something like a 22LR that just has dirty nasty ammo.

But yes you need to clean them. Build up increases weight and decreases performance.

Depending on the type of can will depend on how you clean it. If it’s titanium you just soak it in a CLR overnight and flush then repeat if the buildup is excessive. CLR will turn an SS can funny colors though.

The Bore Tech suppressor cleaning system works amazingly but is not cheap either.

I have a banish 30, which is fully titanium So CLR would work. For the time being I solely shoot 300 blk subs through it which can get really dirty so it might be time to clean it out. Thanks for the tips

 

[sram9102]

SLIP 200 Carbon Killer is what I soak my .22 baffles in. If your can is one you can take apart I cannot recommend it enough. Works great to soften the carbon so you can brush it off.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I have a banish 30, which is fully titanium So CLR would work. For the time being I solely shoot 300 blk subs through it which can get really dirty so it might be time to clean it out. Thanks for the tips

Yep do CLR.

Best method I’ve found is to get PVC pipe with an ID just larger than the OD of your can, cap and glue one end and cut it so it’s a few inches longer than your can. Then put your can in and fill it to where it’s fully submerged in the solvent.

 

[ElPollo]

People are suggesting CLR which is a weak acid cleaner. So is “the Dip” which is widely reported to produce a toxic lead acetate solution that can be absorbed through the skin. Anyone know the chemistry on CLR and lead?

 

[Slsnpsy]

Yep do CLR.

Best method I’ve found is to get PVC pipe with an ID just larger than the OD of your can, cap and glue one end and cut it so it’s a few inches longer than your can. Then put your can in and fill it to where it’s fully submerged in the solvent.

The banish 30 came with the tools to remove the baffles. Would it be easier or better to disassemble it to clean?

 

[journeyman713]

People are suggesting CLR which is a weak acid cleaner. So is “the Dip” which is widely reported to produce a toxic lead acetate solution that can be absorbed through the skin. Anyone know the chemistry on CLR and lead?

Good call on the health concern. Here's an warning specific to this;
Lead acetate

Suppressor Dip - Should You Use It or Avoid It?

Shooting suppressed is a ton of fun, but it’s also inherently dirty. No, not like that. Sheesh. I’m talking about carbon buildup and lead fouling. Even when you’re shooting unsuppressed, your gun

www.silencercentral.com

 

[journeyman713]

The banish 30 came with the tools to remove the baffles. Would it be easier or better to disassemble it to clean?

Yes take the baffles out. If you can.
Sounds like his is a one piece unit, no choice for some.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Mine is titanium that I clean annually with the dip (50/50 white vinegar & hydrogen peroxide)

 

[Andouille]

My understanding of lead chemistry is fairly basic (I'm a biologist), but it appears that lead solubility is not strongly affected by pH changes and is more dependent on reduction-oxidation chemistry.

CLR is a recommended cleaner by Banish for their Backcountry silencer in a video I saw online. Thinking about this further, CLR contains lactic acid (lowers pH) and lauramine oxide, a surfactant. Lactic acid and lead may for lead lactate if heated, but would not form lead acetate (lead plus acetic acid + heat); some energy input is required for either reaction. Lauramine oxide may serve to surfact lead complexes or chelate (solubilize) lead within solution, facilitating removal from surfaces. Note that my impression is that this would not change the redox state of lead to a +2 charge which makes the lead itself soluble and highly toxic (direct ingestion being the main health hazard).

Perhaps someone better versed in chemistry can double-check my logic above.

If you are concerned about dissolved lead in cleaning solutions from a health or environmental perspective, I suggest wearing gloves and avoiding any misting/spray of used cleaning solutions. Containerize the spent solution. I suspect that you could neutralize the pH (pH 6-7ish) with pickling lime (calcium hydroxide), then add Lead Out paint stripper/stabilizer, which should bind the lead with phosphates. Solidify with kitty litter (bentonite), then dispose of in your municipal garbage.

Interesting and related sidenote, lead fouling with copper-jacketed or monolithic bullets is due to gunpowder residues which contain trace amounts of lead that is vaporized during combustion then settles on surfaces (barrel, silencer, nearby environment, etc.).

Note- edited for clarity and bolded the take-home message, and revised chemistry text. Turns out after some more research that lead chemistry is a little more complicated than I anticipated; there are various ways of precipitating lead out of solution; however, some of the products such as lead sufate are still toxic.

 

[Andouille]

Mine is titanium that I clean annually with the dip (50/50 white vinegar & hydrogen peroxide)

This seems like simple and effective method to dissolve lead because of the combined lowering of pH and oxidation of the lead to the +2 state which is soluble.

That said, I have no idea if this would effectively remove carbon deposits, but you likely have anecdotal knowledge from the color of your used solution (i.e., a dark/murky used solution means it's effective).

 

[justin davis]

I’ve haven’t cleaned my thunderbeast yet. But I’ve always heard CLR was a way to go