Cleaning AT RMS Casings
- Thread starter Rocketholic
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A while back i started spraying the inside of my cases with mold release after I clean them. I dont lube the liners and the mold release has really made cleaning the cases a much easier process. Pretty much a quick spray and ram-rod with a paper towel (I do use a cloth and spend more time ensuring the threads are clean).
Wondering about the science, of course 
What is it in baby wipes that makes them so effective? Is it the ingredients? The ones that caught my eye, and are usually major ingredients are ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, and caprilyl glycol. Glycols are chemically similar to alcohols, just two -OH groups instead of one (glycerin has three).
Other than ethanol, those ingredients are primarily moisturizers. I wonder if they're responsible for the cleaning action.
Or maybe it's mostly the convenience. No need to wet a paper towel with whatever, no worries about skin contact, no need to rinse with water afterward, etc.
What is it in baby wipes that makes them so effective? Is it the ingredients? The ones that caught my eye, and are usually major ingredients are ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, and caprilyl glycol. Glycols are chemically similar to alcohols, just two -OH groups instead of one (glycerin has three).
Other than ethanol, those ingredients are primarily moisturizers. I wonder if they're responsible for the cleaning action.
Or maybe it's mostly the convenience. No need to wet a paper towel with whatever, no worries about skin contact, no need to rinse with water afterward, etc.
rcktnut
Well-Known Member
..........................and your ok with Hoopes #9? I used the stuff many years ago when I used to hunt and trap shoot, I couldn't stand the smell of it, and that was using it outdoors.
Back in the mid 90's, a dude named Kosdon, told me about using baby wipes. Been using them ever since. At first I had a good chuckle but they worked very good. Frank was a goof but one hell of a motor guru. I miss those late night calls from him....Wondering about the science, of course
What is it in baby wipes that makes them so effective? Is it the ingredients? The ones that caught my eye, and are usually major ingredients are ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, and caprilyl glycol. Glycols are chemically similar to alcohols, just two -OH groups instead of one (glycerin has three).
Other than ethanol, those ingredients are primarily moisturizers. I wonder if they're responsible for the cleaning action.
Or maybe it's mostly the convenience. No need to wet a paper towel with whatever, no worries about skin contact, no need to rinse with water afterward, etc.
And of course his "surprise" motors! I've always wondered about why they seem to work so well, even after a case has sat around for awhile.
Hoppes doesn't plug my sinuses, cause me to choke, or burn my eyes like baby wipes. I grew up around an auto shop, petroleum and solvent smells have always been part of my life. Creosote should be sold as perfume.
Hans.
PS: Off topic... Many years ago, I was in London and had a bad cold/sinus infection. Went to the drug store and they gave me creosote lozenges. Boy howdy. Everyone on the airplane trip home complained about them.
rcktnut
Well-Known Member
I guess it's a matter of what chemicals a person is sensitive to. We had a job in a hospital once and the masking tape and duct tape on the vinyl base left some adhesive residue in places left on after taking the tape off. We decided to use an orange citrus cleaner to clean the adhesive off ( worked good) could not use anything flammable or "smelly" or detrimental to the base. Any way there were a bunch of patients that were complaining of nausea and the smell due to the citrus smell. Then we used rubbing alcohol instead even though flammable and nobody ever complained.
As a bit of a follow up.
There was a launch event last weekend, and I emptied the cases out at the site, did a quickie clean with a brush, and submerged the various motor parts in water for the trip home. Got home, did a water/soap based clean, ran a dry paper towel through, then Hoppes. All is good. Until....
I noticed that there were only 5 cases on my kitchen counter. But I fired 6 rockets. ????? I dug around in my range box and found the 6th motor, with the spent goods still inside. It was now a week old. Did exactly the same - water based quick clean, then Hoppes. Looks like new. In the past, I've had a ring of cooked on crud where the aft o-ring sits, which has sometimes been hard to get off without excessive physical scraping. Goo Gone helps some. But Hoppes seems to remove it.
Hans.
There was a launch event last weekend, and I emptied the cases out at the site, did a quickie clean with a brush, and submerged the various motor parts in water for the trip home. Got home, did a water/soap based clean, ran a dry paper towel through, then Hoppes. All is good. Until....
I noticed that there were only 5 cases on my kitchen counter. But I fired 6 rockets. ????? I dug around in my range box and found the 6th motor, with the spent goods still inside. It was now a week old. Did exactly the same - water based quick clean, then Hoppes. Looks like new. In the past, I've had a ring of cooked on crud where the aft o-ring sits, which has sometimes been hard to get off without excessive physical scraping. Goo Gone helps some. But Hoppes seems to remove it.
Hans.
Hoopes #9 even took off the newer type finish on my Ruger 10/22 receiver when I was just trying to clean the inside via the side port. Seems they use a kind of spray on paint finish instead of bluing now.
When it comes to old, well known branded forumlations like Hoppe's No. 9, I always wonder if regulations have forced it to be "kinder and gentler" in recent years. Regardless, it's still gun perfume to me.
I've not tried Hoppe's on motor cases, but Lubbock Ben put me onto Tub o' Towels with which I've been quite pleased for field cleaning of cases lately.
I've not tried Hoppe's on motor cases, but Lubbock Ben put me onto Tub o' Towels with which I've been quite pleased for field cleaning of cases lately.
Ah, Hoopes #9.....that smell...the smell of......... victory!
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Just ordered a 16oz bottle from Amazon. Arrives tomorrow.
Freedom!
Thanks for this. I tried them this last weekend. They truly do not have any aroma.
Big problem is that I am having difficulty cleaning the middle of longer cases, like the 29/360. A wadded up baby wipe pushed through the tube doesn't have enough "scrub" to clean the walls. I can rub hard enough in either end with a wipe around my finger. I tried wrapping a wipe around one of the brushes sold by Chris' or Apogee, but it isn't tough enough and just shreds. I've tried using a dowel, but the wipes slide off if I attempt to apply any pressure.
I ended up doing just a half-assed cleaning in the field with baby wipes, and used soap and water on a paper towel wrapped around a brush after returning home. Or Hoppes applied the same way.
Hans.
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I reckon this would work well and not too expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/Forney-70487-Handle-2-Inch-4-Inch/dp/B000TG9ZKG/
https://www.amazon.com/Forney-70487-Handle-2-Inch-4-Inch/dp/B000TG9ZKG/
Yes, that's basically the brush I mentioned using above. Baby wipes wrapped around it just shred. HD paper towels work, but I basically need a sink or decent water source to use them effectively.
Hans.
