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Removing heavy lead deposits from a Comp


Nimitz

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Over the last couple of months the accuracy on my 22 open Steel Chalenge gun has been steadily eroding.  I thought I was doing a reasonable job of scraping the lead out of my titanium comp but I just took it off and there is a significant lead built up, particularily in the first port.

I've tried every suggestion given on this forum and nothing has really worked.  So, I think it's time to apply some basic chemistry to my problems.  Lead melts at 625 deg, well below that for titanium. Therefore, if I put my titanium Comp in a cast iron  receptacle and heat it, like I was melting lead bars to cast bullets or make fishing weights, shouldn't I just be able to have the lead be poured out of the Comp once it melted?

Am I missing something important?

 

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Lead is soft.  I clean my 22 comp with various sized drill bit.    For holes, pick a smaller size and work up.  For slots, use the flutes like the flutes of an end mill.  It will scrape the lead off.  To clean out the bottom of the ports I use a ball cutter in my Dremel.

There is no reason your approach won't work.  You'll get the majority of the lead out, but you may end up coating other surfaces in the process.

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I hate to suggest it, but a 50/50 mix of Hydrogen Peroxide and Vinegar will remove everything from your comp.  The drawback is that the dirty mixture now contains Lead Acetate which is easily absorbed through the skin and hazardous to wastewater.  Suppressor guys call it "the dip".

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I actually tried that once but nothing happened ... Maybe I wasn't using the right percentage of hydrogen peroxide or it wasn't 50/50 or I didn't let it sit long enough? I had prepared for and taken the appropriate precautions  but nothing happened ...? Do I need to worry about keeping the solution out of the barrel and need to remove the comp?

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Try the 50/50 mix again and let the comp sit in the solution for  around 15 to 20 minutes.  Scrape out what loosened up and repeat.

If left to soak long enough, it will eat away at steel.  Years ago I put a 9mm stainless steel barrel with a hardchromed steel comp into the mix.  Things happened and I had to leave in a hurry.  By the time I got back, the barrel and comp had soaked for several days.  The stainless steel barrel was undamaged but everywhere the hardchrome was thin on the comp, the underlying steel had deep pits.

I don't know how the 50/50 mix behaves with titanium, but its safe to use with stainless steel barrel.

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15-20 minutes won't do squat. You'll need to soak it for 2-3 days. It won't harm SS but I am a not sure what will happen to Ti. It can also remove chrome if there are any scratches in it. Make sure to use white vinegar.

 

another thing that will work, wet it down with Balistol and let it set over night. Wet it down again and then shoot it, while wet. The loosened lead will be blown out. After shooting and while it's warm, wet it down again and repeat shooting the following day. That's what I do with my aluminum comps.

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I just used garden variety drugstore Hydrogen Peroxide and White Vinegar at 50/50.  Cleaning the lead caked baffles on my rimfire silencer took under 2 hours.  I dropped them in and they immediately started bubbling/fizzing.  They came out shiny as new.

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