Lead Away Cleaning cloth

cw308 · March 10, 2012, 04:06 PM

What do you think of this cloth. I have given my 22 lr. a good cleaning patches came out clean, then ran a 1/2" piece of the lead away and it came out black. I know how to claen firearms but this kind of puzzled me. Anyone out there tried this. Chris

newfrontier45 · March 10, 2012, 04:52 PM

Despite the marketing hype, these lead removal cloths do contain abrasives and do remove metal. Over time they will alter dimensions. They should be used very sparingly. For me, I see no reason to justify the risk and would NEVER run one down my bores or buy an obviously used revolver that had a clean cylinder face.

**4V50 Gary** · March 10, 2012, 04:53 PM

Do not touch blued surfaces with that cloth.

Dfariswheel · March 10, 2012, 07:53 PM

The cloth has a reaction with the steel and turns black. This is also why metal polishes turn black as you rub.

While the lead away cloth is mildly abrasive, just like metal polishes, it would take a LOT of use to damage steel.
The companies that make them recommend them for cleaning leading from bores, and in fact several used to sell pre-cut patches for that purpose.
Like most things, just don't over do it and you won't damage anything.

newfrontier45 · March 11, 2012, 01:04 AM

It doesn't take very much at all. You could almost use it as a substitute for emery paper. It will alter the surface of the metal very quickly with only a couple minutes of rubbing. Try it, I did.

cw308 · March 11, 2012, 09:51 AM

Thanks for the info ,Dfariswheel answered my question why the patch came out black. I clean normaly with a few different cleaners, balistal, patch-out,JB & Krol oil. So it through me after a cleaning with the Lead Away Patch on the 22LR came out black. I always clean my firearms after shooting just habbit I picked in the ARMY many years ago with the 16. Thanks again Be SAFE Chris.

Don P · March 11, 2012, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Despite the marketing hype, these lead removal cloths do contain abrasives and do remove metal. Over time they will alter dimensions. They should be used very sparingly. For me, I see no reason to justify the risk and would NEVER run one down my bores or buy an obviously used revolver that had a clean cylinder face.

Really. Good I'll buy all those clean faced revolvers.

It must be true it was posted on the Internet and I read it with my own eyes

. I would hate to think of the amount of money one would have to spend on lead away cloths in order to wear a gun barrel out by doing so in cleaning with them.

amamnn · March 11, 2012, 02:33 PM

Sorry, you can't buy ALL those revolvers with clean cylinder faces--mine are staying here--with their clean, un-ruined surfaces, including forcing cones, after having been subjected to Lead Away cloths for years and years and years---and you get the idea...

I don't use the cloth for bore cleaning-- it's too slow when dealing with copper and I don't shoot naked lead anymore as I shoot handguns only at an indoor club that has no effective exhaust system.

Don P · March 11, 2012, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Sorry, you can't buy ALL those revolvers with clean cylinder faces--mine are staying here--with their clean, un-ruined surfaces, including forcing cones, after having been subjected to Lead Away cloths for years and years and years---and you get the idea...

Oh no, contradiction, whos right, I'm so confused. The stars have all collided and the world will end,

I concur amamnn with your points on the lead away cloth

cw308 · March 11, 2012, 06:54 PM

Didn"t want to start a S Storm will use the patch on SS Cylinder face I think it"s better than scrubbing. Even down the bore one or two passes seems better than copper brush for ware, Heck for that matter why even shoot bullets.

frumious · March 12, 2012, 06:34 PM

I guess I like the Lead Away cloths. I guess my only gripe about them is that they must be used as part of a cleaning regimen...they won't get all the lead out by themselves. The manufacturer indicates that they should be used until they stop coming out with shiny bits of lead on them. This is from their site (http://www.kleen-bore.com/faq.html):

Why Can't I Get A Clean Patch When Using Lead Away?

Lead Away chemically loosens and lifts lead build-up from the bore. While using Lead Away, you will notice silver streaks of lead on the patch that has been extracted. As a rule, when the streaks of lead no longer appear on the cloth, this part of the job is done because the bore is free of surface lead. If you continue the cleaning process, Lead Away Patch will continue to be blackened with further use. This occurs because the gunmetal composite contains microscopic particles of lead that have been added for easier machining. After using Lead Away, use a solvent and a clean patch to clean residue Lead Away chemicals out of the bore. Finish the job by lightly oiling the bore. If you plan to do a lot of lead bullet shooting, use a light coating of TW25 B High-Tech lubricant to treat the bore for easier future clean up.

-cls

March 10, 2012, 04:06 PM	#1
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	Lead Away Cleaning cloth What do you think of this cloth. I have given my 22 lr. a good cleaning patches came out clean, then ran a 1/2" piece of the lead away and it came out black. I know how to claen firearms but this kind of puzzled me. Anyone out there tried this. Chris

March 10, 2012, 04:53 PM	#3
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,841	Do not touch blued surfaces with that cloth. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

March 11, 2012, 02:33 PM	#8
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	Sorry, you can't buy ALL those revolvers with clean cylinder faces--mine are staying here--with their clean, un-ruined surfaces, including forcing cones, after having been subjected to Lead Away cloths for years and years and years---and you get the idea... I don't use the cloth for bore cleaning-- it's too slow when dealing with copper and I don't shoot naked lead anymore as I shoot handguns only at an indoor club that has no effective exhaust system. __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

March 10, 2012, 04:52 PM	#2
newfrontier45 Junior member Join Date: February 23, 2012 Posts: 921	Despite the marketing hype, these lead removal cloths do contain abrasives and do remove metal. Over time they will alter dimensions. They should be used very sparingly. For me, I see no reason to justify the risk and would NEVER run one down my bores or buy an obviously used revolver that had a clean cylinder face.

March 10, 2012, 07:53 PM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	The cloth has a reaction with the steel and turns black. This is also why metal polishes turn black as you rub. While the lead away cloth is mildly abrasive, just like metal polishes, it would take a LOT of use to damage steel. The companies that make them recommend them for cleaning leading from bores, and in fact several used to sell pre-cut patches for that purpose. Like most things, just don't over do it and you won't damage anything.

March 11, 2012, 01:04 AM	#5
newfrontier45 Junior member Join Date: February 23, 2012 Posts: 921	It doesn't take very much at all. You could almost use it as a substitute for emery paper. It will alter the surface of the metal very quickly with only a couple minutes of rubbing. Try it, I did.

March 11, 2012, 09:51 AM	#6
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	Thanks for the info ,Dfariswheel answered my question why the patch came out black. I clean normaly with a few different cleaners, balistal, patch-out,JB & Krol oil. So it through me after a cleaning with the Lead Away Patch on the 22LR came out black. I always clean my firearms after shooting just habbit I picked in the ARMY many years ago with the 16. Thanks again Be SAFE Chris.

March 11, 2012, 06:54 PM	#10
cw308 Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2010 Location: Plainview , Long Island NY Posts: 3,863	Didn"t want to start a S Storm will use the patch on SS Cylinder face I think it"s better than scrubbing. Even down the bore one or two passes seems better than copper brush for ware, Heck for that matter why even shoot bullets.

March 12, 2012, 06:34 PM	#11
frumious Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2009 Location: Carrollton TX Posts: 521	I guess I like the Lead Away cloths. I guess my only gripe about them is that they must be used as part of a cleaning regimen...they won't get all the lead out by themselves. The manufacturer indicates that they should be used until they stop coming out with shiny bits of lead on them. This is from their site (http://www.kleen-bore.com/faq.html): Why Can't I Get A Clean Patch When Using Lead Away? Lead Away chemically loosens and lifts lead build-up from the bore. While using Lead Away, you will notice silver streaks of lead on the patch that has been extracted. As a rule, when the streaks of lead no longer appear on the cloth, this part of the job is done because the bore is free of surface lead. If you continue the cleaning process, Lead Away Patch will continue to be blackened with further use. This occurs because the gunmetal composite contains microscopic particles of lead that have been added for easier machining. After using Lead Away, use a solvent and a clean patch to clean residue Lead Away chemicals out of the bore. Finish the job by lightly oiling the bore. If you plan to do a lot of lead bullet shooting, use a light coating of TW25 B High-Tech lubricant to treat the bore for easier future clean up. -cls