a lot of tarnish on my boresnake, is it okay to use?

davidsoc · June 20, 2013, 10:57 PM

hey all i used my boresnake for the first time in a while yesterday and noticed a lot of blue tarnish on the brass weight...after looking closely i can see blue tarnish on most of the little brass brush sections.

i cleaned the weight off, and im going to soak the whole thing in solvent tonight...what im wondering is if i cant get all the tarnish off the brush sections is it still useable?

has anyone else had this problem? i leave the boresnake in a zip lock soaked in CLP, is storing it like this going to cause the tarnish again?

thanks for any help,
david

Kreyzhorse · June 21, 2013, 06:19 AM

Brass is prone to tarnish so I can't imagine that the bore snake would be made with a brass weight if the tarnish were likely to cause issues.

I don't believe you have any concerns.

Mobuck · June 21, 2013, 06:55 AM

I seldom use bore solvent on those anymore. Typically, I squirt a little CLP on the starting end for each use. Most bore solvents react with copper which is a component of brass which is what the brushes are made of. The ziplock bag I store the snakes in gets a build up of CLP which preserves the bristles of the snake well enough.

SgtLumpy · June 21, 2013, 10:32 AM

If the "tarnish" you see is blue (could it be greenish?) it's copper and/or the copper component of brass. If the snake has any brass gizmos on it, soaking it in solvent will continue to eat the copper/brass.

I don't use snakes but everyone I know that does tends to keep them dry and use them just as a dry pull through after a day at the range, just to pull out the big bits of crud.

In other words, I'm thinking that your soaking the thing in solvent may be what's causing the blue discolor. Or it may be dissolved copper/brass from the cleaning itself.

Brake parts cleaner cleans most anything. Wear eyes and gloves to use that high pressure stuff.

Sgt Lumpy

Pahoo · June 21, 2013, 10:41 AM

Quote:

If the "tarnish" you see is blue (could it be greenish?) it's copper and/or the copper component of brass. If the snake has any brass gizmos on it, soaking it in solvent will continue to eat the copper/brass.

Yes, as stated, it would appear that your solvent is reacting with the brass or copper. Many of us have leaned this the hard way and I have seen brushed actually been eaten away. I could be wrong by I believe that it is the ammonia in the solvents. I see this typically when I use Hoppes #9 or similar solvents. After using these, I try to rinse with mineral spirits. My primary go-to solvent, is mineral spirits and go from there.

Be Safe !!!

tipoc · June 21, 2013, 11:42 AM

You can wash a bore snake ya know. Stick them in an old sock (or a small cotton bag) and tie the top of the sock. Toss the sock in the washing machine. Line dry. Result: A clean bore snake.

Bore snakes are a handy tool for quick swipes at the range, etc. They don't take the place of a good cleaning.

tipoc

davidsoc · June 21, 2013, 05:19 PM

thanks for the advice everyone, the tarnish is a bright blue color

ive been soaking it in CLP recently but it may have been stored with some hoppes no. 9 previously, i cant remember

i'll give it a good wash and wash the CLP or whatever solvent i use off from now on

June 20, 2013, 10:57 PM	#1
davidsoc Member Join Date: January 18, 2013 Location: Orange County Posts: 71	a lot of tarnish on my boresnake, is it okay to use? hey all i used my boresnake for the first time in a while yesterday and noticed a lot of blue tarnish on the brass weight...after looking closely i can see blue tarnish on most of the little brass brush sections. i cleaned the weight off, and im going to soak the whole thing in solvent tonight...what im wondering is if i cant get all the tarnish off the brush sections is it still useable? has anyone else had this problem? i leave the boresnake in a zip lock soaked in CLP, is storing it like this going to cause the tarnish again? thanks for any help, david

June 21, 2013, 06:19 AM	#2
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	Brass is prone to tarnish so I can't imagine that the bore snake would be made with a brass weight if the tarnish were likely to cause issues. I don't believe you have any concerns. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

June 21, 2013, 06:55 AM	#3
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	I seldom use bore solvent on those anymore. Typically, I squirt a little CLP on the starting end for each use. Most bore solvents react with copper which is a component of brass which is what the brushes are made of. The ziplock bag I store the snakes in gets a build up of CLP which preserves the bristles of the snake well enough.

June 21, 2013, 10:32 AM	#4
SgtLumpy Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2013 Posts: 779	If the "tarnish" you see is blue (could it be greenish?) it's copper and/or the copper component of brass. If the snake has any brass gizmos on it, soaking it in solvent will continue to eat the copper/brass. I don't use snakes but everyone I know that does tends to keep them dry and use them just as a dry pull through after a day at the range, just to pull out the big bits of crud. In other words, I'm thinking that your soaking the thing in solvent may be what's causing the blue discolor. Or it may be dissolved copper/brass from the cleaning itself. Brake parts cleaner cleans most anything. Wear eyes and gloves to use that high pressure stuff. Sgt Lumpy

June 21, 2013, 11:42 AM	#6
tipoc Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2004 Location: Redwood City, Ca. Posts: 4,114	You can wash a bore snake ya know. Stick them in an old sock (or a small cotton bag) and tie the top of the sock. Toss the sock in the washing machine. Line dry. Result: A clean bore snake. Bore snakes are a handy tool for quick swipes at the range, etc. They don't take the place of a good cleaning. tipoc

June 21, 2013, 05:19 PM	#7
davidsoc Member Join Date: January 18, 2013 Location: Orange County Posts: 71	thanks for the advice everyone, the tarnish is a bright blue color ive been soaking it in CLP recently but it may have been stored with some hoppes no. 9 previously, i cant remember i'll give it a good wash and wash the CLP or whatever solvent i use off from now on