Reference:

https://www.thefirearmblog.com...lean-silencer-parts/

Pb(s) + H2O2 + 2 H+(aq) → Pb2+(aq) + 2 H2O(l)Pb2+ + 2 CH3COO−(aq) → Pb(CH3COO)2




Is the H2O2 required as an oxidizer to complete the reaction?

Suppose the grungy rimfire suppressor stainless steel [Edited to add] baffles are soaked only in 30% Vinegar straight from the jug; do you still get toxic lead acetate?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RichardC,

So it’s been decades since organic chem, but peroxide is an oxidizer (reduction agent? Been a long time)

If the vinegar reacts with the lead in any fashion, you will get lead acetate. I can’t remember enough to know if peroxide is required, but I think just the oxygen dissolved in the water with get you some level of oxidation.

And, I wouldn’t think it would be too hard to precipitate out the lead as something milder.

Lead sulfate isn’t great, but I think that would be fairly simple.

But, probably not stuff most people should be playing with at home.

It would not be impossible to do this fairly safely, but not something Private SNAFU should be playing with in his garage, and washing down the drain.

What type of rimfire baffles?

Peroxide, or another oxidizer, helps to create lead cations (+) in aqueous solution. Then they can bind with the acetate anions (-). Just about any water soluble lead compound can give you lead poisoning. If it doesn’t dissolve in water, it’s MUCH less of a problem, such as metallic lead.

Vinegar is a weak acid; it’s not strong enough and lead isn’t reactive enough for vinegar to dissolve and react with it significantly on its own very quickly. It will happen, but very slowly. While this appears to mean that the peroxide is a catalyst, it’s not. Technically, catalysts are regenerated in a reaction and are not consumed.

Where are you getting vinegar that is 30% concentration? Most COTS household vinegar is ~5% acetic acid. Are you getting an industrial cleaning solution of acetic acid?

Honestly, I’d go with a commercial product that is designed to clean suppressor baffles. That takes a lot of questions/risks off the table. All of these homemade cleaning solutions seem so pointless. I was looking at:

https://www.breakthroughclean.com/

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:


Where are you getting vinegar that is 30% concentration? Most COTS household vinegar is ~5% acetic acid. Are you getting an industrial cleaning solution of acetic acid?


https://www.breakthroughclean.com/

The helpful hardware man at ACE recommended it for the air conditioner drain pipe rather than the bleach I'd been using.

And thanks for the chemistry refresh and advice, that's what I was hopng for.

I shared this with my daughter, a bona fide chemist (proud to say). She says "you need an oxygen source for lead to dissolve in acetic acid. This is pretty toxic stuff though, hope you wouldn't want to do this without some serious PPE. You turn lead metal into a lead salt, which is much more easily absorbed by skin contact."

If not for all the EPA and NFA stupidity, it seems like company could make a small business out of cleaning baffles in an industrial setting with the proper chemicals and safety set up.

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
I shared this with my daughter, a bona fide chemist (proud to say). She says "you need an oxygen source for lead to dissolve in acetic acid. This is pretty toxic stuff though, hope you wouldn't want to do this without some serious PPE. You turn lead metal into a lead salt, which is much more easily absorbed by skin contact."

Showed my daughter this thread as well, she's just graduated from Texas A&M as a Chemistry major and she agreed with this statement.

Following flesheatingvirus' recommendation (thank you!), I ordered a bottle of Breakthrough Clean Technologies suppressor cleaner. Having had limited success with traditional gun cleaners in the suppressor cleaning role, I must admit I was a bit skeptical of this product's potential. As a trial, last evening I soaked a single baffle from my centerfire Octane in the solution. Having fired both FMJ centerfire as well as .22 rimfire through this can, the baffles were moderately fouled with some stubborn crud. This morning my test baffle was nearly spotless, requiring minimal scraping with a toothpick to remove some softened lead which remained in the recesses. After a quick wipe and rinse, the baffle appeared new. There is no need to potentially poison oneself with "the dip". Based upon my experience, I can highly recommend this product for your suppressor cleaning requirements.

Before and after photos:

That looks great!

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
That looks great!

I'm currently soaking the mono-core from my somewhat neglected .22 caliber Sparrow. After an initial ~3 hour soak, most of the carbon fouling was gone though it was apparent an additional soak was needed to loosen the heavier lead deposits. The Breakthrough instructions recommend an 8 - 24 hour soak for stubborn cases. I'll post a photo or two once it's clean.

Really waiting to see the results on the Sparrow and would like to know how many rounds were fired before cleaning. I shoot a lot of .22 and usually clean my sparrow after about 4 to 5 thousand rounds and can tell you that there is a lot more lead build up in the baffles than on the pic you showed. I don't actually see any lead, looks like just carbon fouling and very minor at that.

I have tried just about every baffle cleaner there is and sure most had no problem with the carbon, but nothing worked on the lead except the dip. I have been using the dip for many years but would love for a much better solution so I am really hoping this will work.

When I first got my Sparrow can I read and watched everything about how nasty they get and how hard they are to clean. One guy did test after test and came up with heating his clean baffles in the oven at 250, then soaking them in DOT 5 brake fluid. I do it every time I shoot mine then clean the baffles in the ultrasonic with just Purple Power and a little bit of nylon bristle work.

Attached are some photos of my Sparrow's mono-core after soaking in Breakthrough Clean Technologies suppressor cleaner for a total of 24 hours (3 hrs. + 15 hrs. + 6 hrs.) with a tap water rinse between each soaking. I'm not sure of the exact round count though it was fouled enough that I had to rap the core out with a mallet and an appropriately sized wooden dowel. There was very little scrubbing involved to achieve these results. After the 15 hr. soaking I used a wooden toothpick to scrape at the remaining lead deposits which were now mostly loosened by the cleaning solution. After the final 6 hr. soaking I simply rinsed thoroughly with tap water and dried. This is the cleanest it has been since new.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hjs157,

I did an experiment that last time The Dip came up. Supposedly it is harmful to AL baffles. I used a blazer Al casing after I had roughed it up to remove any coating. It took over a week to create holes in the thin casing. (I disposed of it properly)

Yes it removed carbon and lead.

But I reverted to scraping and then soaking the baffles in silicon DOT5 brake fluid before shooting. Eventually I bought some 100%silicone oil and coat the baffles in it.

I also disregarded the manufacturer recommended 2000 round count then clean. And now I clean it after every use, most times the gunk just wipes off.