Tuning HW97 - what to use for degreasing?

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my87csx481

my87csx481

Member
Jun 6, 2019
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Fort Fairfield, ME, United States
Sorry. I tried googling. All I got was a sea of barrel cleaning....



I am installing a new spring, spring guides, piston seal, and breach seal in an HW97k that has never been apart (until now).



I would like to degrease the piston, compression tube, cylinder, and the back block (that screws in at the back of the barrel/cylinder assembly and captures the trigger group).



Is brake clean ok? Or should I use something else? What do you guys use?



Edit: For clarity - I would like to remove all traces of petroleum from the listed components, at least temporarily. I will apply something else (in some cases) after degreasing.
 
Some brake clean doesn't evaporate as fast or clean. There are two types, chlorinated and non-chlorinated. But I cant remember which is which 😁

Carb cleaner is generally all the same, so get that. WalMart and Rural King have their house brands for like 2 bucks a can. Don't get any overspray on the stock though. Stuff goes everywhere so be mindful. 

For something less harsh, Pine Sol and water works pretty good. 

I have a giant parts washer full of jet fuel I get for free from work. I toss the whole thing over in there for a bit. 

Unless I'm using Krytox, which is rare, just wiping it all out with a rag is plenty sufficient though. 
 
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Non-eco friendly chlorinated....that's the good stuff. I just have no clue what the black "blueing" finish is. Is it black oxide? And I have no clue what brake clean (or other cleaners) might do to it.



Planning on switching over to Ultimox (basically identical to Krytox) for piston lube and spring guide contact surfaces.



There's excess gunk/grease in a lot of areas. I guess I shot it more than I remember.
 
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mineral spirits with a brush works well to get crud completely off and wont harm orings etc .. if you need metal completely sanitary for bluing etc you'll need a further process, otherrwise the only issue is really nasty caked up stuff like a spring, for that i would put it in a bucket of gasoline myself and let it soak off .. brake cleaner is extremely caustic and will damage many things including you the floor your yard etc lol ... but yeah the best and cheapest solution is pick up a gallon at a hardware store, it lasts a long time and can be reused if you dont trash it and preclean caked up things like springs in fuel first, which happens to be the cheapest cleaner around ..
 
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I use brake cleaner with no problems. Mineral spirits also works and is likely better for you. If you use brake cleaner don't get it anywhere near seals. I don't know if mineral spirits are bad for seals or not but probably don't get that near them either. Once the brake cleaner evaporates it leaves nothing behind to harm seals. Are you cross hatching the piston tube or polishing it with wet dry sandpaper? I polished my dad's Benjamin titan and then cross hatched it with a brake cylinder hone. It keeps a tiny amount of moly in the cylinder and makes it very smooth and consistent. Lots of info about that on the forum. Good luck. 
 
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