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Solvents to avoid with Springfield Armory polymer frames.

Bassbob said:
I use Naptha extensively on guitars and basses and I used to work for a furniture finisher where I pretty much bathed in Naptha. I've never known Naptha to hurt anything.
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You've probably never used it on a plastic model airplane. I did and it made the polystyrene brittle until it dried out again. It'll also induce "stress fractures" in clear polystyrene that can't be undone or fixed--the part is ruined.

Another fun fact about naphtha--it makes a GREAT paint thinner for airbrushing Testor model enamel. The paint flows out to a beautiful shine, yet dries quickly for enamel (within 24 hour). BUT you can't thin more paint than you'll airbrush in the next couple days, because in a week or so, it will turn the paint into Jello. (Paint thinned with lacquer thinner can stay usable for years, if kept airtight.)
 
Snake45 said:
You've probably never used it on a plastic model airplane. I did and it made the polystyrene brittle until it dried out again. It'll also induce "stress fractures" in clear polystyrene that can't be undone or fixed--the part is ruined.

Another fun fact about naphtha--it makes a GREAT paint thinner for airbrushing Testor model enamel. The paint flows out to a beautiful shine, yet dries quickly for enamel (within 24 hour). BUT you can't thin more paint than you'll airbrush in the next couple days, because in a week or so, it will turn the paint into Jello. (Paint thinned with lacquer thinner can stay usable for years, if kept airtight.)
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Yeah, I mostly use it to either clean wood for finishing or to clean laquer after sanding in between coats. For guitars it's a general all around cleaner and is mild compared to most other chemicals. Which is why it is in every single luthiers shop, generally in 55 gallon drums.

It is also the major component in lighter fluid.

It is also extremely carcinogenic.
 
Bassbob said:
I use Naptha extensively on guitars and basses and I used to work for a furniture finisher where I pretty much bathed in Naptha. I've never known Naptha to hurt anything.

That said, I have never felt the need to use it on a gun. In fact other than a little bore solvent or CLP that ends up on the frame while I'm cleaning the guts I've never felt the need to use anything on any of my guns. I have cleaned up a lot other people's guns though. One in particular, a SCCY, that spent it's life either in this girl's purse or as her " Trash can" gun ( yes, she kept it under the sink by her trashcan) was particularly nasty. I used DNA on the frame and in a few tough spots I used a Magic Eraser. No harm done. It looked great when I was done. I'm willing to bet it is nasty again right this minute though.

I'm not sure what you guys are doing to your guns that you feel the need to use solvent to get the frames clean.
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I use white gas and a match for the really tough stuff ;)

Seriously not sure either, the only thing i do with my frames is on the metal ones and I wax them to make them purty, and wipe with a waxy cloth after carrying just in case i got any body salts on it.
 
Snake45 said:
You've probably never used it on a plastic model airplane. I did and it made the polystyrene brittle until it dried out again. It'll also induce "stress fractures" in clear polystyrene that can't be undone or fixed--the part is ruined.

Another fun fact about naphtha--it makes a GREAT paint thinner for airbrushing Testor model enamel. The paint flows out to a beautiful shine, yet dries quickly for enamel (within 24 hour). BUT you can't thin more paint than you'll airbrush in the next couple days, because in a week or so, it will turn the paint into Jello. (Paint thinned with lacquer thinner can stay usable for years, if kept airtight.)
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Fun fact about lacquer thinner is how much more flammable/explosive than gas it is. Watched a moron, I mean gentleman try a "scientific" experiment on this behind the body shop we worked at, because he was sure gas was better. He poured a largecup of gas into a empty 55 gallon drum put a heavy metal grate on it and tossed in a match. The flame was pretty spectacular and even flipped the grate off nicely.

The paint thinner, the real good stuff cannot remember the numbers after 40 years, was poured in a second can with the same grate. Upon leaning close to toss in the match there was a roar, and massive fireball. The grate came of like a bullet hit him between the eyes and knocked him cold. Oh, and when he woke up in the ambulance the owner fired him lol.

The rest of us got chewed out for betting on the outcome. I lost, I bet he would get killed.
 
Sld1959 said:
Fun fact about lacquer thinner is how much more flammable/explosive than gas it is. Watched a moron, I mean gentleman try a "scientific" experiment on this behind the body shop we worked at, because he was sure gas was better. He poured a largecup of gas into a empty 55 gallon drum put a heavy metal grate on it and tossed in a match. The flame was pretty spectacular and even flipped the grate off nicely.

The paint thinner, the real good stuff cannot remember the numbers after 40 years, was poured in a second can with the same grate. Upon leaning close to toss in the match there was a roar, and massive fireball. The grate came of like a bullet hit him between the eyes and knocked him cold. Oh, and when he woke up in the ambulance the owner fired him lol.

The rest of us got chewed out for betting on the outcome. I lost, I bet he would get killed.
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I got into a dispute with a guy on my model car board who was famous for doing spectacular paint jobs by thinning enamels with lacquer thinner. He made and sold videos on the topic and is famous in the hobby for his method, which, by the time he publicized it, I'd been doing exactly that way for about 15 years. I mentioned how much smoother a paint job you could get by thinning the enamel with naphtha, but it had drawbacks as I mentioned above. He told me using naphtha was stupid, because it had a much lower "flash point" than lacquer thinner, or was "more flammable," or whatever. I told him that naphtha was made to have a LOWER flash point than gasoline, lacquer thinner, and so forth. In the early days of jet aviation, military pilots used to fill their Zippo lighters with "Jet A/JP-4," which is basically kerosene, and had no problems, but no one EVER filled their lighter with 130 octane AVGAS because that was VERY dangerous. :oops:

BTW, I quit using Zippo-type lighters many years ago in favor of cheap disposable butanes. Zippos will run out of flint at the worst possible time, but much worse, if you ever overfill a Zippo with lighter fluid and put it in your jeans pocket and the lighter fluid leaks out and gets on your scrotum--well, that will be THE MOST UNPLEASANT thing that will happen to you ALL DAY. Possibly even ALL MONTH. Ouch! :eek:
 
When I was still working at my sheriffs dept, I saw a deputies polymer gun turn gummy and soft using brake clean, I myself don’t use any of the polymer safe aerosols, I just use a microfiber cloth with Lucas Oil CLP on it and just wipe the insides down, works for me
 
spurr said:
For many years I have used chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvents in aerosol cans to irrigate and clean out tight corners, etc. on my steel rifles and pistols.

Are there any solvents I must avoid with Springfield Armory polymer frames? I don't want to dissolve any parts.
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I'm a big fan of ultrasonic cleaning. Search online (Amazon, eBay, Brownells, MidwayUSA, etc.) for "ultrasonic cleaning fluid for polymer handguns" and "ultrasonic cleaning machines for handguns". Prices for the ultrasonic units have come down. Lots of good choices. Remove your slide or remove the sights/optics from your slide before cleaning.
 
Snake45 said:
I got into a dispute with a guy on my model car board who was famous for doing spectacular paint jobs by thinning enamels with lacquer thinner. He made and sold videos on the topic and is famous in the hobby for his method, which, by the time he publicized it, I'd been doing exactly that way for about 15 years. I mentioned how much smoother a paint job you could get by thinning the enamel with naphtha, but it had drawbacks as I mentioned above. He told me using naphtha was stupid, because it had a much lower "flash point" than lacquer thinner, or was "more flammable," or whatever. I told him that naphtha was made to have a LOWER flash point than gasoline, lacquer thinner, and so forth. In the early days of jet aviation, military pilots used to fill their Zippo lighters with "Jet A/JP-4," which is basically kerosene, and had no problems, but no one EVER filled their lighter with 130 octane AVGAS because that was VERY dangerous. :oops:

BTW, I quit using Zippo-type lighters many years ago in favor of cheap disposable butanes. Zippos will run out of flint at the worst possible time, but much worse, if you ever overfill a Zippo with lighter fluid and put it in your jeans pocket and the lighter fluid leaks out and gets on your scrotum--well, that will be THE MOST UNPLEASANT thing that will happen to you ALL DAY. Possibly even ALL MONTH. Ouch! :eek:
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Reminds me of the time a kid in my shop decided to write on HIMSELF (see beanbag) with a paint marker..........

He screamed like woman in a B horror movie........

Then had to get a free ride in the ambulance to the Naval Hospital in Beaufort.......

Good times.......
 
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