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OH, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 8:19:46 AM EDT
Does anyone here use a dremel tool to remove carbon from their bolt?
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Posted: 9/4/2022 8:21:59 AM EDT
[#1]
Hopefully not...don't waste your time.
It's totally unnecessary |
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Posted: 9/4/2022 8:22:11 AM EDT
[#2]
Seems a bit obsessive to me. I mostly use cleaner solution or an ultrasonic, rather than a dremel.
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PA, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 8:42:09 AM EDT
[#3]
Are you talking about a wire brush or an actual stone or cutter? I usually scrape the carbine off the bolt tail with an exacto knife when it needs it and finish cleaning it up with steel wool and solvent but that is about it.
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IA, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 8:50:24 AM EDT
[#4]
Never.
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Posted: 9/4/2022 9:11:13 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TGWLDR: Never. Please don't. It's truly unnecessary, and you risk doing more damage than any amount of carbon could ever hope to do. |
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USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 9:19:48 AM EDT
[#6]
No. Put the Dremel down.
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Posted: 9/4/2022 9:38:06 AM EDT
[#7]
No
WD-40 and a paper towel Except for the tail of the bolt. That gets scraped with a pocket knife. |
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Posted: 9/4/2022 9:40:36 AM EDT
[Last Edit: IH1026]
[#8]
Could just use a brass cartridge case mouth that's bent in crescent shape. Pretty cheap solution.
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IA, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 12:37:39 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By IH1026: Could just use a brass cartridge case mouth that's bent in crescent shape. Pretty cheap solution. .45 case mouth works perfect, IME. |
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Posted: 9/4/2022 2:25:14 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By BerlinVet: Hopefully not...don't waste your time. It's totally unnecessary If it's baked on, just let it stay there. It won't hurt anything. Leave the OCD BS for people in boot camp. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 2:26:54 PM EDT
[#11]
Baked on carbon is easy to remove: boil the thing in anti-freeze (green). It'll come right off.
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AL, USA
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Posted: 9/4/2022 3:52:19 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Hiker1911]
[#12]
Get a bolt (cleaning) tool such as those available on the web. Botach sells a good one.
No shortcuts, or creative tools with this idea. Stick with the right tool, not a Dremel on a rifle bolt. |
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Posted: 9/4/2022 6:35:04 PM EDT
[#13]
Sometimes I scrape the tail with a pocket knife but it's not really needed.
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PA, USA
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Posted: 9/5/2022 3:39:30 PM EDT
[#14]
I coat the bolt thinly with lube and brush/wipe. I never scrape.
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TN, USA
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Posted: 9/20/2022 9:03:15 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By AS556: Sometimes I scrape the tail with a pocket knife but it's not really needed. Plus 1 |
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USA
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Posted: 9/24/2022 9:27:27 AM EDT
[#16]
Not only is this a bad idea but, it is downright dangerous. Touch the wrong area with that dremel and you screw up your headspace.
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Posted: 9/24/2022 10:02:57 AM EDT
[#17]
NO |
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Posted: 9/24/2022 11:09:59 PM EDT
[#18]
If you scrape your bolt tail, you will eventually end up with bolt tail seal failure. Then your gun will not cycle like it used to, or at all. It will probably start failing to eject.
And gas will come out of the vent port into your hand and eye. If you scrape your bolt tail a lot, you will probably end up with a bent firing pin retaining pin and a loose firing pin that will jam your gun in a way that you can't clear in a gun fight. But hey, you will have a shiny bolt. |
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AZ, USA
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Posted: 9/25/2022 1:36:47 AM EDT
[#19]
Absolutely not. Cleaning like that will drastically reduce the service life of the rifle. Way more than shooting it.
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Posted: 9/25/2022 1:39:33 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By KitBuilder: Leave the OCD BS for people in boot camp. |
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AL, USA
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Posted: 9/26/2022 12:19:11 AM EDT
[#21]
Botach has a tool for removing carbon from the bolt, and there are others.
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Posted: 10/1/2022 9:43:04 PM EDT
[Last Edit: ColtRifle]
[#22]
You could. But the type of bit you use is what matters. A small rotary wire brush would work fine and cause no damage. A sanding drum or a grinder…..no.
But, it’s not a big deal. Scrape it off with a knife or scraper. Removing the built up carbon isn’t a bad idea. Ignore the people who say you are going to destroy your rifle….because you won’t. Now, if you start grinding it with something more than a wire brush, yes you’ll damage it….so don’t do that. |
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USA
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Posted: 10/1/2022 11:25:32 PM EDT
[#23]
Pat Rogers said don't worry about it. So I don't.
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Posted: 10/7/2022 7:31:42 AM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Overtorque: Pat Rogers said don't worry about it. So I don't. This……Pat knew a thing or two about keeping a dirty gun in the fight |
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Posted: 10/7/2022 7:31:56 AM EDT
[Last Edit: faawrenchbndr]
[#25]
Oops…..double post
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Posted: 10/11/2022 2:22:00 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By faawrenchbndr: This……Pat knew a thing or two about keeping a dirty gun in the fight Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By faawrenchbndr: Originally Posted By Overtorque: Pat Rogers said don't worry about it. So I don't. This……Pat knew a thing or two about keeping a dirty gun in the fight Vagisil FTW |
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Posted: 10/11/2022 2:24:22 PM EDT
[#27]
Originally Posted By sling438: Does anyone here use a dremel tool to remove carbon from their bolt? IMO, if yer bolt doesn't have a little carbon on it, you don't shoot it enough. |
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Posted: 10/30/2022 10:13:25 PM EDT
[#28]
No…I just scrape a bit with a knife and brush it.
However…if one were truly anal, the answer would be to buy a jar of slip 2000 carbon cutter or a jar of choke tube soak from brownells. Strip bolt fully including ejector spring…one time use pin. Then soak and scrub for 48 hours…rinse in hot water until part flash dries from heat. Lube and assemble. It’s now 100% clean. I only do that with pistol barrels and suppressor mounts. |
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WI, USA
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Posted: 11/19/2022 4:53:10 PM EDT
[#29]
When the bolt tail gets really bad I take a Scotch Brite pad from the kitchen, swirl it around the tail a few times and it's done. Quick and easy.
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MN, USA
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Posted: 11/19/2022 5:04:36 PM EDT
[#30]
Never.
If you are OCD, use nothing more aggressive than a solvent soak and a retired toothbrush. |
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Posted: 11/22/2022 7:28:45 PM EDT
[#31]
If you decide you really want to scrape off the carbon, both the Otis BONE tool and the Cat-M4 are both excellent options.
I'll give the tail a squirt of oil, give it a scrape then wipe with a rag. It won't be shiny but it'll get the crust off very effectively. |
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VA, USA
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Posted: 11/24/2022 2:24:29 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By KitBuilder: This. If it's baked on, just let it stay there. It won't hurt anything. Leave the OCD BS for people in boot camp. Even when I wasn't OCD about it just soaking it in some CLP does the trick in getting the baked on carbon off. I'm not sure what people are doing but it seems rather crazy to me. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 12/16/2022 6:28:21 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Musketjon]
[#33]
Not a good idea. You'll change angles and tolerance dimensions, guaranteed, but hey, it's your rifle so Dremel away to your hearts content.
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Posted: 12/16/2022 1:33:04 PM EDT
[#34]
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Posted: 1/2/2023 7:12:28 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Freakinout: Vagisil FTW Ran a gun on just that once…..was a nasty mess |
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Posted: 1/2/2023 7:34:57 PM EDT
[#36]
Soak (not Amish style), don't scrape.
https://slip2000.com/pages/about-carbon-killer This stuff works. |
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Posted: 1/2/2023 7:51:22 PM EDT
[#37]
Uhm, no.
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Posted: 1/2/2023 7:53:38 PM EDT
[Last Edit: WUPHF]
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Veprz: Not only is this a bad idea but, it is downright dangerous. Touch the wrong area with that dremel and you screw up your headspace. I mean, kind of the opposite end of the bolt, and the areas you’d need to hit to affect headspace are fairly small (bolt face or backside contact area of the lugs). I guess it could be a concern, but that’s a bit dramatic. He’s more likely to affect the dimensions of the bolt tail more than anything. |
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Posted: 1/2/2023 10:01:46 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WUPHF: I mean, kind of the opposite end of the bolt, and the areas you’d need to hit to affect headspace are fairly small (bolt face or backside contact area of the lugs). I guess it could be a concern, but that’s a bit dramatic. He’s more likely to affect the dimensions of the bolt tail more than anything. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WUPHF: Originally Posted By Veprz: Not only is this a bad idea but, it is downright dangerous. Touch the wrong area with that dremel and you screw up your headspace. I mean, kind of the opposite end of the bolt, and the areas you’d need to hit to affect headspace are fairly small (bolt face or backside contact area of the lugs). I guess it could be a concern, but that’s a bit dramatic. He’s more likely to affect the dimensions of the bolt tail more than anything. grind down the bolt tail, now more gas escapes from the gas system, more fouling in the FCG and eventually gas loss leads to short stroking. |
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USA
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Posted: 2/20/2023 11:41:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Veprz]
[#40]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WUPHF: I mean, kind of the opposite end of the bolt, and the areas you’d need to hit to affect headspace are fairly small (bolt face or backside contact area of the lugs). I guess it could be a concern, but that’s a bit dramatic. He’s more likely to affect the dimensions of the bolt tail more than anything. We could assume he's talking about the bolt tail and assume he means wire wheel, but mentioning dremel and bolt in the same sentence raises serious concern  For all anyone knows he might get the idea to "polish" the lugs with an abrasive stone at full blast while he's there lol! I think it's safe to say that dremels have little to no place in gunsmithing, let alone maintenence & cleaning. Anything you think you can or should do with a handheld powertool, should likely be done with a fixed machine tool like a lathe, mill or possibly a drill press (bare minimum and not ideal) for control that is just not possible in the hands of a human being. OP, just use a bolt scraping tool or other scraping implement. |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 3/11/2023 8:27:49 AM EDT
[#41]
Originally Posted By sling438: Does anyone here use a dremel tool to remove carbon from their bolt? I should’ve clarified. Yes, I mean bolt tail with a soft wire attachment. |
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Posted: 3/11/2023 8:41:49 AM EDT
[#42]
I’ve got better things to do with my limited time.
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Posted: 4/4/2023 7:03:18 AM EDT
[Last Edit: faawrenchbndr]
[#43]
wrong thread…..
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FL, USA
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Posted: 4/5/2023 9:58:48 PM EDT
[#44]
No Dremel. It's far too easy to damage a bolt or carrier.
If you feel compelled to get a BCG really clean, find a small container like a glass jar with a tight lid, add a liquid cleaner like CLP, and let the bolt and carrier soak in that for a while. Let chemistry and time do all the work. You should be able to reuse the liquid several times before changing it out. |
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Posted: 4/5/2023 10:21:39 PM EDT
[#45]
I swear Dremels need a $200 tax stamp.
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MO, USA
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Posted: 4/5/2023 10:24:58 PM EDT
[#46]
Soaking in mineral spririts loosens and removes a lot of carbon.
And mineral spirits is relatively cheap. RCA |
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Posted: 4/5/2023 10:25:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: DayandNight1701]
[#47]
Originally Posted By sling438: Does anyone here use a dremel tool to remove carbon from their bolt? No, bro. Clean it with a brush(metal plastic, whatever..I like a brass brush because it splits the difference but an old tooth brush does the job 98%) and a little solvent of your choice. If you want to get rowdy, soak in some kind of solvent, hell, a sprits of brake clean will be fine. Even on the boat tail. It's an AR...not a Rolex(Is how it was explained to me) |
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PA, USA
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Posted: 7/29/2023 9:27:49 AM EDT
[Last Edit: emandude]
[#48]
I just watched a SOTAR video the other day about how carbon deposits and discoloration on parts of the bolt from use aren't going to hurt anything, and standard brushing, wiping and lube is all that's needed to keep it clean enough to function. Getting more aggressive can grind off material changing tolerances and causing failures.
Basically there is no need to get the thing back to fresh out of the box condition and trying to do so wastes time and possibly brings Risks that aren't worth it. It gets carbonned up to a certain degree with a tough baked in layer that hurts nothing but then further gunk from normal shooting comes off with normal cleaning technique. You clean removable crud down to that and call it done. |
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GA, USA
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Posted: 7/29/2023 9:46:31 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By emandude: I just watched a SOTAR video the other day . You have my sympathy. |
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Posted: 7/30/2023 12:14:30 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OTDR: You have my sympathy. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OTDR: Originally Posted By emandude: I just watched a SOTAR video the other day . You have my sympathy. 
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