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Posted: 7/24/2026 12:04:05 AM EDT
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Has anyone used Simple Green or other de-greasers which are safe with blued metal? I have a Remington Model 11 made in 1940 which internally looks like it was never stripped down for cleaning. Wood and external surfaces are good, however the internals have a mixture of rust and caked on grease. Internal parts look nasty and some screws were seized. Of course, when I'm done I'll wipe it all down with a protective layer of oil. |
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You'll want to read the bottle's label and try out a small spot. Generally speaking should be okay but from what I remember about the green colored Simple Green is that it is somewhat more corrosive against aluminum. The one I use is this purple color jug called Simple Green HD that is safe on aluminum. That isn't what you're asking, I know but what I'm trying to get at is the Simple Green that you get from the store is somewhat very strong and corrosive so it's a good idea to test. |
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It's a 1940's all steel gun. I read the purple stuff can discolor bluing or phosphate finishes if exposed for extended periods. The method I plan to use is dip the brush in degreaser and scrub the nasty spots with a brass brush, then rinse, dry, then apply a layer of oil. I have a spray can of CLP I'm going to try first, then if that can't cut the crud I'll try the degreaser. I fear brake cleaner cleaner may hurt the bluing, at least the chlorinated stuff. |
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| I dealt with surplus things. I don’t think you need to submerge it into solvent but you probably would need to break it down to the smallest part. Do you mean cosmolean? If so I think just using a hair dryer and clp will be enough. Just a lot of scrubbing and wiping it off so it’s not a super easy task. |
| There's no cosmoline or anything like that. It's more or less 80 years of congealed grease and mild rust from metal sweating and not getting wiped down and lubed properly. Some of the screws and pins were seized in place, and liberal doses of penetrating oil and heat was necessary to bust things loose. Once I got the rear trigger plate screw loose I was able to assess how bad things were inside the receiver. |
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Brake cleaner, a moderately stiff bristle brush, and some compressed air. Follow up with a quality gun oil once finished. Edit: Reread the above and your concerns regarding brake cleaner, I've had no issues personally. Do avoid contact with wood though. And the steel will look dull and cloudy once cleaned, oil will restore the appearance. |
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Why not try going Old School, How about Varsol, Stoddard Solvent, or Mineral Spirits? All should be safe on those finishes... Hell, Kerosene or Diesel would probably work too! Alternatively, you could brew up a concoction very similar to "Ed's Red Bore Cleaner" It's fairly straightforward. Mix equal parts of conventional automatic transmission fluid, kerosene, aliphatic mineral spirits, and acetone. You can also add lanolin to the mix for a bit of additional rust protection if you desire. Keep in mind that Acetone isn't very compatible with paints, varnishes, or plastic, and rubber components. |
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Any reason why you wouldn't want to use something like Gun Scrubber? https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/gun-scrubber-single-purpose-firearms-cleaner-13-fl-oz-aerosol.html |
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Originally Posted By CATM: Any reason why you wouldn't want to use something like Gun Scrubber? https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/products/gun-scrubber-single-purpose-firearms-cleaner-13-fl-oz-aerosol.html I have a jug of Simple Green already, and an aerosol can of CLP. I also have a full bottle of Palmolive dish soap (technically it's a de-greaser.) I figure I'll use whatever I have before buying anything else. |
| I would start by disassembly from the wood and taking components down to their individual parts. Think things like extractors, springs, firing pin and so on. Then brush crud free with a nylon brush, followed by a soak in dawn and hot water for 20 minutes, followed by another scrubbing, hot water rinse to the point the heat helps the components self dry, and clear any channels of water with compressed air. Hand dry, spray everything down with rem oil and let it sit for an hour or two, then wipe excess off and spray out channels and run a patch through the bore. Reassemble. |
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AAR: CLP in a spray was all I needed. After the rear trigger plate screw and safety sear pin were un-seized, I sprayed the parts with CLP and used an old toothbrush and brass brush to scrub parts. The parts with light rust or heavier crud were cleaned with a stainless steel brush. Q-tips were used in the tighter spaces the brushes couldn't reach. A replacement main spring (old flat spring snapped in half) should arrive Saturday, then the fun begins figuring out which parts go where. There's plenty of Auto 5 and Model 11 videos on Youtube for reference. |
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