Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth

Anyone here uses this (Birchwood Casey Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth)?

This is some sort of voodoo magic, to clean carbon from stainless steel revolver cylinders. Absolutely nothing works, except this.

Anyone knows what’s in it/made of? It’s freaking awesome and I am intrigued.

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Uh, think I found it:

Wonder if Ammonium Hydroxide is the solvent and Kaolin is the abrasive?

Mineral oil - I see it’s used as a SS cleaner, but how?

Paraffine for preserving chemicals on cloth, maybe?

Lemon oil - cleaning?

Any chemists here?

Ammonia Hydroxide is just Ammonia (NH3) dissolved in water. Ammonia based cleaners will be just this. Good for dissolving grease because it’s slightly basic, which makes the residue polar, and dissoluble by water.

Kaolin is a clay? Would be good for keeping the fabric moist. Clays are pretty good at retaining water.

Not sure how mineral oil is used. I’ve only ever used that stuff as a cooling fluid or as a lubricant.

Not sure on the Paraffin as well. That’s like wax yeah?

Lemon oil is probably for smell. Ammonia doesn’t have a pleasant odour.

I thought clay could potentially act as an abrasive. Lemon oil could be smell or some sort of citric type cleaner? Parafine is wax more or less. Once you start rubbing, it will melt and maybe release the other components. Mineral oil I am not sure, but apparently it’s used to clean stainless steel, so no idea.

Next time I am going to clean cylinders, I will use abrasive from a sponge and some cloudy ammonia and see how it goes.

I think the cloth itself that this comes on, could be some sort abrasive too, but not sure. Although, I tried scrubbing with Hoppes which has ammonia too and had no results. Although that was on a cotton cloth.

Paraffin can be a liquid oil as well it used to be used in oil lamps and heaters. The mineral oil will just be a lubricant and carrier. I bet your right on the Lemon oil JS being used as a scent.

The paraffin is probably used to bind the cleaner in a stable form into the cloth.

Yep, use it for patching lead out of any barrel, gets a lot of use in the 9mm 1911 when shooting cast bullets.
Use it for my lever guns as I shoot nothing but cast in those. My black-powder guns also if I get any leading. ( rare, but happens occasionally )
Don’t care what its made from, it works.

Perhaps lead is able to be removed from steel with just oils. I wonder if you made a cloth soaked in a thin motor oil or ATF if you would achieve the same results. Another you could try would be baby oil that is a highly refined petroleum oil like the others in that mix.

Researching the Kaolin has been very interesting what a lot of very varied uses.

In this case I think it is being used as an abrasive.

Next time I have a dirty cylinder, I’ll give a few methods a go. I have all the component, so it’s just a matter of trying stuff.

Yep I use it as well, tend to give all of my rifles and handguns a wipe over with it.

Never heard of this stuff before but just ordered a couple to give 'em a try because there’s nothing worse than cleaning dirty stainless revolvers.
Thanks for the tip fellas.

@JSS, the way you use it… When you get it, cut a piece off, don’t use the entire thing. Maybe like 2x5cm - that should be enough to clean the filthiest cylinder face.

Ahh ok will do thanks. i’ve been using those rubbing blocks and they’re a PITA so i’ve got some very dirty cylinders all lining up in desperate need of a sponge bath lol.

My cloths arrived friday and i finally got around to giving some a try today, it’s pretty good stuff & even a 686 workhorse came up clean as a whistle.
Thanks again for the tip fellas, this stuff will be a regular in the cleaning kit now.

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A small square patch cut to a size that is a tight, and I do mean tight, fit in the bore is what I use for lead in the barrel.
I’ve never used it for any other purpose but I might try it on the cylinder face of the S & W 686 going by the reports here.

Tried Cloudy Ammonia on a patch. No go.

Although it did show some potential. Very little. I am thinking abrasive metal polishing cloth next, but now we are getting into the same price range as the Burchwood product, so I think I will stop here.

Used the lead removal cloth after this - looks brand new now.

Experiment over.