Canned air propellant and AR receiver

[vingrjoe]

I was cleaning my AR the other day and decided to use some "Dust Remover" aka canned air to dry my upper receiver off. Anyways, I held the can at an angle and liquid shot out onto my receiver. Afterwards, I did read that holding the can upside down or at an angle would cause the liquid propellant to come out. I could see no visible discoloration on the receiver.

I looked up the MSDS and it looks like the liquid that is used to make the air come from the can is 1,1-DIFLUOROETHANE (HFC-152a).

Should I be concerned about any possible ill effects from the liquified canned air propellant to my receiver's exterior or interior ?

[Quib]

I wouldn’t sweat it. That “canned air” is made to clean electronics. Something far more susceptible to damage than your weapon.

I used “canned air” for years to clean my AR. Never saw any adverse affects from its use. If your living quarters allows you, you might want to invest in a small compressor. That is what I eventually did myself.

[chadbag]

Afterwards, I did read that holding the can upside down or at an angle would cause the liquid propellant to come out. I could see no visible discoloration on the receiver.


Probably no harm.

When I was at one company I was at (as a SW engineer) we would sometimes sneak up on each other and put a short squirt from an upside down can on the other guys arm... Try it!

(only done by and to those agreeing to the "game")

[vicious_cb]

Probably no harm.

When I was at one company I was at (as a SW engineer) we would sometimes sneak up on each other and put a short squirt from an upside down can on the other guys arm... Try it!

(only done by and to those agreeing to the "game")

You mean giving someone else frostbite? You know that liquid comes out at -25 C right?

Other than extreme cold I would doubt it would cause any damage to your AR. Unless you sprayed a crap load of it on your AR then dropped it on a hard surface.

[chadbag]

You mean giving someone else frostbite? You know that liquid comes out at -25 C right?


Yes. That is what I am referring to. However, it does not give you frostbite. It evaporates too fast. If you unloaded on the guy a whole ton at once it could. But a quick 1/10 or 1/5 of a second blast scares the crap out of someone and may leave a little red spot for 1/2 hour. It is not comfortable for a short period but leaves no lasting damage...

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME KIDDIES! FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!



Other than extreme cold I would doubt it would cause any damage to your AR. Unless you sprayed a crap load of it on your AR then dropped it on a hard surface.

[Bimmer]

[QUOTE=Quib;492381... you might want to invest in a small compressor... [/QUOTE]

+1 Compressed air is great for cleaning all kinds of things. This is one of these things that doesn't seem that useful until you have it, and then you find yourself using it constantly.
Using the 6-inch "needle" attachment means I blast crud out of spots that I'd never be able to blow out by huffing and puffing, and I don't need to put my face up close to things, either.

Bimmer

[Belmont31R]

Used them a lot while deployed.....great for getting dirt and dust out of the nooks and crannies.

[the_fallguy]

It is not comfortable for a short period but leaves no lasting damage...

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME KIDDIES! FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

I had friends that thought this was a good way to tell you if you had plumber's crack... The psychological damage is more lasting... :D

[vingrjoe]

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it.

After reading the replies and thinking about it, I figured if the propellant doesn't corrode the delicate materials in computer components it sure wouldn't cause any damage to annodized aluminum. Although for a little while I worried about when the liquid came out of the can, that it may have mixed with the CLP on my gun and caused a bad reaction, of course it didn't. At least not anything I could see.

I sometimes get a little carried away about obsessing over small things. I don't know if that is the perfectionist in me or if I'm just plain screwy. My wife feels it's a mix of both.

I do have a nice air compressor setup in my garage. I should have just did the work on my gun in the garage, but it's getting cold outside now, and I just had a small job. So I decided to stay inside and use the canned air.

Thanks again for the replies and your patience.

[mkmckinley]

if gun solvent doesn't hurt it how would that stuff?

[b_w_hlls]

it's just a type of refrigerant similar to what is used in your home and car's A/C system. Refrigerants are non corrosive as they circulate through very thin walled aluminum, and copper tubes.

[Gibbles]

Probably no harm.

When I was at one company I was at (as a SW engineer) we would sometimes sneak up on each other and put a short squirt from an upside down can on the other guys arm... Try it!

(only done by and to those agreeing to the "game")

lol
I use canned air for just about everything, mostly electronics, blowing out connections, fans, motherboards, guns, sneaking up on the cat and blowing on his backside...

the stuff going direct on your gun won't hurt anything, I have used the stuff to cool stuff off before by holding upside down.

You can give your self a nice little blister if you go to town on bare skin though. ;)