"Dip" suppressor cleaning solution and aluminum parts - PSA

[QuietShootr]

I have an all-aluminum sealed .22 can from An American Can manufacturer who shall remain nameless. After a few thousand rounds, it began to fill with lead and powder residue, as all .22 cans do.

Another .22 can I have, an all stainless sealed can made by AWC, once filled completely up with lead in spite of periodic soakings in ATF, Shooter's Choice, gasoline, and all kinds of silly shit. AWC cheerfully disassembled it and cleaned it after all that, at no charge, under warranty.

Back to the aluminum can: Their "Lifetime Guarantee" has proven to be worth the paper it wasn't printed on - they proposed to replace it for the low, low price of $300, plus a new tax stamp (which they blamed on Gemtech, saying that Gemtech sent a letter to ATF that caused cans to no longer be replaced tax-free...whatever. If this were a Gemtech can, this wouldn't be an issue, because they would just fix the ****ing thing without trying to gouge another $300 out of me.) after advising me that they 'basically consider that model to be disposable, because taking it apart will destroy it, it's glued together." Wish I'd known that before I spent $400 on it.

Thinking I had nothing to lose, since the piece of shit is so clogged it isn't hearing-safe on a pistol anyway, I mixed up some 'dip' and threw it in.

For the uninitiated: Dip is nothing more than white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide mixed 1:1. This makes peracetic acid, which eats lead like a fat kid at a buffet. (Warning - the solute produced, lead acetate, is very toxic. Make sure to wear gloves and eye protection when handling it. Pour used solution into a container for disposal at your community tox drop, or whatever.) All-stainless cans can sit in dip for a very long time - it's the optimum solution for getting lead fouling out of a sealed suppressor. It's easiest to mix in a 1l Nalgene bottle, but make sure you mark the hell out of the bottle so it doesn't inadvertently get used for water afterward.

PAA also eats aluminum, but ANODIZED aluminum is usually impervious to it so long as there are no scratches in the anodizing. Lead is dissolved much faster than aluminum in the same solution, so I figured I'd try to stay ahead of it and get the can out before it started eating the baffles or tube.

The can bubbled furiously when I immersed it in the dip, and I could see carbon and lead funk coming out of the mount almost immediately. I repeated this for three days, changing the solution when the reaction appeared to be slowing down. All was well for the first two days. The baffles slowly started reappearing in the blast chamber as the lead melted away.

However, I misjudged when the lead would be gone, and apparently on the third day when the lead was out the PAA viciously attacked the tube and burned a nice hole in the side of it in the blast chamber.

Oh, well. The thing was trashed anyway, so it was worth a try. I bought a YHM Mite yesterday to replace it, and that marks the end of my relationship with the unnamed manufacturer's products...ever. I ditched the 5.56 can I had bought from them about six years ago when it suffered a baffle strike from THEIR thread job on my barrel that they wanted ME to pay shipping to fix. Enough is enough.

Lessons learned:

1) Sealed .22 cans suck, and they doubly suck if the manufacturer's "Guarantee" is that you're "Guaranteed" to have to pay for it when they have to work on it.

2) Dip is best kept away from aluminum (I knew this already, but what the hell)

3) Dip is AWESOME for cleaning sealed STAINLESS cans.


That is all....

[TY44934]

Thanks for the heads up!

Seems as if any used, sealed 22 can with anodized alminum parts would have at least some scratches or pinholes in the anodizing - since powder & lead particles will be striking the interior at 1100FPS + And there is no telling WHERE those pinholes might be inside the can (though expansion chamber seems most likely).

So it seems safe to assume that "the dip" WILL attack the aluminum inside the can. Good warning to those considering it (in addition to how toxic it is).

Second, I don't own a 22 can. Agree that a serviceable can makes the most sense. BUT - I have read that Gemtek really backs up their sealed Outback II and will even "convert" it to function as a non-sealed can.

So maybe some sealed cans actually suck much more than others? Sad to hear you ended up with a useless pile of NFA parts.

No company should offer such poor customer service.

[QuietShootr]

Thanks for the heads up!

Seems as if any used, sealed 22 can with anodized alminum parts would have at least some scratches or pinholes in the anodizing - since powder & lead particles will be striking the interior at 1100FPS + And there is no telling WHERE those pinholes might be inside the can (though expansion chamber seems most likely).

So it seems safe to assume that "the dip" WILL attack the aluminum inside the can. Good warning to those considering it (in addition to how toxic it is).

Agreed. If I hadn't already given this can up for dead, I wouldn't have tried it on a can with aluminum parts.

Second, I don't own a 22 can. Agree that a serviceable can makes the most sense. BUT - I have read that Gemtek really backs up their sealed Outback II and will even "convert" it to function as a non-sealed can.

So maybe some sealed cans actually suck much more than others? Sad to hear you ended up with a useless pile of NFA parts.

No company should offer such poor customer service.

And they won't ever again, to me.

[shadow65]

I always wondered if SeaFoam would work to clean aluminum suppressors. It's used to remove carbon and crap from engines and is safe for aluminum.
I use an Ultra Sonic cleaner with an aluminum safe cleaner from Brownells. It does a pretty good job and so far has not caused any damage.

[Iraq Ninja]

Sorry to hear about your can...

Not sure why you are being a bit cryptic, but have you posted a complaint at the An American Can forum at silencer talk? I would be interested in their public response.

[QuietShootr]

I always wondered if SeaFoam would work to clean aluminum suppressors. It's used to remove carbon and crap from engines and is safe for aluminum.
I use an Ultra Sonic cleaner with an aluminum safe cleaner from Brownells. It does a pretty good job and so far has not caused any damage.

I wouldn't think so. In a .22 can, what you have is mostly lead buildup cemented on with powder residue. I doubt if SeaFoam will eat lead - but you could always put a piece in a cup of it and see what happens.

[QuietShootr]

Sorry to hear about your can...

Not sure why you are being a bit cryptic, but have you posted a complaint at the An American Can forum at silencer talk? I would be interested in their public response.

I expect the response would be similar to what I got on the phone, at best, and considering I've had a customer service issue with this company at least twice I don't want to get in the mud with them on the internet. At least on the phone there weren't a hundred+ fanbois joining the dogpile. I'd as likely go to PS.com and start talking about LeMas ammunition again. It's worth writing off the $400+tax to be shut of them to me.

In case anyone was wondering, it isn't my attitude. I have dealt with AWC and Gemtech with problems in the last 15 years and have had nothing but good experiences.