What's the best way
To remove plastic melted onto a very hot rifle barrel.
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Freeze and chip, maybe. 0 -
Some plastics will harden up and loose grip with cold just like gum in hair. Kroil might crawl under and free it, could take a while. My all time favorite solvent Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide would likely dissolve it almost instantly (hazardous stuff read and heed the MSDS warning). 0 -
Not sure there is a "best" way. It depends a little on what type of plastic, and what you have available to you.
Some ways that could work:
Scrape it off with something else made of hard plastic (or wood. . . or SOFT metal) that will remove the plastic but not mar the barrel steel. Assuming a smooth barrel and not a lot of plastic, you can probably start and end right here.
Freezing the plastic with ice or dry ice might make it brittle and easier to remove.
Alternatively, you could try heating it (eg with a heat gun) to soften it up again, then wipe it off with a piece of burlap or coarse cloth.
In terms of solvents, that could work too, BUT you have to know what kind of plastic you've got to know which solvent(s) will work best.
Simple acetone (ie nail polish remover) will dissolve some plastics. Methylene chloride (found in some paint stripper and brake cleaners) will also dissolve come plastics. Some plastics will dissolve in toluene or benzene.
The caveat with all these things is that anything that will dissolve plastic is also potentially going to wreak havoc on a gun finish, let alone your skin and lungs! These things have to be used CAREFULLY, with good ventilation, ideally outdoors, and you try not to get any on your skin or breathe in the fumes.
EDIT:
Melted plastic bag? Try some nail polish remover/acetone. That's probably the single least offensive of all the solvents, and it just might work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGudjKoOaLI
If that doesn't work, you can probably just heat the stuff up to soften it, then scrape it off with a plastic putty knife.0 -
The plastic is from a bag that my elbow pads I use for 3-gun came in.
I was out shooting my new Ruger SR 762 today, and to finish off the session I went thru 40 rounds rapid fire. It got smoking hot and I layed it in my SUV to cool. The barrel ahead of the forearm contacted the plastic and before I could react, it stuck and melted.0 -
With it being thin plastic i would use a heat gun on low and a piece of wood to scrap off majority, finish with bronze wool and gun oil. 0
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