Why does it go green?

[wayward]

I have an copper solvent to clean my rifle with which is yellow.

I scrub out the black fouling and what I get out is green liquid?

Where does the green come from?

[brett1868]

Copper sulphate is blue so mixed with the yellow cleaning agent makes green.

[Chronos]

Ever seen an old copper pipe? It's green right? There's a chemical reaction between the solvent and the copper that turns copper green (or blue depending on your idea of green)

Its a useful indicator as it tells you to keep cleaning

You can buy jags and brushes free if copper as the brass jags give you a false indication of copper (brass contains copper)

Chronos

[Apollo]

It all depends on the chemicals used to disolve the copper.

Sweet's (Ammonia) turns copper Green and you look for the green patches. I'm colour blind so it just looks dirty to me and hence I don't use Sweet's any longer for a variety of reasons.

Bore-Tech, Pro-Shot and others turn copper Blue and for me being Red-Green Colour Blind the Blue sticks out like ............. Plus it works better than Ammonia based dangerous stuff for your Bore.

I use Aluminium Jags and Stainless Cleaning Rods. I don't often use Bronze Brushes any longer, especially in match grade stainless steel target barrels.

[Warrigul]

It is quite interesting the whole copper vs ammonia subject.

Whilst the barrel makers don't recommend excess usage of ammonia as a copper solvent in stainless barrels, in my trade I have seen precision stainless(of all grades) parts immersed in pure ammonia/anhydrous ammonia/ammonia and oil, both hot, cold and air/ammonia mixes and have never encountered any pitting or degradation.

Anything that changes the colour of copper residue involves a chemical reaction and is in the same line as ammonia regarding stainless.

I clean my stainless barrels with ammonia solvent and whilst I never soak them am not overly worried either.

[Combat_Wombat]

It's the oxidation of the copper happens to old pipe and electrical cables. They use a copper powder to make fireworks green too from memory

[Oldbloke]

"You can buy jags and brushes free if copper as the brass jags give you a false indication of copper (brass contains copper"
I fell for that using a brass brush recently. Barrel is sure clean now.

[MeccaOz]

ohhh your talking about guns and copper ... I thought we had a "Medical" emergency here

[Tiiger]

Copper goes green on everything. If you see someone with one of those copper medical bracelets their skin is stained green.

Burning something with copper in it makes a green flame too.

[wayward]

It is quite interesting the whole copper vs ammonia subject.

Yeah, I didn't realise it was the fouling changing.

I'll do some reading up on more of it.

[wayward]

ohhh your talking about guns and copper ... I thought we had a "Medical" emergency here

Been getting by for years ok, no emergency

[MeccaOz]

ohhh your talking about guns and copper ... I thought we had a "Medical" emergency here

Been getting by for years ok, no emergency

[Baronvonrort]

They use a copper powder to make fireworks green too from memory

Yes, burning copper is what gives the green color in fireworks,Strontium burns a red color and Magnesium white.

Nothing to worry about.

[subatom]

Wonder how a magnesium bullet would go?

Like a shooting star?