Will Mercon/Dex III hurt polymers?

[Cmarti]

Playing with homemade gun lubes out of boredom. Many rave about ATF and synthetic motor oil, others claim damage to polymers and platics in frames and stocks.

Not a chemist, so asking the folks who know oil/fluids best. Will Mobil 1 or Mercon harm plastic/polymer?

Thanks for any insight.

 

[JZiggy]

Do you know what kind of polymer? Nylon, polycarbonate, etc.? A lot of that stuff is already well-documented and you may be able to find it by Googling.

 

[GearheadTool]

I thought ATF was a cleaner?

And are you talking about cleaning Glock?

 

[Cmarti]

Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
I thought ATF was a cleaner?

And are you talking about cleaning Glock?


Yes, but some use it as a CLP or part of a CLP recepie. The glock has a polymer frame, and my hunting rifles and duck guns have polymer or plastic stocks. I did a test in the pole barn and the ATF was a better protector than synthetic motor oil for a saltwater spray. A Google search had some warnings about interaction with plastics and rubber. Others say no problem. No proof or chemists like I find here. Search of this site did not answer my question. Might be better to stick with Breakfree, but I can't help myself from messing with stuff. Thanks for any insight.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:
Will Mercon/Dex III hurt polymers?


I know of nothing in straight Dex/Merc that would harm those hard polymers.

 

[tom slick]

The plastics used in gun parts are versions of Nylon. Nylon is extremely chemical resistant and used in transmission parts.

I know the gun world likes to claim "it's not plastic, it's polymer" but "polymer" is a very broad term. All plastics are polymers. It's like saying "It's not a car, it's a machine" when you are talking about a Ford Focus.

 

[JZiggy]

Nylons (like PA66, etc) usually have good chemical resistance to organic solvents, oils, and so on. Where they fall short are acids.