Old vs. new Hoppe's No. 9 solvent

[gmerkt]

The other day the executor of my pal Dave's estate called me. He said he'd found another gun laying around, some more ammo and a quart bottle of Hoppe's No. 9 cleaning solvent. I remembered seeing the bottle of solvent sitting around at Dave's over the years. Anyway, I made arrangements to go over and pick these items up.

The Hoppe's is old. It's in a glass jar, the label is disintegrating. My guess is it dates from the 1970's. He didn't use it up very fast, since he didn't shoot very often. I had some gun cleaning to do last night, so I thought I'd use some of the stuff from this old bottle. I've got about a quart and a half already, much newer, in plastic jugs. I figured I might as well use up the old stuff first. Right away, I could see that the color and odor were different. Which got me to wondering, does this stuff go bad with age?

Next, I looked at the label. Where it actually listed ingredients. Including a chemical called nitrobenzene. Then I looked at the label on a new jug, it doesn't list the ingredients; it only says it contains kerosene and caution is urged because it's flammable. Which lead me to look up nitrobenzene and I discovered that it's a caustic chemical that is thought to be carcinogenic. Then I looked online to see if nitrobenzene is still an ingredient used in Hoppe's No. 9 and it is not in the ingredients that are currently used. So maybe that's why it looks and smells different than the contemporary formulation.

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[Andy54Hawken]

Yep...that would be why Hoopes #9 of today looks and smells different than the Hoopes # 9 of yesteryear.
Andy

 

[Spitpatch]

Yep! finally talked the new girlfriend into placing a drop or two on her neck under each earlobe and a small amount in her cleavage, and it just ain't the same!

 

[Spitpatch]

A longtime friend spent his Marine service as a tank mechanic, then became same in the Idaho National Guard. Break-Free CLP was then relatively new, being discovered as "The Cat's Meow" for a combination solvent and protectant.

Marines and Guard tank crews literally used it by the gallon for bore care. (Firing depleted Uranium arrows in sabots requires the very best in bore care: Modern tanks require stabbing to kill them.)

I'm imagining Break-Free CLP got caught up in the purge of the evil nitrobenzene, because my friend delivered two full gallon-jugs of "decommissioned" CLP to me, saying it had been designated carcinogenic. Lasted me 20 years.

Got 4 or 5 brand-new old-style jerry cans with spouts in the deal as well! Another victim of military environmental consciousness.

 

[orygun]

I have a couple of old, glass bottles of Hoppes. I'll have to see if it contains nitrobenzene.

 

[Spitpatch]

I have a couple of old, glass bottles of Hoppes. I'll have to see if it contains nitrobenzene.

Always a good feeling when you know you're sittin' on a stash of the good stuff.

 

[ma96782]

I figured that...........

When Hoppe's switched from glass to plastic bottles, it was because of SHIPPING. Yeah.....glass is more difficult to ship. Breakage = less profits. So.....plastic bottles.

But then.....
With the plastic bottle came the "deformed-looking" plastic bottles. So maybe.....the formula had to be changed a bit in order to lessen that effect?

Whatever. Hoppe's still works.
LOL.....even then.....I seldom clean my guns.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Stomper]

Yep...that would be why Hoopes #9 of today looks and smells different than the Hoopes # 9 of yesteryear.
Andy

Don't forget about the taste difference!

 

[Ruger Rich]

There goes my after shave.

 

[ratdog]

The other day the executor of my pal Dave's estate called me. He said he'd found another gun laying around, some more ammo and a quart bottle of Hoppe's No. 9 cleaning solvent. I remembered seeing the bottle of solvent sitting around at Dave's over the years. Anyway, I made arrangements to go over and pick these items up.

The Hoppe's is old. It's in a glass jar, the label is disintegrating. My guess is it dates from the 1970's. He didn't use it up very fast, since he didn't shoot very often. I had some gun cleaning to do last night, so I thought I'd use some of the stuff from this old bottle. I've got about a quart and a half already, much newer, in plastic jugs. I figured I might as well use up the old stuff first. Right away, I could see that the color and odor were different. Which got me to wondering, does this stuff go bad with age?

Next, I looked at the label. Where it actually listed ingredients. Including a chemical called nitrobenzene. Then I looked at the label on a new jug, it doesn't list the ingredients; it only says it contains kerosene and caution is urged because it's flammable. Which lead me to look up nitrobenzene and I discovered that it's a caustic chemical that is thought to be carcinogenic. Then I looked online to see if nitrobenzene is still an ingredient used in Hoppe's No. 9 and it is not in the ingredients that are currently used. So maybe that's why it looks and smells different than the contemporary formulation.

I have an old bottle of Hoppe's no. 9. I'll have to look at the ingredients. Thankyou

 

[SSloan]

Kept a small plastic bottle of old #9 on my desk for many years now. Scent leaches right through the plastic.
Smell of old #9, orig mil Break Free & Ezoxx make me smile, brain cells be dammed.
My guns just don't get clean or smell right without old #9.
Progress only happens when you know the basics & lived/survived them.

 

[dangerranger60]

Benzene used to be the solvent of choice. it was good for gleaning paint brushes to removing carbon and even removing gum! Its also the most likely reason my kidneys are crapping out! I worked with the stuff by the barrel.
If you are going to use it wear gloves! It soaks in through the skin. DR

 

[BlackdogGS]

I'm still using a big glass bottle that I bought in the 1970s.

 

[FelixEstrella]

Yup. Benzene generally means "bad sh1t".

 

[orygun]

If you are going to use it wear gloves! It soaks in through the skin. DR

The same with many chemicals. A lot of old mechanics have kidney and bladder cancers which I believe was caused by soaking their hands in solvent cleaning parts.