Sudden Hemorrhage takes can of WW-2 Bore Cleaner

The saga of cleaning up my toolshed continued with the unearthing of my 1944 M-1 manual. Just behind it was my quart can of WW2 bore cleaner. I noticed a small trickle down the side of the can. As I picked it up, a faint odor of creosote and ammonia came to my nostrils. The next day I returned to continue my labors... the can had leaked about 4-5 oz. and stunk up that tool shed really well. "Oh, SHED!" I thought. Ok, it took care of the mildew smell. Anyway I transferred as much as I could to bottles. I think I will keep the can, although it is no longer usable. I guess whatever is in that bore cleaner (ammonia?) finally ate though the can after 65~ years. Moving it that little bit must have opened up the floodgate. Thank goodness it did not get my manual!

One of the major constituents in old US GI Corrosive Bore Cleaner is water. It contains an emulsifier to keep the water suspended in the mineral-spirit base. If the can freezes or the emulsifier (in this case, a stearate-based detergent) simply breaks-down with time, the water separates out of the emulsion, and combined with ammonium hydroxide....eats-up the can! The can corroded because the Bore Cleaner broke down.

"Better things for better living through chemistry!"