Pics of the home made electrolysis set up for anyone who wants to try it. Patches came out blacker than they did with the first cleaning. Pics are of a M17 I was trying to save.

I have a home-made system. I have a steel rod wrapped at the bottom with electrical tape and at three inch intervals up the rod. There is also a piece at the muzzle. Any metal-metal contact will short the system. I plug the breech with a rubber stopper, insert the rod, and connect a funnel to the muzzle with a short length of rubber tubing. I add a water based liquid with a catalyst (like vinegar, Epsom salts (magnesium carbonate), Washing soda (sodium carbonate), etc.) into the bore overflowing just a little into the funnel. I connect the positive 9V battery terminal with an alligator clip and wire to the rod, and the negative pole to the front sight, or the integral bayonet mount in this case. The electrical current between the bore and the rod is connected by the liquid. The dirt and crud becomes negatively charged and the bubbling action (hydrogen and oxygen) from the electrolysis caused by decomposition of the water releases the crud. The crud is then attracted to the positive part of the system (the rod) or bubbles up to the top. What does not directly come off is much easier to clean out afterwards. I run it about 10 minutes, wipe the rod, and repeat with fresh liquid.

This time I used a CVS carbonated lemon-lime over-the-counter enemetic (magnesium citrate) from their pharmacy as I forgot the vinegar at the grocery store. The extra bubbles from the CO2 seemed to help that much more.

MS