ultrasoniccleaning of revolver

canuck1911 · December 16, 2000, 01:52 AM

Does anyone know if I can clean my revlover in my ultrasonic cleaner without disassembling it (grips excluded)? How do you use an untrasonic to clean a revolver?

Canuck1911

ArmySon · December 16, 2000, 01:27 PM

Does this answer your question?

Just make sure you lube it well afterwards.

canuck1911 · December 16, 2000, 05:38 PM

Son,

Your picture is very encouraging. Is that a green tinge I see to the cleaning fluid? Simple Green? How do you lube your gun afterwards? You don't worry about the cleaning solution getting inside the side plate and rusting out the springs and parts, and removing the internal oil?

I was thinking of spraying the gun, bore and cylinders with Mpro-7, letting is sit for several minutes, then putting it in the cleaner filled with water or simple green to clean it. But then I'd only be able to dry and lube the outside, and I was worried that parts inside the side plate would suffer. Have you checked that they are OK? Or do you have a way to lube them?

BTW, what revolver is that?

Canuck1911

ljlc · December 16, 2000, 08:10 PM

You can use MP7 as the tank solvent. Just wipe the weapon off afterwards and blow dry the areas you can't reach. According to MP7, that oughta do it. (Although the guy I talked to there said a light oil rinse/drip dry would be best after the cleaning. Too rich for my blood. I hate oily guns.) The MP7 has a rust inhibitor right in it. I just got an ultrasonic cleaner and have been doing just that. It works much better than the MP7 spray followed by water based cleaner, which I tried on one gun before I got a gallon of the MP7 (Brownells). You may want to check MP7's web site for more info.

canuck1911 · December 16, 2000, 10:38 PM

I guess I am still concerned about sufficient lube and maintenence inside the revolver. It seems to me the Mpro7 or water would get inside the side plate there. Mpro-7 strips oil, and light rust,
but it doesn't lubricate, or prevent further rust I think. And water/ultrasonic would presumably clean off stuff, perhaps oil, as well as offering the potential to rust if a drop stayed in a corner and didn't get dried out.

So I am still curious:
A) How you lube up the revolver afterwards - I'm not going to dip the whole gun! But I'd like to make sure I am lubing up all key parts. Do you spray oil on the trigger, firing pin, etc. or what? Just forget about any springs?

B) Whether you've been doing this for a long time, and taken off the side plate to check - I think it would take a while before any corrosion or extra wear would affect performance. I'm nervous about damaging the gun slowly by doing this.

C) I've thought about getting gallon of Mpro7, but its expensive - was the spraying/water worse, or just slower?

Thanks,

Canuck1911

JNewell · December 17, 2000, 10:20 AM

"You can use MP7 as tank solvent"...right after you win the lottery! :-) Pretty rich, especially in a bigger tank! What I'm doing right now, which takes enough time that it almost defeats part of the purpose of a US cleaner, is a bath in Simple Green (which is already getting pretty ugly looking!) to cut the grease, oil and crud, then another bath in a cleaner designed for US tanks to really clean the gun (or whatever), then a final bath in really warm water to get the gun clean. I am doing the water rinse since I did a carburetor, set it out to dry overnight, and found a little white residue here and there from the US cleaner, even though I thought I'd rinsed it very thoroughly. Use a hairdryer or heat gun afterward to make sure all the corners, etc., get dry.

Why the US cleaning solution? I've read some stuff (not advertising material, either :-) ) that said that a good cleaning solution will have chemicals in it that promote the cavitation (bubble action) that makes the US tank work best.

As far as lubing a revolver goes, you can take the sideplate off -- probably should, although after a while you're going to be able to tell, even if you're very careful removing it. The other alternative would be basically to take something like a spray CLP and spray enough in from various angles that you've doused the inside then put it somewhere to drain or blow some compressed air into the action. That would be important, since you don't want lube in the ammo (or on your clothes). The other side of that is that I took a revolver apart after I'd dripped lube in without taking the sideplate off once, out of curiosity, and was surprised to see how many of the friction surfaces had no oil on them, so I think you really need to do something that makes sure everything gets appropriately (lightly) lubed and is not running dry.

ArmySon · December 17, 2000, 05:08 PM

Wanna hear a secret? Use Mobil One to lube AND clean.

Mobile One is relatively cheap. Most people don't understand the concept behind ultrasonic cleaning. Yes the cleaning solutions do help to a degree but in actuality, they don't mean diddly with ultrasonic cleaning.

Ultrasonic cleaning depends upon high frequency (hence the term ultrasonic), the rapid formation and violent collapse of tiny bubbles in a cleaning liquid. This agitation by countless small and intense imploding bubbles acts as a scrubbing agent on surfaces of parts immersed in the cleaning solution. The reaction of bubbles smashing against the parts being cleaned creates energy. That's why the solution and the parts being cleaned gets very warm when it's removed from the cleaning solution.

With this in mind, you're cleaning a firearm. It's use is not intended for a sterile environment. Therefore, you can use a lot of different types of fluids. The fluid's true purpose is to act as a source for the bubbles.

So if you use Mobil One, or any other synthetic oil, you get the bubbles and the lubing in one cleaning session.

That picture was taken when I first got my unit. I researched the operation of an ultrasonic cleaner and came up with Mobil One as my cleaning solution.

You can use Mpro7 or any other expensive fluids. Afterall, it's your bank account

FWIW
just my .02

ljlc · December 17, 2000, 07:01 PM

MP7 from Brownells is about $40/gal if you're getting the discount. You don't throw it out after using it. When it gets too dirty for your liking, you simply filter it. A gallon should last for years if you're using a small ultrasonic cleaner and is cheaper and safer than Gun Scrubber and maybe even cheaper than brake cleaner. On the other hand, if you like whatever it is you're using and don't mind spending time washing, rinsing, blow drying, etc., go for it. For me, the real advantage of US is time savings for an extremely good job. With MP7 it's also safe.

canuck1911 · December 17, 2000, 07:25 PM

That would remove any worries about lubing the inside. A little messier than just plain water.
BTW, Son, what is that gun in the picture? A 625lc?

ArmySon · December 17, 2000, 07:58 PM

S&W Model 60 .357mag

Incursion · December 30, 2000, 01:06 AM

How do you get the discount at Brownells?

December 16, 2000, 01:27 PM	#2
ArmySon Staff Alumnus Join Date: April 14, 2000 Posts: 2,926	Does this answer your question? Just make sure you lube it well afterwards. __________________ Your friends will forgive your mistakes. Your enemies will kill you for it.

December 16, 2000, 05:38 PM	#3
canuck1911 Member Join Date: January 23, 2000 Posts: 96	How do you lube inside? Son, Your picture is very encouraging. Is that a green tinge I see to the cleaning fluid? Simple Green? How do you lube your gun afterwards? You don't worry about the cleaning solution getting inside the side plate and rusting out the springs and parts, and removing the internal oil? I was thinking of spraying the gun, bore and cylinders with Mpro-7, letting is sit for several minutes, then putting it in the cleaner filled with water or simple green to clean it. But then I'd only be able to dry and lube the outside, and I was worried that parts inside the side plate would suffer. Have you checked that they are OK? Or do you have a way to lube them? BTW, what revolver is that? Canuck1911

December 16, 2000, 10:38 PM	#5
canuck1911 Member Join Date: January 23, 2000 Posts: 96	You've tried this on a revolver? I guess I am still concerned about sufficient lube and maintenence inside the revolver. It seems to me the Mpro7 or water would get inside the side plate there. Mpro-7 strips oil, and light rust, but it doesn't lubricate, or prevent further rust I think. And water/ultrasonic would presumably clean off stuff, perhaps oil, as well as offering the potential to rust if a drop stayed in a corner and didn't get dried out. So I am still curious: A) How you lube up the revolver afterwards - I'm not going to dip the whole gun! But I'd like to make sure I am lubing up all key parts. Do you spray oil on the trigger, firing pin, etc. or what? Just forget about any springs? B) Whether you've been doing this for a long time, and taken off the side plate to check - I think it would take a while before any corrosion or extra wear would affect performance. I'm nervous about damaging the gun slowly by doing this. C) I've thought about getting gallon of Mpro7, but its expensive - was the spraying/water worse, or just slower? Thanks, Canuck1911

December 17, 2000, 05:08 PM	#7
ArmySon Staff Alumnus Join Date: April 14, 2000 Posts: 2,926	Wanna hear a secret? Use Mobil One to lube AND clean. Mobile One is relatively cheap. Most people don't understand the concept behind ultrasonic cleaning. Yes the cleaning solutions do help to a degree but in actuality, they don't mean diddly with ultrasonic cleaning. Ultrasonic cleaning depends upon high frequency (hence the term ultrasonic), the rapid formation and violent collapse of tiny bubbles in a cleaning liquid. This agitation by countless small and intense imploding bubbles acts as a scrubbing agent on surfaces of parts immersed in the cleaning solution. The reaction of bubbles smashing against the parts being cleaned creates energy. That's why the solution and the parts being cleaned gets very warm when it's removed from the cleaning solution. With this in mind, you're cleaning a firearm. It's use is not intended for a sterile environment. Therefore, you can use a lot of different types of fluids. The fluid's true purpose is to act as a source for the bubbles. So if you use Mobil One, or any other synthetic oil, you get the bubbles and the lubing in one cleaning session. That picture was taken when I first got my unit. I researched the operation of an ultrasonic cleaner and came up with Mobil One as my cleaning solution. You can use Mpro7 or any other expensive fluids. Afterall, it's your bank account FWIW just my .02 __________________ Your friends will forgive your mistakes. Your enemies will kill you for it.

December 17, 2000, 07:25 PM	#9
canuck1911 Member Join Date: January 23, 2000 Posts: 96	Mobil 1 - intersting idea That would remove any worries about lubing the inside. A little messier than just plain water. BTW, Son, what is that gun in the picture? A 625lc?

December 16, 2000, 01:52 AM	#1
canuck1911 Member Join Date: January 23, 2000 Posts: 96	Does anyone know if I can clean my revlover in my ultrasonic cleaner without disassembling it (grips excluded)? How do you use an untrasonic to clean a revolver? Canuck1911

December 16, 2000, 08:10 PM	#4
ljlc Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Posts: 34	You can use MP7 as the tank solvent. Just wipe the weapon off afterwards and blow dry the areas you can't reach. According to MP7, that oughta do it. (Although the guy I talked to there said a light oil rinse/drip dry would be best after the cleaning. Too rich for my blood. I hate oily guns.) The MP7 has a rust inhibitor right in it. I just got an ultrasonic cleaner and have been doing just that. It works much better than the MP7 spray followed by water based cleaner, which I tried on one gun before I got a gallon of the MP7 (Brownells). You may want to check MP7's web site for more info.

December 17, 2000, 10:20 AM	#6
JNewell Senior Member Join Date: March 12, 2000 Posts: 1,092	"You can use MP7 as tank solvent"...right after you win the lottery! :-) Pretty rich, especially in a bigger tank! What I'm doing right now, which takes enough time that it almost defeats part of the purpose of a US cleaner, is a bath in Simple Green (which is already getting pretty ugly looking!) to cut the grease, oil and crud, then another bath in a cleaner designed for US tanks to really clean the gun (or whatever), then a final bath in really warm water to get the gun clean. I am doing the water rinse since I did a carburetor, set it out to dry overnight, and found a little white residue here and there from the US cleaner, even though I thought I'd rinsed it very thoroughly. Use a hairdryer or heat gun afterward to make sure all the corners, etc., get dry. Why the US cleaning solution? I've read some stuff (not advertising material, either :-) ) that said that a good cleaning solution will have chemicals in it that promote the cavitation (bubble action) that makes the US tank work best. As far as lubing a revolver goes, you can take the sideplate off -- probably should, although after a while you're going to be able to tell, even if you're very careful removing it. The other alternative would be basically to take something like a spray CLP and spray enough in from various angles that you've doused the inside then put it somewhere to drain or blow some compressed air into the action. That would be important, since you don't want lube in the ammo (or on your clothes). The other side of that is that I took a revolver apart after I'd dripped lube in without taking the sideplate off once, out of curiosity, and was surprised to see how many of the friction surfaces had no oil on them, so I think you really need to do something that makes sure everything gets appropriately (lightly) lubed and is not running dry.

December 17, 2000, 07:01 PM	#8
ljlc Member Join Date: July 5, 1999 Posts: 34	MP7 from Brownells is about $40/gal if you're getting the discount. You don't throw it out after using it. When it gets too dirty for your liking, you simply filter it. A gallon should last for years if you're using a small ultrasonic cleaner and is cheaper and safer than Gun Scrubber and maybe even cheaper than brake cleaner. On the other hand, if you like whatever it is you're using and don't mind spending time washing, rinsing, blow drying, etc., go for it. For me, the real advantage of US is time savings for an extremely good job. With MP7 it's also safe.

December 17, 2000, 07:58 PM	#10
ArmySon Staff Alumnus Join Date: April 14, 2000 Posts: 2,926	S&W Model 60 .357mag __________________ Your friends will forgive your mistakes. Your enemies will kill you for it.

December 30, 2000, 01:06 AM	#11
Incursion Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2000 Location: TX Posts: 803	How do you get the discount at Brownells?