ultrasonic cleaner

kmaysob · October 14, 2012, 08:59 PM

ok, i searched the forums and couldnt find a the answer im looking for.

im not really anal about cleaning my guns, i usually clean the barrels, make sure theyre lubed, and about every 5 or 6 cleanings i really go over them and clean all of the crevices. that takes a ton of time. im thinkin i may go the ultrasonic route, my concern is the polymer and bluing. do i need to worry about putting these pieces in the ultrasonic cleaner?

myshoulderissore · October 14, 2012, 09:57 PM

Ultrasonic alone won't damage anything I can think of... What chemicals you use is where the damage can come to play. I am thinking of doing that also, with a 10% balistol mix, I have no plated guns anymore, might be bad for nickel/chrome.

Peter M. Eick · October 15, 2012, 07:54 AM

I have not noticed any problems with my ultrasonic. It is a big commercial unit that would normally retail for well over a grand. It cleans really deep. A full 15 minutes in it and things come out surgically clean (and very hot to the touch).

Plastic has been fine so far. NP3-ed guns have been fine. I have not seen any issues with my nickeled guns but I would be careful with them.

My one comment is if you really want things clean, get an ultrasonic, but once you do, you will not ever go back!

JH · October 15, 2012, 10:15 PM

I agree with Peter. I've used a Branson ultrasonic for the past 15 years. I don't save any time but the guns come out squeaky clean. I use MPro7 cleaner and it has not damaged plastic or metal finishes.

Drundel · January 3, 2013, 01:48 PM

This is sorta old, but I got an US Cleaner for x-mas mainly for fishing parts, but figured it might be a good way to clean my trigger ass. on my SBEs.

I was thinking about some simple green in it, but didn't know if that would do anything on the tough powder grime. Filling it up with #9 would cost a fortune. What do you guys use for yours?

TheGoldenState · January 3, 2013, 02:27 PM

What does one look like? Do you just put it in right from the range and thats it? Set it and forget it? What about all the gunk? Where does one get a US device?

EDIT: I just watched this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOVUpenSvdw
Only more questions now

Dfariswheel · January 3, 2013, 09:11 PM

Here's some info I posted on an old post about ultrasonics:

The good points:

They really clean.
They usually clean FAST. Drop a dirty part in, and the dirt actually BOILS off in a cloud.

They DEEP clean, getting crud you normally don't even see. Ultrasonics get into cracks and holes that normally you can't get to with other methods.

You don't have to disassemble things. Ultrasonics are used by watchmakers to avoid having to disassemble some small components.

They work with a variety of solutions. Water with detergent works on many types of dirt, so you don't HAVE to use a volatile solvent.
A good, less flammable solvent is cheap paint thinner, but watch the sparks and pilot lights.
An excellent, but expensive solution is Cylinder & Slide Shops "Dunk-It". This is a bucket of a cleaner mixed with a lubricant. The cleaner removes fouling and leaves a protective coat of lube on everything. I still recommend using a dedicated lube on key parts.
Dunk-It eliminates having to rinse, dry, and lubricate to prevent internal rust.

If you use a liquid soap type cleaner, you can rinse the gun by simply swishing it around in a sink of warm water. Running it in a rinse tank is not necessary.
However, whatever you use you will have to dry everything before lubing.
A hair dryer is perfect to dry guns and parts. NOTE: hair dryer, NOT heat gun, torch, or oven.

The solution is heated up by the ultrasonic action. Warm solution cleans even better. Many tanks have a built-in heater also.

You can put an inch of water in the bottom and use small glass, metal, or plastic cups to hold solvent and small parts.
The ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the water in the bottom through the jars.
This allows using small amounts of very flammable solvents like lacquer thinner to clean small parts and trigger units, but you have to be very careful.

You can use the tank for MANY cleaning jobs, Paint brushes, dirty watch bands, electric razor heads, you're wife's jewelery, car parts, ANYTHING that you can fit into the tanks will clean up surgically clean.

The bad:
KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE TANK.
Ultrasonics and bone marrow don't mix.
This isn't something that happens instantly, it's over time.

Expense.
The larger tanks are costly. However, if you want to clean a stripped pistol or small parts, one of the smaller tanks will work fine.
You can put a portion of a frame or slide in the tank.
After cleaning it, turn it over and clean the other half.

Any solvent that will attack plastic or gun finishes, will attack it FASTER in ultrasonics.

You've got to be careful to apply a THOROUGH coat of anti-rust lube after cleaning. Ultrasonics remove ALL grease and lube, leaving the part absolutely bare, including in tiny holes and crevices that ordinarily cleaning never touches.

They don't work as well on soft gummy grease as harder dirt. You can speed things up by pulling parts out and scrubbing with a brush.

They're electronic and heat the solvent. You have to be careful with flammables.

They do nothing for copper fouling and very little for lead. You still have to scrub the bores, and you still have to use a bore solvent. Depending on the solution they may not do much for carbon fouling.

Advice:
If possible buy a basket that holds parts off the bottom or make up wire hangers. Ultrasonics work better when the parts are suspended in the solution instead of laying on the bottom of the tank.

A tank cover is nice to hold down fumes.

NEVER run the unit when the tank is dry even for a few seconds, it'll burn out.

Be careful what cleaning solution you use. You can pull the item out and find finish or plastic parts GONE.
As example, Simply Green and many other super de-greasers attack aluminum. In the tank it does it faster. This can seriously damage aluminum parts fast.

Be careful with Tritium sights, some may be damaged or the cement used to glue the inserts in the sight may be attacked.
Painted markings and sight dots or bars will be removed sooner or later. Sooner if the cleaning solution attacks paint.

Clark · January 5, 2013, 08:43 PM

Copper cleaning solvent eats bronze brushes.
The ultrasonic filled with water will get that solvent off the brush quickly.

Other than that... they are mostly useless compared to a toothbrush with alcohol or clp.

Rinspeed · January 5, 2013, 09:45 PM

Quote:

The bad:
KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE TANK.
Ultrasonics and bone marrow don't mix.
This isn't something that happens instantly, it's over time.

Not true at all.

Lurch37 · January 5, 2013, 09:49 PM

I bought an old Winchester Model 12 awhile back and instead of cleaning it my old fashioned way with solvent, I tried out my Hornady ultra sonic cleaner I had won at a 3 gun shoot. I must say it worked great, and very fast as well. Hornady sells a brass cleaner and a parts cleaner for use in their ultrasonics, and I used the parts cleaner stuff, at a 40:1 ratio so a can of the cleaner last a long time.

cryogenic419 · January 6, 2013, 09:40 AM

I think as long as the chemicals you are using are safe for the items you are cleaning and temperature in the ultrasonic is low enough for the polymer you should be good.

I have seen a video where somebody was cleaning an item and it did have a negative effect on the finish. He was cleaning a suppressor housing, placed the outer tube in the basket and ran the ultrasonic for a while. Pulled the item out and where the housing was laying on the basket was missing finish.
I have cleaned my AR15's carrier and bolt in my ultrasonic and have not seen that issue arise.

Dfariswheel · January 6, 2013, 07:25 PM

Rinseed:

Back in the 1960's when I was in watchmaking school we were given a seminar on the then-new ultrasonic cleaners being introduced to the jewelery and watchmaking industry.

The men giving the seminar were representatives of the L&R company, one of the first in the business.
They specifically warned us about the fingers in the tank.
This isn't something that happens quickly, it's a cumulative problem that showed up among industrial jewelery makers who didn't bother shutting tanks down to retrieve jewelery being cleaned.
They just reached into the running tank and pulled it out.

Over some period of time the problem showed up.
The L&R reps point was to be safe and just don't do it.

Steve_in_SEMich · January 8, 2013, 08:20 AM

I have the large Lyman model - cleans brass well and quicker than my tumblers, but drying time negates any time savings. I bought the unit to help clean a stainless Silencerco Sparrow suppressor. Removes everything but the lead deposits, but I only ran it through 3 - 8 minutes cycles with a 40:1 parts cleaning solution. Next time I'll try stronger ratio and additional cleaning cycles.

October 14, 2012, 08:59 PM	#1
kmaysob Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2011 Posts: 188	ultrasonic cleaner ok, i searched the forums and couldnt find a the answer im looking for. im not really anal about cleaning my guns, i usually clean the barrels, make sure theyre lubed, and about every 5 or 6 cleanings i really go over them and clean all of the crevices. that takes a ton of time. im thinkin i may go the ultrasonic route, my concern is the polymer and bluing. do i need to worry about putting these pieces in the ultrasonic cleaner?

October 15, 2012, 07:54 AM	#3
Peter M. Eick Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 1999 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,991	I have not noticed any problems with my ultrasonic. It is a big commercial unit that would normally retail for well over a grand. It cleans really deep. A full 15 minutes in it and things come out surgically clean (and very hot to the touch). Plastic has been fine so far. NP3-ed guns have been fine. I have not seen any issues with my nickeled guns but I would be careful with them. My one comment is if you really want things clean, get an ultrasonic, but once you do, you will not ever go back! __________________ 10mm and 357sig, the best things to come along since the 38 super!

January 3, 2013, 01:48 PM	#5
Drundel Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2000 Location: Friendswood, TX Posts: 559	This is sorta old, but I got an US Cleaner for x-mas mainly for fishing parts, but figured it might be a good way to clean my trigger ass. on my SBEs. I was thinking about some simple green in it, but didn't know if that would do anything on the tough powder grime. Filling it up with #9 would cost a fortune. What do you guys use for yours? __________________ Shotshell Information Page Texas A&M University Proud member of the Fighting Class of '00

January 3, 2013, 02:27 PM	#6
TheGoldenState Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2010 Posts: 1,191	What does one look like? Do you just put it in right from the range and thats it? Set it and forget it? What about all the gunk? Where does one get a US device? EDIT: I just watched this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOVUpenSvdw Only more questions now __________________ The Day You Get Comfortable Is The Day You Get Careless...

January 5, 2013, 08:43 PM	#8
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	Copper cleaning solvent eats bronze brushes. The ultrasonic filled with water will get that solvent off the brush quickly. Other than that... they are mostly useless compared to a toothbrush with alcohol or clp. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

October 14, 2012, 09:57 PM	#2
myshoulderissore Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2010 Location: Boise, ID Posts: 447	Ultrasonic alone won't damage anything I can think of... What chemicals you use is where the damage can come to play. I am thinking of doing that also, with a 10% balistol mix, I have no plated guns anymore, might be bad for nickel/chrome.

October 15, 2012, 10:15 PM	#4
JH Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 1999 Posts: 174	I agree with Peter. I've used a Branson ultrasonic for the past 15 years. I don't save any time but the guns come out squeaky clean. I use MPro7 cleaner and it has not damaged plastic or metal finishes.

January 3, 2013, 09:11 PM	#7
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Here's some info I posted on an old post about ultrasonics: The good points: They really clean. They usually clean FAST. Drop a dirty part in, and the dirt actually BOILS off in a cloud. They DEEP clean, getting crud you normally don't even see. Ultrasonics get into cracks and holes that normally you can't get to with other methods. You don't have to disassemble things. Ultrasonics are used by watchmakers to avoid having to disassemble some small components. They work with a variety of solutions. Water with detergent works on many types of dirt, so you don't HAVE to use a volatile solvent. A good, less flammable solvent is cheap paint thinner, but watch the sparks and pilot lights. An excellent, but expensive solution is Cylinder & Slide Shops "Dunk-It". This is a bucket of a cleaner mixed with a lubricant. The cleaner removes fouling and leaves a protective coat of lube on everything. I still recommend using a dedicated lube on key parts. Dunk-It eliminates having to rinse, dry, and lubricate to prevent internal rust. If you use a liquid soap type cleaner, you can rinse the gun by simply swishing it around in a sink of warm water. Running it in a rinse tank is not necessary. However, whatever you use you will have to dry everything before lubing. A hair dryer is perfect to dry guns and parts. NOTE: hair dryer, NOT heat gun, torch, or oven. The solution is heated up by the ultrasonic action. Warm solution cleans even better. Many tanks have a built-in heater also. You can put an inch of water in the bottom and use small glass, metal, or plastic cups to hold solvent and small parts. The ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the water in the bottom through the jars. This allows using small amounts of very flammable solvents like lacquer thinner to clean small parts and trigger units, but you have to be very careful. You can use the tank for MANY cleaning jobs, Paint brushes, dirty watch bands, electric razor heads, you're wife's jewelery, car parts, ANYTHING that you can fit into the tanks will clean up surgically clean. The bad: KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE TANK. Ultrasonics and bone marrow don't mix. This isn't something that happens instantly, it's over time. Expense. The larger tanks are costly. However, if you want to clean a stripped pistol or small parts, one of the smaller tanks will work fine. You can put a portion of a frame or slide in the tank. After cleaning it, turn it over and clean the other half. Any solvent that will attack plastic or gun finishes, will attack it FASTER in ultrasonics. You've got to be careful to apply a THOROUGH coat of anti-rust lube after cleaning. Ultrasonics remove ALL grease and lube, leaving the part absolutely bare, including in tiny holes and crevices that ordinarily cleaning never touches. They don't work as well on soft gummy grease as harder dirt. You can speed things up by pulling parts out and scrubbing with a brush. They're electronic and heat the solvent. You have to be careful with flammables. They do nothing for copper fouling and very little for lead. You still have to scrub the bores, and you still have to use a bore solvent. Depending on the solution they may not do much for carbon fouling. Advice: If possible buy a basket that holds parts off the bottom or make up wire hangers. Ultrasonics work better when the parts are suspended in the solution instead of laying on the bottom of the tank. A tank cover is nice to hold down fumes. NEVER run the unit when the tank is dry even for a few seconds, it'll burn out. Be careful what cleaning solution you use. You can pull the item out and find finish or plastic parts GONE. As example, Simply Green and many other super de-greasers attack aluminum. In the tank it does it faster. This can seriously damage aluminum parts fast. Be careful with Tritium sights, some may be damaged or the cement used to glue the inserts in the sight may be attacked. Painted markings and sight dots or bars will be removed sooner or later. Sooner if the cleaning solution attacks paint.

January 5, 2013, 09:49 PM	#10
Lurch37 Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2006 Location: Middle of Nebraska Posts: 944	I bought an old Winchester Model 12 awhile back and instead of cleaning it my old fashioned way with solvent, I tried out my Hornady ultra sonic cleaner I had won at a 3 gun shoot. I must say it worked great, and very fast as well. Hornady sells a brass cleaner and a parts cleaner for use in their ultrasonics, and I used the parts cleaner stuff, at a 40:1 ratio so a can of the cleaner last a long time. __________________ I reject your reality and substitute my own.

January 6, 2013, 09:40 AM	#11
cryogenic419 Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2009 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 569	I think as long as the chemicals you are using are safe for the items you are cleaning and temperature in the ultrasonic is low enough for the polymer you should be good. I have seen a video where somebody was cleaning an item and it did have a negative effect on the finish. He was cleaning a suppressor housing, placed the outer tube in the basket and ran the ultrasonic for a while. Pulled the item out and where the housing was laying on the basket was missing finish. I have cleaned my AR15's carrier and bolt in my ultrasonic and have not seen that issue arise.

January 6, 2013, 07:25 PM	#12
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Rinseed: Back in the 1960's when I was in watchmaking school we were given a seminar on the then-new ultrasonic cleaners being introduced to the jewelery and watchmaking industry. The men giving the seminar were representatives of the L&R company, one of the first in the business. They specifically warned us about the fingers in the tank. This isn't something that happens quickly, it's a cumulative problem that showed up among industrial jewelery makers who didn't bother shutting tanks down to retrieve jewelery being cleaned. They just reached into the running tank and pulled it out. Over some period of time the problem showed up. The L&R reps point was to be safe and just don't do it.

January 8, 2013, 08:20 AM	#13
Steve_in_SEMich Member Join Date: January 29, 2009 Posts: 88	I have the large Lyman model - cleans brass well and quicker than my tumblers, but drying time negates any time savings. I bought the unit to help clean a stainless Silencerco Sparrow suppressor. Removes everything but the lead deposits, but I only ran it through 3 - 8 minutes cycles with a 40:1 parts cleaning solution. Next time I'll try stronger ratio and additional cleaning cycles. __________________ Steve