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Old April 30, 2013, 04:31 PM   #1
blackhawk8
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need recipe for sonic cleaner

anyone have a recipe for homemade solution for ultrasonic cleaner. need one for brass and gun parts. Thanks for the help
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Old April 30, 2013, 04:44 PM   #2
praetorian97
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http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
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Old April 30, 2013, 04:46 PM   #3
Unclenick
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For brass, use citric acid and a little bit of dishwashing detergent to help suspend dirt. An old Frankford arsenal formula is just 5% citric acid (7 ounces of the powder to a gallon of water). That is enough to let you reuse the solution. Use less if you want to toss the solution afterward, though it will clean a little more slowly. Citric acid rapidly attacks oxides but doesn't bother the brass itself afterward and doesn't activate the surface so it doesn't turn strange oxide colors afterward, as happens with vinegar. 10 lbs for $27 postpaid here. Enough for 23 gallons of arsenal solution and maybe 200 gallons of throw-away solution.

For gun parts you want a real degreasing solution and strong surfactant. You can experiment with TSP, Zep's orange citrus cleaner, both from Lowe's. You can also try Ed's Red, but leave out the acetone if you are going to use it in the ultrasonic cleaner. I actually find Ed's Red by itself is a good pre-soak for a couple of days. It could then be cleaned off by the citrus cleaner. Just be aware with the water-based stuff that you need to worry about removing the water afterward. That will mean an overnight submersion in WD-40 to penetrate and extract the water, followed by a soak/rinse in mineral spirits to get the WD-40 off before it dries to a tacky surface.
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