Do you clean your pistols with a sonic cleaner?

[Jim243]

Well had a extra hour free and decided to clean a couple pistols. What a supprise when my PT-92 would not come apart. Need to clean it more often than once every 15 range visits.

After spending an hour trying to get all parts clean, I think I need a ultrasonic cleaner.

The questions is, if you use a ultrasonic cleaner for gun parts, What do you use for a liquid to clean those parts with??


Thanks
Jim

[Peter M. Eick]

Yes routinely.

I use a big unit. 2 Gallon's to fill it full made by ElmaSonic and marketed but Stueller as the "Stuellersonic" if I remember right. It is a commercial unit with a timer and heater. I use Mpro7 as the cleaner and L&R gun llube as the oiler afterwards.

I clean the gun conventionally before and then dump it in. It takes about 15 minutes for the Mpro7 run, 10 minutes to switch over to the L&R gun lube and another 15 minutes. I drip the gun in a pan, lube conventionally and pack it away.

The guns come out surgically clean. Clean like you have never seen them before. Places that otherwise would never get cleaned are immaculate. It does not remove things like grease wads or piles. It does not clean off soft stuff. It is not good at bore fouling (as best I can tell). It may remove copper and lead in the barrel but you have to brush it off next.

I don't put nickle guns in it.

I bought mine factory refurbed on a whim. If it broke I would IMMEDIATELY replace it. It does a far better job then I could ever do on my own.

I can speak nothing to the cheap units like Harbor freight or the like. Mine was over $400 factory refurbished and retails for several times that.

[88KEYS]

This might draw some negitive comments using Auto Parts cleaner for guns. The fact is it works great and do it all the time, just need a bucket and soak the parts in the parts cleaner.

I have a friend who bought a 5 gallon jug of the stuff from an auto parts store. He got the idea from a very good gunsmith that we both have used many times. He removes the grips and drops the gun in over night and then goes through a normal cleaning. I do not trust it on my blued parts so do it a diffrent way. He gave me 2 gallons of the stuff and have been using it for years. I clean my hand guns like normal, mostly 1911s. Then I take all the parts and place them in clean parts cleaner on soak them a day or two. I remove them and clean and lube them and the gun is very clean. I drain the stuff with a rag to keep it clean. I also think it removes leading find small dirt and stuff in the bottom of the bucket.

Just thought I would pass it on it has worked for me.

[Dfariswheel]

A great ultrasonic cleaner is Cylinder & Slide "Dunk-it".
This is a cleaner and lubricant in one. Although not made specifically as an ultrasonic cleaner, it works very well.
It cleans the gun and leave a thin lubricant on all parts to prevent rust.
It's best if you still use a thicker standard gun lube on critical surfaces.

I recommend buying two one gallon buckets. Use one as a cleaner and the second as a rinse.
When the cleaner bucket gets really dirty, pitch it, order a new bucket and use the rinse as the cleaner.

[darkgael]

Shooter's Choice makes a concentrate, Aqua Clean, that is specifically for Ultrasonic machines. I use it to clean my 1911 in a little Harbor Freight machine.
It works.

Pete

[JH]

Peter nailed it. I've used my Branson heated ultrasonic unit for about ten years and love it. I also use MPro7 for cleaning. After MPro7, I wash the parts in tap water, dry with a hair dryer and and lube. Seems to work fine on polymer frames as well as metal parts.

[mps]

Question for all who have responded (whether using ultrasonic or the Dunk-It methods): Do you just field strip the weapon before putting it in the cleaner, or does this require a detail disassembly?

Thanks for your responses.

[cougar gt-e]

OT story about cleaning stuff in ultrasonics

Back in the early 1980's I worked in a chemical lab. We had an ultrasonic unit, top of the line. Multiple power settings, heat, the whole works. One morning a lady from the office wanted to know if she could clean her pearl necklace in the unit. The lab tech had been letting ladies clean their jewelry over lunch breaks so he said sure. Well, she didn't get them right after lunch and when she got back to the lab at quitting time, only the fittings were left. The cleaning solution dissolved the pearls. (We had to prove that or get arrested for theft of the necklace!)

I've been leery of ultrasonic cleaners ever since...

[Dfariswheel]

mps
All that's needed is to field strip the gun. Full disassembly isn't necessary.

Some pointers about ultrasonics:

Use a plastic basket or use wires to hang parts. The cleaner works better if parts are off the bottom.

Let the cleaner heat up the solution for better cleaning. Some tanks have built-in heaters, but any unit will heat the solution.

You can use flammable cleaners like lacquer thinner for small parts cleaning by putting an inch or so of water in the tank and putting the thinner in small glass, metal, or plastic containers that you sit in the water. The ultrasonic waves go through the container and clean.
Be careful of sparks.

KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE TANK. Ultrasonics and bone marrow don't "play well" with each other. This is not an instant thing, it takes a little constant use.

Never run the unit without a liquid in the tank. The unit will burn out very, very fast.

If your gun has painted on sight dots or paint filled markings, these will eventually be removed. If the solution attacks paint, it'll happen immediately.

You absolutely must get a rust preventing coat of lube into all tiny, hidden spaces. The ultrasonics will strip ALL lubes and dirt from tiny cracks or crevices no other cleaning method will reach.
Fortunately, most lubricants "creep" into these places rather quickly.

Unless you use a solution that attacks copper fouling or loosens leading, you still have to manually clean the bore and chambers.

Thick solutions will not transmit ultrasonic waves.

If the solution will attack something, it'll do so faster in the cleaner.
Some cleaners like Simply Green WILL attack aluminum, and will do so faster in the cleaner.
Some solutions will attack some gun finishes, like the "paint types".

[bigghoss]

we have one at work and they made everyone run their weapons through it, but they didn't change the fluid out at all. probably 150 guards each with a pistol and rifle and running two guard's weapons at a time. probably took me an hour to undo the damage that did.

[Peter M. Eick]

I should give credit where credit is due.

I bought mine becasue I read Dfariswheels comments and trusted his opinions and comments.

He is exactly spot on!

[Dfariswheel]

Ultrasonic gun cleaning isn't necessarily the end all-be all, but if it will get the hidden areas of a gun cleaner than anything else.

If you have a complex gun that you don't want to disassemble fully for fear of damaging something or because it's just not an easy gun to take apart, ultrasonics will get it clean while assembled, and will get into areas so tiny no other cleaning method can get to.
If you use the right cleaning solution, it will even do very light rust removal when the rust is still in the early stage where it's a very light surface type.

Whether it's right for you is something you have to find out yourself. It WILL clean, but in some cases it may be more trouble than it's worth.
If you're uncertain, buy one of the cheap Chinese units from someone like Harbor Freight and try it out.
When the unit dies, you can either buy another one, or buy a better unit if you like ultrasonic cleaning.

They do have other uses too. Just about anything you can get at least one half at a time into the tank and you can find a proper cleaning solution can be cleaned.
This includes jewelery, (DON'T put a watch in the tank, but you can clean the bands). paint brushes, air brushes, some false teeth, pocket knives, car parts, eye glasses, razors, etc.

[dlb435]

Only when it's time for major work or if the gun is really dirty.

[EdInk]

I work in the jewelry business and you NEVER clean pearls with anything but soap and water! It's not a good idea to put emeralds, opal or other soft/brittle stones in them. Furthermore, you don't need to leave stuff in there very long. (And somebody already mentioned not to put anything but the bracelet of your watch in them.) Now, I will also tell you that the polishing wheel will shine-up a polished stainless gun better than anything else in the world.

Be careful using anything flammable in a heat ultrasonic too.

[HisSoldier]

I use Ed's Red, and apply heat, lots of it. I take the grips off and disassemble the guns and put it in the ultrasonic for 20 minutes, other than that I just run a patch through the bore a few times. Works great!

[BlueTrain]

I had never heard of an ultrasonic cleaner except for jewelry (and I never heard anything about pearls either) until this very morning when I was reading the owner's manual for the new Walther PPQ. It mentions it and only warns about not having the solution too warm. You can download the manual from Walther USA and read it yourself. The same manual seems to suggest using rather more oil here and there than most other owner's manuals.

It would be a better manual if they eliminated all the big red warning labels, too.

[FrankOmega]

Good question, Jim...

Ultrasonic cleaning for firearms...

Here is what I recommend:

1. Need to use OmegaBlue at >130F and this will clean the oils without removing the bluing.
2.Rinse soap with water then air wash.
3. Dip the gun in ultrasonic with Omega Rust Protectant
4. Air wash
5. Oil mechanism
6. Reassemble

More information, if needed, can be found at http://www.omegasonics.com/industrie...cleaning.shtml

Hope that can help you.

Frank

[FrontSight]

Don't use them on H&K slides, as they will wear off the beige stamp markings (per the user manual).