I'd like to know how you are using Ultrasonic Cleaners. What should not be cleaned in one? What solution are you using? I'm worried about damaging the coatings on different pieces and parts.
- Thread starter AbbyKatt
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i use one to clean my brass using citric acid and concentrated dish washing liquid. id use lemishine but whoever sells it here rapes us on its pricing too. we get raped on everything to do with firearms. for instance, lyman ultrasonic cleaner here is like $300 odd, i got one from our local auto spares store, exact same item but priced at $110. ive also cleaned surface rust of some parts not firearms related. works well. once cleaned i run everything in baking soda to neutralise the citric acid.
They are really nice for coaxing shit our of AR nooks and crannies. I don't throw optics or anything plastic in them
What about bolts and carrier groups? Handgun slides? What are you using for the solution? I tried a magazine with an aluminum extension...really dulled the finish. We used Simple Green in the tank.
Depends. I use the Hornady one shot mostly I use a diluted mixture depending on what’s going in there. Bcg’s he’ll yeah.
if it dulls, as it might because you could clean all the lubricating oils right out, just wipe down after dry with some oil and wipe off the excess. thats basically what I do. I’ve never had any issues, well major ones anyway. Shit happens sometimes.
if it dulls, as it might because you could clean all the lubricating oils right out, just wipe down after dry with some oil and wipe off the excess. thats basically what I do. I’ve never had any issues, well major ones anyway. Shit happens sometimes.
I bought a cheap one from Harbour freight for $79 about two years ago and it's works well......so far. I use simple green watered down a little. really does well on BCGs and slides etc.
Central Machinery Sonic Cleaner
Central Machinery Sonic Cleaner
Might need to look into that one from harbor freight.
love it when someone leaves a link, thanks BF
I have one that I use for cleaning all sorts of things, both firearm related and not.
One thing to watch: If you are putting coated pieces in it, make sure they don't touch any metal inside the cleaner as it will remove the coatings. My suppressor has a few zebra stripes after the cleaner took them off.
One thing to watch: If you are putting coated pieces in it, make sure they don't touch any metal inside the cleaner as it will remove the coatings. My suppressor has a few zebra stripes after the cleaner took them off.
But the basket the pieces sit in is metal... ???
OK, which begs the question... how long do you leave things in the cleaner? And do you run it hot or cold?
Yes. I learned to take some rubber bands or o rings and put them around the can so they don't sit directly on the basket.
For my can, I think I ran it for an hour and it was pretty clean.
Anyone use one to clean brass?
Specifically looking at this one CO-Z 3L Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner
Specifically looking at this one CO-Z 3L Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner
I have a Hornday Magnum Ultrasonic Cleaner. When I used the Hornady solution for cleaning brass, It took 1-1/2 to 2 hours for clean case necks. I switched to the Bore Tech brass cleaner concentrate and the same amount of brass is clean in 20 minutes. Being that it is a stronger solution, your brass will turn a darker color within a week if you only hand rinse the solution off. I solved the problem by ultrasonically rinsing for 15 minutes after hand rinsing. I am very well pleased with the Bore Tech brass cleaning concentrate.
This one will work, but I'm not sure how many cases you plan on running at one time. Three liters isn't all that much.
I use a Crest P1100:
www.crest-ultrasonics.com
Using a solution of:
diluted with water.
Parts are cleaned with heat on. Removed from the solution, blow dry with air and then submersed in weapons lube.
BCG's, Slides, magazines etc. it flat out works.
Powersonic Benchtop Ultrasonic Tank | Tabletop | Crest
Crest Ultrasonics Powersonic benchtop ultrasonic cleaners have more cleaning power & reliability than wafer-type transducers. Buy online today.
www.crest-ultrasonics.com Using a solution of:
diluted with water.
Parts are cleaned with heat on. Removed from the solution, blow dry with air and then submersed in weapons lube.
BCG's, Slides, magazines etc. it flat out works.
Simple Green is no bueno with aluminum. I learned that the hard way too.
It will also cause steel to rust quickly if not treated with CLP shortly after. I do not recommend using Simple Green on firearms
Realistically ~300 6.5CM or 6BR pieces of Brass.
I've been using an RCBS sonic cleaner for a while. I don't like it for brass, I prefer to wet tumble those. I use the hell out of it for gun parts though. I run it as hot as it'll go, 140ish I think, with the hornady one shot cleaner for a half hour or so and everything comes out pretty clean. A little tooth brush hit and they're good to go.
The rcbs basket is plastic, fwiw.
The rcbs basket is plastic, fwiw.
Simple green and distilled water or clr and distilled water are the two I run in my cleaner if your cleaner doesn’t have a tank heater make sure to use hot water it will help a shit ton
I have had great results with the Bore Tech ultrasonic cleaning solutions, brass and parts varieties. Hot water, rinse throughly, dry in food dehydrator and lube parts not brass.
Anyone drop their action in before spinning a new barrel on to get all the grim and debris out from use over time?
I have a cheap Harbor freight one. I use it for all kinds of things. Jewelry, glasses, watches,
I usually have mineral spirits in mine for gun parts.
With more sensitive parts you can fill the tank with water and put the part with a solution in a plastic bag.
I usually have mineral spirits in mine for gun parts.
With more sensitive parts you can fill the tank with water and put the part with a solution in a plastic bag.
i got the same one a few years back. Works fine. No complaints yet.
As far as cleaning solution, been using the Hornady stuff.
I use 1/4 ammonia, 1/4 mr clean then half water
I recently picked up the same one from HF. Its identical to the Lyman Turbo Sonic for about half the price (about $60 after 20% off coupon). The Lyman is truly identical...I'm pretty sure its just an re-label from the same Chinese factory. The only difference is the Lyman comes with an interior basket and the HF has a "tray".
I've run a few BCG through it and so far so good. Its impressive to see the amount of crap that things gets out.
I use water and vinegar. I put my cleaning solution in a glass bowl with a lid to keep it separate from the tank of water. The water in the tank allows the frequency to go through the bowl and that way I don’t have to dump or use a tank of cleaning solution. Plus my cheap harbor freight unit doesn’t do very well on the very edges because the transducer is in the middle.
For the parkerizing question, i had a leaded pistol brake and went for a couple hours and it was a lab grade cleaner. I have a hornady, used the one shot but it took too many cycles. Use a rotary with dawn, lemi shine and steel pins or Dillon w/ blue spooge and corn cob.
We have run actions, bolts, & such in ours for this. Take note about the coating comments but we use ours for about anything.
Funny, we don't bother with using it for brass tho.
Any known issues with DLC coating in ultrasonic cleaners?
There was a time when "a guy I know" was able to get PERC by the gallon jug from a dry-cleaning shop. It worked very well when cleaning parts/trigger groups, and the like.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
But he lost his vision, forgot who he was....and later died of cancer right? That stuff is NASTY.
We use Simple Green Crystal at my work to clean all sorts of aluminum, brass and stainless parts. There are anodized aluminum parts and it works well. It can dull the appearance slightly if you use to strong of a mixture, but oil brings the finish right back. It does well removing salt and corrosion on those parts. I tried some brass in it once and it turned dark purple rainbow colors, but the tumbler brought it right back. I have done bolt carriers too.
It doesn't seem to work too well on heavy carbon fouling. Grease and oils come off quickly. 15 minutes is usually long enough to remove most grease and oils. You might need to do a little light brushing with an old toothbrush. We have a Branson cleaner that holds about 5 gallons. Heat helps speed up the cleaning process.
It doesn't seem to work too well on heavy carbon fouling. Grease and oils come off quickly. 15 minutes is usually long enough to remove most grease and oils. You might need to do a little light brushing with an old toothbrush. We have a Branson cleaner that holds about 5 gallons. Heat helps speed up the cleaning process.
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