Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner

[dustycorgill]

So...forgive me for sounding (and maybe being) totally clueless. I had no idea you could do this. Would this work on say....BCG's? Without harming them? I mean this is pretty cool.

 

[Charlie]

I think it would be excellent for a BCG! I don't think the vinegar would harm the finish but ............... you could always change the formula. The ultrasonic action gets way down in the hidden places. It cleans the inside of the cases of all soot, etc.

 

[dustycorgill]

I think it would be excellent for a BCG! I don't think the vinegar would harm the finish but ............... you could always change the formula. The ultrasonic action gets way down in the hidden places. It cleans the inside of the cases of all soot, etc.

So how do you determine the formula? Sorry, but if I am going to do this I want advice from those who have done it. Lol

 

[Charlie]

You can buy a ready-made solution from the reloading folks; RCBS, Hornady, etc. (based on cleaning cases). I got my formula from a reloading forum years ago. I guess you could take a small amount and put it on a spare gun part (nut, bolt, etc.) with the same finish and see if there is any effect. There are probably several commercial pre-mixed formulas out there for jewelry, watches, etc. I'd think if a gun could withstand some of the cleaning solvents we all normally use it would withstand almost anything.

 

[dustycorgill]

K. Sure worth trying I guess. I will just have to be careful as to what I use. But your right....we use some pretty harsh stuff to clean them normally, so I wouldnt think it would hurt the finish or anything. I will have to research more.

 

[Charlie]

The part you put the solution in is stainless steel so you can put almost anything in there. You could probably put a mix with some sort of gun cleaner in there but I'd be very careful about heating it.

 

[1slow01Z71]

Will it take cerakoting off? Im considering buying one to clean my BCGs. They get really damn nasty shooting suppressed, it would be nice to just drop them in and it be clean.

 

[Charlie]

I'd check with the Cerakote folks and ask them about vinegar. I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't have any effect. But I'd check with them to be sure. I think it would be the thing to have to clean inside and outside of a suppressor. Or ask somebody that has used Cerakote. I think Kyle on here has done several Cerakote (or Duracote, etc.) applications.

 

[Charlie]

I checked with Kyle about Cerakote and Durakote and he indicated the difference between the two is that Cerakote is baked on and the Durakote is not. He didn't think a vinegar solution would have any impact on either of the finishes. There are probably better solutions for cleaning gun parts in an ultrasonic cleaner already on the market. I'd check with the manufacturers of both types of finishes. At least scour the websites.

 

[dustycorgill]

Gun Cleaning Clinic: Ultrasonics - The King Of Cleaning | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

L&R Ultrasonic Weapon Cleaning Solutions and Lubricants - L&R Ultrasonics

Found these links. L&R chrages 1,000 for the Ultrasonic Cleaner, but I wonder if their solutions that they sell on Brownells will work fine in the units from Harbor Freight?

 

[Charlie]

Gun Cleaning Clinic: Ultrasonics - The King Of Cleaning | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

L&R Ultrasonic Weapon Cleaning Solutions and Lubricants - L&R Ultrasonics

Found these links. L&R chrages 1,000 for the Ultrasonic Cleaner, but I wonder if their solutions that they sell on Brownells will work fine in the units from Harbor Freight?

You might be over-thinking this issue. Utrasonic is ultrasonic, the solution doesn't know where the device was made. Brownell's was probably made in China also. Probably, if you look closely to both, they will look related at least.

 

[M. Sage]

Did you disassemble the carbs first?

Did you use any cleaning agent or just water? If so, what agent?

Yep, took them apart first.

Water with a little dish soap, the way I always do.

For the money if it works a few times it will be worth it. Seems like that china crap works pretty good if you don't use it so will keep my fingers crossed. Any recommendations for juice?

Boil some water, add a dash of dish soap. Works great. The cleaning action is more in the ultrasonicness than in the water/soap.

So...forgive me for sounding (and maybe being) totally clueless. I had no idea you could do this. Would this work on say....BCG's? Without harming them? I mean this is pretty cool.

They work great on bolt groups, and I've never harmed mine. I have had non-hard coat anodizing come off in the cleaner before. Not sure if it was all the ultrasonic's fault, or the fact I experimented using TSP as a soap that time. I stick with dish soap now. Guns come out clean and not a hint of oil left on 'em. My P226 slide looks gray after it comes out, because all the oil comes out of the pores in the metal. Rub it down with an oily cloth and it turns black again...

So far, me and a couple of my friends (who service/build/sell ultrasonics) have used these on just about everything gun-related you can think of. Entire pistols, AR parts, motorcycle carbs... I know that jewelers use them, and they see use in industrial settings, too.

 

[M. Sage]

Gun Cleaning Clinic: Ultrasonics - The King Of Cleaning | World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

L&R Ultrasonic Weapon Cleaning Solutions and Lubricants - L&R Ultrasonics

Found these links. L&R chrages 1,000 for the Ultrasonic Cleaner, but I wonder if their solutions that they sell on Brownells will work fine in the units from Harbor Freight?

I got a refurb L&R for like $200.

 

[Sugar Land]

I picked one up today to try out. Looks fairly good. It has a heater built into it. I am assuming that the balls come from the frequency of the waves. So I would think that the soap is a small portion of the cleaning effect. Gonna fire it up one night this week and I will report back the findings. I had one for jewelry a long time ago and it sure made those diamonds shine. If I can get it to remove the crap that I can't even get to with a q-tip it will be well worth the money. I enjoy shooting much more than cleaning so I hope this works. If it is the lifespan of the appliance that warrants the higher priced ones and it works short term with the cheap one then I could live with the expense of a more durable one.

 

[Anger]

one thing i'd be nervous about ultrasonic (I own a decent smallish commercial model with integral heating) is that the item being cleaned usually rests on something. That interface betwen the item being cleaned and the support something is an potential area for wear due to the high frequency vibrations. Suggest adding rubber interfaces to the support points. I personally would not bother with this technique.

 

[Sugar Land]

Perhaps hanging the object?

 

[Anger]

Perhaps hanging the object?

yep hang with a rubber interface

 

[TX69]

one thing i'd be nervous about ultrasonic (I own a decent smallish commercial model with integral heating) is that the item being cleaned usually rests on something. That interface betwen the item being cleaned and the support something is an potential area for wear due to the high frequency vibrations. Suggest adding rubber interfaces to the support points. I personally would not bother with this technique.

These machines are used on countless items including jewelry. Your gun parts will be just fine.

 

[M. Sage]

one thing i'd be nervous about ultrasonic (I own a decent smallish commercial model with integral heating) is that the item being cleaned usually rests on something. That interface betwen the item being cleaned and the support something is an potential area for wear due to the high frequency vibrations. Suggest adding rubber interfaces to the support points. I personally would not bother with this technique.

Wire basket or plastic spacers. You're more likely to wear a hole in the cleaner than you are to damage gun parts.

 

[bptactical]

It is a valid concern.
One thing you need to watch when using an US cleaner, do not put assembled firearms in them for very long. Those nice US vibrations that work so well to eek out every nook and crannies bit of crud are not kind to finely fitted parts. They will cause those parts to "fret" against each other and if you have a dirty solution or really dirty firearm it accelerates that fretting.
I learned this the hard way by putting a wheel bearing in one for a while. In went a greasy but good bearing, out came a clean but crunchy bearing. Upon inspection you could see areas that looked like they had been sanded with a orbital sander.
Luckily this was only a $20.00 wheel bearing and not a $1k firearm.
You are better off disassembling the firearm and hanging parts individually where they cannot contact each other..