Does anyone use ultrasonic cleaner to cleaning guns?

[lwy.todd.lu]

Does anyone use ultrasonic cleaner to cleaning guns? Any pros and cons?

[crankythunder]

I have a harbor freight and have used it on some parts but have stopped using it on firearm parts.

It dulls the blue, impacts aluminum parts, and it does remove paint from painted parts. I would not hesitate to disassemble a pistol and use it to clean some of the smaller parts but would not put a assembled pistol or partially assembled pistol in a ultra sonic cleaner.

The trigger group for a well used Mini 14 would be a good candidate for the ultra sonic cleaner, the exterior parts to a highly cherished model 41 or 52 I would clean by hand.

[lwy.todd.lu]

Oh gee~ good to know it removes paint and impact aluminium parts. My gun has both lol. Yeah I think I’ll be really careful to use ultrasonic cleaner. Thanks v v much for the tips.

[Gwhite]

Even if it didn't damage the finish, I wouldn't want to use it on an assembled precision mechanism. You may just be loosening dirt to have it settle into the fiddly bits, and it's too hard to get proper lubrication back into the moving parts without drowning it in oil. That makes it messy to handle, and attracts dirt. I'm not even fond of using aerosol cleaners & lubes for the same reason, but at least you can steer the spray a bit with the tubes they come with, and the dirt they loosen up (mostly) gets flushed away.

I look at it this way. If I had a clean pistol, trigger assembly, etc., I wouldn't want to dip it in a tank filled with a solution of cleaner with fine dirt suspended in it. Unless you also drain the cleaner & refill it with clean solvent for a final rinse, that's about what you ae doing. A small jewelry cleaner for small disassembled steel parts might be useful, but for me, that's about it.

[PeeWeeDaddy]

No.
I use it to clean airgun pellets before lubing them.

[dulcmr-man]

No.
I use it to clean airgun pellets before lubing them.

Clean pellets? Lube them? Please school me on this. I've never heard of anyone doing this. Why and how, please.

Dennis, aka Dulcmrman

[Rover]

You stuff a wad of them in your cheek, tonguing them to loosen dirt and lead flakes.

You spit one at a time into your fingers to load your gun.

As a bonus, the saliva lubes the pellet for extra velocity while cleaning the bore.

[David M]

OK....same as a spit patch on your muzzle loader.

[lwy.todd.lu]

Even if it didn't damage the finish, I wouldn't want to use it on an assembled precision mechanism. You may just be loosening dirt to have it settle into the fiddly bits, and it's too hard to get proper lubrication back into the moving parts without drowning it in oil. That makes it messy to handle, and attracts dirt. I'm not even fond of using aerosol cleaners & lubes for the same reason, but at least you can steer the spray a bit with the tubes they come with, and the dirt they loosen up (mostly) gets flushed away.

I look at it this way. If I had a clean pistol, trigger assembly, etc., I wouldn't want to dip it in a tank filled with a solution of cleaner with fine dirt suspended in it. Unless you also drain the cleaner & refill it with clean solvent for a final rinse, that's about what you ae doing. A small jewelry cleaner for small disassembled steel parts might be useful, but for me, that's about it.

Thanks Mr GWhite. Now I’m using aerosol cleaners because the internal of MG2 is too complex, brush and cotton bud won’t reach those corners. Aerosol can flush the dirt out easily. At the first time, I did use some normal cleaners, brushes and cotton buds, but it took me like 3 hours to clean the gun lol.

[Gwhite]

I have an MG2 as well, and it's the only pistol where I have to go aerosol as well. The MG2's cycle so fast that the powder doesn't have time to burn very cleanly, and they get dirtier quicker than any other pistol I know of. I blow out as much loose powder as I can with air, clean it as best I can with swaps, and then hit what's left with TSI 301. It has a very light lubricant, that doesn't attract much dirt.

[lwy.todd.lu]

I was told that MG2 needs a clean for every 500 rounds minimum. And WD40 specialist contact cleaner can be used for blasting all the dirt out without leaving any residue and dry fast.
And for the barrel, not using any cleaner or oil down to the bore, just use dry felt/cloth patch to push through. Because there is a risk of causing a bulge if you fire the gun with old in the barrel. And use good ammo, the barrel won’t get dirty.

[Gwhite]

You really need to clean the chamber with a brush & solvent to avoid cycling & ejection issues. As long as you run a few patches through after using solvent, it's fine. See this thread:

https://www.targettalk.org/viewtopic.ph ... 41#p326441

[lwy.todd.lu]

Cool. Will read through carefully.
I do have the green labeled BoreTech bore cleaner. Is it a good product? It says it’s designed for .22 Rimfire. I also have some VFG felt and one piece rod, and Anschutz ceramic oil. I think I’ve pretty much all needs for a good clean.

[lwy.todd.lu]

By the way, my MG2 EVO is a new gun. I usually clean it no more than 500 rounds. I look though the bore, the surface as shiny as mirror. Do I still need to use bronze brush? Someone said it hurts the bore compared with nylon brush.

[KDZ]

Usually the chamber needs thorough cleaning, not the bore.

[zhangtony]

I clean guns and gun parts in ultrasonic cleaner, disassembled when possible. I have cleaned Walther GSP, Unique DES 69, Hammerli 208, revolvers, rifle bolts and more.

I do not use water with degreaser which would have some bad effects as described in earlier posts, but a mix of mineral spirit and light gun oil probably 19:1 ratio, in a secondary container that is suspended into the ultrasonic cleaner that fills with water and detergent - see the attachment for the idea. By doing this your gun won't touch water. You can change to a new solution after the first run if the particle in the solution worries you but I didn't find this necessary. After cleaning I gently blow off the excessive solutions on the parts using compressed air and let it dry. This should leave a very thin oil on the metal when the mineral spirit is vaporized, is almost dry to touch, but the oil is there and I don't find it attract more dirt than a regular cleaned gun. Then I lube the parts as needed and assemble.

I will be careful if plastic and aluminum parts are being cleaned, and of course you don't want to put painted or wooden parts into an ultrasonic cleaner.

[atomicgale]

I wouldn't want to dip it in a tank filled with a solution of cleaner with fine dirt suspended in it.

First bath: Ed's Red (look it up . . . )
Second bath: denatured alcohol with HBN (hexagonal boron nitride)

. . . would not put a assembled pistol or partially assembled pistol in a ultra sonic cleaner.

Correct - made that mistake. Dip a fully assembled Sig 226 in Ed's Red, take it to the police match, end up with purple tranny fluid dripping all over everything & everyone, and they declare a mass casualty event & call the medics! Go figure . . . .

You stuff a wad of them in your cheek, tonguing them to loosen dirt and lead flakes.

Here in the Appalachia, we stuff the pellets & a wad of chew in our cheek & spit 'em out one by one as needed - the Tow-Back'er juice is excellent lube.

Here, Rover proves brilliant - as usual.

[BobGee]

I clean guns and gun parts in ultrasonic cleaner, disassembled when possible. I have cleaned Walther GSP, Unique DES 69, Hammerli 208, revolvers, rifle bolts and more.

I do not use water with degreaser which would have some bad effects as described in earlier posts, but a mix of mineral spirit and light gun oil probably 19:1 ratio, in a secondary container that is suspended into the ultrasonic cleaner that fills with water and detergent - see the attachment for the idea. By doing this your gun won't touch water. You can change to a new solution after the first run if the particle in the solution worries you but I didn't find this necessary. After cleaning I gently blow off the excessive solutions on the parts using compressed air and let it dry. This should leave a very thin oil on the metal when the mineral spirit is vaporized, is almost dry to touch, but the oil is there and I don't find it attract more dirt than a regular cleaned gun. Then I lube the parts as needed and assemble.

I will be careful if plastic and aluminum parts are being cleaned, and of course you don't want to put painted or wooden parts into an ultrasonic cleaner.

Thanks zhangtony, very good info, especially the NASA sheet.

Bob

[Gwhite]

The NASA trick with a plastic bag works OK, but the bag can dampen the ultrasonic action a bit. For small stuff, the standard approach is to use a small glass beaker suspended in the tank. They make lids with holes for the beakers, and rubber rings to help position the altitude of the beaker:



For heavier parts, a stainless steel beaker is better, so there's no chance of it breaking. The key thing is that you don't want the smaller container to touch the bottom of the tank. If you are using a solvent that could evaporate or emit fumes/odors, a rigid container with a lid is even better. I suspect a tin can with a snap on polyethylene lid would work fine.

[zhangtony]

Hi GWhite,

Thank you for pointing out the deficiencies of plastic bag. And it might leak during the wash by rubbing with parts with sharp edges. That would not be a very fun experience.

That picture was for showing the idea only, and I actually use metal buckets that is suspended in the water. The pictures show a Unique DES 69 being cleaned, with slide and magazine disassembled. You may notice the barrel is not in the solution but that does not matter too much as long as the chamber is being cleaned, and the bore will be cleaned as usual afterwards.

If I heat up the ultrasonic cleaner I will use a sealed container to prevent chemicals from evaporating from the solution. A 30 cal steel ammo can is very handy!

GWhite is also correct: By all means do not allow anything touching the bottom of the ultrasonic cleaner!

I reuse the cleaning solution by let it stay for a while so the dirts are mostly set at the bottom, carefully pour out the clear solution on the top, disregard the rest and clean the bucket.