Posted: 1/20/2025 8:39:06 PM EDT
|
Been thinking about getting an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning up my handguns. I only have glocks. Pros-Cons help needed please. Does it hurt any of the lowers etc. I no you should strip down the upper but thats about all I no. What about cleaner, like simple green??? Thanks for the input |
|
Beware strong soap cleaners like Simply Green, Greased Lightning, Purple Power, etc. Most of these will flat out EAT aluminum and anodized finishes. There is an aluminum-safe Simply Green but make sure what you get. Some solvents can leave black plastic parts like frames with a whitish blotching. Test first. You don't have to do any disassembly of a firearm for ultrasonic cleaning. Watchmakers use ultrasonic because small parts can be cleaned without disassembly, and a firearm is HUGE compared to a woman's watch. The problem is in getting a rust preventing lube into all tiny crevasses and holes because US cleaners remove ALL lube from even the tiniest area. Here's something I wrote on US cleaning......... Ultrasonic cleaning. As a watchmaker, I got into ultrasonics early on so I have a good bit of experience with both watches and clocks, and firearms. Here's a post I did on another forum some time ago......... Good places to buy units are Amazon, Harbor Freight and other online sources. Almost all units are made in China, except for the high end/high cost units made by companies like L&R and Crest. You can buy a cheap unit from Harbor Freight to see if you like it, and when it stops working buy another or invest in a higher end unit. The bigger the unit the more powerful but the more expensive. The good points: They really clean. US gets into even the tiniest hole or crevice and makes the parts surgically clean. They usually clean FAST. Drop a dirty part in, and the dirt actually "boils" off in a cloud. Some fouling may take longer. They DEEP clean, getting crud you normally don't even see and gets into areas that normally you can't get to with other methods. They're especially good on harder fouling. (Ultrasonics work better on hard dirt). You don't have to disassemble things. Ultrasonics are used by watchmakers to avoid having to disassemble some small components. Firearms parts are huge by comparison. They work with a variety of solutions. Water with Dawn detergent works on many types of dirt, so you often don't have to use a volatile solvent. You can buy various cleaning solutions based on what you're cleaning these days now that reloading companies are selling US cleaners and various solutions. The solution is heated up by the ultrasonic action. Warm solution cleans even better. Many tanks have a built-in heaters also. Let the unit run a few minutes to drive out air and allow the solution to start heating. You can also pre-heat the solution by putting the container of whatever you're using in hot water to warm it. You can put an inch of water in the bottom and use small glass or plastic cups to hold solvent and small parts. The ultrasonic waves are transmitted by the water in the bottom through the beakers or jars. This allows using even highly flammable solvents in small amounts. Some people put water in the tank and put the parts and solvent in a plastic bag and run it. Be careful, plastic bags can leak and make a mess. You can use the tank for many cleaning jobs, Paint brushes, dirty watch bands, electric razor heads, eyeglasses, your wife's jewelry, car parts, most anything that you can fit into the tank and won't be harmed by the solution or US waves will clean up surgically clean. Be careful to test first, some items can be damaged. The bad: KEEP YOUR FINGERS OUT OF THE TANK. Ultrasonics and bone marrow don't play well together. This isn't something that happens instantly, it's over time. Don't start. Ultrasonics don't work on copper fouling and not well on leading, so you still need to use standard brushes, patches, and bore solvent to clean bores and chambers. Expense. The larger tanks are COSTLY. However, if you want to clean a stripped pistol or small parts, one of the smaller $150.00 range tanks will work fine. You can put a portion of a frame or slide in the tank at a time. After cleaning it, turn it over and clean the other half. Any solvent that will attack plastic or gun finishes, will attack it FASTER in ultrasonics. As example the strong soap cleaners like the original Simply Green will literally EAT aluminum and the anodized coating and will do so faster in a US cleaner. You've got to be careful to apply a THOROUGH coat of anti-rust lube after cleaning. Ultrasonics remove ALL grease and lube, leaving the part absolutely bare, including in tiny holes and crevices that ordinarily cleaning never touches. They don't work quite as well on soft gummy grease as harder dirt. You can speed things up by pulling parts out and scrubbing with a brush. They're electronic and heat the solvent. You have to be careful with flammables. Advice: It's seldom needed to run something more then 20 minutes unless it's something really dirty and the dirt is really resistant. Always start off with warm solution, since cold solution doesn't work as well. If possible buy a basket that holds parts off the bottom or make up wire hangers. Ultrasonics work better when the parts are suspended in the solution instead of laying on the bottom of the tank. A tank cover is nice to hold down fumes. Some larger tanks have a built in drain. BE CAREFUL. Some solvents may attack these and you can wind up with a floor covered in hot solvent. This is one reason NEVER to walk away and leave a US cleaner unattended. NEVER run the unit when the tank is dry even for a few seconds, it'll burn out. Be careful what cleaning solution you use. You can pull the item out and find finish or plastic parts GONE. Be careful with Tritium sights, and sights with any kind of inserts or dots. Many can be damaged or removed in the tank. Painted sight or safety marking will eventually be removed by even water, and many solvents will remove the paint almost instantly. The small tanks sold in discount stores for cleaning false teeth and jewelry really don't work too well, and most of them aren't even real ultrasonic units. One gun cleaner solution that works well is Cylinder & Slide Shop's "Dunk-It". This is a cleaning solvent mixed with a lubricant. The intent is to soak the gun in the bucket, but it can be used in a US cleaner. This cleans the gun and leaves a lubricant in all areas to prevent rust and lubricate. However, I'd still use a dedicated lubricant in key areas. The down side is the high cost. Ordinary cheap paint thinner works well as does kerosene, but NEVER walk away from it because these are flammable. Running a gun in a rinse is pretty much a waste of time. If you use a water based cleaner you can rinse the gun by holding it under a faucet running hot water, or swishing it in a sink of hot water. The heat will allow the metal to dry fast. With solvents, rinsing is usually not needed unless the solvent is really dirty. Then dipping it in clean solvent is usually enough. To dry parts use a hair dryer....NOTE: Hair dryer, NOT oven, torch, or heat gun, these can over heat. Shake the parts off or blow off with compressed air to remove the excess and prevent a fire with solvents before using the hair dryer. You MUST get a rust preventing coat of lube into all areas to prevent rusting. Most liquid lubes like CLP Breakfree will creep and spread into most areas given time. You can also use a fine spray like Rem-Oil. I've used CLP with a cheap air brush to get lube into tight areas, BUT... don't breath the fumes, you won't like it. |
| The $80 HF one does a passable job on .22lr baffles but takes multiple cycles. Works fine on AR bolts and handgun barrels as well. Use hot water and baggie up the simple green and parts, keeps the tank clean as a whistle. |
Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!
| That was some great info and appreciated all the help. After reading your response and thinking about all the pros and cons I think Im just going to stick with the old fashion cleaning system that has worked for me for the past 45 years. Thanks I do appreciate your time and responses. |
|
Truth be told, ultrasonics are at their best as occasional deep cleaners for guns that are not intended for the owner to fully disassemble. For a once a year or so deep cleaner they're great. It will remove almost all fouling as long as the cleaner solution is capable of attacking carbon or other residue and will get it out of areas no normal cleaning method can get to. However, for normal cleaning the time it takes to set up, fill, run, empty, and clean you'd usually do as well dropping it in a sink of hot soapy water and brushing. |
|
I traded into a high end industrial heated ultrasound cleaner. It works very well for deep cleaning but I don't use it for normal cleaning. If you're considering using Simple Green in your ultrasound, dilute it a LOT! I used a 50/50 mix while cleaning a Pietta cap and ball .44 1851 Colt. I now have a very "antiqued" model now, with a very worn, patchy blued finish. |
Joined:
Sep 2022
Posts:
2550
EE: 0% (0)
USA
|
For rusty precision tools I'd probably use a watch cleaning solution. These can do some light rust removal, but nothing I know of can get heavier rust off, and even light rust will not be completely removed.. Watch cleaning solutions "brighten" brass so that might help. I haven't experimented with them but reloading companies sell solutions for cleaning brass cases and that might work well. There are chemicals made to remove rust and one of those might work in a US cleaner. Evapo-Rust might do well. https://www.evapo-rust.com/ |