Ultrasonic for pistol pmcs?

[0ddl0t]

I'm wondering if a small consumer ultrasonic cleaner might help speed up my scrubbing. Mainly my problem is with cement-like carbon gunk on my breech face & extractor hook that I currently have to soak with Hoppes, let sit, scrape with a plastic gun pick (nylon brushing does little and brass scratches the surrounding finish), and then repeat like 4 or 5 times to get all the gunk off.

Will an ultrasonic cleaner take care of that -- without ruining my night sights? Can I leave it field stripped, or does it need to be detail stripped? Any recommendations for cleaners & solvents?

[farscott]

Try a little Goof Off Pro on a Q-Tip. Let it sit for a minute on the carbon-encrusted parts and then wipe. The hard carbon will be a soft sludge that comes off with a soft cloth. I suggest detail stripping as Goof Off Pro is hard on plastics. I also suggest gloves and doing this outside.

I have used an ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green for steel parts. It works well on parts that are not Cerakoted or have a similar spray-on/baked-on finish. If you use a Cerakoted part, the cleaner will penetrate cracks in the finish, get under the finish, and cause the finish to disappear. On slides with night sight inserts, I remove the sights so that the vials are not damaged or release from the sight.

[bofe954]

I have a small cheap one from ebay. I use it about once a year on my USPSA CZ's. I can't speak to night sights. It did seem to destroy the locktite that kept my adjustable sights screwed on to my old shadows. It will remove any grip tape type things you use.

It is a bit of a mess. You need to fill it with cleaner and then you are supposed to fill it with a rust preventative/lubricant after cleaning.

What you put in will look like new when you take it out.

Field stripping is enough to get everything really clean.

[LittleLebowski]

I concur with others that it would hit the lactate pretty hard. I'd just buy a can of non chlorinated brake cleaner and take it outside and blast it. You'll probably have to wipe down the metal with an AP brush and a couple drops of oil afterwards.

All of that being said, an ultrasonic is a fantastic gun parts, jewelry, and glasses cleaner. Just. Awesome. I bought this one (https://amzn.to/2IEYCiN) three years ago and made sure to buy the extended warranty after breaking a different brand of ultrasonic. Of course, I have never had to use the extended warranty. This cleaner is just the thing for an AR BCG, or say the sprayer assembly for my Harbor Freight airless paint sprayer (https://www.harborfreight.com/airless-paint-sprayer-kit-60600.html).

Anyway, ultrasonic cleaners rock. Find an excuse to get one.

[SAWBONES]

FWIW, good quality genuine ultrasonic cleaning devices are fairly expensive.

Many products advertised as such aren't truly ultrasonic but merely produce some degree of agitation of the fluid ("parts washers", essentially).

The ELMA unit I bought for my wife ~8 years ago cost about $300, and its basket is only about 3" x 7" x 2".
It works fine with dilute liquid dish soap (no need to buy special ultrasonic cleaning fluid just to clean stuff like jewelry).

Caveat emptor, and check the specs if you really want ultrasonic. (The cheap stuff at Harbor Freight isn't, or wasn't back when I looked into it.)

[HCM]

I concur with others that it would hit the lactate pretty hard. I'd just buy a can of non chlorinated brake cleaner and take it outside and blast it. You'll probably have to wipe down the metal with an AP brush and a couple drops of oil afterwards.

All of that being said, an ultrasonic is a fantastic gun parts, jewelry, and glasses cleaner. Just. Awesome. I bought this one (https://amzn.to/2IEYCiN) three years ago and made sure to buy the extended warranty after breaking a different brand of ultrasonic. Of course, I have never had to use the extended warranty. This cleaner is just the thing for an AR BCG, or say the sprayer assembly for my Harbor Freight airless paint sprayer (https://www.harborfreight.com/airless-paint-sprayer-kit-60600.html).

Anyway, ultrasonic cleaners rock. Find an excuse to get one.

A real ultrasonic cleaner can be great for cleaning gun parts.

The trouble comes when people want to drop entire, assembled guns into them as a “one stop” clean and lube.

[nalesq]

I have a Silencerco Warlock II that is a joy to shoot with but a massive pain in the rear to clean.

So how well do ultrasonic cleaners work on suppressors? Particularly on aluminum rimfire suppressors like the Warlock, with all that melted/baked on nastiness?




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[LittleLebowski]

I have a Silencerco Warlock II that is a joy to shoot with but a massive pain in the rear to clean.

So how well do ultrasonic cleaners work on suppressors? Particularly on aluminum rimfire suppressors like the Warlock, with all that melted/baked on nastiness?


I have the same can and have asked the same question. Everyone says that the ultrasonic will pit the aluminum baffles. I did my research and found that using baking soda with a soda/media blaster (https://amzn.to/2IFO5DV) outside is best. Obviously, a blasting cabinet would be even better, but it's cost prohibitive for me. Please remember that you don't need the baffles to be spotless, dirty baffles are quieter. After you clean, reinstall the baffles with a light coat of pure silicone oil, or (what I use) Dot 5 or higher brake fluid (https://amzn.to/2MNTSMZ) which will aid in cleaning next time.

[txdpd]

I don’t have an ultrasonic cleaner at home or a suppressor, but I have used a heated cleaner to clean DI engine valves with no problem. It’s not as fast as blasting with walnut media, but overnight cleaning is long enough. That same cleaner is also used on aluminum engine blocks and heads without any apparent issues.

I would check with the manufacturer first and see what they recommend and what’s on the naughty list. You’re cleaning chemistry selection will probably make or break you.

[Poconnor]

We had an ultra sonic cleaner at work. I don’t think they are worth it. They work on parts but not all parts. I would expect them to kill night sights. Also the parts must be disassembled to their smallest component. If you think you can just throw your slide in and then wipe it off you will be disappointed. They also strip any oil and move dirt places it would never normally go which can cause mysterious malfunctions.

[rsa-otc]

I'm wondering if a small consumer ultrasonic cleaner might help speed up my scrubbing. Mainly my problem is with cement-like carbon gunk on my breech face & extractor hook that I currently have to soak with Hoppes, let sit, scrape with a plastic gun pick (nylon brushing does little and brass scratches the surrounding finish), and then repeat like 4 or 5 times to get all the gunk off.

Will an ultrasonic cleaner take care of that -- without ruining my night sights? Can I leave it field stripped, or does it need to be detail stripped? Any recommendations for cleaners & solvents?

AS with most everything in life I guess the best answer here is it depends. It depends on how long you leave the parts in the machine, it depends on the type of solvent you use....etc.

A local PD got one and dropped their Sigs in it overnight. The next morning they had beautifully clean guns SANS their night sights. All the vials were found rolling around in the bottom of the unit. Wrong type of solvent and for to long.

We got one here for my organization a few years back to clean our revolvers and it worked wonders. The only problem I ever had was a plated revolver (Don't know what type of finish) that came out discolored after I got busy and left it in the machine to long. Usually I only left the guns in for an hour or little bit longer.

While you can probably get away with not detail stripping you will need to do a complete rinse. Loose particulates will settle in the nooks and crannies. Make sure you properly Lube the gun afterwards. It will be BONE Desert dry when done.

We used Shooters Choice Aqua Clean solvent.

[sparkyv]

I use ultrasonication on my barrels successfully, but I would not use it on sights, especially night sights. I would also not use it on aluminum parts. Disassemble completely all the bits and pieces before sonication. I use it on fired brass quite successfully. Sonication is great for many things, not not all! :cool: