Ultrasonic Cleaners

[Soundguy]

Well I got my ultrasonic cleaner I had ordered from Walmart. Its a great piece of equipment and bigger than I had thought it would be. Now to come up with the perfect cleaning solution mix.

I use demineralized water, a couple drops dish soap per gallon, and a little rubbing alcohol.. say 2-3 ounces in a gallon. Works great for me.. no residue on the brass, and the water flashes off fine and no water spots. Mines a heated pot.

[KenT7021]

I have the Harbor Freight version.I use it to clean parts from rifles I bought from IMA and Atlanta Cutlery.I use Purple Power as the cleaning solution.The one I have has a short cycle time but works well for my needs.The guns out of Nepal can be dirty to put it mildly.

[Soundguy]

watch out about purple power.. fairly caustic. don't put any brass or aluminum bits in the cleaner... it can damage them.

[popper]

I found a cheap powder form of Lauryl (active agent in Dawn) just a detergent. add some lemishine to get rid of the lime deposits. Brass comes out clean. $2 for a lifetime supply.

[Soundguy]

Better water = no lime problems, thus the de mineralized water I use.

[kingstrider]

I need to pick up an ultrasonic for cleaning suppressors. They would probably frown on doing that at work lol.

[6bg6ga]

I use demineralized water, a couple drops dish soap per gallon, and a little rubbing alcohol.. say 2-3 ounces in a gallon. Works great for me.. no residue on the brass, and the water flashes off fine and no water spots. Mines a heated pot.

Mine is heated also. I will try your cleaning mix and see what happens. Thanks

[Soundguy]

good luck. works well for me. between the heat and slight alcohol content and de-min water.. brass comes out very, very noce, and dries quickly.

[Bzcraig]

Most answers are about brass. What about gun parts, slides, cylinders, barrels, etc?

[6bg6ga]

Most answers are about brass. What about gun parts, slides, cylinders, barrels, etc?

I saw a 1911 go into the tank and come out clean. After coming out of the tank it was blown off, oiled and cleaned and put together. It looked like new.

I use Members Mark degreaser 1/2 cup to 3.5 gal of water plus two squirts of Dawn dish soap. My water is soft water from the tap. Cleans really good just requires a rinse after brass or other things are cleaned and left to dry.

[woodbutcher]

I became a believer in those type of cleaners when a friend decided to try his out on an old carb that had been sitting on a shelf in his garage for about 20 years.Could`nt move any of the screws with a screw driver.Left it in for about 2 hours,and it came apart as easily as if was almost new.All I have to do now is get the coin saved for one.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[bstone5]

Have two of the cleaners, both still work but do not use them since I started using the stainless steel pins and my old Rock tumbler with the two rubber drums. I did clean an old revolver with the cleaner and the gun came out very clean. The revolver belonged to my wife's grandfather and he kept the gun on a shelf on his screened in back porch. Have never fired the gun due to a lot of rust inside the barrel.

[country gent]

One local shop uses one for cleaning used guns and odds and ends. Several police depts. have purchased them for officers to use cleaning their pistols. We had a med sized industrial at work for cleaning fixtures and parts. And there were some on the floor in production for cleaning parts that had to be clean and grease free. They work ( with the right cleaners for the job at hand) I could see 2 one with a cleaner for oils and greases one for other foulings. A trip thru one and blow off then the other, and the gun should be spotless.

[Land Owner]

One and done, eh mesonary?

Anyone aware that UltraSonic Cleaning (USC - a definition for brevity) has been around since AT LEAST the 1960's? USC is well adapted for small parts, ultra-fine orifices, minuscule recess, and components that do not require take down (or perhaps cannot be). The watchmaker FIL of the fellow above has probably benefitted greatly from USC.

ALL 1970's draftsmen, using ink pens to draw designs on mylar or linen for blueprinting, used USC on those pens at the end of the day. Woe be unto them that left their pens to dry out overnight. The ink dries (and fills) in the tiny orifice through the hollow pen head and without USC (or some harsh, environmentally repugnant, time-consuming solvent), it would have been EXPENSIVE to throw those pen heads away every day.

[rbuck351]

I have the small Lyman USC and use it mostly for brass. Used with Birchwood Casey case cleaner it will clean the black brass that has sat in the ground for years quickly. For normal range pick up dawn and lemishine works fine. I then use lizard litter walnut with some auto rubbing compound and a bit of cerium oxide (rock polish). They look as good as new and have a wax finish that keeps them from tarnishing.