Ultrasonic cleaner use

Has simple green stated that their stuff is safe for what you want? If not, use the concentrate from Hornady, diluted as directed.

I bought a cheap sonic cleaner on amazon...(looks exactly the same as a popular gun specific one) to use cleaning a suppressor.
Nothing gets crusted with carbon like a silencer...err suppressor. What I found is the way, put the parts in a plastic zip lock bag with some detergent, I use diluted Simple green. Then insert that into pre heated water inside the cleaner.

Keeps the crud out of your cleaner tub as well as concentrates the cleaning solution. I don't clean pistol slides or frames in it, but I don't let 'em get that filthy.

If I ever did clean slides or frames in the thing, I would consider using a specific gun solution.

Dont do it. It's completely unnecessary to clean a pistol this way.

I use oil and a toothbrush.

I use Simple Green - SMP13406 Extreme Aircraft and Precision Cleaner and have found it safe on all of my guns in lufing cerakote finishes, YMMV.



I chose this after some research due to it being safe for aluminum. I bought a gallon 2 years ago and have about 1 1/2 quarts left.

I use the Simple Green diluted 4:1. I place my entire pistol (36 caliber BP revolver minus the grips) in the tub. Comes out very clean with only a few spots that require the use of an old tooth brush. I then blow dry the gun with my compressor, place the gun in a warm oven for 20 min, then lube and put in the safe. Been doing this for 5-years now with no problems.

Original Simple Green can harm aluminum. From their website:



Sorry for the screen shots, I'm on my phone and their site closes the answers in the FAQ when I try to select text.

Fyrstyk said:

place the gun in a warm oven for 20 min

Click to expand...

Use a toothpick to test for doneness?

I have used an ultrasonic before but found that simple cleaning with various brushes and Hoppe's seems to work just as well. The warm oven trick is good for evaporating any cleaning fluids left behind and then oiling sparingly or generously, depending on how long the gun is going into storage. For example, my black powder guns get shot rarely as they must be fired at an outdoor range and I don't get to one very often.

Almost all of the strong soap cleaners like standard Simply Green, Purple Power, Greased Lightning, etc. WILL attack and seriously damage aluminum and the anodized finish, and will do so faster in an ultrasonic cleaner.

If in doubt, drop a pierce of scrap anodized aluminum in and run it. If you notice the finish is damaged, don't use it on guns.

l use a Hornandy ultrasonic cleaner for brass, and pistol parts. I like to use ballistol for cleaning firearms parts as it acts as a lubricant too.

I use the ultrasonic cleaner for gun parts rarely, and just use soap and water in it. It does a pretty good job, but does strip off the oils from the parts. I do detail strip and separate the parts, as they will rub against each other ultrasonically and cause wear.

I use one with Eds Red cleaner, disassemble, put everything except barrel in ultrasonic, run 2 cycles, clean barrel and then add to ultrasonic and run 2 more cycles, wipe everything down with a rag (I've used the same one for a couple of years keeping it in a plastic container) and reassemble. I don't put pistols in with wood, I've put BCGs and bolts in also. If you keep it closed up the Eds Red last a long time, my last batch I left out the acetone after researching that it was to clean up the wadding in shotguns and it was probably evaporating anyway.
If the cleaner is anything like Purple Stuff (or any of the other purple cleaners) I found they etch aluminum on engines when I cleaned them after changing the oil, I now use Simple Green mixed 4-1 and the plastic appears shinny and the aluminum looks clean.
I have one of the Harbor Freight units and a larger commercial one that, I purchased at auction, it has ink all over it, it works a lot better and the cycles are adjustable for longer times and you can adjust how "hard" it vibrates (I use it for cleaning rifle brass using suspended glass beakers), if you have local auctions check them out I paid less than half the Harbor Freight price and have twice the unit

I use similar method as below (or above)
-- Amazon Ultrasonic that is about 9" inside length, 4.5" width and about 4" depth
-- I so far only clean the pistol barrels
-- Barrels in Zip Lock with solution of SG and water (1 to 4 give or take)
-- Suspend Zip Lock in water with wooden down and binder clip (bag and barrel are not touching the bottom of US cleaner)
-- run in with heat for about 30 minutes

While barrel is cleaning I clean the rest of the gun -- Usually I am finished with the rest of the gun before the UltraSonic is complete.

After UltraSonic I clean the barrel with CLP/Ballistol completely -- A few patches down the barrel is sufficient

In the past I would be scrubbing the barrel to remove Copper and Carbon -- took way to much time to run patches and bore-brush

With UltraSonic I am down to maybe 3 to 4 patches down the barrel -- Maybe 20 before
-- Have eliminated all the stinking cleaners to remove copper
-- Bore Brush is not needed
-- Rod rub on barrel greatly reduced

I will not go back -- But so far only use for Barrels but maybe throw in other parts in the future
-- Barrel Bushings
-- Slide Stops
-- etc
-- but not frames (at least I do not think I will utilize)


UK

airfoil said:

I bought a cheap sonic cleaner on amazon...(looks exactly the same as a popular gun specific one) to use cleaning a suppressor.
Nothing gets crusted with carbon like a silencer...err suppressor. What I found is the way, put the parts in a plastic zip lock bag with some detergent, I use diluted Simple green. Then insert that into pre heated water inside the cleaner.

Keeps the crud out of your cleaner tub as well as concentrates the cleaning solution. I don't clean pistol slides or frames in it, but I don't let 'em get that filthy.

If I ever did clean slides or frames in the thing, I would consider using a specific gun solution.

Click to expand...

Zerodefect said:

Dont do it. It's completely unnecessary to clean a pistol this way.

I use oil and a toothbrush.

Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THIS!