Ultrasonic cleaner: Possible good deal!

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Rxxdoc

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I just bought this cleaning kit. I think I got a good deal. Just wanted to pass this alon.

If anyone has any comments, or has any experience with this unit. I would like to hear what you have to say.



http://sterlingtime.com/shulhaclpa.html

Rick.
 
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I am a Pharmacist. I don't sell these, I sell drugs. LOL.

Sorry if I broke some kind of rule here, I am a new member.

Moderator, you can delete this post if I broke some sort of rule.

I just thought it was a really good deal. I saw just the Ultrasonic unit without all of the other supplies on
Amazon for $500 plus dollars.

Again, if I made a mistake, I apologize.

Rick
 
Wow, how many guns do you have to clean? Might be a good thing if you have nearly zero time to clean your guns, or have other reasons to use it too. Share more info about the particular need, if it's OK.
 
Very stressful job and I am usually tired after work. My wife is also a pharmacist, so her job is stressful as well.

Since she makes as much as I make, I have to do 1/2 of the house work and 1/2 of the child care.

I have a young daughter who goes to dance and ice skating (lucky kid). 4 days of the week. If I take the kid to her activities, I get out of house work. Don't forget homework. I spend a lot of time with her to make sure she does her homework.

I love to shoot in my spare time, but I really don't have any time to do a good job of cleaning my guns.

I usually shoot my Ruger Mark III. I don't want to take that thing apart to clean it. I never feel that I do a good job cleaning my guns.

Also, .22 ammo is cheap, but dirty.

So the cost is not really an issue. Having time to clean and being able to do a good job is my issue.
 
There was a thread running around here about how these can damage guns or the finish, if I remember correctly. You may want to do a search on it. I wouldn't buy one and I certainly wouldn't use one, without knowing the warnings, etc.

I didn't mean that I wouldn't ever buy one, just that I would be careful. It can be a lot worse than you think! Good luck and don't buy one that is really expensive if you can buy it cheap!!! LOL
 
Here is a reply by a guy who is apparently a dentist who owns one:



Quote:
Works for the dentists and it'll work for you.

Actually, I am a dentist and have had quite a few instruments damaged by the ultrasonic cleaner. I keep using it anyway because it is a time and cost effective way to clean stuff like dental cements and restorative materials from simple instruments that are durable and don't require disassembly. I would never put something like a dental handpiece (drill) in the ultrasonic cleaner unless I wanted to destroy the bearings in three seconds flat. It may work with a gun if the precision surfaces, typically the hammer and sear engagement, are either not touching or are held together tightly enough that they won't be peened by the ultrasonic action. If it works for you, fine, but I wouldn't try it on a gun I like very much.

My normal cleaning procedure involves Ed's Red; without disassembly I spray the gun where it's dirty, brush those areas, run a bore snake through the barrel, blow everything out with compressed air and wipe with a shop rag or paper towel. That works very well for the ordinarily dirty gun and takes less than five minutes. Lead fouling takes a piece of copper scouring pad wrapped around a bore brush and works quickly and easily. Jacket fouling gets treated with WipeOut; easy, but you have to let it soak a while. Berryman ChemDip works very well for cleaning a carbon-encrusted AR-15 bolt and carrier.

I never let my guns get so dirty that I would be tempted to use an ultrasonic cleaner. I can see, however, that if you are a gunsmith, armorer, or range operator that you might have to clean some really filthy guns repeatedly and would want to minimize the time involved. I would be inclined to use a parts washer and compressed air. In an eight hour day you could clean a lot of nasty guns while doing other work and without wasting much time or labor. I must admit, though, that if somebody gives you a gun that is clogged with filth and expects you to clean it because they don't have the time, inclination, and skill, that they probably wouldn't notice a creepy trigger induced by an ultrasonic bath. Poetic justice.
 
I fixed the link (I hope).

Anyway, I know you need to be careful, and I fully intend to learn what I am doing before I go ruining my guns.

I searched the internet, and could not find this brand of untrasonic cleaner for less than $500 ish.

I got the SharperTek Ultrasonic Handgun Cleaner Package.

Here are the specs.

Professional Grade Model
Very Reliable Industrial-Grade Transducer
Greatly improved in quality, functionality and durability over previous models.
Engineered and designed in the U.S.A. by SharperTek® − Not a cheap unit!
Temperature-Regulated Heating Element for Best Cleaning Results
Digital Ultrasonic Timer
Ultrasonic Frequency: 40,000 Hz
Tank Material: Stainless Steel
Power Supply: AC 100 ~ 120V, 50 / 60Hz
Power: 750 W
Tank Capacity: 4 Liters (approx. 1 Gallon)
Tank Dimensions: 12" × 6" × 3.75" (L × W × H)
Unit Dimensions: 13" × 7.7" × 10" ( L × W × H )
Timer: Digital Ultrasonic Timer
Weight: 10.5 lb
Warranty: 2 years

They include polycarbonate trays, which I understand protect the guns.

I have heard of some horror stories about people ruining the finish of their guns with coat hangers.

You guys have forced me to do some reasearch. I have an old S&W 622 that I will take to the range for a couple of hours over the next week. That should dirty her up enough to test the cleaner without damaging one of my good guns.

I do know there are some cheaper alternatives, but I don't know how to build my own cleaning box, and I wanted a ultrasonic cleaner that I can put a whole gun into.
 
I have one of the units. I can't remember where I bought it but it seems to me it was less. I use mine quite a bit for cleaning brass, AR upper guts, the odd pistol or two, things that I am working on in my shop, etc. It does a good job. I can't say that I was impressed with the lubricant that is supplied.
 
Lots of them on the market lately. True you could have just gone to Harbor Freight for a cheaper one but as long as money is no problem, why not make someone else rich. $500+?????? WOW, I sure could have purchased a lot of .22 ammo for that. In fact a gun show one dealer sells most boxes of 50 for less than $10 each. That is over 50 boxes of .357's, 9mm's, etc. Then he gives $0.50 for the empty shells.
Back to the ultrasonic cleaning system thing. In an Engineering company I used to work at they were extensively used when inking on drawings was the only way to go. Of course ACAD wiped that out. Ink pens always clogged so the ultrasonic cleaners were always used to unclog the pens. Worked much better than continuously purchasing new pens or tips.
One professional reloader I know uses them to clean empty shells for reloading. He claims they work fantastically but are expensive but they also save time.
On many coin collecting forums there are constantly people asking about the usage of ultrasonic cleaners for coins. Of course cleaning anything old is a no-no and that will ruin them completely.
For usage on guns after a shooting is probably OK as long as the guns are well oiled inside and out after words with a good oil or spray grease. Take the handles off naturally.
Maybe I'm cheap but if I had a child that has time to go to dancing, skating, playing and probably on the phone or a video game most of the time, I think I'd train them to clean my guns. Way back when my son was living here, he was lucky enough to get to do that for me. He was also trained to cut the grass, change the oil in my cars, etc. Sure a shame when he got married. Lost a slave I think.
 
I think metal against metal can polish where the gun rubs against the basket.


Also, I didn't pay $500 plus. I paid 445 for the whole kit.

If anyone is interested, I will dirty up my 22 and then try it out in the cleaner. I will try to post before and after pictures.
 
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I'm a dental technician. Always test clean anything that goes into the unit (if you can). It will ruin certain finishes. Read and follow the Manufactures instructions. Any doubts....make some calls.
My gun range offers Ultrasonic cleaning for $14.99 and they swear by it. They would not do it if it destroyed customers gun finishes.

The price for that Ultrasonic cleaning kit is NOT bad. If it's a quality unit ...it's a good deal. $50 units are not the same. Are they heated? Do they have a good action. And will they last.
 
How do they damage guns? Is it the parts vibrating against each other?
Click to expand...

It did on my gun using the HB with their cleaning package that came with the cleaner. It did pretty well cleaning the slide but after I took the gun, (.45 GAP), to the range a few times I started seeing yellowish stains on the slide, (I suspended the stripped slide with some wire in the bath), and when the gun got any rain on it the spots showed up. It hasn't happened on any of my other XD's, but I didn't clean them with the ultrasonic cleaner.
 
As the man once said, "A fool and his gold are soon parted." We have several Mosin Nagants in our family. All 60+ years old so I built my Electrolysis cleaner for about 12 bucks. Consists of a faucet washer, brass rod, and an old Train transformer. The washer has a hole in the center, the Brass rod passes through. I pour in a concoction of ammonia, water and vinegar. A small rubber band keeps the rod from touching up near the muzzle. Put the "+" lead on the brass, and negative side on the barrel. Usually 9 volts causes small bubbling to occur. I let this run for 10 to 15 minutes, then dump out every thing and wipe down the rod. Several treatments do wonders on cleaning out bores that were once sooty black. And, it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg.

Of course the final treatment is with brush/patch and Hoppes #9 followed by a light oil lubricant. The electrylosis process really loosens up old dirt so the final process works easily and even on our old antiques, the bores are shiney bright.

KKKKFL
 
I've been using an ultrasonic cleaner for over ten years with zero ill effects. Used on pistols, rifle pieces, subguns, and just about anything else I can put in the tank. My tank will hold a stripped MP5 receiver as well as a full M16/AR15 lower receiver.

I don't put plastic parts under the solution, I try not to put night sights or painted sights under the solution (simply prop the gun up on a wooden block or remove sights if easy). Ultrasonic cleaners work very very very well - but you'll only be able to determine this if you have some really really dirty guns. A typical session or three at the range with a pistol isn't enough for me to take the time to get the UC out. A few thousand rounds with a subgun, though, and it's a no-brainer to use the UC.

If your finish "vibrates" off the gun, you've got a crappy finish to begin with.
 
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