I assume you have all seen the ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machines out there, will they work on barrels and slides? I would think they would damage the metal by running all that high frequency through it. And if they do work, do I just load the cleaner with Hoppes #9 solvent or do I just use water? These are great for jewelry, but I am a little hesitant to throw extremely expensive gun components in there. I don't want my barrel exploding after I clean them. Sounds like a dumb question, but the Navy taught me the only stupid question is the one I never ask.:smt082
They do work... They work GREAT! But the ones big enough to handle a pistol, or at least some of its larger components, are pretty pricey. Until I "retired" to take care of the baby, I spent the last 6 years managing a metal analysis laboratory. My biggest regret since leaving was loosing access to the ultrasonic cleaners and the machine equipment (lathe, mill, etc.). :smt022
If you want to use a smaller jewelry cleaner type machine, you can probably get by doing half at a time for a barrel or slide, but those smaller machines won't have the cleaning power of the larger units. You can use plain water, hot water, or water with a little detergent (Simple Green or similar). The ultrasonic cleaner won't harm anything metal - it kind of vibrates the dirt off the surface. The biggest worry is getting everything dry and well oiled afterward to avoid rust. :smt023
I just bought an HCS-200 Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner for $399. It came with cleaning and lubricating solutions. It works real good. I cleaned a couple dozen of my pistol magazines that hadn't been cleaned inside for a long time and they came out real good.(saves a lotta disassembly/reassembly work). I field-stripped the pistols and they came out real good too. It helps a great deal to use compressed air to blow the water out of everything before running them back through the system with the lubricating/rust preventive solution. I still reoil my guns in the normal manner before shooting them again. Ref: http://www.sonicsonline.com
Be careful with the cleaner solution you use (no ammonia) I have a professional ultrasonic cleaner I had just purchased a new Ruger Bisley and wanted to clean her up from the first outting. I had left it in the ultrasonic for 45 minutes when I returned I had a silver and blue gun that I had to cough up another $100 to get re blued!!:smt022
I* don't guess I've ever really thought about something like that. How long does it take to clean a gun with one? I have always been able to clean a pistol in under 30 minutes unless it was the I'm going to take it all the way down to parts and maybe replace a spring or two while I was cleaning. I use one of those hospital barf pan and alcohol and I drop everything in there while I'm cleaning the other stuff and pull out what's next.
If these newfangled cleaners will do as well and save time it be a must have:watching:
I kinda enjoy field stripping and inspecting my pistols after sessions at the range, but detail stripping, cleaning and relubing the pistols and magazines sometimes tests my patience, so the HCS-200 ultrasonic cleaning/relubing system eliminates all that fuss and saves time for more shooting.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Handgun Forum
474.6K posts
37.9K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to handgun owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about optics, gunsmithing, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!