Ultrasonic Cleaner

[warren5421]

Looking at two different ultrasonic cleaners from Harbor Freight. CENTRAL MACHINERY 2.5 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner and the 6 Liter Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner. I have a 1903 Colt Hammerless that needs a detailed cleaning but have been told it isn't easy like a 1911 to put back together. I though a ultrasonic cleaner would sub for detail cleaning. There is a lot of powder and old oil caked in the fireing area. The Harbor Freight near me has both in stock. Would ike to know if you have used one and if it does a good job cleaning or not. These are cheap and I know you get what you pay for.

 

[RoninPA]

I have a Central Machinery 1.5 QUART ( 1.4 liters) ultrasonic from HF, have had it for at least 20 years and it still works fine and does what I bought it for (cleaning gun parts). Determine what all you will be doing with it in the next number of years and get the one that will fit those needs. Lots of people have lots of different thoughts about items from Harbor Freight but I have not had any problems with the ultrasonic I bought their. In fact I'm looking into getting one that has a larger capacity and I'll probably start at HF.

First you remove the grips (a given). Then remove the slide and immerse the frame and slide into the ultrasonic and let it do it's thing. You may need to empty the bath after the first session and refill with fresh water/cleaning solution because it will be DIRTY. Do this a few times then inspect. If it looks good, make sure it is good a dry and then lube as required.

 

[contender]

I got an ultrasonic cleaner from a commercial jewelry repair shop over 25 years ago. I can't recall the name brand.
And,, since I use it often enough,, when I saw a Hornady branded one for sale CHEAP,, I decided to buy it as a second unit.
Point being,, they can & will work.

As Ron has mentioned,, figure out the size you need & go from there.

 

[Jeepnik]

Got a dishwasher? I keep an old one in the garage for things like cleaning guns and stuff. You could use the wife's, but even though it won't harm it, she may harm y ou.

 

[Blackhawk Convertable]

You might want to also look at the Vevor brand cleaners sold on Amazon. A bit cheaper and free shipping to your door. I don't use often. But there when I need it.

FWIW, I asked a gunsmith about putting an assembled gun into the cleaner. He said they sometimes do too good of a job. Unless you know all the nooks and such that NEED to have a layer of lubricant on it.

 

[Kevin]

I bought one on Amazon. It’s 3 liters which could fit a pistol. I haven’t used it for that though. Like mentioned above, I worry about the internal parts not drying out and not getting oil afterwards.

It’s loud though. I have to run it outside. Like it’s really loud. I don’t know if they are all like that or not.

It was $100. I don’t know how that compares to Harbor Freight. But I’ve had this one for 3 years or so and have used it probably 6 times.

But it works great though.

 

[Johnnu2]

I, personally, enjoy taking my guns apart for deep cleaning (which is seldom needed). There was a time when I hesitated to dismantle an auto (Colt Woodsman); this was way before YOUTUBE or the excellent books/manuals available now. I called S&W and spoke with a tech who suggested two great methods. The first was to simply submerse the gun in a tub of kerosene for several days; then blow it out with an air compressor. No need to further lubricate. The other was a 2 step process. Spray liberally inside and out (without taking it apart) with brake parts cleaner. The force of the spray (and LIBERAL AMOUNTS of cleaner) will remove most anything lodge inside the gun. Then, spray liberally with lubricant and blow out with the air compressor. Both methods seem to work well and help me avoid buying more "stuff" that I really don't need ))).

J.

 

[rcs9250]

I’m in the disassemble to the individual piece part level school. In my opinion it’s the only way to know the part is clean and any residue isn’t trapped somewhere. I initially bought my ultrasonic cleaner for rebuilding scuba regulators. After I stopped servicing regulators I did use it on the reloading bench but switched to tumbling with metallic pin media.
Ultrasonic typically is not recommended for plastics and aluminum parts, YMMV.
It’s amazing how different additive solutions that are sold work on cleaning. Plain water works but the cleaning solutions really speed up the process. My unit has a heater and really helps.

 

[peachhead]

I have the 6 liter one.
I probably don't use it enough to justify having it. It does work. There are a multitude of cleaning solutions out there for it.
The 6 liter is a good size for suppressors.

Sometimes I would just as soon have a small parts washer full of diesel or kerosene, like this.

 

[Kevin]

I know you can make your own cleaning solution for the ultrasonic cleaners. I've bought some and it's lasted a while. Plus I bought some gentle jewelry cleaning solution for some of my wife's jewelry. It did a great job, so she is happy.

And to the OP, just remember, if you buy solution, the larger the cleaner, the more solution it will take. Just a thought. A while back, I found a very small ultra sonic cleaner at the thrift store. It's literally only big enough for say 4 rings, it's that small. But it hardly takes any solution at all, and works ok. Sometimes I have to run it twice. 10 minute cycles.

 

[RugerForMe]

I have and use a VEVOR 6L Ultrasonic Cleaner, 304 Stainless Steel I opted for Control knobs over a digital my feeling is less to fail.
For me the 6L has been the right size. I put parts and cleaner in a zip loc, fill the tub with distilled water and so far, still looks like new

 

[Jeepnik]

Actually, my most used ultrasonic cleaner is quite small. It will fit just one pair of eyeglasses. A couple of drops of dish soap in warm water and run the glasses through, then another trip through with fresh water. It has a built in timer of about 5 minutes. Nothing I have found cleans eyeglasses better. Absolutely no scratches that can occur with other methods.

 

[tazbigdog]

A friend of mine, a gun writer, had one 20+ years ago, and I thought what a great idea. Needless to say, I did not buy one, and now at 68 YOA, I'll pass.

 

[oldmarine69]

Looking at two different ultrasonic cleaners from Harbor Freight. CENTRAL MACHINERY 2.5 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner and the 6 Liter Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner. I have a 1903 Colt Hammerless that needs a detailed cleaning but have been told it isn't easy like a 1911 to put back together. I though a ultrasonic cleaner would sub for detail cleaning. There is a lot of powder and old oil caked in the fireing area. The Harbor Freight near me has both in stock. Would ike to know if you have used one and if it does a good job cleaning or not. These are cheap and I know you get what you pay for.

Have you checked out Hornady's sonic cleaner? Their "Lock-N-Load" cleaner is available in 2L. And "One Shot" cleaning solutions? Not sure how much you want to spend. Scheels has the Hornady sonic cleaning tub, but the damn thing is nearly 700 bucks. Just another idea thrown into the mix.