ultrasonic cleaner

CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA

CGN Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Location
Quebec
I recently bought an ultrasonic cleaner on Ebay, and this proved to be a terrific investment. You won't believe the crud that ends up at the bottom of the tank. I have done plenty of research on this topic. The best cleaner fluid to use? Warm water with a few drops of liquid detergent.

I strip my guns completely, including the slide, firing pin.spring,and extractor. I dunk everything for a 5 minute scrub in the tank. That's all the time that's needed, and the gun parts come out shiny and squeaky clean. I carefully dry each part , one at a time, then dunk all the parts back in homemade Ed's Red ( the recipe is very easy to find, and by all accounts the homemade batch is as good or better than the real stuff at a tiny fraction of the cost)

Why dunk the parts in Ed's Red AFTER the ultrasonic clean? This will displace any moisture left over from the water/detergent, and Ed's Red will leave a fine protective film. Some websites will suggest you use the Ed's Red directly in the ultrasonic cleaner, but I find the detergent more effective in stripping the steel of all crud, oil, and grit.
I think my two step process takes a little extra time but is well worth the effort. By the time I assemble the whole gun, it is as clean as when it left the factory.

I bought my ultrasonic cleaner on Ebay for about 25 dollars, and 2 liters of homemade Ed's Red costs about $16 with ingredients found at Canadian Tire.
 
Did you leave the Acetone out of the Ed's Red formula? You don't need it with an ultrasonic cleaner and if you put acetone in you need to store it in a metal container as opposed to a plastic gas can. Also acetone brings the flashpoint to a dangerous level... you probably read all this when you got the formula, but for the benefit of others, it should be stated - the original Ed's Red formula needs to be handled in a well ventilated area free of any flame...

P.S. I have a 7.5 gallon VWR Ultrasonic unit. Works great - I can get my whole AR in it.
 
Have one myself, an old 8"x6"x3"unit from my dad's dental practice. Best ultrasonic crud-cutter I have found is.......Windex. Heat it up in the microwave and then pour it in.

Or you can fill the US cleaner with hot water and then imerse the parts inside a mason jar filled with windex. Esier way to keep track of smaller parts.

1022 mags, barrels, slides, I just drop right in.
 
50% vinegar, 50% water with a tbsp of Birchwood Casey brass cleaner cleans brass up nice and shiny like new (if they're not scratched) - even those pesky primer pockets if you decap first.

A 'trick' with those smaller units is to not overload them. The 1 pint ebay untils can only really handle 10 or so pieces of 308 brass at a time.
 
There is a great ultrasonic detergent called Enzymax by Hu-Friedy sold through dental dealers like Patterson Dental, Henry Schein Ash Arcona and Sinclair Dental. You can find these dealers in any major city. It is 100% biodegradable, has a steel guard agent for preventing corrosion and has another agent to remove water spots and stains. It's the best ultrasonic detergent I know of. Hope this helps!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom