Ultrasonic cleaning question - drying parts

J

JC JC

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After ultrasonic cleaning, I'm concerned about water getting in hard to reach places, and rusting.
After towel drying the parts (handgun slide, barrel, and a disassembled AR-15 bolt), would it be stupid to try to completely dry the parts by baking them in a warm oven (90-100 degrees C) for a few minutes?

Will baking completely oil-stripped gun parts damage the metal?

Thanks,
JC
 
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Towel dry then either an air compressor with filter, so you dont have water or machine oil going on the clean firearm. A close second would be compressed air cans.. i pick them up at costco.
 
Thanks guys. I know compressed air will work.
But that's not my question.

My question is whether or not baking gun parts at 100 degrees for 5 minutes, after stripping them completely with an ultrasonic treatment, will damage the parts in any way.
 
That probably depends on what kind of coating is on your parts...I posted a similar question about brass casings. If Brass can survive at higher temperatures I'm sure steel and aluminum will be fine. Keep it as low as tour oven can go and just keep it in there long enough to make evaporation speed up ... So 10-15m?
 
After ultrasonic cleaning (hot process in my cleaner) I rinse my parts off in hot tap water. The parts are hot enough to evaporate the water as they cool down. By all means put your parts in the oven at 225 degrees F, won't hurt a thing.
 
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Baking completely oil stripped parts will not damage steel or aluminum. What is will do however is increase the risk of rust.
Rinsing bare steel in cold water, then drying it off with compressed air in the nooks and crannies if necessary, followed immediately with a protective coating of oil is the best I have found when I have used water on guns.

I have never seen the need to oil strip gun parts as part of regular cleaning. Solvent to clean, then oil. Nothing to it. I have no need for an ultrasonic machine at all.
 
I scored a pile of LE Brass that was pretty tarnished that I use a mild acid bath/water rinse to get most of the oxidation off first. I found that without decapping first (sometimes I do, sometimes not) it would take forever for the inside to dry without heat. I started to use Methanol (fuel antifreeze) to displace the water, It works like a charm. I found I can reuse it 5-6 times as well. Just don't put it in oven, at least right away...unless your trying to gas yourself.
 
I've seen SOME steels that in the presence of water and heat will form a flash film of rust where the water is located. So I don't like to put heat and water together with steel.

I'd suggest that this is the perfect place to use WD-40 for exactly what it does best. Namely to reach in and displace water and take its place. After that blow the excess WD and any water away with a few shots of compressed air.
 
Heat and water is the basis of any ultrasonic cleaner that I have ever used. Hundreds if not thousands of engines went into the cleaner at the bike shop that I worked at and we never had a rust issue. Of course we used the solution supplied by Safetyclean in the Grease Monkey US Cleaner. Hot parts out of the cleaner, rinsed in hot clean water, compressed air dry. Done and ready to rebuild.

I use L&R cleaning solution and lube in my 25l US on my firearms. Yes I use oil and grease in addition.
 
fdc said:
Heat and water is the basis of any ultrasonic cleaner that I have ever used. Hundreds if not thousands of engines went into the cleaner at the bike shop that I worked at and we never had a rust issue. Of course we used the solution supplied by Safetyclean in the Grease Monkey US Cleaner. Hot parts out of the cleaner, rinsed in hot clean water, compressed air dry. Done and ready to rebuild.

I use L&R cleaning solution and lube in my 25l US on my firearms. Yes I use oil and grease in addition.
Click to expand...

As you say you're using a cleaner that has rust preventatives in it. And you used compressed air to blow MOST of the water out of the block.

I also gather from the wording that he's not breaking the gun down 100%. So lots of close fitting parts will be trying to hold the water between them in tighter fits. If I assumed the wrong then then sure, a blast of air and some baking would be just fine.
 
I use Lyman Turbo Sonic Ultrasonic Gun Lubricant. I read about this in one of the Brownells bench series. As the OP stated, I was also concerned about not being able to get in all the nooks and crannies so I bought this to try and haven't looked back. As of note, I still lubricate all essential parts but this ensures that I have a protective layer everywhere now.

https://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/ultrasonics/gunlube.php
 
I have a plastic tub with methyl hydrate. Alcohol and water are miscible (think Vodka) so the parts come out of the US cleaner, into the methyl hydrate and then air dry in a few minutes. The methyl hydrate gets into every crevice very well. Of course it will gradually be diluted with the H2O but it's cheap enough to toss out every few uses. This leaves parts completely unprotected so I lube immediately. Works very well for bolts and mags when I'm too lazy to disassemble completely.
 
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