Ultrasonic cleaner for HK's?

[<Mach1]

Lately I find myself doing more cleaning than shooting & I've been debating getting an ultrasonic. My major concern is what it might do to HKs finish. I've been using MPro 7 for cleaning & following up with Break Free CPL on my USP's. Excluding normal wear, they look new & run flawlessly. The MPro is supposed to work in an ultrasonic but I'm wondering...

Any success or horror stories?

[cmdrdredd]

Local shop has an ultrasonic cleaner. Uses it for everything from revolvers to HKs, to 1911s. No ill effects that I'm aware of.

[LSP 972]

Get ready for sticker shock; a quality ultrasonic cleaner w/accoutrements is frightfully expensive.

But I agree; its the way to go with HKs, especially the P7. I've been giving mine a whore bath (spray-down) with non-chlorinated brake cleaner every couple of thousand rounds; remove the grips and douche her down. Mine is Black T'ed, so I don't worry about no lube in a critical area that I cannot get to, miss, etc.

But that is a VERY messy procedure, plus that stuff isn't good for direct skin exposure.

An ultrasonic cleaner is one of those "future" purchases I have on the long-range calendar...

.

[Landpimp]

been using one for 2 years, just love the darn thing. found mine at a garage sale, $40 and its BIG, forget the brand but it didnt matter

use the L&R cleaner and lube only IMOP

keep your fingers out when running

still need to clean the lead in the barrel

no faster, but you can do other stuff when cleaning, I do a bunch of guns at once, just rotate(I have 2 trays, Costco or resturant supply= cheap trays)

great for grubby HK bolt carriers, trigger packs and stuff

no smell, nothing to go BOOM, safe

make sure you lightly oil down when done

[Creeper]

The only time I've seen an ultrasonic do damage was with guns that had a cheap, "spray & bake" finish, or with some types of nickel plating where there was already flaking of the nickel from age/use etc.
Other than those two semi-unique occurances, ultrasonics are sweet and work just like Landpimp discribes.

C

[Sobriquet]

I remember someone saying here that ultrasonic cleaners weren't good for polymer framed guns. Something about microcracks? Is that fud?

[cmdrdredd]

I remember someone saying here that ultrasonic cleaners weren't good for polymer framed guns. Something about microcracks? Is that fud?

I think so, as the local shop uses them for M&P, XD, PX4, HK, taurus, ruger SR9 etc

[dtheman]

I'd probably keep the polymer out of the machine

[Kenji]

I have posted the warnings about ultrasonics causing microcracks and causing existing imperfections to worsen.

Most of the people that use an ultrasonic tank to clean things, including their guns, truly believe that no damage can be caused by ultrasonics. This is because they do not have the equipment to inspect for damage. A Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and how many people have access to one. An analogy would be saying that a virus does not make you sick, because you can not see it.

I previously had used ultrasonics for cleaning and degreasing for more than 20 years and I also had the right technology for looking at the damage caused by ultrasonics.

I am not trying to be "Chicken Little" and say the sky is falling, but I am trying to warn of the possible dangers of ultrasonics. Many folks here on this board share their knowledge and experience. I am trying to share some of mine. Just be aware of the possibilities.

Here is the text of one of my previous responses on ultrasonics:

In some of the posts people were talking about putting the gun in an ultrasonic tank overnight.

As I mentioned, I would not put polymer parts in the tank for more than a couple of minutes. That should take care of loosening up anything on there. Anything longer would would just give you diminishing returns.

A hunk of metal (like a barrel) will most likely not be damaged by the ultrasonics if it is not already fatigued. It would not bother me one bit to put any surgical tools in an ultrasonic tank, as there is little to damage. They do a great job of getting crud off, by creating "little explosions" or shocks.

If you do have any microscopic defects it will worsen them. Think of what happens to a crack in glass or a windshield if you tap on it - the crack propagates.

I am not saying that if you put your polymer gun in an ultrasonic, that it is going to fall apart. I am saying that if you do want to do it, you put it in for the minimum amount of time necessary.

It is a MUST to recheck any screws or pins that might loosen up.

[TRK]

I personally don't think I would consider the whole process. Run some Sweets to get the copper out and oil the bore up and HAPPY SHOOTING

[vanbo]

I had a cheap Harbor Freight unit for a few days, but didn't successfully clean anything with it, even simple stuff like jewelry. Don't know if it was defective, or if my expectations were too high, but I returned it. I was thinking it would knock most of the gunk off of gun cylinders, and certainly crud off of jewelry, with little or no elbow grease. SEveral cycles, using heated water, with varying cleaning agents, and it didn't seem to do squat. Just wondering what results are being achieved by those with ultrasonic cleaners, and what brands/models are being used to clean gun parts.

[AmericanEagle]

In my experience with ultrasonic cleaners, the solution is just as important and the temperature of that solution.

I don't know if the smaller cheaper units heat the solution but in our large tank at a previous job the solution was 100 degrees or better.

And its not a quick fix, you need to let it work for a few hours or so.

Ultrasonic cleaners will attack defects but not cause them. If you have an existing crack in your frame or other vital part, then i don't think worrying about the additional damage is much of a concern at that point

[bonehead]

Not having seen one of these in person, what is the minimum size tank one would need to fit one full size frame handgun?

[9mil]

I had a similar experience with one of the cheap ones from harbor freight for jewelry and such. I was really disappointed with the results. If I put some dirty gun parts in mine I'm sure it wouldn't do anything.

[Big Dave S.]

Ultrasonics need to be tested routinely to see if they are functioning properly. A lot of them, especially the cheaper ones, don't really work. Put a square of aluminum foil in the solution. After a couple of minutes you should start to see holes developing in the foil. If you don't, your unit is not working correctly.

[9mil]

Ill check it out. Thanks Dave.

[Landpimp]

mine is unheated but the solution will heat up when doing whatever magic US cleaners do

[SIGtrarian]

I remember someone saying here that ultrasonic cleaners weren't good for polymer framed guns. Something about microcracks? Is that fud?The trick is to suspend the gun in the cleaner without letting it come into contact with the sides of the ultrasonic machine. This prevents the microcracks. This way the liquid is vibrating and not the gun. If jewelry is cleaned, same thing. Instead of microcracks, though, the settings for the diamonds loosen up.

[<Mach1]

I ended getting a Crest F-1200HT System from Greg at Police Products (http://www.policeproductscorp.com/) & it works great.

One thing to be cautious of though. As the solution gets dirty it becomes more abrasive & its wise to change it sooner than later. First time I used mine it was getting a bit murky by the second gun & it actually started to remove the finish from one of my mags where it contacted the stainless basket the parts sit in. The finish on everything else was fine but it was a wake up call.

[duckstupid]

We use one at the place I work. Twice a year we tear deown our M4 and dunk them. One thing about using one is when they come out of the vat the metal is bone dry, I mean dry. If you don't oil the hell out of the parts and let them soak for at least 4 hours you might have a rust issue

[bonehead]

I ended getting a Crest F-1200HT System from Greg at Police Products (http://www.policeproductscorp.com/) & it works great.

One thing to be cautious of though. As the solution gets dirty it becomes more abrasive & its wise to change it sooner than later. First time I used mine it was getting a bit murky by the second gun & it actually started to remove the finish from one of my mags where it contacted the stainless basket the parts sit in. The finish on everything else was fine but it was a wake up call.

Do you mind telling us how much you paid for that unit? You can also PM me. Thanks.

[<Mach1]

Do you mind telling us how much you paid for that unit? You can also PM me. Thanks.Greg offered me the "LE" price which was 1,883.00 and shipping came out to 51.49.
The product is not cheap but compared to what I have invested in HK I figure its well worth it.