Ultrasonic Cleaner Revisited

I am in the process of editing a video right now on the Ultrasonic Cleaner revisted. I am talking about a new solution that I have started using to minimize the amount of time that I am cleaning the brass. The solution is lemishine. When first starting out, I usually run the first set of cases for 2 cycles of 480. After that, the water is pretty hot and it only takes one cycle from that point on. When I mixed this solution up, I added too much lemishine. Be looking out in the youtube section below for the video. I will be posting pics here. Feel free to use this thread to discuss the Ultrasonic Cleaner if you like.

What I have done was taken one case uncleaned and cut it open to show the inside. These cases for my ar, 1 time fired. So they aren't really cruddy, it shows the point. Then after I cleaned the brass, I cut another one open and took a pic to compare the 2....

Do you get better grouping one way or the other? Longer shell life?

Dang...I wish I still had my old ultrasonic cleaner that was used for cleaning diesel fuel injectors....maybe I can make one with one of my stainless pans and some sort of high speed vibrating source.

Do ya think an old tumbler motor vibrates fast enough?

let us know what you come up with I would rather build a bigger ultrasonic cleaner than buy one....


just a thought? Has anyone ever used an ultra sonic cleaner to clean a gun???? it would be nice to take the grips off and drop the old pistol in after shooting.... pull it out all clean after spending the usual cleaning time for loading, coffee, whatever and give it an oil wipe down????

I'm not so sure that's a good idea.... One reason for disassembly other than cleaning is inspection. Also many guns are plastic or have small plastic parts that could be damaged by the solution...even the thread locker could be weakened. Plus you would have to figure out a way to get all the solution out of the gun and re-lube it without having to submerge the whole thing in oil.

Plus I wouldn't want my finish getting worn from possible metal to metal contact.

Individual parts, like barrels, magazines,etc would be ok.

RichBirdHunter wrote:Do you get better grouping one way or the other? Longer shell life?

Bench rest shooters have reported better accuracy. I am not sure for the purpose that I shoot that I would notice a difference. As far as brass expectancy from using this,,, I am not sure. I am sure we have a member that is much more knowledable in this area than I am.

I mainly use mine or my cases that I make jackets out of for swaging. Helps to bond the core to the case better with little contaminantes. I try to keep the jackets as clean as possible.

Is that the new Hornady ultrasonic cleaner I have seen at Midway, MidSouth and others?

I have been watching these ideas for ultrasonic cleaning of brass as it would appear to do a much better job than tumbling alone.

The military has fooled around with various "tank" style cleaning systems. Most destroyed the finish and plastic parts (hey you did not need those handgrips anyway).

We watched the Afghans toss their AKs into buckets of diesel and/or kerosene which destroys the wood and rips the finish off and does a so so job of cleaning the crap out of the gun.

After soaking a good liberal scrubbing with a diesel or kerosene-soaked rag and a steel rod to make sure the rifling is as buggered as possible and bell the muzzle so it looks like a muzzleloader was accomplished with gusto while reciting pasages from the Quaran.

The auto parts stores sometimes sell B12 Chemtool which is great for cleaning small auto parts and a pint or so in 20 gals of gasoline is a good water remover and injector cleaner. Diesels tend to run hot with B12 but it will strip all the crud from the tanks and lines and dump it in the filters and injectors.

Small one gallon cans of B12 are great for soaking small parts but will strip finish and destroys plastic and rubber. I used to dump my '72 Charger's Holly carbs in a can of B12 to clean them.

I have seen some gunsmiths use B12 as a stripper and cleaner before refinishing metal parts and is great for removing all grease and oils, even cosmoline.

However use caution B12 Chemtool has a high VOC and a flash point around 60 deg F. Use in well ventilated areas and do not smoke!

The vibrating cleaners are a great idea that should improve I am betting in the coming years.

How is the smell? My wife is very scentsitive, and more than once I have been banned frrom using a cleaning product in the house due to smell. I cannot use Montana Xtreme bore scrubber in the house because it makes my wife ill.

hawcer wrote:Dang...I wish I still had my old ultrasonic cleaner that was used for cleaning diesel fuel injectors....maybe I can make one with one of my stainless pans and some sort of high speed vibrating source.

Do ya think an old tumbler motor vibrates fast enough?

The frequency is what you need. Let me grab my box and I will let you know what frequency you have to have in order to make an Ultrasonic Cleaner. I know some has played around with strapping a hand sander to a bucket and tried that. I am not sure if there is enough of a frequency for that to work tho...

Back in the Day LOL lets just say a while ago my SOG used to strip our Stoners and 60s down and drop them in a gunk tank. then take them out blow them dry with compressed air. scrub the bore out with solvent and then swab them all down with cleaner. It was the only way we could get them back in the armory. we had a 1 A#$ hole Gunny. He loved to screw with us sailors. but anyway back on point that works really well but as every one is saying use with caution. Rubber seals and wood finishes dosent react too well with most chemical cleaning agents.

scorge30 wrote:Is that the new Hornady ultrasonic cleaner I have seen at Midway, MidSouth and others?

I have been watching these ideas for ultrasonic cleaning of brass as it would appear to do a much better job than tumbling alone.

The military has fooled around with various "tank" style cleaning systems. Most destroyed the finish and plastic parts (hey you did not need those handgrips anyway).

We watched the Afghans toss their AKs into buckets of diesel and/or kerosene which destroys the wood and rips the finish off and does a so so job of cleaning the crap out of the gun.

After soaking a good liberal scrubbing with a diesel or kerosene-soaked rag and a steel rod to make sure the rifling is as buggered as possible and bell the muzzle so it looks like a muzzleloader was accomplished with gusto while reciting pasages from the Quaran.

The auto parts stores sometimes sell B12 Chemtool which is great for cleaning small auto parts and a pint or so in 20 gals of gasoline is a good water remover and injector cleaner. Diesels tend to run hot with B12 but it will strip all the crud from the tanks and lines and dump it in the filters and injectors.

Small one gallon cans of B12 are great for soaking small parts but will strip finish and destroys plastic and rubber. I used to dump my '72 Charger's Holly carbs in a can of B12 to clean them.

I have seen some gunsmiths use B12 as a stripper and cleaner before refinishing metal parts and is great for removing all grease and oils, even cosmoline.

However use caution B12 Chemtool has a high VOC and a flash point around 60 deg F. Use in well ventilated areas and do not smoke!

The vibrating cleaners are a great idea that should improve I am betting in the coming years.

How is the smell? My wife is very scentsitive, and more than once I have been banned frrom using a cleaning product in the house due to smell. I cannot use Montana Xtreme bore scrubber in the house because it makes my wife ill.

Na, XbonesX and I bought these units brand new off ebay for around 60 bucks. I will have to take a pic of my machine. XbonesX and I believe that the company that sells these on ebay is the same one that does the Hornady. The difference is the color of the machine. Rest of it is exactly a twin. The reason for the price on this is that the chinese evidently could not spell the instructions right on the front. It states "Add water before turn on it" something to that effect.

Using the Micro 90 solution, I have torn down an old shot gun I had and cleaned it. It got it pretty dang clean let me tell you. Now it took the blueing off of the receiver. Which is fine as I am going to reblue it anyways if I can find a new stock for this. The problem, half a year now, and found no one that makes a stock for it...

Oh Scorge, as far as the smell, with the Lemishine, there isn't a smell to it at all...

The frequency in which this uses to clean is 42,000 hz for those who are interested in trying to make one....

ok off subject i know but try numerich gun parts.
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/
they may just have a stock for you.

Yep checked them out to

DW any chance you could post a link to Fleabay where you bought these?

At $100 per the Hornady machines look interesting but there does not appear to much difference in machines from the ones I see at rock hound meets and the swap meets compared to the one sold by Hornady.

I am always looking for an easier and (I hope) cheaper way to clean brass. I was looking at the Iosso stuff from Midway but am concerned about the smell as the wife is very scentsitive to chemical smells.

DW try Old Western Scrounger and Sarco for that shotgun stock. Sometimes I am amazed what those two companies have in inventory.

Daywalker wrote:The frequency in which this uses to clean is 42,000 hz for those who are interested in trying to make one....

I guess I'm gonna have to take my Siremeter to everything I have that vibrates and look for the majic 42,000 hz

hey tommy what is the kind make of shotgun???? I have some gunsmith buddies that have warehouses of old gun parts....

I will have to dig the reciever back out. It is one of them old Western Auto or Sears model. There was a couple manufactures that put them out for sale like Stevens and such. I will get back to ya...

i clean my pistol barrels in an ultrasonic cleaner it cleanes them very well...

You can buy a 2.5 liter ultrasonic cleaner for $70, that will do a whole bunch of brass. http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

Thanks for the tip, I shop HFT all the time.

I spoke with a very good gunsmith this weekend.... he teaches at tishamingo gunsmithing school and he said ultrasonic cleaning of firearms is one of the newest things starting to hit the mainstream..... he said they have done it for years at the school.... So maybe there is something to this.... he was telling me diluted simple green works great??? anyone have any experience with this???

I know they sell special solutions just for cleaning firearms in the ultrasonic cleaner as not to harm the firearm in any way. Still, only do this if your comfortable enough and now what your doing. You will still have to dry it very well and oil it up pretty good. Make sure you get all the moisture out of the firearm when done. Make sure that your plastic is protected and the solution will not eat the plastic parts up. Well I guess plastic is not the correct term. Polymer ummm MiMs parts and so forth....

yeah.... I called him today and picked his brain some more,... he told me this is not a good practice for just anyone.... he said the person has to have a bit of knowledge about the firearms to be cleaned... a complete tear down is needed take as many parts off that you can and he also said that is the reason to use diluted simple green harmless to polymers...

that being said if anyone decides to give the favorite gun a bath do not yell at me if it drowns....

BTW: nicholst55 do you have that HFT ultrasonic cleaner????

I saw them at the HFT store and was wondering about them..... it is a pretty big one for the money.....

I too was looking at the HFT store cleaner.

I was thinking for AR15 and G3 (and other gas-driven) BCGs, a ultrasonic cleaner may be the ticket for getting the crud off,

Especially for DIS guns like AR15s, I bet dropping the BCG in a diluted solution of simple green or some other cleaner would make carbon clean off much easier.

The bolt on my G3 is a PITA to tear down for cleaning and I am considering one of these cleaners to ease maintenance on these rifles.

Next DIS BCG I buy I want to get from Fail Zero.
http://www.failzero.com/productaquisition.html?page=shop.browse&category_id=1