I purchased a Gemtech GM-22 can. I have an ultrasonic cleaner inbound. Please advise me on what solvents you use with your cleaner. Also any tips on the use of the cleaner. Thank you.

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Gemtech GM-22

It’s 7075 aluminum. The punchline is, don’t clean it in your ultrasonic unless you want to destroy it. Simple Green makes an aircraft grade cleaner that’s supposed to be safe for use on aluminum in ultrasonics. My experience hasn’t been that. This would have been one of those times where being a newbie, I would have benefitted you to ask first, then buy, vs buying first and then asking.

Smudge, thanks for saving my butt! I canceled the order for the ultrasonic cleaner. This forum is awesome!

I still think an ultrasonic cleaner is worth having if you're shooting suppressed, mind you. The gun you put that can on is going to get dirtier than you've probably ever seen it, but at least you won't be stripping the anodizing off your new can.

Tough can to clean. Best to pre treat with silicon oil. Clean at regular intervals-500 rounds.

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Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Tough can to clean. Best to pre treat with silicon oil. Clean at regular intervals-500 rounds.

Thank you!

My buddy has The Gemtech 22 can. Harbor Freight Soda blaster using baking soda. Makes it musg easier to clean.

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Originally posted by SIGfourme:
My buddy has The Gemtech 22 can. Harbor Freight Soda blaster using baking soda. Makes it musg easier to clean.

Thank you!

I have that can. It was my first rimfire suppressor. Not as quiet as my Occulus, but still pretty decent. I don’t find it a particularly hard can to clean as long as you don’t let it get super filthy.

I pull the core and drop it in a small container of Breakthrough Suppressor cleaner. Let it sit for a few hours and then rinse. Any chunks left behind knock off with a plastic pick. Once the cleaning solution is used up I put it on a tub and take it off to the hazmat disposal along with my used motor oil. I scrub the inside of the tube with a brush.

If you let the can get too dirty you’ll have to use a small ratchet to unscrew the core from the tube. First few times I cleaned it I didn’t disassemble first and discovered that while the Breakthrough is a great cleaner it isn’t particularly gentle on ceracote and my GM22 is now more a dark grey than black.

The cleaner isn’t cheap, but it lasts longer than you expect. It will turn black as ink if you droop a dirty rimfire can in it, but I can usually get 2-3 good cleanings out of the little Tupperware container full I use. I’ll fill the container and drop the GM22 and the baffles from my occulus in at the same time.

Honestly I find that GM22 the easiest to clean can I own.

Oh yeah, if you go the cleaner route, WEAR GLOVES. The solvent itself is non toxic. The lead and heavy metals it dissolves out of the can and will then transport efficiently through your skin are not.

Wear gloves and dispose of properly. It’s not nuclear waste, but you don’t want it on your skin or in your groundwater.

Thank you!

If you have a serviceable baffle stack, get an alignment tool to keep the vents aligned.

I get mine from hammy3dprints. They're cheap and work for listed suppressors. He even had the one for my CMMG.

My Thundercan doesn't require it as it has a huge back chamber to absorb the blast.

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hammy3dprints.

just educational I have no idea why one would need this tool? Every single suppressor .22lr I own has either keyed baffles or they don't care the orientation. Interested in what it does.

Some require alignment, the CMMG does along with a few other stacked baffle suppressors.

There's no keys to align other than the marks on the baffles, they can twist when tightening the end caps.

My Shaw has no vents so it doesn't matter.

Thank you Mars!

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Some require alignment, the CMMG does along with a few other stacked baffle suppressors

seems like a dumb design. you need a 3rd party tool to put it back toghether?
In any case I would never think to ask about that in a purchase so I'll add it to my research for the future.

It’s a $230 suppressor.
If a $12 tool is a cleaning accessory, I’m good with the design.

There are many 9mm that require baffle alignment.

My $1400 Jekyll and Hyde doesn’t require alignment because it has three vents.

K baffles don’t require alignment either.