All,

I posted in reloading about maybe getting a HF 6 liter ultrasonic to clean dirty brass. This new unit has a large enough basket that I could easily put a dissasembled 226 or Glock in the machine.

Has anyone done this? Will it damage the anodizing, streak the finish? Do I need distilled water? Can I blow water out the firing pin chamber with compressed air?

Better to ask here than learn the hard way....

Unless your P226 is a steel frame, you should never chance it with aluminum alloy parts. The usual solutions (both acidic and bases) used with ultrasonic cleaners coupled with the frequency resonance can cause pitting and overall corrosion in the aluminum. It's a surefire way of ruining any alloy classic P-SIG or Beretta 92.

Not an endorsement. Take this suggestion at your own risk. Simple Green aircraft grade

Regular Simple Green attacks aluminum and paints, but this is supposed to be safe for both (aircraft use a great deal of aluminum and magnesium), and your gun is not painted.

I use a product on Amazon specifically for gun parts: https://a.co/d/6nkOqUZ

I've used it with high heat for 30 minutes with old Sigs and new Sigs, and never had a problem.

I did have a problem with the tube of an OSS suppressor. A very small amount of the finish came off in one place where it was touching the basket. I'm not sure what the finish was. It did not damage the metal. This is the only part I've ever had an issue with.

The 6l ultrasonic cleaner on Amazon is cheaper than the one from Harbor Freight. Who woulda thunk it.

VEVOR Commercial Ultrasonic Cleaner 6L Professional Ultrasonic Cleaner 40kHz with Digital Timer&Heater 110V Excellent Cleaning Machine for Watch Instruments Industrial Parts Excellent Cleaner Solution

quote:

Originally posted by neex:
I use a product on Amazon specifically for gun parts: https://a.co/d/6nkOqUZ

I've used it with high heat for 30 minutes with old Sigs and new Sigs, and never had a problem.

I did have a problem with the tube of an OSS suppressor. A very small amount of the finish came off in one place where it was touching the basket. I'm not sure what the finish was. It did not damage the metal. This is the only part I've ever had an issue with.

I looked into the HF unit but it was not as good as the ones I found on Amazon as a deal or quality.
I have only used mine so far for auto parts but will use it eventually on my guns perhaps.
Using the correct solution that won't eat into finishes is critical.
Haven't tried any yet but I wouldn't treat it the same as auto parts.

Simple Green for greasy parts, think car, motorcycle, motors.... Simple Green is Good to Go on brass.

Use this for guns:

https://ads.midwayusa.com/prod...sEAQYASABEgI1APD_BwE

or some similar product.
I use purified or distilled water. Not that I'm too worried about minerals in my tap water, but if you have a lot of minerals in the water you're tossing in the ultrasonic, it may mess up your gun. There's a few stories about Simple Green messing up anodizing, and I like not messing up my guns.

Heat that puppy up, toss your gun(s) in, wait 30, 45 mins or so. Somewhere around the 20 min mark, I like running a brush through the barrel, throwing it back in. When I say they come out clean, they come out CLEAN!
It removes every bit of oil or grease off the gun. Remember to wipe the gun down with a silicone cloth / oily rag - especially if your in a humid area.