A while back we discussed ultrasonic cleaning. Here are a few observations:
There are a wide variety of units that will clean an entire pistol. They range from Chinese to American to German made. The German Elmasonic costs about 4 times a Chinese equivalent. The sizes advertised are deceptive. They give the tub or basket top dimensions. But, tubs and some baskets get much smaller as they get deeper. Capacity is also stated in liters. But, this is the total capacity of the tub, in use tub must be 2/3 full (at most)or an inch or so from the top. So, if you want to clean an entire pistol (disassembled) you will need at least a 5 liter unit.
Cleaning
I found that ultrasonic cleaning would not thoroughly clean any of my guns, no matter the unit or technique. I could always wipe more dirt off with a rag or q-tip. An exception was magazines. These felt smoother after ultrasonic cleaning than after manual cleaning.
I am going to buy an ultrasonic cleaner, a cheapo Chinese one. The good ones cost 4x as much, and neither the expensive or the cheap clean thoroughly. Furthermore, both the American made Sharpertec and German made Elma were defective but usable. Both of the Chinese cleaners worked ok. I have no doubt that the Elma will last longer than the Chinese units. So, if I were going to use the cleaner daily, I would buy the Elma.
Here is my technique: Heat the solution to as high as the cleaner will allow. Clean the gun. Rinse under running water. Submerge in 90% alcohol and drain several times. (This will remove all water.) Let alcohol evaporate for a few minutes. Submerge in Hoppe's No. 9 and drain several times. Allow to drain thoroughly and wipe as much off as possible. (This minimizes over-lubrication.) The inner parts that cannot be wiped are probably over-lubed. It might be desirable to blow some Hoppe's out with an air hose used briefly.
My feeling is that ulatrasonic cleaning of inaccessible gun areas, is better than no cleaning at all, but not as good as a gunsmith disassembling the entire gun and manually cleaning everything.
There are a wide variety of units that will clean an entire pistol. They range from Chinese to American to German made. The German Elmasonic costs about 4 times a Chinese equivalent. The sizes advertised are deceptive. They give the tub or basket top dimensions. But, tubs and some baskets get much smaller as they get deeper. Capacity is also stated in liters. But, this is the total capacity of the tub, in use tub must be 2/3 full (at most)or an inch or so from the top. So, if you want to clean an entire pistol (disassembled) you will need at least a 5 liter unit.
Cleaning
I found that ultrasonic cleaning would not thoroughly clean any of my guns, no matter the unit or technique. I could always wipe more dirt off with a rag or q-tip. An exception was magazines. These felt smoother after ultrasonic cleaning than after manual cleaning.
I am going to buy an ultrasonic cleaner, a cheapo Chinese one. The good ones cost 4x as much, and neither the expensive or the cheap clean thoroughly. Furthermore, both the American made Sharpertec and German made Elma were defective but usable. Both of the Chinese cleaners worked ok. I have no doubt that the Elma will last longer than the Chinese units. So, if I were going to use the cleaner daily, I would buy the Elma.
Here is my technique: Heat the solution to as high as the cleaner will allow. Clean the gun. Rinse under running water. Submerge in 90% alcohol and drain several times. (This will remove all water.) Let alcohol evaporate for a few minutes. Submerge in Hoppe's No. 9 and drain several times. Allow to drain thoroughly and wipe as much off as possible. (This minimizes over-lubrication.) The inner parts that cannot be wiped are probably over-lubed. It might be desirable to blow some Hoppe's out with an air hose used briefly.
My feeling is that ulatrasonic cleaning of inaccessible gun areas, is better than no cleaning at all, but not as good as a gunsmith disassembling the entire gun and manually cleaning everything.
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