Ultrasonic cleaner

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What are you guys running? My wife said she wanted one to run her jewelry through so I figured I might as well get one for dual use.
 
I got one that’s large enough for a pistol frame, 6L, but so far have used it for jewelry. I’m mostly a wipe it off kinda gun cleaner. Plan to try suppressor baffles in it one day.

mine is 180w worth of transducers, 3x60 is my guess, and has a 400w heater. I’d link to Amazon, but it’s gone, it was listed as an ultrasonic carb cleaner.
 
I’ve got the baby Hornady one. It’ll only run for 6min at a time so I have to be nearby to get a good 20min cleaning on things like baffles and bolts but it does a great job with either Zep Citrus or Simple Green, each mixed 50/50 water.
 
I've got a big one I just came in to. I'd say 10 inches wide and 18 inches long...Heavy! I got it this week, it's yours for free if you can get it!
That is a fantastic offer.

Chris, I’ve had 4 of them. Here is my advice (re firearm use).

1- best option is a used one that was designed for dental use. On of the major brands is Branson. These units are much, much more powerful than the $99 ones marketed for gun use and you can usually find them used.

2- surprisingly, Grizzly sells a rifle sized unit that has pretty powerful transducers for a reasonable price. I recall paying around $400 for mine and it will take a rifle barrel. It does a great job too. The owner of Grizzly is an F class shooter and their firearms related products are usually pretty good.

3- industrial models do a great job but are expensive.

4- don’t bother with the inexpensive ones from Lyman, etc. They are better than nothing, but that’s it. They are good for jewelry though, because they are gentle.

5 don’t get one way oversized for your needs. The reason why is that they usually have transducers mounted to the sides of the tank and you have to fill it above the transducer level. This means that you will end up going thru several gallons of cleaning fluid even if you only need to clean one pistol.

6 - my SME is about 3 years old, and their might be good, inexpensive options today that I’m unaware of.
 
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That is a fantastic offer.

Chris, I’ve had 4 of them. Here is my advice (re firearm use).

1- best option is a used one that was designed for dental use. On of the major brands is Branson. These units are much, much more powerful than the $99 ones marketed for gun use and you can usually find them used.

2- surprisingly, Grizzly sells a rifle sized unit that has pretty powerful transducers for a reasonable price. I recall paying around $400 for mine and it will take a rifle barrel. It does a great job too. The owner of Grizzly is an F class shooter and their firearms related products are usually pretty good.

3- industrial models do a great job but are expensive.

4- don’t bother with the inexpensive ones from Lyman, etc. They are better than nothing, but that’s it. They are good for jewelry though, because they are gentle.

5 don’t get one way oversized for your needs. The reason why is that they usually have transducers mounted to the sides of the tank and you have to fill it above the transducer level. This means that you will end up going thru several gallons of cleaning fluid even if you only need to clean one pistol.

6 - my SME is about 3 years old, and their might be good, inexpensive options today that I’m unaware of.

Something like this?

Branson Model B200 Ultrasonic Cleaner, 120V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XYF22W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ySIcFbDW3J9WQ


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I have a Pro-Craft 23.583I use for small parts, works pretty good, but there's no timer and no way to turn off the heater. Not sure how it compares to the newer ones as mine is probably 20 years old, still puts holes in aluminum foil just fine though. Haven't used it to clean brass yet, use it mostly to clean jewelry and small parts in the shop.
 
Thanks gents and ty Billy for the offer. Let me figure out where i plan on keeping this and decide from there. I’ve done a great job cleaning out the workshop. I can almost see a bit of counter space.
 
Along the same lines how often do you guys clean your part in your cleaners? Once in a while deep clean or after every range trip sort of thing?


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5 don’t get one way oversized for your needs. The reason why is that they usually have transducers mounted to the sides of the tank and you have to fill it above the transducer level. This means that you will end up going thru several gallons of cleaning fluid even if you only need to clean one pistol.

SOP for that one is to fill up with water to transducer level and put smaller items in small glass/beaker/container filled with cleaning solution.
 
I bought a Harbor Fright one years ago (yes I spelled it that way on purpose) when I wasn't sure if I wanted one or not. Thought it was a cheap alternative to try it out. Darn thing won't die and does a great job. It's heated too which I think helps a lot. I didn't pay $80 for it and you can always get huge coupons from them. I use the Lyman ultrasonic gun cleaning solution with it, and all is well.
 
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I have this one and have been using it with pistol parts and small engine carb parts with good results.
Although I did buy it more on a whim without much research into ultrasonic cleaners, which isn't like me, it has held up well for about 6 years now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ACDVDCO
 
Reviving this thread to ask a related question - what cleaning solution do you use in an ultrasonic cleaner?
 
I've been using this stuff with good results: https://lrultrasonics.com/solutions/weapon-cleaning-215
215-copy-575x575-828872165.png
 
I know its an old thread but if anyone wants to know about ultrasonic cleaners.. this is the one I used to clean cellphone and tablet PCS for water damage.
 
I have a smaller Hornady one, works pretty good, perfect for cleaning jewelry.
 
I bought a Harbor Fright one years ago (yes I spelled it that way on purpose) when I wasn't sure if I wanted one or not. Thought it was a cheap alternative to try it out. Darn thing won't die and does a great job. It's heated too which I think helps a lot. I didn't pay $80 for it and you can always get huge coupons from them. I use the Lyman ultrasonic gun cleaning solution with it, and all is well.
I have the same one and have had it three years. Got it on a Super Sale Deal and I think I didn't pay but $30 for it at the time. I use the Hornady Ultrasonic cleaner. I use it to clean small parts and stainless items.
 
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