How Ultrasonic Gun Cleaning Works
Before we delve into why an ultrasonic gun cleaner is best for cleaning your firearms, it's useful to know how the process works. Ultrasonic cleaners work by producing high-frequency sound waves that disrupt the cleaning liquid. As a result, tiny vapor-filled bubbles form and collapse against the surface of objects submerged in the solution. When the bubbles collapse, they release hot jets of water that have enough force to remove contaminants from the object's surface. This process will clean any part that is submerged in the cleaning solution. An ultrasonic cleaner can help with lubrication too. Once the parts are clean, the cleaning solution can be replaced with a lubricant and the ultrasonic cleaner can be used once again to ensure all parts are lubricated. The lubricating fluid also displaces water to further prevent rust.
Advantages of Ultrasonic Weapons Cleaning
Traditional gun cleaning can represent somewhat of a ritual for some gun owners, but that's really where the benefits of traditional cleaning end. There are a whole host of reasons why ultrasonic gun cleaning is preferred by so many gun collectors, law enforcement agencies, shooting range operators, and other gun owners. Some of the main benefits of ultrasonic weapons cleaners are:
- They clean and lubricate thoroughly
- Cleaning time is reduced
- Parts dry quickly
- Specially formulated solutions are available
Let's looks at these in more detail:
1. They clean and lubricate thoroughly
When using traditional methods, many gun owners will perform a surface clean and follow it up by spraying some lubricant inside. While this will keep the outside of the gun looking good, the critical internal components won't be cleaned. Even if you completely disassemble the gun, there will still be crevices that can't be reached by hand, even with special cleaning tools.
Firearms have intricate internal and external components that are difficult to clean by hand. Carbon, dirt, lead, lubricant, and other substances can build up inside the weapon. This will lower its performance and increase the likelihood that you'll need to repair or replace your firearm sooner rather than later. When you use an ultrasonic cleaner, the cavitation bubbles will reach all surfaces of the submerged object. This ensures you get a thorough cleaning of all parts of your firearm. As well as thorough cleaning, lubrication is essential to the maintenance of a firearm. Without proper lubrication, rust will set in and you'll have to replace your firearm sooner. As with cleaning, lubrication with an ultrasonic cleaner is quicker and more effective.
2. Cleaning time is greatly reduced
To get the best clean using traditional methods, you would need to completely dismantle the firearm and clean and lubricate the components one by one. While this can be enjoyable for some firearm owners, it can be a very time-intensive task. Ultrasonic cleaning can do a more thorough job in far less time. You only need to submerge the weapon in the ultrasonic cleaning solution for a few minutes and lubrication can take just a minute. Plus you can walk away and do something else while your gun is being cleaned. Note that you don't need to completely disassemble the entire weapon for cleaning in a sonic gun cleaner. Basic field stripping is all you need, which saves even more time.
3. Parts dry quickly
Some ultrasonic cleaners such as the GunSonicTM come with a dryer. This helps reduce drying time by a very significant 80 percent. Instead of waiting for your parts to air dry, the hot air blower can dry them in just a couple of minutes.
A GunSonic™ LG 3606 Ultrasonic Cleaner
With the shorter preparation, cleaning, and lubrication times, along with speedy drying, cleaning your gun no longer has to be a planned activity. A task that would normally take hours becomes a quick job.
4. Specially formulated solutions are available
Want to avoid damaging your firearm with incompatible commercial cleaning solutions? When you purchase an ultrasonic gun cleaner, it will often come with a supply of solutions tailored to your needs. You have the peace of mind that when you use the cleaning detergent and lubricant that comes with your sonic gun cleaner, they are specially formulated for this purpose.
Concerns about ultrasonic gun cleaning
There are a couple of common concerns when it comes to using an ultrasonic method for cleaning firearms, which we'll address here:
Is ultrasonic cleaning too harsh for my gun?
Are you worried that the process of ultrasonic cleaning might damage your firearm? In fact, ultrasonic cleaning can be adjusted such that it is less likely to cause damage than traditional cleaning, for example, by using a cloth that is too abrasive. In some ultrasonic cleaners, the vigor of ultrasonic cleaning can be finetuned by adjusting the frequency. Lower frequencies result in larger bubbles and more force when the bubbles collapse. While this is ideal for removing contaminants that are adhered particularly well to the surface of an object, it increases the risk of causing damage. Using a higher frequency will give you gentler cleaning. Single-frequency cleaners designed for use with firearms will have a high enough frequency to ensure a gentle enough clean for most firearm components. You can also tweak the temperature, use a different detergent, and adjust the time the object spends in the machine. With the right settings, ultrasonic cleaning is even gentle enough to use on gold, anodized aluminum, and titanium parts. That said, depending on the cleaner you're using, some parts such as lasers and scopes need to be removed prior to ultrasonic cleaning.
Will my weapon fit in an ultrasonic cleaner?
A common misconception is that you can't clean a rifle with an ultrasonic weapons cleaner because it won't fit, even when stripped down. However, there are models available specifically for rifles. For example, the GunSonicTM mentioned above comes in two different sizes, both of which are designed for rifles and handguns. Do you have more questions about using ultrasonics to clean firearms? Ultrasonic Power experts are ready to help. Contact us today to find out about the best solution for your ultrasonic cleaning needs.
