1. Is this normal?

Probably. Ultrasonic cleaners are not magic. It all depends on how dirty your gun was and how baked/caked on the gunk was.

2. Is there some other cleaner solution that would work better?

Probably not. You can use Simple Green, but it will discolor/remove anodizing. You can also use mineral spirits but have to contend with the smell, both while running the cleaner and on your parts for the foreseeable future. I've done both, and use simple green now, although MS does a better job removing carbon and grease.

Putting an entire o/u action in an ultrasonic can be a terrible idea. It will force the solvent (in your case, water based) into EVERY hole, nook and cranny, including places where it is difficult/impossible to get out. Think about the level of work you'd have to do to try your gun out if you dropped into into a creek while hunting, that's the same (or less) as you'll have to do after running it through the ultrasonic. An ultrasonic should only be used on items which are completely disassembled and can be thoroughly dried before assembly. Plus it will remove oil and grease from hard/impossible to reach areas that can only be properly lubricated with the gun disassembled. Basically putting an entire, intact action is a recipe for a red/orange surprise next time you remove the stock, and can lead to excess wear/damage due to improper lubrication. Additionally, be extremely careful putting plated/coated parts into the cleaner, depending on the coating and solvent used it can cause damage to the finish (anodizing and simple green being an easy example).

 

Probably. Ultrasonic cleaners are not magic. It all depends on how dirty your gun was and how baked/caked on the gunk was.


Probably not. You can use Simple Green, but it will discolor/remove anodizing. You can also use mineral spirits but have to contend with the smell, both while running the cleaner and on your parts for the foreseeable future. I've done both, and use simple green now, although MS does a better job removing carbon and grease.

Putting an entire o/u action in an ultrasonic can be a terrible idea. It will force the solvent (in your case, water based) into EVERY hole, nook and cranny, including places where it is difficult/impossible to get out. Think about the level of work you'd have to do to try your gun out if you dropped into into a creek while hunting, that's the same (or less) as you'll have to do after running it through the ultrasonic. An ultrasonic should only be used on items which are completely disassembled and can be thoroughly dried before assembly. Plus it will remove oil and grease from hard/impossible to reach areas that can only be properly lubricated with the gun disassembled. Basically putting an entire, intact action is a recipe for a red/orange surprise next time you remove the stock, and can lead to excess wear/damage due to improper lubrication. Additionally, be extremely careful putting plated/coated parts into the cleaner, depending on the coating and solvent used it can cause damage to the finish (anodizing and simple green being an easy example).

Thanks for all of your replies. Skeet-Man stated that it was a terrible idea to soak the entire action as it will rust.
I appreciate all the help I can get and usually get some very good advice from this forum. As for what Skeet Man said, I did my homework before soaking the entire receiver in the tank. The RCBS cleaner is water soluble and contains a rust preventive. Just in case, I also soaked the receiver in Remoil and blew it out with an air compressor then wiped off all the excess oil before assembly. Time will tell if I get any rust but I do not think so. Thanks again for all your help. Regards, Bob

 

Krud cutter works well also.

 

Mineral Spirits: I’ve been using the very same ultrasonic cleaner for the past 3 years with good results using mineral spirits as the solvent. Put the gun parts and mineral spirits into a plastic jar just large enough to cover all the parts then put the plastic jar into the water. I find using water preheated to the 140 degrees helpful. Also let the parts with heavy carbon soak in preheated mineral spirits may be necessary. Here is a YouTube link that is helpful.

 

In my experience with musical instruments (trumpets, trombones, etc), you might still need to wipe the crud off since it's sometimes on there so thick that the crud just gets loose from the metal. But we also only put them in the tank for 90 seconds at a time.

 

I like 50/50 distilled water and Super Clean, heated cycle. Then my parts get sprayed with brake cleaner, last compressed air. Oil and reassemble. Lots of my Western trap machine parts get cleaned this way too.
This old Remington is fresh out of my Harbor Freight Ultrasonic cleaner. A century of gunk cleaned out of the engraving!

 

After using any water-based cleaner, I submerge the parts/receiver in rubbing alcohol. ...Then dry with compressed air followed by a dunk in light oil and allowed to drain. ....Excess oil is removed with a soft cloth.

 

A couple of comments.

Originally these were all vacuum tube fired - I have one that is 5 ~ 6 gallons with vacuum tubes and it is scary what it can do. The new electronic ones do not have the power of these older units. You can test this on your unit. Take a used, flat piece of aluminum foil (it wants to have some wrinkles in it) and run it in the tank - check it every half hour or so - hold it up to a bright light looking for holes. The sooner the holes appear, the better the unit.

If you understand how the cleaners work they don't actually 'clean' the parts but rather force the cleaning fluid into everything - this lets you remove it easily once taken from the bath. Best example of this is a choke tube full of plastic - the fluid gets between the tube and the plastic - allowing you to easily remove it with a brush, where before it appeared to be welded to the tube.

I like the idea of plastic jars for cleaner and parts. I have used smaller trays 'floating' in water with the parts and cleaner - I will now be moving to sealable plastic jars...

 

i use the same machine shown in video— have been using a strong solution of simple green (15%) & distilled water and yes filling to top of basket- i do beretta triggers- pistons - bolts and anodized receivers - the thick carbon buildup in pistons is a challenge and they need soaked or scraped with multiple sessions in sonic cleaner- if the receiver isnt completely submerged there will be a fluid line of residue which is very tuff to remove—

recently i switched to using “super clean” @ 5% with distilled water
triggers - pistons- bolts were clean
BUT
after 30min cycle and heat turned on -
here is what happed to black anodized receiver with silver sides

so i thot , lets do another 30mins-
i quess —live and learn

ps- i ruined my first cleaner just like the video speaker said - the jar thing is a great idea
and im going back to simple green —

 

in the video - gas in a sealed jar - doesnt it build pressure from vibration and heat?

 

BTW, thank Nitro Pilot for the link to the U-Tube video, very interesting! Regards, Bob

 

All you need is a jar filled with a light lubricant (BreakFree works) - when all is done run the last in that for a bit to drive out the water...