Ultra Sonic Cleaners

Post by Garyforce

hey guys

if your like me (or any sane idividual) you hate having to clean your modelgun carts after youve fired.

I mean lets be honest it takes forever is a pain in the backside..... and god knows how many cotton buds your going to go through !

the various ways of "cleaning" range from simple hot water and washing up liquid, to vinegar and so on

BUT ! ..... i just invested in this from ebay !






its an ULTRASONIC CLEANER.

its not very big (approx Dimension: 20 x 12 x 14 (cm).)

This particular size one is used for cleaning jewelry, watches, tattoo needles that sort of thing. However its also the perfect size for cleaning a fair handfull of carts

i have just loaded it with hot soapy water (only takes about 600ml) and then threw in 30 carts (dissasembled of course ) ..close the lid.... plug it in.... push the on button... and the 3 minute cleaning cycle starts

I dont know what the carts were like after 1 cycle... but i was busy doing something else so when it had finished i just pressed the on button again for another go

when i took the carts out they were spotless ! all i had to do was dry them off !

and the water ....... jeez looeez ! ...... black as coal !

but hey ...... thats saved me how long ? ...... so.... i would reccomend to anyone .... if you like to fire your modelguns..... but hate cleaning carts.....get yourselves one of these. this only set me back £20 (inc delivery) and was brand new from a company in Germany (on Ebay like i said)

i think Mark has an ultrasonic cleaner, dont you mark? and i think you'll agree with me its very handy
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- Gary

Post by Claymore

Yep, they are great i had had one for some time, in fact my first one broke recently and ebay did not have any so i had to go elsewhere but i would not be without it it makes life a lot easier you can just chuck the rounds in and forget about them.

Post by Mark

Yes, i do have one of them Gary! In fact, it's the exact same model that you have and i bought it mail order from Harborfreight almost two years ago! The funny thing is that i can get them in town now with no problems. They actually have a new, and much larger version out now for $175 or so, that you can (almost) put an entire pistol in! They are very handy and they don't cost much either, but i haven't really used mine in some time as it's a pain to get it out and wash it etc. But, they really do work!
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by GmanUK

i will definatly get one of these as i spend more time cleaning than firing lol

Post by Garyforce

you wont regret it if you can get one Gman

depending on how "dirty" the carts are will depend on how many times you zap them through this ! ive only done it once and that was with hot soapy water .. didnt try the hot water vinegar baking soda trick yet so ill experiment as i go

(just need a quick why 2 dry em now and im laughing )
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- Gary

Post by Dartec

Yes will look for one asap.

Sounds good, but lol to your comment '...pain to get out and clean...' we need a ultrasonic cleaner and so it goes on.

We could do with somethimg like a reloading press as for real cartridges must be possible but expense as demands would be low.

Back to ultraonic may be silly question but do you put all the cartidge in ie rubber seals?

Also if you put the gun itself in is that good?

cheers.
_________________
Regards
Ray
Gun ethusiast and collector of modern model guns. Beretta 93r & M9, Derringer, Colt .25, Scorpion v61, V10, R31, USP

Post by Garyforce

well dartec.in this particular cleaner youd be hard pressed to get ANY gun in hehehe

perhaps the smaller parts

but with the carts .yep all of em ! ...... take the apart .throw them in ..... turn it on......and your done

all needs doing then is dry them off and put them back together.
_________________
- Gary

Post by Madmike

Wow! Finally I tried my new ultrasonic cleaner. It is the same as Gary´s, from the same company offering them on eBay. I have to say it is a dream. Put the disassembled carts into it together with warm water and a little dish washing soap, and they come out clean. No waste of Q-tips any longer. A short blow with the hair dryer and off you go again.

I personally recommend that for every modelgunner, as it was not too expensive (overall 30 Euro).

Greetings

MadMike

Post by Mark

Yes, the ultrasonic cleaner is a great way to go, especially that they are becoming less expensive. I have seen a much larger ultrasonic cleaner model that would possibly contain larger parts if not a small pistol! I think this larger model comes from the same Chinese source as the type that we currently have.

The hair drier is a great way to dry your cartridges but, be careful around the O-rings as they can overheat and melt!

Now, all we need is a rifle-sized capacity,inexpensive sonic cleaner
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

I bought one of these on e-bay for just under £30 and found it really good for cleaning cartridges and firing pins.
Hot water and a little washing up liquid, throw them in, and switch the machine on as you go past it during theday. Give them several goes of 3mins each and out they come, clean as new.
WD40 on them and away you go.
Brilliant.

Cerwyn

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Hobby collector of mainly WW2 era uniforms, headgear, field equipment and replica weapons.

Post by Garyforce

just a little note there cerwyn

you shouldn't be using WD40 on anything modelgun wise as it can damage the carts / modelguns / o rings / or anything !

ideally you should be using a silicone based gun oil !
_________________
- Gary

Last edited by garyforce on Mon Nov 28, 2005 4:32 pm; edited 1 time in total

Post by Mark

When using silicone spray just make sure that you don't breathe very much of the stuff as it is poison..Be sure to spray it in a well ventilated space. That is why i prefer the grease over the silicone sprays as we all tend to shoot and load our cartridges inside.
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

garyforce wrote:

just a little note there cerwyn
you shouldn't be using WD40 on anything modelgun wise as it can damage the carts / modelguns / o rings / or anything ! :?
ideally you should be using a silicone based gun oil !

Hello,
Thanks for your note. WD40 is recommended by www.modelguns.com for lightly spraying the cartridges inside and out after washing. This disperses water and lubricates and also smokes well when firing.
The silicone oil or grease is recommended for lubing the o-rings that are fitted to some cartridges as a lubricant.
What sort of damage have you experienced using WD40 please?
I obviously don't want to damage anything!
Regards
Cerwyn

Post by metradio

WD40 should have no effect on brass, not sure about rubber. It reacts with some plastics, and surprisingly, encourages rust on steel surfaces
_________________
Mike

WD40 is indeed not good for the rubber O rings. It will erode them. This is true for any other gun/s that use them as well. I was informed this a long while back when I had first brought my GGB P226. I was told never to use WD40 as it'll start eatung away at the rubber seals and O rings in the gun/mags.

Speaking of which actually... what does everyone use to lubricate their guns? I'm thinking mine might fire better once lubricated but I'm not sure if I should just use the silicone spray I have (I have various airsoft guns too which is what it's for) or if I should invest in some grease (any particular kind or anything?).

Hi Ammo,

I use Browning Gun Oil to lubricate and clean all my metal guns. Any steel models or components are given a generous coating of it before storage.
3 in 1 oil seems ok to lubricate metal parts too but not too much as it gets really filthy if there's too much of it on the gun during firing.
I've used the Browning oil as a cleaning sollution on abs and HW models too but wipe away the excess off the plastic before storage. It's good for getting that brown residue left behind by cap smoke.

Abbey Silicone Oil seems to be ok for lubricating abs and HW. I've been trying the aerosol spray, it seems ok.
I know of a much thicker Silicone oil applied as drops from a small plastic bottle which might be better on plastic slides for example but I haven't seen any for sale in the usual Airsoft outlets lately.

Here's a bit more reading for you https://mp40modelguns.forumotion.net/modelgun-cleaning-guides-f11/wd40-or-silicone-oil-t116.htm

Thank you Cerwyn, I'll go have a read now.

I took everything said here to account and this morning I oiled my guns using Abbey Silicone Oil, which I have for using on my airsoft guns. It was the Browning I was having problems with yesterday after putting it all together. There was jamming and the slide wasn't locking the hammer back after each shot or the spent cartridge wasn't ejecting properly. However, firstly, after reading this thread I ordered a sonic cleaner (£32 from ebay and can't wait till it gets here, lol) and after oiling the Browning this morning I tried it out in the evening (after cleaning by hand and oiling all the cartridges too) and it shoots PERFECTLY!

So, I'd like to say thank you to everyones posts here since they all helped very much. Oiling the gun (in particular all the parts/components which rub together) helped immensely and the cleaning of the cartridges has made a very big difference too. I'm now going to see about trying to polish up the cartridges to make them look a little better, especially my 45ACP ones, they look very worn out and used.

That's great news Ammo, amazing what a difference a little oil can make isn't it

An Ultra Sonic cleaner is a really good bit of kit. I've had mine about 4 years and it's been worth its weight in gold.
Hot water and washing up liquid is usually all that's needed but for dirtier components like Detonator Chambers or short barrels e.g. the hot water, bicarb of soda, white vinegar works really well. Mine runs in 3 minute bursts, I'll give the contents half a dozen or so bursts changing the water as required.

Polishing can be a real chore. Small quantities aren't too bad, Brasso, rags, wire wool, little brushes (mascara brushes are great )do the job but as I've now amassed several hundred cartridges, and fire them 100 or so at a time, polishing by hand is just not an option.
The answer is a Lyman Tumbler Polisher. It cost me £70, but I can put 200 dismantled cartridges in it, switch on and leave it for 2 or 3 hours.
Results are spectacular, every part is clean, gleaming, no damage to 0-rings, the piston/firing pins are spotless every time. Inside the cartridge bore is clean, smooth, just what's needed for reliable firing.

You may have read this already, but just in case https://mp40modelguns.forumotion.net/modelgun-cleaning-guides-f11/cleaning-preparing-fired-cartridges-a-beginner-s-guide-t40.htm
shows the polisher and its results.

Another advantage with it is that any minor marks or burrs on cartridge rims are smoothed over by the polisher.