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Parts washer for firearm cleaning?

badchris
I was thinking about buying a little benchtop parts washer to clean some firearms. I've seen folks use them in the past and seems like a good setup. Wondering if this is common for cleaning and what types of cleaner/solution do you run through the washer? Any safety concerns? Anything to stay away from?
Thanks in advance!
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11 comments

Date Votes
  • givette
    Don't know..but OSHA probably has a list, or at least recommendations for solvents (cleaners?) that are safe to use indoors. What they recommend, and what is "best for firearms" may be two different things.

    If you go the washer routine, ventilation is a prime consideration. Best, Joe
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  • 11b6r
    MOST of the parts washers use low odor mineral spirits. It is a combustible, much like kerosene. DO NOT USE GASOLINE IN A PARTS WASHER- the vapor will likely cause your obituary to become active. Many of them have a fusible link that will let the lid close if you have a fire- unless you leave junk in the tub blocking the lid. Do use gloves- the stuff is not extremely toxic, but is not good for you, or your skin. Good pair of glasses may keep you from experiencing solvent in the eye. Have a plan to dispose of the old solvent when it gets too dirty- and pouring it out in the neighbor's yard is not a plan.
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  • shoff14
    I have always used mineral spirits in part washers. The problem is, they stink and you still have to clean the mineral spirits off. One place I worked at, we had heated parts washers with Simple Green in them.
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  • swill
    There are actually concentrated water soluble degreasers that are made for parts washers. I have been surprised at how well they work compared to solvent. No nasty smell and if you refill your washer you can use warm water.
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  • He Dog
    I have one of those AGI videos on the 10/22 and the smith cleans everything with simple green and a brush. I am going to try that on cylinder faces.
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  • badchris
    Good stuff all, thanks for the advice.
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  • Bill DeShivs
    If you use a water-based solvent, make sure you thoroughly dry your parts with heat. I prefer WD 40 as a water displacer, wipe dry, and then use heat.
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  • He Dog
    Brownell's has there $1400 ultra sonic unit on sale for $400 off.
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  • nononsense
    badchris,

    I'm glad that He Dog brought up ultrasonic cleaners since they are far more user friendly than the parts cleaners of the old days.

    The large capacity cleaner I used to own required a company (Safety Kleen Corp.) to come to empty the tank and replace the solution. Bad juju, in my opinion since it smelled bad, was real bad for your skin if splashed accidentally and became cost prohibitive because of the EPA. Out it went.

    I found a gigantic Ultrasonic parts cleaner from a company going out of business. But there are small units made to be used for small arms and brass cases. These work great on a counter top for small jobs.

    I tried switching to just plain old Simple Green which works for some gunk and not particularly well for other deposits such as carbon. Even when used in an ultrasonic cleaner, it didn't accomplish as much as I wanted it to. I still like it because of the safety and biodegradability but I have started trying other solutions.

    Citranoxr. This achieved the best results, and did not require a separate neutralizing step if you rinse the parts thoroughly after. Citranox, mixed 1:75 or 1:100 with water (distilled H20 is best), is inexpensive to use. Phospate-free Citranoxr is mostly detergents with a little citric acid. So far it's been impressive. Brass cleans up very quickly and parts are even quicker if they don't have heavy carbon build up on the surface.

    The price is reasonable. It was running about $35 a gallon and it gets diluted 100 to 1. It can even be used with hot water which speeds up the process and you don't have to neutralize as with some other solutions. Just rinse in running water and they're squeaky clean. Even at a 1:75 ratio my $35 worth of cleaner will make 75 gallons of solution.

    Do a search for smaller ultrasonic cleaners because there are some new ones made especially for this business which are reasonably priced. There are also other cleaners that will work but you need to do some more searching.

    Best.
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  • Wehrmacht_45
    If you go ultrasonic, dont clean any aluminum parts in them. They can etch or pit the less dense alloys.

    Harbor and freight sells some small ones that are pretty cheap. My friend has one he uses to clean his AR-15 bolts and FAL gas pistons in.
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  • rehi2620
    Warning "Simple Green" takes the bluing off!!
    we used to use this for bluing removal prior to rebluing.
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