Would this cleaning technique hurt anything?

Y

yggorf

New member
I am looking to speed up my handgun cleaning and so began investigating the options. I found the Cylinder and Slide Dunk-Kit (too expensive) and read about ultrasonic cleaning (too expensive for new units, I'll watch for a used one). In the meantime, I thought of this idea -- half fill a coffee can with BreakFree CLP, add gun (minus grips), cover, and set on my brass tumbler. It seems like this would get the CLP really vibrating in there.

Any reason not to try this -- would it work?
 
If you want easy and fairly cheap go with a spray cleaner then wipe and lube.
Dumping it in a CLP you will still have to clean off the excess.
With this method only a field strip is needed.
 
Seems as if it would work.

Pluses: speed, whole gun lube, clean gun and casings concurrently

Minuses: expense of BreakFree, filtering BreakFree fluid for later use, lubricant where it does not belong, lots of duct tape attaching a coffee can to the vibratory tumbler, hope you have a good sealing coffee can lid

The tumbler may have to be modified somewhat and it may lead to a new patent. Please give it a try and report the results.
 
Or, run a patch wet with shooters choice or your favorite bore solvent down the bore and chambers, let sit for a while (1/2 hr -1 hr), come back and clean it. Just like soaking dishes, give it a little time to work before jumping in, and it goes easier.

Does anyone actually "clean" a gun with break free? I use it as a lube after I'm done cleaning with Shooters Choice, Hoppes No 9, or other true copper or powder solvent.
 
I actually spend little time cleaning handguns(rifles are different story),I spray off with breakcleaner,foam up the bore with outers,1hr later use a boresnake(once),spray with rem-oil,then I am done.

I think your idea would really work,and is pretty cleaver,but it would be way too time consuming for me.

later

BD
 
My idea is for those times when you want to "deep clean" the internals of the frame. For normal barrel/slide cleaning, I agree it is just as fast and easier to simply field strip the gun, clean the disassembled parts, and re-assemble.

I'm thinking once every year or so for the frame internals cleaning (per gun).
 
I don't think that you're going to get the effect that you're expecting. Ultrasonic cleaners work by what's known as cavitation, which cleans by the action of collapsing bubbles. The bubbles are formed by compression waves using a transducer. Simply vibrating the cleaning solution won't have the same effect.

And I agree w/ Bill, something less viscous would probably be a better choice for dipping - like mineral spirits, or kerosene. These are a lot cheaper too.
 
+1 for Casimer. A tumbler's vibrations aren't going to come close to what an ultrasonic cleaner will do. (and they are very expensive) If you really want the gun clean just take the time to strip and clean it. It's not really that hard or time consuming. If you do not want to fully strip it down then take it down as far as you can and soak in CLP and blow it out with an air compressor. You need an air compressor anyway for lots of other manly jobs in the garage, right?
 
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