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Gun cleaning no-nos...paint??

GunHawkeGunHawke Member Posts: 576 ✭✭✭
edited August 2008 in Ask the Experts
From the sub-tropics [8D],

We just acquired an ultra-sonic parts cleaner and, in just testing the gizmo out on a gun or two of mine, I came up with this quick quick question.....are there MANY guns out there with a "painted" gloss final finish on them? My Cougar seems to have just such a shine that is now mottled!! Any guidelines or rule of thumb about "painted" finishes before I REALLY mess things up?

Thanks,

Jim
GunHawke
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    mrbrucemrbruce Member Posts: 3,374
    edited November -1
    Not a lot of them, but still a few that don't care to be worked over in a US cleaner.
    500 Mossberg comes to mind along with some of the Winchester pumps.......
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    glabrayglabray Member Posts: 679 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ultrasonic cleaners will pit metals. We used to mount ultrasonic transducers (the "speakers" that create the ultrasonic energy) on stainless steel plates which formed one side of a water bath. In no time the plates would become pitted and would become so pitted the plates would leak. We finally switched to stellite 3 plates which are an extremely hard alloy. These hold up longer but still pit after awhile. Another problem is that the ultrasonic energy in the liquid bath is quite nonuniform. An immersed object will be cleaned agressively in some areas and hardly at all in others. Thus your mottled appearance.
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    Bill DeShivsBill DeShivs Member Posts: 1,264 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The guns probably had anodized aluminum parts-rather than painted.
    The anodizing dye can leach out of the sealer and cause what you describe.
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    WarGamesWarGames Member Posts: 106 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a rather large old POWERFUL Photosonics cleaner.
    It will hold and clean a Ford Big Block
    For anything painted or alumininum I only use water and Dawn dishwahing detergent and never more than 60 seconds at a time.
    I twirl it by a coathanger and use a timer.
    I have never had a problem that way.
    But I absolutely ate up a Rock River lower once after 60 minutes instead of 60 seconds- Not enough left for a beer can. Great learning experience![:(]
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