Utra-Sonic Cleaner

[Tom Carter]

If anyone is interested in an ultra-sonic cleaner, Harbor Freight has one on sale for $79.99 (half price). It is a 2.5 liter, item #95563. I have one (1.5 quart) made by Chicago Electric that has worked great for years. I'm sure it's made in China so good luck if you buy one. Cheers, Tom

[David Fishley]

I have the one from Harbor Freight. It works 'ok' but in instances where you might want to dunk an action for 1/2 hour or longer you would have burnt out this cleaner in 10 to 15 minutes. They are short timed cleaners based on 4 minute intervals and can overheat quickly if the 4 minute cycle is repeated a few times in sequence.

[Tom Carter]

David, Thanks for your comment. My cleaner is a model 91957. It can be timed up to 1 hour which I normally use. I have set it for 1 hour and immediately reset it time after time and it has worked for years, never failing. I have never used this model but it appears to be the same as sold by Lyman as a Turbo Sonic 2500. I find it difficult to believe a company like Lyman would sell a product that functions like yours.
Harbor Freight guarantees this product for 90 days. Why would you keep yours when it functions so poorly?
I would not mention it on the forum if there was no recourse should a member receive a lemon. Cheers, Tom

[David Fishley]

Tom,

Let me explain. My cleaner functions perfectly. However it only has 4 settings of which the longest is 480 seconds.

[Phillip Carr]

I also have the sonic cleaner from Harbor freight. It times for 480 seconds max. That said I just keep cycling. It's not made for everyday use but mine is 3 years old and has cleaned about 10 actions. Still going strong. I also purchased the warranty. It does a great job.

[Mike Franzen]

I too have the H F cleaner and have used it sparingly for several years. Never a problem with it. It is exactly like the the Lyman Turbosonic. In fact, I bought additional baskets from Lyman that H F didn't carry. H F stands behind what they sell.

[John Campbell]

One word of caution when using these cleaners: It is not advisable to clean compressed leaf/flat springs in these units. Reason: They may break along stress cracks/risers that cannot be seen with the naked eye. You might not have a problem, but the potential exists. Best to disassemble lockwork and relieve spring compression before ultra-sonic cleaning.

[John Cinkoske]

Another word of caution, the use of Simple Green Cleaner in an ultrasonic cleaner can affect (as in degrade) the appearance of blued finishes on guns...:crying:

[Eric Estes]

I used a solution of hot water and Dawn dish soap in mine and after a few cycles the case colors were streaked to the white. I have never seen anything like it.

[Tom Carter]

Eric, I had the same problem a few years ago when using tap water. I think the water contains some chemicals that causes the streaking with Dawn. I use only distilled water and Lyman Turbo Clean now and I've never had a problem since. Cheers, Tom

[Eric Estes]

Thanks for that info Tom. No more tap water...

[Richard Flanders]

You can usually find quite a few large capacity sonic cleaners on ebay that were surplussed from labs somewhere. Some of the them look good and are likely v high quality and are pennies on the dollar compared to their cost new. If there's an issue with using tapwater it may be because it's chlorinated city water maybe? Or softened water?? I use Dawn in my cleaner a lot but mostly for small parts. For actions I use lacquer thinner, which does an incredible job of degunking anything you put in it. I alternately run the cleaner and let it soak.

[chris dawe]

One word of caution when using these cleaners: It is not advisable to clean compressed leaf/flat springs in these units. Reason: They may break along stress cracks/risers that cannot be seen with the naked eye. You might not have a problem, but the potential exists. Best to disassemble lockwork and relieve spring compression before ultra-sonic cleaning.

Very true John ,I have had this happen

[Tom Carter]

Lyman's Turbo Clean has never had a negative effect on anything I've cleaned.
Lyman makes one for steel and one for brass. I think they make another also.
Cheers, Tom

[Mike Franzen]

Tom's right about the turbo clean and distilled water