That works pretty good! Non of my centerfire cans are serviceable and I’ve never cleaned them. My .22 sparrow I have once or twice but I mostly shoot Federal Suppressor loads thru it which are super clean to begin with.

 

I've got a couple non user serviceable cans. For those I always keep a properly threaded bolt and then teflon it, and fill from the top with CLR. Soak for 45 mins, drain, smack them against a wooden block for 5 minutes, and then rinse and set on a fan to dry.

 

Interesting, I've always used "the dip" but still a lot of crap in there, even after days of soaking. I dont have a sonic cleaner though. I wonder if it is safe for the coatings on the tube's exterior.

 

CLR will do the job without an ultrasonic cleaner. It just speeds the process up and really cuts down on the brushing. Regarding putting your finished tubes in there I do not recommend it. I threw my baffle coupler in there and it came out bronze. Honestly I like it so the next time I'll throw both end caps in as well, LoL.

 

Interesting bit of information. Thanks for posting

 

Thanks for sharing @andrew1182 ! Looks so clean.

So the CLR jar is sealed while it’s in the ultrasonic cleaner? Definitely giving this a try.

 

Yes sir. That way you can use a minimal amount of CLR. The glass jar does nothing to inhibit the effectiveness of the ultrasonic cleaner. I use all kinds of different cleaning solutions in jars depending on what I'm working on and then just submerse them in my standard degreaser.

 

Very informative, I’ve been looking into cans and this is been one of my main questions. I’m so grateful that you’ve brought this to light.

 

Forgot to ask, I guess you’re not seeing any kind of edge erosion or metal displacement from the CLR?

 

No, Everything still has sharp edges and no signs of degradation. Just clean baffles without completely covering myself in lead, carbon, and driving myself nuts. I've been using this method for years and dozens of cans have experienced no negative effects other than the change of color if you choose to clean the tubes in this method.

 

Thanks for the tip, going to give it a shot.

 

Can I just send you my baffles? Lol

 

Can I just send you my? Lol

Hell I don't care, LoL. It's really not any work.

 

Amazing what a good cleaning can do. I need to be more vigilant on cleaning my cans.

 

Which CLR? They have a number of different products.

 

Just regular old CLR:

CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover | CLR Brands

Get rid of stubborn lime, calcium, and rust stains effortlessly with our powerful all-in-one cleaner. Visit CLR Brands now for sparkling, spotless surfaces.

clrbrands.com

 

What ultrasonic cleaner are you using?

 

I can't recall the exact model at the moment but it's a larger crest. I can throw mp5 receivers in there.

 

I have 2 cans, one with stainless baffles the other titanium. I bead blast with glass beads, done in minutes. Only the baffles.

 

I may have to look into a media blast setup. I've heard good things about that as well.

 

That looks awesome. So, what do you do with the used CLR? I assume you don't just pour it down a drain or on the ground? My primary issue is disposal of toxic waste.

Regards,
Kris

 

Honestly use such a small amount, clean my cans so infrequently, and re-use the CLR multiple times so I haven't planned that one out. I've been dumping it into an empty 5 gallon degreaser can for about a year and probably have about half a gallon in there at this point. Shouldn't have to worry about it for another several years. I leave the lid off so hopefully it will evaporate at a rate similar to my usage LoL.

 

That might work for me also. Thanks for the tip.

Regards,

Kris

 

good info, my rimfire cans get filthy quick

 

If no sonic cleaner machine, how long should one let the baffles sit?

Can the CLR be used with any baffle material or just steel ones?

 

Area419 states that CLR or citric acid cleaners will void their warranty. I wonder if there are any other alternatives. Great post!

 

I have had good success using purple power degreaser and an ultrasonic cleaner. With the anti-splatter spray, anything left can be removed with a dental pick.

Kroil is supposed to yield good results also if you let it soak a while. Gemtech used to recommend Ed's Red (kerosene, transmission fluid, and mineral spirit mix). Just remember to dry everything adequately before using a rifle rated can.

More recently, a case tumbler with stainless pins for media seems to be growing in popularity for certain metals.

 

What's the ratio of CLR to water??? I have a smaller ultrasonic. Holds about a liter and a half of liquid. I'm guessing a capful would do it??

 

....adding ultrasonic cleaner to list of things I need. List closing in on the national deficit at this rate

 

Be sure to do some research on the can you are cleaning. I believe using an ultrasonic on an aluminum can result in damage.

 

Just stumbled across this thread......not much this will do for a sealed can, but for anything that can be disassembled, I use anti-splatter spray used in mig/tig welding. Give everything a spray before shooting, and cleanup becomes MUCH easier. Works great on my rimfire cans.

 

A 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and distilled white vinegar is effective as well, in an ultrasonic or not. That does evaporate pretty quickly and it works on my comps at least as well as CLR.

 

The punishment your baffles take from being blasted with lead dust and unburnt powder is far more harmful than an overnight soak in a water mixture. Turn it on end and let it air dry, use a hair dryer, or compressed air and it will be fine. You can even spray a little WD-40 in there if it makes you feel better. Just make sure it's dry before firing if it's a rifle can. If it's a pistol caliber or rimfire, you're fine. The small amount of liquid will help with suppression.

Remember, the goal is to remove large lead deposits that can buildup enough to cause a baffle strike, not to get everything spanking new clean. A supressor is more effective when it's a little dirty.

 

I don't claim to be the know all be all, but I've been in the NFA game for a while now and shared my suppressor baffle cleaning process on another forum I'm on and everyone was very curious how I got these results without scrubbing like a mad man.

This switchback probably had a minimum of 2500 rounds through it with no cleaning:

I disassemble and then toss the baffles and throw them into a jar of CLR that I have pre-heated in my ultrasonic cleaner at 80* celcius:

Then I run my ultrasonic cleaner at temp for 20 minutes with the jar submerged

After that I inspect baffles and hit any remaining carbon with a brass bore brush (generally 12ga as that the largest I've got) and they go back in for another 10 minute hot tub soak:

Then everything gets a fresh water bath, dried, and reassembled looking brand new. Other than the jar of CLR....yuck. Wear gloves when dealing with that stuff. It's so full of lead by the time it's done I don't want it anywhere near bare skin:

Hopefully this can save someone some serious time. When I was doing it the old fashioned way with traditional methods it took HOURS.

I di the same exact thing except I throw all baffles straight into ultrasonic basket, been doing this for past 6-7 years and working just fine, is there any reason you put them in a jar first besides the fact you don't contaminate all you clp? I'm kind of cheap and use the same clp multiple times before dumping it.

 

I didn't want to get all of that lead into my 8 gallons of fluid so I put the baffles into the jar with CLP and then just toss it in the ultrasonic. Still cleans great as the ultrasonic waves go right through the jar and that way I don't have 8 gallons of cancer juice to dispose of, LoL.

 

CLR safe for stainless?

So far, I've just been using a brush and purple simple green.

 

I've had no issues using CLR on stainless baffles. Been doing it for years now.