Ultrasonic Parts Cleaner for Spray Guns

[Frank Drackman]

Does anyone know if using an ultrasonic parts cleaner is ok for your typical spray gun? Anyone tried it?

[Andrew More]

Does anyone know if using an ultrasonic parts cleaner is ok for your typical spray gun? Anyone tried it?

I have used them with my airbrush, which is essentially a much smaller spray gun, and been disappointed. I assume it's going to be even worse for a larger gun. However, I bought small, cheap cleaner, and I've been told the larger models are far more efficient.

The best approach is to immediately clean the gun throughly after usage.

Failing that, I find that disassembling and application of acetone fixes almost all problems.

[Bernie Kopfer]

Ultrasonic cleaners are used in dentistry and medicine to loosen debri on instruments etc. Harm will not come to a spray gun from the ultrasonic vibrations but if you use a incorrect chemical cleaner metal etching could be aggravated. That said it would take a very powerful machine to loosen dried paint or other finish. I would suggest soaking the gun in whatever cleaner you think might soften the gunk, rinse and then place in a ultrasonic cleaner with hot water and non sudsing soap.

[Doug Dawson]

Ultrasonic cleaners are used in dentistry and medicine to loosen debri on instruments etc. Harm will not come to a spray gun from the ultrasonic vibrations but if you use a incorrect chemical cleaner metal etching could be aggravated. That said it would take a very powerful machine to loosen dried paint or other finish. I would suggest soaking the gun in whatever cleaner you think might soften the gunk, rinse and then place in a ultrasonic cleaner with hot water and non sudsing soap.

I have an ultrasonic cleaner that I use for vinyl phonograph records, and it works _extremely_ well at getting debris out of record grooves (you might recall how small they are.) Little tiny gas explosions shot-peening the gunk out, sort of. But when you have more than one record in the bath, and they are too close together, it doesn’t work as well. Picturing the wee orifices of a spray gun, I suspect that it similarly might not work as well.

I would rather blast an appropriate solvent through it.

You could use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/FOUR-UNCLES-I...%2C185&sr=8-11
which is typically used with lacquer thinner, for blowing out a/c lines. (I have the old Mastercool version of it.)

[Frank Drackman]

Thanks for all of the replies. My gun is fine. Just curious because I have the ultrasonic cleaner.