• Frank's Lesson's Contest

    We want to see your skills! Post a video between now and November 1st showing what you've learned from Frank's lessons and 3 people will be selected to win a free shirt. Good luck everyone!

    Create a channel Learn more
  • Having trouble using the site?

    Contact support

Suppressors Suppressor cleaning?

Vinnie45ACP

Unapologetic Patriot!
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 22, 2021
225
81
Virginia
I have been looking and even asking the manufacturers which not one has gotten back to me.
Is using a ultrasonic cleaner with specific Carbon cleaner the best way, or a suitable way for cleaning the suppressors?
 
I have been looking and even asking the manufacturers which not one has gotten back to me.
Is using a ultrasonic cleaner with specific Carbon cleaner the best way, or a suitable way for cleaning the suppressors?
I would think no, but maybe yes? If its the kind you can take a part id say for sure, but if its a welded unit, you could risk trapping liquid in there. @TBACRAY or @Zak Smith will have the best advice
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vinnie45ACP
@Vinnie45ACP If the baffles are aluminum, I don't think you're supposed to use an ultra-sonic cleaner.
Only one of my cans has Aluminum baffles, my CGS mod 9, the other two, a DA mask is SS baffles, and my CGS Hyperion has titanium baffles, I guess reason for the high cost. And my TBAC Magnus, they say to use a ultrasonic, just not with CLR, TBAC is the most helpful in a cleaning procedure, the others not so much.
 
Only one of my cans has Aluminum baffles, my CGS mod 9, the other two, a DA mask is SS baffles, and my CGS Hyperion has titanium baffles, I guess reason for the high cost. And my TBAC Magnus, they say to use a ultrasonic, just not with CLR, TBAC is the most helpful in a cleaning procedure, the others not so much.
TBAC will clean it for you
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baron23
I know @FuhQ uses clr in ultrasonic for his mask baffles. From the rimfire thread. I believe they suggested using an ear plug to seal my TBAC ultra 9 then fill with clr and repeat til clean. Can be done with SS and Ti cans. Not aluminum

TBAC guy commented in thread below

 
Last edited:
I know @FuhQ uses clr in ultrasonic for his mask baffles. From the rimfire thread. I believe they suggested using an ear plug to seal my TBAC ultra 9 then fill with clr and repeat til clean. Can be done with SS and Ti cans. Not aluminum

TBAC guy commented in thread below

I use Purple Power and Simple Green in the ultrasonic cleaner.

Never tried CLR, but I hear lots of guys have good luck with just putting their baffles a jar of it at room temp overnight and letting them sit, then wiping them off and rinsing before reassembly the next day. But maybe someone else who uses CLR can chime in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hafejd30
I use Purple Power and Simple Green in the ultrasonic cleaner.

Never tried CLR, but I hear lots of guys have good luck with just putting their baffles a jar of it at room temp overnight and letting them sit, then wiping them off and rinsing before reassembly the next day. But maybe someone else who uses CLR can chime in.
Sorry my bad on that. Figured you’d have some good info on the mask either way
 
  • Like
Reactions: FuhQ
Do tell. I was steered away from it because I had AL baffles and someone explained to me the science about it…so you have a AL can? I have a tactical solutions .22 can
Me too! There's two types of people on the interwebs, those who say a thing can't be done, and those who are too busy doing it to listen.

On my tacsol I've found that usually I have to give it a good soak just to get the baffles out. You can't tumble or blast them until you do anyway, but by the time they're out, the crud is softened enough to kinda scrub them off anyway.

Any other cleaning method is arguably as toxic as any other, and disposal is as easy as disposing of oil or antifreeze, not to mention precipitation and evap reduction. Accordingly, every cleaning method is arguably as destructive. If you soak them long enough I'm sure they will degrade, so just don't I guess?

Try it out on scrap Al. It's the cheapest and probably most effective option.
 
I'm told CLR removes coatings - thus you can use it on the insides or for baffles, but you wouldn't want to dunk it in an ultrasonic full of it. Not sure how true that is, I haven't tested it - but the ultrasonic with simple green seems to work pretty well. TBAC gives you a weight (which is about 2oz heavier than factory if I recall correctly) which they say clean it at.
 
You could go this route:

I'm currently using C4 on my TBAC7 after approx. 3000+ rounds. While it works, it's been a lot of scrapping and soaking. Still unable to get the most stubborn carbon fouling out of the crevice in the first cone leading into the baffles.
 
TBAC U-7 ad I just plug one end and Gil it w Bore Yech Carbon Remover. Won’t screw up finish or metal and works well. Just leave it in there for a day or two then flush w water.

My friend @GBMaryland turned me on to this and he has cleaned a number of dirty cans this way.
 
I use CLR all the time to clean my suppressors, I put the baffles and end cap in a container of CLR and them soak for a couple of hours and they wipe clean, the tube I take a rag saturated with CLR to wipe the inside and use a brass brush. I do wash/rinse all the CLR off once clean, there is no wear from the CLR, my endcap is cerakoted and the cerakote has not been removed by the CLR. Now all of my baffles are SS or Ti, I do not have any experience with aluminum, also I do my own cerakote so I was not worried if the endcap wore off but so far a non issue.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kswaterfowl
I put a foam ear plug in the end if mine, drop it in a pvc tube, and fill with clr. I let it soak for a few hours and rinse with warm water and dawn dish soap. Clr does an excellent job taking all the carbon off.
 
I put a foam ear plug in the end if mine, drop it in a pvc tube, and fill with clr. I let it soak for a few hours and rinse with warm water and dawn dish soap. Clr does an excellent job taking all the carbon off.
Could you just throw it in the tube and fill (the whole tube) with clr? Is the earplug doing anything?
 
Ewoaf & all,
I made up a few ounces of “the dip” and the only aluminum I had laying around was a single 9mm Blazer case. I took the side of my knife and scraped down to bare metal..I’m sure there’s some kinda coating on them. And chucked it in the stuff.

overnight: just bubbles on all the case
-2 days: the scraped area shows black blotches, the rest of the case is normal
-3 days: same black blotches that seem to have gotten a little bigger, nothing more than a few flakes of pepper on the table, I can only think it’s where the peroxide or acid in the vinegar has begun eating the aluminum.
-today is day 5: the case is speckled all over like a cheetah.

so I guess it’s not good for the aluminum, but it’s certainly not gonna dissolve a baffle into dust for an overnight bath in it.
 

Attachments

  • 5BD776BA-BD66-44D4-9991-86917D79B0C4.jpeg
    5BD776BA-BD66-44D4-9991-86917D79B0C4.jpeg
    386 KB · Views: 78
  • E37B38B7-FEE9-401B-8247-1148B71BC1D7.jpeg
    E37B38B7-FEE9-401B-8247-1148B71BC1D7.jpeg
    386.3 KB · Views: 71
  • Like
Reactions: ewoaf
Bravo Zulu for the fine empirical study of how proxy acetic acid magically melts Al. I can't recall if I ever did a 4 hr soaks or an overnight soak, but either way I don't think I ever got beyond the gunk. It's definitely less destructive than shooting through one. Hope it helps. Lead is a PITA without it.