Cleaning Pellets with ultra sonic cleaner?
- Thread starter LNielsen
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I never used anything else but a nylon brush to clean my airgun barrels. Still works the best IMHO.
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Jonnes, thank you but I was referring to pouring a tin of pellets into a sonic cleaner and using soft detergent to clean the pellets. Sorry for the confusing title Jonnes
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Some time ago I've seen pictures of someone who'd been doing this. In general the pellets came out clean but some started to lose small chunks of lead from the heads and skirts. He said he wouldn't advise someone to do it.
If you want to clean pellets, just use some warm water with dish detergent. It cleans the pellets properly but I haven't noticed any improvement in accuracy doing this...
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Thanks broekzwans, I was laying awake one night thinking about Airguns (hahaha) and wondered about using this process. I myself just shoot pellets straight from the tin. I don't sort clean or weigh and the gun seems to be very accurate. A guy has to be thinking of ways to improve or at least I do. Thanks very much for your input!
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there is a slight difference between straight from the tin and cleaned pellets. The barrel pollution is slightly less, but this is just a small difference.
You can find a picture of a ultra sonic "cleaned" pellets on the following page: http://www.luchtbuks.net/index.php?showtopic=103555&st=0&p=858828&hl=ultrasoon&fromsearch=1&#entry858828
You can find a picture of a ultra sonic "cleaned" pellets on the following page: http://www.luchtbuks.net/index.php?showtopic=103555&st=0&p=858828&hl=ultrasoon&fromsearch=1&#entry858828
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When you guys clean your pellets using detergent do you notice the pellet getting darker in color while it sits on a cloth or paper towel waiting to dry. Or is it just me?
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Dartagnan, I have only cleaned one tin of pellets and I don't know that I will continue the process. I used dawn dish soap and after I had carefully washed them and put to dry on the paper towel I thought they appeared brighter to be honest. What soap are you using?
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I use to use Dawn. I think my wife switch to Palmolive. Yes they do come out shiny but after a while (only because I left them out to go to a party) they looked darker. Maybe oxidation kicked in, maybe?
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If you cleaned them they indeed start to oxidize. If you coat them with teflon spray they won't oxidize anymore and start shining. I didn't notice a substantial accuracy increase whit cleaned pellets but you can notice the lower amount of fouling and easier loading. There is a possibility to gain accuracy but you'll have to test that for yourself.
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An ultrasonic cleaner is not necessarily a non-trivial process. At the jewelry shop I worked in, the guys filing said they could feel the difference between metal that had been through the ultrasonic and that which had not (work hardening by the ultrasonic action.)
During my tenure, we found a chemical to replace hydroflouric acid (scary dangerous) for stripping investment. Only moderately dangerous, it would convert to hydrofluoric during part of the ultrasonic pulse cycle, then revert to the safer compound just after the pulse passed.
The upshot is that ultrasonic cleaners can really do stuff, not always obvious.
I've read that pewter, a lead-tin alloy work hardens, but anneals at room temperatures over a day or so. So it is possible ultrasonic cleaned pellets may show differences the first day, but not later on.
During my tenure, we found a chemical to replace hydroflouric acid (scary dangerous) for stripping investment. Only moderately dangerous, it would convert to hydrofluoric during part of the ultrasonic pulse cycle, then revert to the safer compound just after the pulse passed.
The upshot is that ultrasonic cleaners can really do stuff, not always obvious.
I've read that pewter, a lead-tin alloy work hardens, but anneals at room temperatures over a day or so. So it is possible ultrasonic cleaned pellets may show differences the first day, but not later on.
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LOL, I thought you where talking about these things.
But yeah, I've read something similar to broekzwans about the use of a sonic cleaner for pellets. I've used a slight bit of Balistol once after washing the pellets in warm water. Didn't make much of a difference though. But it all depends on your barrel I guess.
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Thanks Jonnas , I have decided that I have other places to spend my time, like shooting and reading AirGunNation...
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I test lubed pellets vs un-lubed in all my airguns. Most of the guns shoot the lubed as accurate as un-lubed but a few of the barrels I tested hated lubed pellets. The biggest benefit I found to lubing pellets is the barrel doesn't need to be cleaned nearly as often. The lube I have found worked best is Prolix, it dries like a wax so my fingers are pretty clean after a day of shooting.
You will improving accuracy by weighing and checking head sizes. I found weighing and checking head sizes in 177 is crucial to longer distance accuracy. In .22 head sizing is important but found weighing pellets was key to good groups at 60 - 65 yards and further. After weighing a few tins of JSB 18.1's with a good scale I found pellets that weighed 17.6 through 18.8 grains. Shooting a pellet weighing 1.2 grain more than the next pellet being shot will kill any group.
Pelletgauge.com sells head sizing tool that is easy to use for about $50. Measuring a few tins of JSB 10.3's I had pellet heads in 4.46 through 4.51. My FT gun shoots the 4.48 - 4.50 most accurate. 4.46 and smaller is a flyer almost every time, 4.47's are mostly flyers and anything over 4.51 will likely be a flyer.
To see what an accurate guns likes I measure and weigh then test on a day with little to no wind. It takes an awful amount of time to measure and weigh pellets so I only do this for a FT match, if I am competing or want to show off. I recently upgraded to the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series precision scale and use a pellet gauge in 177 through 30 cal.
Once you have an accurate gun shooting constantly(fps) and would like to improve accuracy weighing/sorting head sizes is the way to go.
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