View Full Version : Looking for a steamer
I'm looking for a steamer to use for cleaning my guns. I keep looking and looking but the majority of them seem to be either specifically made for cleaning floors or clothes.
I need a steamer that has a nozzle, prferable flexible or on a hose so that I can target and direct the steam.
Anybosdy have any experience or recommendations for a steamer for use with gun cleaning?
TED
http://www.drycleanersforum.com/
I think you took a wrong turn looking for the above link.
Ok, I'll bite. What the hell are you talking about? And why do you think this is the correct place for the post?
A steam cleaner is perhaps what he means? i.e. a high-pressure steam "blaster"?
polymorpheous
06-26-13, 03:46
Why the hell would you use steam to clean a weapon?
Why the hell would you use steam to clean a weapon?
Look, not my idea, BUT.......you steam clean an engine, right? All the grime and crap. As far as a gun goes though, you'd better be damn sure all the H2O evaporated (although with steam it would be likely to do so more quickly).
Come to think of it, it might work quite nicely for corrosive Russkie 5.45 fodder!
Look, not my idea, BUT.......you steam clean an engine, right? All the grime and crap.
That's because most people don't have an ultra-sonic tank big enough. The electronics also get goofy when submerge them...
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My family is in the jewelry business. We have a steam cleaner specifically for cleaning jewelry. big machine with a small, high pressure nozzle.
I clean my bolts with it all the time. It's awesome with mp5 bolts because it can get into every nook that takes an hour to do by hand, all without chemicals. So yes, IMO, these are pretty useful.
That being said, I wouldn't buy one of these for personal use. They require attention to prevent over-pressure and potential explosions and they require an hour or so to get it warmed up, so unless you use it daily, it's a real hassle to maintain.
http://www.safety-kleen.com/products-services/parts-cleaning-technologies/solvent-parts-washer/manual
Go this route instead.
I use the benchtop model 14 to clean my weapons. It is real handy to clean the BCG and your handguns. Keep an airhose nearby. The parts cleaner cuts your cleaning time in half. But I wouldn't get it if you are an occasional shooter with just an AR to clean.
If you shoot several times a week and several weapons, it is worth your while then.
The local outfit had some used ones to sell and they were half the price of the new ones.
Go with the Stanley Steamer.
I've used Waterpik (water flosser) to clean hard to reach places. There were times when our selector center came back from tumbling and coating and the screw holes were full of dirt-like stuff, Waterpik worked very well there.
polymorpheous
06-26-13, 10:17
I would think that it would be too easy for water to get trapped in small places.
If I was going to be anal about things, I would go with the above mentioned brake cleaner.
In all honesty, unless your are going to get smoked for a dirty weapon, wiping down the BCG and a Boresnake is really all you need to do 90% of the time.
When accuracy falls off, use a bore cleaner to remove the fouling.
A rifle is not a complex machine like an engine.
Reasoning is I have 4 rifles in 5.45x39 and 23,760 rounds of 5.45.
TED
TurretGunner
06-26-13, 15:57
Let me start by saying I reccomend against it.
Using steam will take more time and be more of a headache than using other means unless there is cosmoline or other preservitive that is hardened into small places.
I have cleaned many weapons with steam, in fact all this month and next I am decosmolining a shit load of M1carbines from storage, that have been packed away for 60+ years. Its pretty awsome to melt that shit away and see IBM, Rockolla and National Postal Meter under the gunk.
Right before my unit left OIF, I took a detail of soldiers over to the base weapons maintence shop to "clean" all the compnay weapons in thise giant steam cleaners that were bassicaly dishwashers the size of a F350. Dissasemmble all the parts, throw it in there, and it steam cleaned them for 30 mins or so. Talk about a pain in the ass. Had to dry every inch of them off, while the metal is still 250*+, before the rust sets in. Have to oil the shit out of them beacuse the steam took all the residual clp and some of the park off. It still didnt get all the carbon out, that had to be done by hand.
It would have made more sense to use a commcercial parts cleaner with solvent.
Water + Wood and metal don't mix. Just clean them like everyone else does, its less hassle in the long run.
Unless you are stuck with 50 year old cosmoline or some other compound that has to be melted, then steam is a bad idea IMO.
If you100% already made your mind up, we use a garmet cleaner and it works perfect and is not to much money. This is similar to the one we use, with De-ionized water. Normaly cleaning a simple gun like a m1 carbine would take 8-10 hours of hand labor, the steam cleaner reduces that to 2-3 hours depending on how hard it is.
http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/reliable-g4-and-g4m-fabric-and-garment-steamers.html?itemId=2446
TurretGunner
06-26-13, 16:01
Reasoning is I have 4 rifles in 5.45x39 and 23,760 rounds of 5.45.
TED
Yea and thats exactly why I sold my 5.45 rifles. All the ammo is corrosive and the cheap ammo is not worth the time it takes to clean that shit. Sell the ammo and buy 7.62 or 5.56 instead.
I used to take them into the shower with me..... blasting for 20 minutes is not worth a hour and a half cleaning. Steam is not going to save you much time. The salts will still be in there.
Why not read this? https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=87949
Back in 95ish we had steam cleaners to clean all of the training weapons in the Lackland BMT armory. Seemed like a great idea at the time since we had detail Airmen cleaning about 300 rifles a day. It worked great but it literally sucked every drop of oil out of the metal. We would find rust in places that we had never seen rust before. We spent more time relubing the rifles so they wouldn't rust sitting in the armory waiting for their next turn in the rotation than we saved. Before, since they were training guns, they got a scrub down to remove the caked on carbon on the bolt, a few patches down the bore, coat of CLP and back to the rotation. Afterwards we had to make sure that every single square millimeter of metal had a coat of CLP on it. Even to the point of removing the front sights to relube the spring so it wouldn't rust every single time. Glad they all eventually broke and we went back to the old fashioned way.
Moose-Knuckle
06-26-13, 21:46
There for a second I forgot what forum I logged onto . . .
So, hot water good, steam better = not true?
If it is just hot water, how hot? What about using a pressure sprayer then?
I'm working on reading the link Iraq Gunz provided now. When I originally searched for steam it did not come up.
TED
It takes 15 minutes to dis/clean/assemble an AKS74 after shooting a case of corrosive....no pressure washer/steam ginny or autoclave involved.
WTB: all cheap corrosive ammo.
TurretGunner
06-27-13, 21:12
It takes 15 minutes to dis/clean/assemble an AKS74 after shooting a case of corrosive....no pressure washer/steam ginny or autoclave involved.
WTB: all cheap corrosive ammo.
Please show me how its done in 15mins....unless you don't actualy clean, DRY and relube everything.........while leaving salts in the chamber/action. You may be able to clean a barrel in 15minutes......but a rifle.........I want see that,
STONE-YARDER
06-27-13, 21:29
http://www.ultrasonicsdirect.com/tale7to24.html
RogerinTPA
06-27-13, 22:05
So, hot water good, steam better = not true?
If it is just hot water, how hot? What about using a pressure sprayer then?
I'm working on reading the link Iraq Gunz provided now. When I originally searched for steam it did not come up.
TED
Hot water out of the sink is fine. Steam will not remove the corrosive salts , thats what the hot water is for. For clarification, the salts are in the primer of surplus soviet military made ammo coming out of the green spam cans, and not wolf, brown bear or any other commercially made ammo in the same caliber. Just read the thread IraqGuns posted. It's all been discussed before.
I field strip and use semi hot water and flood it over everything.
Heat gun to dry it after a good shake.
Bore gets snaked a few times and I give the FCG a squirt of ballistol.
I've done it a lot because I shoot it a lot. I'm sure it wouldn't pass a military inspection[Yes I've had those too}but it passes my $700 AK inspection just fine and I'm quite sure I haven't compromised the weapon in any way. Cheers.
Hmmm.. I've always cleaned my firearms the old fashion way. Elbox grease, cottons swabs, and patience.
TurretGunner
06-28-13, 06:18
http://www.ultrasonicsdirect.com/tale7to24.html
Utrasonic and gun parts dont mix......that is if you want any and all coatings to be stripped off.
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