Cleaning your Gemtech

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Senor Chisme
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Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Senor Chisme »

Hi, I'm new to this forum and new to the world of suppressors. I just recieved my Alpine and took it to the range yesterday. I have a Ruger MKIII 22/45 threaded, a Savage MKII FV-SR, and a Ruger 10/22 with a finned threaded barrel. The two rifles are tack drivers but the pistol was all over the place. I have since learned that you have to remove the washer from the barrel before attaching the suppressor. Oh well, an excuse to go back to the range.
However, that is not my question. How do I clean this thing? The instructions say WD-40, 0000 steel wool, toothbrush. How clean do the baffles have to be? As shiney clean as when new? How long to soak in WD-40? Can any other product besides the WD-40 be used (I know - nothing water based)? Any advice in this area would be greatly appreciated.
yamatitan
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by yamatitan »

Just scrub them with a brush and any aluminium safe cleaner. Or google soda blaster and use that. They dont need to be shiny new they will just look like crap again after the first mag just get most of the buildup off.
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

My experience is that WD-40 does SQUAT to remove or reduce or help at all with the cleanup of baffles.

Elbow grease and the toothebrush is a good way to get started, you keep cleaning till you are happy.

You don't HAVE to clean it anyways, its all up to you.

I would strongly consider anodizing the baffles before they are too damaged. Will extend the life of the baffles dramatically.
Kramer
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Kramer »

Bendersquint wrote: I would strongly consider anodizing the baffles before they are too damaged. Will extend the life of the baffles dramatically.

What would that run?
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

Kramer wrote:
Bendersquint wrote: I would strongly consider anodizing the baffles before they are too damaged. Will extend the life of the baffles dramatically.

What would that run?
PM sent.
44Dave
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by 44Dave »

What kind of anodizing are we talking about? Like, go to the local machine shop and have them do it? Or is it more specialized?
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

44Dave wrote:What kind of anodizing are we talking about? Like, go to the local machine shop and have them do it? Or is it more specialized?
Type3 Hardcoat anodized to Mil Spec. Not the general machine shop Type2 anodizing.

You can't just go to a machine shop and have them anodize your silencer parts, they would have to be NFA Manufacturers to do it legally.
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by 44Dave »

Bendersquint wrote: You can't just go to a machine shop and have them anodize your silencer parts, they would have to be NFA Manufacturers to do it legally.
Crazy, man.
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

44Dave wrote:
Bendersquint wrote: You can't just go to a machine shop and have them anodize your silencer parts, they would have to be NFA Manufacturers to do it legally.
Crazy, man.
Its because metal finishing is considered a manufacturing activity, therefore you have to be a manufacturer to have it done.
Senor Chisme
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Senor Chisme »

First of all let me say that the folks at Stalking Rhino are great. I did send my suppressor to them and they communicated with me every step of the way. I emailed them and spoke to them over the phone and they answered even my stupidest questions. Unfortunately, they were unable to annodize my suppresor. Apparantly the manufacturing tolerances were so tight that, if they anodized the baffles, they could not put it back together again. But once again, they were super great throughout the entire process.
3154tm
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by 3154tm »

this may or may not be a good idea. but i stack the baffles from my gemtech outback II on a piece of threaded rod then chuck it in my drill press and clean/polish with a piece of scotch bright.
if the baffles become to worn i'll replace them. so far so good. i have a bronze brush of the right diameter that i chuck in a hand drill and run in and out of the can itself.
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

3154tm wrote:this may or may not be a good idea. but i stack the baffles from my gemtech outback II on a piece of threaded rod then chuck it in my drill press and clean/polish with a piece of scotch bright.
if the baffles become to worn i'll replace them. so far so good. i have a bronze brush of the right diameter that i chuck in a hand drill and run in and out of the can itself.
The Scotch bright is damaging the baffles, it is an abrasive. You would be better off using the bronze brush, it would cause less damage.
3154tm
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by 3154tm »

bendersquint,
thanks for the input, i'm new to this and have pretty steep learning curve ahead of me.
after carefully fighting the crud on the baffles for awhile i gave up and now i just clean them as quickly as possible so they don't lock up in the tube. after doing this a couple of dozen times they seem to be holding up fairly well and i haven't noticed any loss of suppression. anywho, the plan was to eventually upgrade the blast baffle to stainless and just replace the others as necessary.
i had originally hoped to upgrade to more exotic materials for all the baffles but i see that gemtech no longer offers that option.
thanks again.
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

3154tm wrote:bendersquint,
thanks for the input, i'm new to this and have pretty steep learning curve ahead of me.
after carefully fighting the crud on the baffles for awhile i gave up and now i just clean them as quickly as possible so they don't lock up in the tube. after doing this a couple of dozen times they seem to be holding up fairly well and i haven't noticed any loss of suppression. anywho, the plan was to eventually upgrade the blast baffle to stainless and just replace the others as necessary.
i had originally hoped to upgrade to more exotic materials for all the baffles but i see that gemtech no longer offers that option.
thanks again.
Just because GT wont upgrade your can for you doesnt mean someone else wont!
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by 3154tm »

hadn't thought of that, good point!
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Lateck »

Bendersquint wrote: The Scotch bright is damaging the baffles, it is an abrasive. You would be better off using the bronze brush, it would cause less damage.
If Scotch bright is so bad, why do they recommend using it? (Or 000 steel wool)

What else can work?

Lateck,
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

Lateck wrote:
Bendersquint wrote: The Scotch bright is damaging the baffles, it is an abrasive. You would be better off using the bronze brush, it would cause less damage.
If Scotch bright is so bad, why do they recommend using it? (Or 000 steel wool)

What else can work?

Lateck,
Edited for poor remark.

In reviewing this comment it was a bit harsh and not fair of me to put it that way. The Scotch Brite does clean the baffles but it also damages them, it is a side affect.
Last edited by Bendersquint on Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lateck
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Lateck »

Finally have my Alpine at home.
Now I'm looking real hard into cleaning the baffles.
The above information is great but still missing...........

What about cleaning the baffles in an Ultrasonic cleaner?
Any good cleaning agents? (Want to shy away from scotch brite pads.)

Thanks in advance.

Lateck,
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

Lateck wrote:Finally have my Alpine at home.
Now I'm looking real hard into cleaning the baffles.
The above information is great but still missing...........

What about cleaning the baffles in an Ultrasonic cleaner?
Any good cleaning agents? (Want to shy away from scotch brite pads.)

Thanks in advance.

Lateck,

Aluminum baffles will be damaged if run through an ultra sonic cleaner. Elbow grease and some Hoppes would be what I would recommend.
Lateck
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Lateck »

Bendersquint wrote: Aluminum baffles will be damaged if run through an ultra sonic cleaner. Elbow grease and some Hoppes would be what I would recommend.
Well, there was hope.... :roll:
Thanks for the heads up, I may have really screwed up if I hadn't asked.

Lateck,
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

Lateck wrote:
Bendersquint wrote: Aluminum baffles will be damaged if run through an ultra sonic cleaner. Elbow grease and some Hoppes would be what I would recommend.
Well, there was hope.... :roll:
Thanks for the heads up, I may have really screwed up if I hadn't asked.

Lateck,
Its not a fast damage but it does damage the structure of the aluminum.
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chrismartin
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by chrismartin »

Bendersquint wrote:
Elbow grease and some Hoppes would be what I would recommend.
Hoppes #9 contains ammonia which can damage aluminum. So, if you use it, make sure to clean it all off and don't soak the parts in it, even more-so if the parts are not anodized. Personally, I would not use it on baffles.
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Kramer »

Bendersquint wrote:
Lateck wrote:Finally have my Alpine at home.
Now I'm looking real hard into cleaning the baffles.
The above information is great but still missing...........

What about cleaning the baffles in an Ultrasonic cleaner?
Any good cleaning agents? (Want to shy away from scotch brite pads.)

Thanks in advance.

Lateck,

Aluminum baffles will be damaged if run through an ultra sonic cleaner. Elbow grease and some Hoppes would be what I would recommend.
Is a soda blaster ok for aluminum?
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Bendersquint
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Bendersquint »

Kramer wrote: Is a soda blaster ok for aluminum?
Unless we treated your GemTech can the baffles are raw aluminum so you are fine.

If they are anodized be careful to not rest in one place for too long as it can strip the anodizing off.
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Faulkner
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Re: Cleaning your Gemtech

Post by Faulkner »

Interestingly, I was talking to a Gemtech dealer and shooter today who says this whole cleaning suppressor thing is way over rated. He said about every 500 rounds through his .22 LR suppressors he disassembles them, shakes 'em a bit, wipes them down with a rag, and that's about it. Said more people are potentially causing damage to them by overcleaning.
- change it back -
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