Originally posted by Doc Dater (of Gemtech) on Subguns.com. He talks about the use of ultrasonics on aluminum:
The finish on the raptor is hard black anodize, not some type paint. Our cleaning recomendation is to not make any attempt to clean the suppressor or (if you feel compelled to do so) immerse the suppressor in something like a mixture of mineral spirits and automatic transmission fluid, primarily to slosh out the powder residues.
The test to check performance of an ultrasonic cleaner is to place a 1 inch square of aluminum foil in the tank for 15 seconds. At the end of that time, there should be at least 10 holes in the foil.
Many commercial ultrasonic cleaning solutions, all of which are water based, contain strong alkalies (some have weak acids), which will dissolve aluminum. If you absolutely must use this kind of device, do so for very short periods and use water with only a couple of drops of either Lemon Fresh Joy liquid dishwashing detergent or Downy liquid fabric softener to reduce the surface tension of the water. DO NOT USE ANYTHING ANY HARSHER!!!
Our demo Raptors, some of which have been in service for over 8 years have NEVER been cleaned other than having to re-lubricate the mount twice. We have Raptors in service with documented round counts over 125,000 without any cleaning.
There is no need whatsoever to immersion clean the Raptor. Doing so will hasten the need to service the mount, including replacing the O-rings and re-lubing the moving parts.
If you need to talk to us about your suppressor, we can be reached at 208-939-7222 weekdays 9-5 Mountain time.