Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to do a quick one-year review of the Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner that I previously reviewed over at our sister site AllOutdoor.com. Though not much of my opinions or feeling have changed about this device and the practice of using it, I have come to some conclusions I thought I would weave in after a little over a year of use. That being said let’s dive right into this Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner 1-Year Review!
Note: For various reasons, TFB Armorer’s Bench will be a bi-weekly segment for the time being. This is by no means a negative and will probably boost my personal time in providing quality gunsmithy/armorer-related content. Thank you folks so very much for sticking with me and giving good quality feedback and engaging with others in constructive ways in the comments.
Infante Ultrasonic Cleaner Content on TFB & AO:
- Infante Explain Their Ultrasonic Gun Cleaning System
- AllOutdoor Review: Shooter Series Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner – Infante S6
- Cleaning a Rimfire Suppressor with the Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner
- Cleaning a Black Powder Revolver with the Infante S6
- AllOutdoor Review: Infante S6 Ultrasonic Gun Cleaner – Video & Wrap Up
TFB Armorer’s Bench: Infante S6 1-Year Review
Here, we at TFB hope to inform, entertain, and even inspire any would-be gunsmith or armorer out there. Ideally, with the information I provide and with the help of our sponsors, you can have some useful knowledge pertaining to the conservation and improvement of firearms technology while at the same time sharing experiences and teaching each other new tips and tricks along the way in the comments. Digging deep into what it is to be an armorer or gunsmith has significance but what is important is what those people do to show they’ve earned that title. I am happy to share my experiences and knowledge and hope it is informative!
Make your personal safety a priority:
- Practice proper gun safety. Always make sure before the firearm hits your bench that it is unloaded and safe to be handled.
- Wear the proper safety equipment. The main one would be safety glasses (decent ones) since parts are often under spring tension and you may work with high RPM tools. Other honorable mentions would be latex gloves or a respirator when working with potentially harmful solvents and oils. Also hearing protection when working with loud machinery or test-firing firearms.
- Modifications, alterations, and customizations will void your firearm’s warranty 9.5 times out of 10. Please take that into consideration before attempting any at-home gunsmithing.
- If you are unsure about proper safety practices, disassembly procedures, or warranty standards, stop, put down the tools, and consult a competent gunsmith.
Specifications: Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner
The Infante S6 is the base-level portion of the Shooter Series of Infante Ultrasonic Cleaners. The Shooter Series of cleaners are “high-end ultrasonic gun cleaners for the avid shooter and gunsmith.” Their counterparts in the Pro Series are marketed to bigger operations “heavy-duty industrial ultrasonic gun cleaners for military, law enforcement & commercial use”. The MSRP of the Infante S6 currently stands at $750 which is understandably pretty spendy to most of us. However, if you run a full-on gunsmithing or armorer operation, this can be justified for the sake of the money-to-time ratio.
- Inside Tank Dimensions: 12″L x 6″W x 6″D
- Tank Fluid Capacity: Single 1.5-gallon tank (6L)
- Power Requirements: 120V 10 amp plug
- Material: High-grade stainless steel for better corrosion resistance
- Controls: Separate heat and ultrasonic
- Covered by the Infante Performance Guarantee
- Units are insulated with sound-dampening material for noise reduction
- Convenient carry handles for easy transportation
- Discounted pricing available for law enforcement, military, and federal firearm licensees
Note: Be careful of cleaning black nitride and anodized finishes. The ultrasonics tend to lend odd-looking swirls on parts if left in for too long. This is no fault of the machines by any means and is attributed to how the finishes work at a molecular level. Here is an excerpt straight from the manual that better explains this occurrence:
Gun frame finish partially removed by acidic hand sweat, may experience additional finish removal. For anodized, painted, powder coated, antique or special finished parts, use a 2-3 minute cleaning time. Some Black Nitride coated parts that do not conform to SAE AMS2753C may show cosmetic blemishes after ultrasonic cleaning. H&M Blacknitride+ treated parts as used by several firearm OEM’s are not affected by the process when used properly. TruGlo or fiber optic fights should not be cleaned in the ultrasonic tank. Be careful cleaning clear coated parts used by some lower cost .22 pistols, some coating may be removed.
The Setup and Explanation: Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner
The Infante S6 comes with the ultrasonic cleaner tank itself, 1 Qt. of Sonic Tonic, 1 Gallon of Sonic Lube, 2 Wire mesh suspension baskets with drain position handles, 1 Lube pan, and 2 Tank lid covers. The S6 has a dial for a duration of ultrasonic waves and also a dial for the heat of the solution in the tank.
Built to be the most compact, powerful and budget friendly ultrasonic gun cleaning system for its size, the S6 is sure to impress. This system was designed to clean & lubricate two full size autoloaders, up to a 6” revolver, various firearm parts & accessories such as bolt-carrier assemblies,silencers, cartridge cases, & reloading dies and much more!
One thing in the firearm industry that I feel is misunderstood and incorrectly utilized would be that of ultrasonic cleaners. If you are not familiar with ultrasonic technology and how it relates to gun cleaning, allow me to elaborate. Ultrasonic cleaners are typically tubs that use ultrasonic frequencies to produce vibration and agitation in a solution. By doing this in relation to gun parts in said solution the carbon, lead, dirt, etc flake off.
One-Year Review: Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner
Cleaning
One big takeaway after all this time is that the Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaner and most likely any other ultrasonic cleaner is greatly complemented by compressed air. I am sure, given that is ultrasonic cleaner is made specifically for guns, that Infante would supply a source of compressed air with the device if it was feasible for the company. For a whole host of reasons, I can understand why not…a guy can dream though. Luckily, I have a source of compressed air in my shop so I can dry parts and remove excess cleaner and lubricant like the wave of a wand. I HIGHLY recommend the use of safety glasses in any situation that involves compressed air.
Setting up the Infante is always something that takes mere minutes. The heating process is a good time to disassemble a gun or firearm accessory to the desired extent before being lowered into the stable solution and the ultrasonics unleashed. This is not a magic box. This is something I have always been privy to but some folks think you dump dirty gun parts in this box and they come out sparkling. More than anything this is a quality-of-life tool to assist you in making things spick and span. It removes the majority of debris in most cases but a light brushing or scrubbing is almost always mandatory after the fact to remove anything left over. More time does not always equal better results.
The cleaning solution is a mix of water and Sonic tonic cleaning concentrate. The Sonic tonic is not meant to be used on its own and the mix of water and cleaner will do a good many projects. Honestly, I have forgotten the forecasted amount of cycles but realistically it is just a vague reference and will depend on the severity of the project. For example, if I clean a very dirty muzzleloader and a suppressor, the solution is pretty dirty but not used up. It is however used up more so than if I did a simple run of two somewhat dirty pistols. I have found that I can stretch its usage to 30ish projects. The water will continue to evaporate so more can be added as needed but the concentrate does not evaporate.
Speaking of the cleaning operation, one of the biggest observations that I never experienced in my initial review was that, well, it gets pretty cold up here in Minnesota. My shop is not heated nor is it insulated. Taking that into account the cleaner which has mostly water present will be able to freeze in the winter. I was conscious of this before any deep chills rolled around and migrated the cleaning contents to a bucket for later use on warmer days but feel it is important to state that I would not leave a full tank in the cold. I would assume worst case a frozen tank would produce some sort of mess or damage.
LUBRICATING
I think one of the most surprising things I had admiration for when getting to know the Infante S6 was the whole lubrication process. I thought dipping an entire gun or its parts in a tub of lube and having ultrasonics run through it was going to be a messy slippery process. This, as it turns out, is a super helpful feature. The ultrasonics help get a good coat everywhere and on every surface. After a good wash of compressed air, a nice thin coating stays behind. This is especially nice since I work with a lot of older firearms and their maintenance means a lot to me. Since I mentioned the whole cold weather shpeel, I should mention since this is an oil it does not freeze. It may thicken a bit but not anywhere near enough for concern.
Final Thoughts: Infante S6 1-Year Review
The Infante S6 still remains to be one of my favorite devices in the shop. After a long-range day or weekend away shooting this is such a handy tool. It makes cleaning a breeze and lubrication effortless. It does not take much to set up and there is very little cleanup. In a shop setting this would be very useful since it is something you can turn on and walk away from. That being said the Infante S6 has my seal of approval and my utmost appreciation goes out to Greg Infante for stepping up and making a product for all of us gun guys and gals out there. I continue to be extremely impressed by this high-quality setup!
Check Prices on Infante S6 Ultrasonic Cleaners
As always, thank you for reading TFB! Be safe out there, have fun while shooting, and we will see you next time for the TFB Armorer’s Bench! Also, let us know what you think in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
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