Harbor Freight Ultrasonic on sale

[berettashotgun]

You might try automatic dishwasher detergent.
That stuff continues to impress me as a cleaner.

 

[Nate1778]

I picked one of these up yesterday for $60. I picked up some of their detergent as well for it. Ran my Interarms PPK knock off through it, I got to say I have never scene a gun clean so quickly and thoroughly as this. Pulled it out and let it sit in a 200F oven minus grips for about 15 minutes. It was so clean I hated putting oil back on it. I love this thing, and am having a hard time finding things to put in it at this point.

 

[tabealer]

I just purchased one at HF today. I am trying to figure out how to make the thing clean like everyone says. I am only trying to clean about 50-75 .223 shells and using the cheap HF US cleaner powder. I pre-soaked the shells in Simple Green for a few hours first. I am using the heat.

Are there any tricks to these things? The water gets a little dirty and the shells are coming out a little cleaner but nowhere near what the vibrator does with a skosh of Flitz.

 

[KHughes]

The best thing I've found to us in the HF ultrasonic cleaner is Iosso brass cleaner. I have the small HF cleaner and use hot water and a couple of caps full of Iosso. Cleans them up real nice but they will be a bit dull.

If you must have shiny brass run them through a second pass with RCBS Sidewinder Cleaning Solution in the unit followed by a rinse in hot water and they come out looking good.

Ya'll are taking the drying thing too seriously. Just rinse them in hot water and hang them up in a mesh bag to air dry for a few days. No muss no fuss.

Kent

 

[BFE]

tabealer
Member
Join Date: February 11, 2010
Posts: 5 I just purchased one at HF today. I am trying to figure out how to make the thing clean like everyone says. I am only trying to clean about 50-75 .223 shells and using the cheap HF US cleaner powder. I pre-soaked the shells in Simple Green for a few hours first. I am using the heat.

Are there any tricks to these things? The water gets a little dirty and the shells are coming out a little cleaner but nowhere near what the vibrator does with a skosh of Flitz.

I just purchased the HF Ultrasonic cleaner and tried it for the first time using the solution below and I am more then pleased with the results. My brass came out looking close to new, my first batch was 18ea. 30-378 deprimed. I put the brass in a beaker and then put the beaker in the U C filled up to the high mark thats in the tank. Using the beaker makes it easyer to change from vineger to the Baking Soda and water by simply dumping between solutions.
ULTRASONIC CLEANING — Baney's Best Recipes

My ultimate solution resulted in shiny brass that was 100% devoid of carbon, inside and out. Even the carbon deposits on the neck and the primer pockets were completely removed! My objective had been accomplished! Dirty old black brass came out like new inside and out…I was amazed. Not only did my protocol work well, but it was the least expensive option in the whole test! For "Cheap and Clean," this is the procedure I settled on:

CHEAP and CLEAN
24 minutes - 50% Vinegar + 1 Drop Dish Soap per 8 ounces water
480 seconds - Baking Soda (BS) in water (1 grain BS per ounce of water)
480 seconds - Hot Water
480 seconds - Distilled Water
Total: 48 minutes
Cost: Less than $2.00 per gallon

You can read the whole story at this link, he has a CLEAN and SHINY version also but the above solution is fine by me.
http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html

 

[kelbro]

Follow the link in BFE's post. That method has worked very well for me.

 

[Davandron]

OP reviving the thread for an important realization.

Lyman's $139 Turbo sonic ultrasonic case cleaner is the same as the Harbor Freight model! Lyman's does come with a nicer basket.

Having two sets of instructions is helpful (although doesn't reveal a lot of new information). Still good to have both.

 

[rondog]

I have that same model US cleaner. I use it for gun parts w/solvent, it works great! I also use it for brass with a homemade solution for cleaning heavy tarnish, it does good for that too. Also cleans dirt off well too, but nothing can replace my tumbler for polishing. I LOVE bright, shiny brass!

 

[Watergoat]

My nephew has a side business repairing/cleaning musical instruments. He bought a big one, for tubas, 5 or 6 years ago. Paid something over $13,000 for it, made his money back in less than a year. You would not believe some of the stuff that comes out of horns, and they have to have it repaired, or it won't play.

 

[rattletrap1970]

I keep my ultrasonic cleaner full of water based cleaner, but, I keep several glass beakers next to the clear for use with solvents. I have your average compliment of solvents: mineral spirits, enamel reducer, laquer thinner, denatured alcohol, acetone, etc. When I have to remove something tough I put a small amount of solvent in a glass beaker (glass is transparent to ultrasonics), put my parts in the beaker, then submerge the beaker in the water to the depth of the solvent in the beaker. The solvent in the beaker vibrates just like the water in the tank. This works great and allows you to use many different types of cleaners without changing the contents of the tank constantly.

 

[Crashbox]

I have a small (1/2 gallon) Crest ultrasonic cleaner which I've had for several years now, purchased long before I started reloading; for cleaning used brass I now use about 1-2 ounces of Maintex neutral pH floor cleaner with a teaspoon of citric acid, heated to about 50 degrees Celsius (or rounded to approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit). I've often thought of using solvent-filled beakers as Rattletrap1970 does (I also have a plethora of solvents), along with the beaker holders- but the last time I checked the prices on those holders, they were *expensive*!!!

For me, it is well worth the extra effort to decap the used brass and clean them ultrasonically- I dry them out in a convection toaster oven set for 225-250 degrees F.

Adding the citric acid makes all the difference in the world- it dramatically improves the cleaning effect and they say it passivates the brass, which I tend to believe as my treated cases are still nice and shiny.

Just my $.02-

 

[rattletrap1970]

I made beaker holders out of sheets of scrap lexan and a hole saw. I just made holes that were big enough to hold under the rim of the beaker and rests on the top of the unit.

Some guy did a test of various cleaners to clean cartridges. The best performer was 50/50 water and white vinegar with one drop of dawn dish detergent for each 8oz of fluid. This is what I use. I dry them in a cut off pant leg sewed closed on one end and tied at the other. I Toss it in the drier with a bunch of old towels to keep it from beating up the dryer.

 

[petrey10]

do you guys do this after sizing and depriming? or just after depriming?

 

[rondog]

Just deprime with a universal decapping die, otherwise you're trying to resize dirty brass which might scratch your carbide die.

 

[Crashbox]

I first decap 'em with a universal decapping die, then tank the little buggers for about eight to ten minutes. I especially love how clean the primer pockets get by doing the ultrasonic thing.

 

[TW Copeland]

I bought an ultrasonic cleaner at HF yesterday and mixed up a batch of Ed's Red (equal parts Automatic Transmission Fluid, Mineral Spirits, kerosene and acetone (optional)) and cleaned my Ruger P89 in it. I regret putting acetone in it because the acetone disolved away the center of the plastic mat that came with the ultrasonic cleaner. It also started to eat away at the lid and took the paint off one of the buttons on the front of the machine.
http://s1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd384/tomcopeland1/?action=view&current=barrelbeforelg.jpg

http://s1217.photobucket.com/albums...mcopeland1/?action=view&current=setbutton.jpg

I am very impressed with the results on my pistol and was going to use it to clean some other gun parts but I need to find a new plastic mat or basket for the ultrasonic cleaner first.
http://s1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd384/tomcopeland1/?action=view&current=barrelbeforelg.jpg
http://s1217.photobucket.com/albums...opeland1/?action=view&current=barrelafter.jpg

I mixed the Ed's Red solution and am storing it in an old metal Coleman fuel can. I think I will leave it outside with the lid off for awhile to let the acetone evaporate.

Here are the flash points for the ingredients:
Acetone: -4 F
Mineral spirits: 104 F
Kerosene: 110 F
Synthetic ATF: 356-453 F (varies by brand)

Without the acetone, it will be much less flammable but will take longer to get the parts clean. Even with the acetone, it produces a low flame when touched with a lit match, but a partially lit match (these cheap wood matches that don't produce a flame but just burn like a slow fuse) goes out when touched to the solution. So, I felt safe enough to use the heater in the ultrasonic cleaner.