303 hunter
Member
What are some of the concoctions you have come up with to use in your sonic case cleaners?
Homemade Sonic Cleaner Liquid
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john16443
Member
Lots of information on the web. I have the Hornady Magnum sonic cleaner and love it. I've found that water, Dawn dish soap, and a 9mm case full of Lemishine (Walmart) does as good as the Hornady case cleaner.
Have a look at this video from Mid-South Shooters Supply: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epIG4MI4rqk
Have a look at this video from Mid-South Shooters Supply: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epIG4MI4rqk
blarby
Member
up to 5 parts water, and 1 part vinegar- dash of dish soap.
cycle three times.
cold water, 1 tbl baking soda
cycle once.
On really nasty range pickup for the first time through , I use about 3 parts water, and 1 part vinegar. Instead of the dish soap, I spray in a couple pumps of hoppes elite bore cleaner.
Been using this method since I got my ultra- and Ive tried a lot of different things....nothing really works better, and many of the things iv'e tried were certainly more expensive.
Most important thing is to not overload your cleaner.
I've found the best results removing that annoying plastic tray, and coating the bottom of the cleaner no more than 2" full.
I make sure and pause in the middle of each cycle, and stir the contents.
Its very easy to examine a few pieces at the end of the three cleaning cycles to see if they meet my standards.... if not, just keep pressin the button till they do.
After an initial treatment, most of my fired brass usually requires only two cycles to be where I need it.
FWIW.......
cycle three times.
cold water, 1 tbl baking soda
cycle once.
On really nasty range pickup for the first time through , I use about 3 parts water, and 1 part vinegar. Instead of the dish soap, I spray in a couple pumps of hoppes elite bore cleaner.
Been using this method since I got my ultra- and Ive tried a lot of different things....nothing really works better, and many of the things iv'e tried were certainly more expensive.
Most important thing is to not overload your cleaner.
I've found the best results removing that annoying plastic tray, and coating the bottom of the cleaner no more than 2" full.
I make sure and pause in the middle of each cycle, and stir the contents.
Its very easy to examine a few pieces at the end of the three cleaning cycles to see if they meet my standards.... if not, just keep pressin the button till they do.
After an initial treatment, most of my fired brass usually requires only two cycles to be where I need it.
FWIW.......
dragon813gt
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Removing the tray will drastically decrease the life of the cleaner. Nothing metal is supposed to touch the sides/bottom of the cleaner. The tray may impeded the sonic waves but it's designed to work with it in place.
I use water/citric acid/dawn/lemishine in varying amounts depending on how large the batch is and how dirty the brass is. Lemishine is always a small amount. Typically a 9mm case full for 2L of water.
Brought to you by TapaTalk.
I use water/citric acid/dawn/lemishine in varying amounts depending on how large the batch is and how dirty the brass is. Lemishine is always a small amount. Typically a 9mm case full for 2L of water.
Brought to you by TapaTalk.
blarby
Member
Well, if its decreasing its life- it certainly hasnt let the cleaner know about it.
I'm up to about . mmmm..... ima say 3 years of hard use on it- and it was $55.
IF it actually manages to die anytime soon, I get a pin tumbler- wife sayz so.
I'm not trying to kill it.... But I'd like to know how having anything in contact with the tub might actually make it die faster.
You know that theres quite the buffer in there between the transducer and the tub, right ? You ever taken yours apart ? Theres no sex toys in mine- just a sonic transducer adhered to the bottom of a stainless steel tub. If metal in contact with the transducing surface was a problem- they would all have glass or plastic tubs.
The main reason the tray is in there is ease of removal- and for dorks to not ding or smash the bottom of the tub....neither of which I do.
If everyone bought one of those $200 ultra cleaners and feel bad about poor ol metal touching your metal tub bottom- im sorry ya got ripped off... but im still not using the tray.
And it does work significantly better when the metal touches the bottom- it turns the whole thing into a soundwave bouncing factory. Kinda like compton on a friday night.
And No, I dont go in for that tuning nonsense with the beaker either- If you wanna clean 15 pieces of brass at a time- be my guest.... until I get a robot to do it- I got other things ta do.
I'm up to about . mmmm..... ima say 3 years of hard use on it- and it was $55.
IF it actually manages to die anytime soon, I get a pin tumbler- wife sayz so.
I'm not trying to kill it.... But I'd like to know how having anything in contact with the tub might actually make it die faster.
You know that theres quite the buffer in there between the transducer and the tub, right ? You ever taken yours apart ? Theres no sex toys in mine- just a sonic transducer adhered to the bottom of a stainless steel tub. If metal in contact with the transducing surface was a problem- they would all have glass or plastic tubs.
The main reason the tray is in there is ease of removal- and for dorks to not ding or smash the bottom of the tub....neither of which I do.
If everyone bought one of those $200 ultra cleaners and feel bad about poor ol metal touching your metal tub bottom- im sorry ya got ripped off... but im still not using the tray.
And it does work significantly better when the metal touches the bottom- it turns the whole thing into a soundwave bouncing factory. Kinda like compton on a friday night.
And No, I dont go in for that tuning nonsense with the beaker either- If you wanna clean 15 pieces of brass at a time- be my guest.... until I get a robot to do it- I got other things ta do.
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Andrew Leigh
Member
Hi Dragon,
how long are your typical cycles? The reason I ask is that citric acid tend to turn the brass pink if the solution is too strong or if it is kept in for too long.
What is Lemishine, want to look for something similar here.
Andrew Leigh
Member
Blarby,
How long are your cycles?
What is the function of the baking soda?
I cannot seem to get the necks of rifle cartriges clean of of the blowback residue.
john16443
Member
I find Lemishine at Walmart in the dishwasher detergent area. It should be near the stuff for automatic dishwashers. In a small round plastic container that looks like this. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lemi-Shine-Super-Concentrated-Dishwasher-Detergent-Additive-12-oz/15724190
OP
OP
303 hunter
Member
Blarby,I tried your mixture,and it works great! Thanx
blarby
Member
Glad you liked it, 303.
I use 480 second cycles.
The baking soda cycle is used purely to neutralize any remaining acids that may be hanging around in nooks and crannies of your brass.
btw- if you are having pink brass come out of your cleaner- its party because of the acid...but not for the reason you are believing, andrew.
The pink parts are dezinc'd. Somehow, the zinc has been leached from your brass- this happens most commonly a couple of ways :
1. Range pickup thats been sitting around too long...happens naturally, you just see it when you get the brass clean enough.
2. Battery. Two types of metal, plus acid solution= battery. If you have an iron based metal in your solution, you will get this if you leave the brass in the acid solution with this metal long enough. Common culprits- cheap imported primers, and having a piece of varnish coated steel casing in the mix.
We've all done it from time to time- even me....sometimes those coated casings can be very deceptive if its a really dirty pile of brass, and each piece isn't hand inspected.
I use a universal decap die on all of my brass before it gets ultra'd, and ive never had it happen since.
---
I've had some types of factory powder residues that wont come off the necks of bottleneck cases , too- either by ultra, or vib tumbling.
I just use a piece of 0000 steel wool pinched between two fingers, stick the neck in the wool, pinch gently but firmly, and spin the neck clean using the other hand to turn it.
Clean using the ultra, vib tumble with nufinish to dry and remove any excess wear marks from the abrasive process- voila.
The nufinish coating/tumbling does absolute wonders for preventing nasty stuff from adhering to your uncoated brass, and makes further ultrasonic cleaning runs much, faster.
I use 480 second cycles.
The baking soda cycle is used purely to neutralize any remaining acids that may be hanging around in nooks and crannies of your brass.
btw- if you are having pink brass come out of your cleaner- its party because of the acid...but not for the reason you are believing, andrew.
The pink parts are dezinc'd. Somehow, the zinc has been leached from your brass- this happens most commonly a couple of ways :
1. Range pickup thats been sitting around too long...happens naturally, you just see it when you get the brass clean enough.
2. Battery. Two types of metal, plus acid solution= battery. If you have an iron based metal in your solution, you will get this if you leave the brass in the acid solution with this metal long enough. Common culprits- cheap imported primers, and having a piece of varnish coated steel casing in the mix.
We've all done it from time to time- even me....sometimes those coated casings can be very deceptive if its a really dirty pile of brass, and each piece isn't hand inspected.
I use a universal decap die on all of my brass before it gets ultra'd, and ive never had it happen since.
---
I've had some types of factory powder residues that wont come off the necks of bottleneck cases , too- either by ultra, or vib tumbling.
I just use a piece of 0000 steel wool pinched between two fingers, stick the neck in the wool, pinch gently but firmly, and spin the neck clean using the other hand to turn it.
Clean using the ultra, vib tumble with nufinish to dry and remove any excess wear marks from the abrasive process- voila.
The nufinish coating/tumbling does absolute wonders for preventing nasty stuff from adhering to your uncoated brass, and makes further ultrasonic cleaning runs much, faster.
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Andrew Leigh
Member
Thanks for all the advice Blarby, will follow your recipe and method today as I have a bunch of 30-06 and 6.5mm brass that is rather grubby.
A couple meore questions if I may?
Do you change the cleaning compound after each cycle? If not how long does the mixture last?
Regarding the pink brass. I was unclear, this only happens when using the method of citric soda and dishwash and not in the sonic cleaner. Used to use 2 tsp of citric soda to a tsp of dishwash but one had to wash them quick, if you left them in the would go pinkish. Did not like that so bought the sonic cleaner.
I only use my own brass, loaded from brand new.
Have also resorted to the steel wool. There ain't nothing like clean shiny brass.
Thanks
A couple meore questions if I may?
Do you change the cleaning compound after each cycle? If not how long does the mixture last?
Regarding the pink brass. I was unclear, this only happens when using the method of citric soda and dishwash and not in the sonic cleaner. Used to use 2 tsp of citric soda to a tsp of dishwash but one had to wash them quick, if you left them in the would go pinkish. Did not like that so bought the sonic cleaner.
I only use my own brass, loaded from brand new.
Have also resorted to the steel wool. There ain't nothing like clean shiny brass.
Thanks
Andrew Leigh
Member
Hi John thanks for the link.
I live in South Africa so will need to scrounge around for something similar based on the description in the link.
Was wondering how to remove the watermarks on the brass.
blarby
Member
I always use new solution for each batch of brass.
If you are using new brass, with no other metals in the solution, and you are still leaching metals out of the brass causing it to turn pink.... those citric acid crystals you got are mighty, mighty strong.
I'd refrain from using them for anything other than pressure-washing engine parts
If you are using new brass, with no other metals in the solution, and you are still leaching metals out of the brass causing it to turn pink.... those citric acid crystals you got are mighty, mighty strong.
I'd refrain from using them for anything other than pressure-washing engine parts
Andrew Leigh
Member
Cool thanks.
Andrew Leigh
Member
Hi Blarby,
OK, cleaned 70 6.5mm cases last night, the solution works. I neuralised with the cooking soda and rinsed throughly in fresh water. The brass is badly tarnished. Do you dry your cases with a soft cloth, leave them to dry on a towel etc.
Is this why people still tumble after cleaning?
Any further advice would be welcome.
OK, cleaned 70 6.5mm cases last night, the solution works. I neuralised with the cooking soda and rinsed throughly in fresh water. The brass is badly tarnished. Do you dry your cases with a soft cloth, leave them to dry on a towel etc.
Is this why people still tumble after cleaning?
Any further advice would be welcome.
blarby
Member
There it is- sorry I didn't make it clearer !
Andrew Leigh
Member
OK Blarby must have my dunce cap on this a.m.
Ultra = Ultrasonic clean.
Vib tumble = Now seperate process of tumbling the brass to get rid of tarnishing.
Nufinish = I see is a car wax / polish courtesy of google. Could you please detail when and how you apply this please?
Cheers
Andrew
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blarby
Member
I add about three tablespoons to the corncob grit in the vibratory cleaner.
Some folks add it and run it a bit before adding the brass, ive done it and not done it, and noticed no practical difference- sometimes you get a primer pocket cull of it if you dump it in on the cases though.
Some folks add it and run it a bit before adding the brass, ive done it and not done it, and noticed no practical difference- sometimes you get a primer pocket cull of it if you dump it in on the cases though.
Queen_of_Thunder
member
I have on occasion found brass in the washing machine and its spotless.
Citric acid is safe with brass and all the commercial ultrasonic case cleaners use it in their cleaning formula. Dawn is a great degreaser cleaner.
Therefore, my solution has been a "squirt" of Dawn and 1/2 tsp of Lemo-Shine (or however it is spelled) and hot water.
Therefore, my solution has been a "squirt" of Dawn and 1/2 tsp of Lemo-Shine (or however it is spelled) and hot water.
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