New reloader Ultrasonic brass cleaning

[Centurian22]

Being new to reloading and on a limited budget, I opted to try ultrasonic case cleaning. So here is my process and review. The only thing left to be determined is the life span of this 'cheap' ultrasonic cleaner.

Info and cleaning solution from: http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html

US cleaners can be found on amazon for as little as $25-$30. The one I bought was $30 w/ free shipping (though the original price was supposedly listed at $110).
http://amzn.com/B004MBE6WQ
I have run several batches through the 'cheap and clean' process from 6mmbr.
"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"

The capacity of this model will hold 40 .308 cases and still functions flawlessly. Not sure how many pistol cases yet but I would venture a guess at 100-150 9mm. Results...?


Primer pocket before.


Primer pocket after.


20 cases of once fired .308 before.


BAM!!! Same 20 cases after 'cheap and clean'!





My total process: Neck size/deprime, chuck into lee lock stud/shell holder in cordless drill, trim, deburr and chamfer (with Lyman tool that stores heads in handle), run .30 cal brass brush inside neck and a quick pass of fine (0000) steel wool along outside, remove from lock stud and quick scrape of primer pocket with Lee primer pocket cleaning tool. Then through the cheap and clean process. Then drying, which is very subjective to personal preference. Safest is just putting them in front of a fan overnight. Personally I preheat my oven to 200-215, then turn it off and place the tray of brass in with a note in plain sight to avoid someone coming along and turning it on to preheat for something and cooking my brass. Usually dry within 30-60 min. Now I'll admit I'm OCD and i know I'm doing way more than is "needed" but I enjoy the process and the results.

Hope this has been an informative glance into ultrasonic cleaning 'on the cheap' for those that may not have been aware of the possibility.

I'd love thoughts, suggestions and feedback from anyone about my process. Thanks for viewing!

 

[45lcshooter]

That's the quickest way to get shiny clean brass. Other than factory new.

 

[dragon813gt]

That's a lot of cycles with different solutions. I've found the cheapest way is to use powdered citric acid, a squirt of dawn and a 9mm case of Lemishine. Have the cleaner fully heated and then run as many cycles until the brass is clean. I haven't had to exceed eight cycles for the worse range brass. Towel dry and then into to the tumbler for final drying and polish application.

I tired the exact method you have laid out. It took way to long with to many changes of the solution. Using powdered citric acid also prevents you from having to smell vinegar. Which I personally can't stand.


Brought to you by TapaTalk

 

[ss51]

Awesome brass, great Info, Thanks

 

[blarby]

I dont understand the tray, but your process is pretty much the one I advise.

You can do a lot more brass than that at once, FWIW.

 

[Centurian22]

The tray is just a 'range trash recovered loading block'. I didn't use it for the actual ultrasonic cleaning, just a way to hold the brass through the loading process. And my ultrasonic cleaner tops out at 40 .308 cases.

 

[Centurian22]

Ss51, thanks for the compliment and glad you enjoyed the info.

 

[Centurian22]

I guess no one else has anything to say about it. Oh well...

 

[Charlie1022]

I am kind of new to the ultrasonic cleaner method. I have just been using the Lymann cleaner and it does a good job. I bought some Lemonshine and cytric acid and Dawn dish soap but have not tried it yet. If I want them to really shine I still run them through one of my tumblers with corn cob and Dillon Radid polish which is the best polish I have ever used. The main reason I bought the ultra sonic cleaner was to try cleaning the rifle brass to see if it helps improve accuracy any over ust tumbling.

Shoot straight and often.
Charlie1022

 

[Carpedium]

Is this a substitute for a tumbler?

 

[Centurian22]

Charlie, I might have to try that citric acid thing as well.

Carpedium, It can be used in place of or along with tumbling. It accomplishes all that I need it to so I have no plan to get a tumbler anytime soon.

 

[Trent]

Isn't vinegar bad for brass? Or is that ammonia?

Tumbling is cheapest for me. Living in the midwest, I can drive out and get pallets of ground corn cob media for about $5/50 pound bag.

 

[Centurian22]

It's ammonia that's bad for brass. The vinegar is an acid though and that's the reason for the baking soda cycle to neutralize it so it doesn't continue to 'eat' at the brass. I may try a tumbler some day but I just can't imagine something as effective and clean as this. No dust, no sifting, and no changing media. All lead goes down the drain. I will grant that it would be more convenient to just dump the brass in a tumbler and let it run over night, but as I said I enjoy and take pride in my work.

 

[troutfisherman1200]

I liked the idea so much I just ordered 2 ultra sonic cleaners.I thought that having 1 for the acid solution and 1 for the baking solution should cut the prossess in half.Thanks for the ideas!

 

[myg30]

I found that the time involved and having to baby sit the USC was not worth my time. I too had followed the same info you have from the 6mm br site but used the glass beaker method as described there with only a few cases in the beaker 20-25. When the baking soda cycle was done and did the distilled water cleaning, some of my brass turned pink !
I really feel that de priming brass, tossing into the tumbler with walnut for dirty, corncob for polishing along with the cap of nu-finish and cap of mineral spirts works as well and no babysitting needed. Set the timer for 2-4 hrs, go shooting, shoping,tv what ever. Next day remove them, load em.
I might be willing to try this lemishine. Heard lots bout it with the stainless steel pin rototary tumblers. Lemishine in the USC might be worth a try. I just hate to stand there and hit that cycle buttom again and again. A comercial USC is the way to go and I just can not afford one for brass.

Mike

 

[Centurian22]

Troutfisherman, good luck with that idea, I guess if you used the baskets (which I don't as I've heard they can absorb alot of the energy and reduce the efficiency) then running two could work, and technically you could process twice as much brass either with your method or just running both on the same cyle each full of brass. Happy to have helped sparked someone's interest.

Mike, I just set my timer or phone alarm for the 8 minutes and go about my business. I run the US cleaner in a bathroom so its not far away and easy to dump and refill. Works out well especially if I'm working on processing other brass. Maybe someday I'll have the luxury of a 'set it and forget it' tumbler but I'm happy for now.

 

[Jaxondog]

Very good. My hat's off to you for taking such measure's to find the one that work's best. I've been wanting to try something other than what I use to try and cut cycle's back. Although I rarely go past two cycle's [ Hornaday's case Cleaner ] with it, it would be nice to find something to do it in one cycle. Thank's a lot cause now i know where to start.

 

[Springfield0612]

Two different companies same product. Also you can use the 20% off coupon for Habor Freight and pay $64.99 vice $112 just because they put Lyman on the front. Same unit, same specs.

http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-ultrasonic-cleaner-95563.html

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/22...2500-cleaner-ultrasonic-case-cleaner-110-volt

I cut the plexiglass top for mine and got three beakers that fit offset in the one cleaner. I can fit 50 rnds of .45 acp in each beaker and that way I can run 3 solutions at the same time. I don't shoot a lot and I don't reload a lot so I don't need to buy the cement mixer from HF and run 10,000 cases at a time. This works perfect for me.

For cleaning solution, I use BC Case Cleaner as a presoak for 5 min, then I run the USC (1) a mixture of citric acid and Vineger (2) Baking Soda (3) water. I strain each solution and reuse until it starts to decrease its cleaning preformance. Finally I rinse in a bucket with clean water and shake off excess water then set to dry in my handy drying rack below. I've never had the desire to use a tumbler or any other form for cleaning my brass. It doesn't have to sparkle to feed and preform.


Here is how I dry the cleaned brass. Fast and efficent.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=7365573#post7365573

 

[troutfisherman1200]

ultra sonic cleaner on the cheap

I want to give you all an update the cleaners are in and up and running! What I have been using is 1 tea spoon of Lemi-shine and 120 degree distelled water for 3 cycles at 480 than 1 cycle of room temp water they come out just like the day they were made. Total cost involved $ 60 for the cleaners shipped $ 3.83 for the Lemi-shine (wally-world) and $.88 for a gal of distilled water. That is still less than the cost of the cleaner alone!

 

[Centurian22]

Awesome. Looks like I'll have to check into a bottle of the Lemi-shine to add to or replace my solution. Thanks for the update! Glad it's working for you.

 

[FROGO207]

I clean with the SS pins these days. I use Lemmi Shine with Dawn or the IOSSO liquid case cleaner. Usually I dip my deprimed brass in the IOSSO for a couple minutes and then tumble with what will not pour off and add additional water to the SS pins just enough to cover the brass. The IOSSO will clean the brass but the finish will not be a mirror shine unless they are tumbled with the SS pins for a bit also.

 

[Kachok]

Just bought my first ultra sonic cleaner, doing my second batch of brass right now, mine is the mid sized Hornady 2L system. Initial impression is that I like the ultrasonic better then my tumbler for cleaning brass, the outside is not quite as shiny but the inside of the brass is cleaner and I don't have residual media inside the brass I have to shake out or knock out of primer flash holes. My only gripe is that this particular unit takes FOREVER to heat up, but it does clean over 100 308 brass at a time. Flash holes are already pretty clean, I don't think I will need to break out any hand tools to get good consistency out of them. I usually have to wash off the media dust so I am already used to drying my brass.

 

[Kachok]

Ran the brass through a second time, very clean primer pockets, all have perfectly round flash holes. Using nothing but vinegar/dish soap to clean and baking soda/fresh water to "quench". MUCH quicker and easier then media cleaning, inside of the brass looks nearly new. Not going back to media cleaning EVER!

 

[Nappers]

That's awesome! Those shells look brand new!!!!!!!

May have to ask for a sonic cleaner for my BD!

 

[Centurian22]

Kachok: it's a heated model? Mine is not heated intentionally I don't believe but it does warm the solution over time. Especially on the 24min cycle. One reason I love making my own soution, I have instant control of the temperature though I've had no reason to mess with it as you can see from my results above. I read somewhere that it was better to stay with room temp or cooler for the cleaning and only using hot on the water rinse but never found why.

Nappers: Do it and never look back. Good luck.