RCBS Ultrasonic Case Cleaner-solution?

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gifbohane

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Waiting for the small model Ultrasound cleaner to be delivered.

I went on line to find alternative homemade liquid solutions that guys will use. I believe that there are better/cheaper things to use rather than the RCBS solution...like vinegar, Lemishine, and dawn dishwasher.

Any ideas or thoughts on my theory?

Or what do you guys use?
 
Vinegar can be bad. Long exposure can leach out zinc.
Most use hot water and a small squirt of Dawn. Ultrasonic cleaners will clean with just plain water.
Some like to add some citric acid (Lemishine) to give the cases a slight increase in shine.
All the RCBS solution contains is water and 1-10% citric acid...
 
If your US cleaner is the 2 liter model than use one rounded teaspoon of Lemi-Shine and a dribble of Dawn dishwashing detergent.
I did some experiments with my 2 Liter Lyman US and found that a rounded tea spoon full in two liters of water gives you a good strong 3PH of Citric acid which is what is needed to clean brass cases and get them almost all clean. Some of my primer pockets have specs of black still in them but most are completely clean.

If you want to get really cheap you don't have to put Dawn in the mix. The Lemi-Shine already has a water treatment in it and will precipitate the dirt out.

I proved to myself that Dawn isn't needed but I also proved to myself that it doesn't hurt either, like by raising the PH because Dawn has a PH of 7. A dribble had no affect on the PH. I tested this with Litmus paper over a half day of messing around with it.

If I went to a level teaspoon of Lemi-shine the cases didn't come as clean and the PH was higher than the target 3PH. I think it was like 3.8.

I run my Ultrasonic for 16 minutes per load of cases. I throw them in the basket in the water and shake the basket up and down and the cases almost all stand up on their heads.
They look like a whole bunch of little smoke stacks with smoke coming out them after I turn them on.
After the first 8 minutes I pull the basket out and mix the cases all up and do it again. You will see the cases over the transducer are spotless and the ones at the perimeter are still looking dirty. That why I mix them up after the first 8 minutes. But after 16 minutes I pull them out and take the sink sprayer after them, and they are clean.

Ultra Sonic cleaners also clean shower heads (with CLR) , your wife jewelry (with Dawn only), small carburetors (with gumout, gunk or what ever you have, in a seperate container set in the water), and what not. Different solutions for each, obviously.

They do a decent job and you don't have to worry about the cases being all beat up from a rotary tumbler because of the Ultra Sonic cleaners are none contact.

You don't have to lube your cases to resize them because they won't stick in your dies like they do when tumbled with steel pins. But I lube mine anyways.

With cleaning fired, deprimed cases, with Citric Acid, the molecular level lead that is in the priming compound is chellated into another compound that doesn't hurt us. You can dump it right down your sink drain.

From my tests I found out that there is no discoloration of the brass with it running in the 3 PH solution for 16 minutes, they are just clean. I tested Hornady's and RCBS's solutions and found their recommended measured amounts, in a two liter cleaner, also make exactly a 3 PH solution. I think Hornady's solution smells better than RCBS's and the solutions I dump in my sink seems to keep my garbage disposal cleaned out and Oder free.

Lemi-Shine and Dawn will do the same job as One Shot case cleaner and RCBS US cleaning solution. So spend a couple bucks at walmart for the Lemi-Shine and get a small bottle of Dawn detergent. Some dish washing detergents have chemicals in them that will attack brass, but Dawn does not, so clean away.

Edit to add: Forget the Vinegar. The acid in it is too corrosive.
Like Boric acid compaired to Hydrochloric acid. All acids aren't equal.

If you forget and leave the cases soak in Vinegar solution after the cleaner shuts off you'll be sorry. I've done that with Lemi-Shine in the amount of one rounded teaspoon in 2 liters of water and have seen no problems.
 
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I use 1/2 tsp citric acid and 10-15 drops Dawn dishwashing soap in about 2.5L water for ~ 20 minutes per batch. Cleans up brass nicely, but don't expect it to look as bright and shiny as new brass.
 
I use hot water a shot of lemi shine and a few drops of carwash soap. I generally clean my primer pockets by hand before they go in the cleaner for 20-25 minutes. It doesn't hurt to run the cleaner for a few minutes before you add the brass to get everything pre mixed. Most of my brass comes out pretty nice.

After a good rinse in clean hot water I put the brass in a salad spinner, roll it around in a towel and then place on an old window screen out of the sun for a day or two.
 
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