Switching to sonic . . . maybe

[singleshot54]

I've been reloading on and off (more on than off) for the last 50 years. During that time I have always tumbled my brass. Lately I have been seeing more and more sonic devices being advertised with prices ranging from $50 to over $1000. I would like some input from the group here on sonic on popular sonic cleaners. Yesterday I tumble 250 .41 Mag cases for three hours to get a reasonably decent "shine" on them (subjective evaluation I know), how long would it have taken if I were to use a sonic cleaner.

 

[Ccctennis]

Here you go............ I have lyman sonic cleaner. I have super shiny brass in 8-16 minutes. Inside and out. Very little noise and no dust to deal with. It works best with smaller batches of brass cases. I usually clean 50-100 at a time and while they are drying in the oven I wash another batch. I use a combination of lemi-shine and one shot cleaner.

 

[RobInBrisbane]

Hey Jack,

My Hornady ultrasonic normally has them nice and clean in around 10-15 minutes. I use the Lyman Sonic Turbo solution at the recommended concentration of around 40:1.

It works great for what I want, but here's the catch:

The ultrasonic will not give you that "fresh-out-of-the-tumbler" shine that you're used to.

It WILL get all of the fine particles of powder residue etc from places that you would otherwise not be able to reach, but since there is no actual physical media to "scrub" the cases, they won't look as sexy. Sometimes they can be a little watermarked if the water isn't brand new distilled water, but that doesn't bother me too much.

 

[primalmu]

I have an ultrasonic cleaner that I use for cleaning jewelry and my eye glasses. I tried some brass in it and wasn't impressed. It might be a little underpowered compared to reloading specific cleaners, I dunno. Still, by the time you clean it with the ultrasonic cleaner, rinse the cases off, then let them dry, you could have tumbled them and gotten much more attractive brass.

There's also some who feel like the carbon left over on the inside of the case after tumbling (especially in the neck) provides some lubricative properties for the bullet that is seated in the brass. It may also help prevent galvanic corrosion between the brass and the bullet, although I have no idea how significant this would be since brass is (usually) mostly copper anyway.

If I weren't happy with tumbling with dry media, my next step would be wet tumbling with stainless steel media. Now THAT will net you some mighty fine lookin' brass!

 

[Crashbox]

For the record, I now have two ultrasonic cleaners. The first one I bought (before I took up reloading) was a half-gallon Crest brand which was not cheap but it has an industrial-strength transducer and it can be run continuously.

My second one which arrived at my doorstep a couple of hours ago, is also a Crest but quite a bit larger at 3.25 gallons, digital timer, pretty much industrial-strength all around, and can also be run continuously unless the tank overheats, in which case it will shut down. Again, this one was NOT cheap at over $1200 but you get what you pay for. And besides, there are many other items besides cartridge brass that US cleaners can be used for- just don't put any jewelry in them which is decorated with "highly fractured" stones, or those stones will become little piles of expensive- but pretty- dust.

"Buy once, cry once."

 

[RobInBrisbane]

Primalmu, the Lyman fluid I use is specifically for cleaning rifle brass. It says on the bottle not to use it for other materials as it can be too aggressive for things like glasses etc..

I get good results from my little Hornady bath and it just looks like a standard jewellery sized one with a name stamped on it.

Perhaps try a proper solution for brass and see if you results improve. Worth a shot?

 

[savanahsdad]

how big is your tumbler ? I have the large Lyman 2500 Pro Magnum , when I get some real dirty brass or just want the inside as clean as the out side , I use Lyman Turbo Sonic cleaner in my tumbler , mix the same way as you would for a Sonic cleaner but I just pour it in my 2500 Pro Mag tumbler , all clean inside and out in 20min, even cleans the primer pockets ,

 

[Ccctennis]

My sonic cleaner does get brass brand new shiny. Just don't overload the machine. Find the right combo of lemis shine and hornday or lyman sonic cleaner. My brass was bright and shiny every time.

 

[RobInBrisbane]

Ccctennis, can I ask what ration/dilution of the Lyman cleaner you use?

Also, do you use anything special as far as water goes, or just run-of-the-mill tap water?

 

[Crashbox]

I guess I should have read the OP's post in its entirety.

As far as speed of cleaning goes, the ultrasonic cleaners take anywhere from five to ten minutes-plus in the bath to get them clean; it depends mainly on the cleaning solution and amount of ultrasonic power. With the less-expensive ones it is bound to take longer because of their lower ultrasonic power.

I use a solution of two teaspoons of citric acid and two eye-droppersful of surfactant such as Tergitol NP-9 or Triton X-100 per gallon; a small amount of NON-ammoniated dish soap would probably work just as well. I also found that they don't come out quite as shiny if I run the temperature higher than 50 degrees C or 120 F.

If you have hard water it might be advisable to use distilled water instead.

Citric acid in moderation is the key. It dramatically reduces the cleaning time.

 

[TigerCreek]

My ultrasonic cleaner does a great job at keeping my "good" brass looking good. But if you are attempting to clean nasty range brass or old and very tarnished shells you'll be better of tumbling them first and then maintaining them with the ultrasonic cleaning.

 

[Ccctennis]

Honestly I just sprinkle lemi-shine so that the bottom is covered. I then pour about a shot glass of cleaner in as well. Warm water and if you keep the load small it will clean them perfectly. Also if you can stand the cases up in the basket it works better.

 

[quartermaster]

You won't regret buying one. I have 2. one is the size of the Lyman and the other is 4 times as big. Both work excellent.

As a suggestion, if you are going to buy the smaller one which should be no problem, look into one that has 2 transducers. I just got one from Amazon which costs a little over $100.00. I had the Lyman and it worked good for a couple of years and then died. That only had one transducer. My new one has 2 and cleans much faster. QM