What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

[Gene Poole]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: longrange30</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">The only thing I found to work is taking out the mesh plastic tray and DO NOT drop in 100pcs of brass to clean. I also stand my brass straight up and down for 2 cycles and then flip for 2 more cycles. I will then take them out and rinse them and then back in for 1 cycle with distilled water for cleaning. Final prep is blowing them all out with an air gun. I use the regular Hornady cleaner solution. I tried the 6mmBR website technique and they dont come as clean as doing it my way. My way was better.
</span> </div></div>

According to the MSDS, Hornady solution uses citric acid.

http://www.hornady.com/assets/files/msds/OneShot_Sonic_Clean_Case_Formula.pdf

 

[cstmwrks]

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[Fuzzball]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

"What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?"

Well, other than being expensive, quite slow to get more than a dozen or so cases cleaned at once (and that with a lot of 'hands on' time), being quite messy and the cases being wet when finished, I think ultrasonics are great. But I gave all that up and reverted back to my vib tumbler; it's much simplier and surgically clean cases have no practical value anyway. (And I have no interest in the current fad of using bits of wet steel to do the same thing.)

 

[Joe-n-TX]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fuzzball</div><div class="ubbcode-body">"What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?"

Well, other than being expensive, quite slow to get more than a dozen or so cases cleaned at once (and that with a lot of 'hands on' time), being quite messy and the cases being wet when finished, I think ultrasonics are great. But I gave all that up and reverted back to my vib tumbler; it's much simplier and surgically clean cases have no practical value anyway. (And I have no interest in the current fad of using bits of wet steel to do the same thing.) </div></div>

Well, it wasn't expensive ($25). It's not slow (16min) for 20 cases and the only hands on is pushing a button with 1 finger. Actually not messy at all. Simply pour content into sink. I do have the luxury of having a utility sink with a counter top. And unless you have to reload the cases immediately i find that after the cases are shaken and left in a basket they dry overnight. I don't see anything wrong with reloading surgically cleaned cases for a 3,000.00+ surgically precision rifle

 

[bowm0051]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

I use the Hornady sonic cleaner and their solution. The main reason I changed to a sonic cleaner is because I couldn’t stand all the noise and dust from the tumbler. It was driving me nuts.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

<span style="font-style: italic">"Well, it wasn't expensive ($25)."</span>

And how many cases does that very small unit clean at once? And how long do you expect that little device will last?


<span style="font-style: italic">"It's not slow (16min) for 20 cases and the only hands on is pushing a button with 1 finger."</span>

And how many times during that 16 minutes did you have to push that button with 1 finger to repeat the required cycles and cool down periods? And how many pushes and close personal attention would be needed for a couple hundred cases or more?


<span style="font-style: italic">"Actually not messy at all. Simply pour content into sink. I do have the luxury of having a utility sink with a counter top."</span>

My vib tumbler/dry media does not require a sink of any kind nor does anything around me get wet as they did when I had to repeat the whole process over and over to clean the next small batch of cases with sound waves.


<span style="font-style: italic">"And unless you have to reload the cases immediately i find that after the cases are shaken and left in a basket they dry overnight."</span>

Me too. But I can tumble my cases in an hour - without any personal attention - and can use them immediately afterwards. And my tumblers are neither loud nor dusty, that's controllable by the way we do it. ??


<span style="font-style: italic">"I don't see anything wrong with reloading surgically cleaned cases for a 3,000.00+ surgically precision rifle" </span>

On that, we agree, there is certainly nothing wrong with it. On the other hand there's nothing certainly good about it either; your costly precision chamber never sees the interior of your surgically clean cases and my tumblers clean the exterior as well as anything else. But I wasn't trying to change anyone's mind or methods, only giving the OP my experience with ultrasonics as he requested.

 

[Joe-n-TX]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fuzzball</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-style: italic">"Well, it wasn't expensive ($25)."</span>

And how many cases does that very small unit clean at once? And how long do you expect that little device will last?


<span style="font-style: italic">"It's not slow (16min) for 20 cases and the only hands on is pushing a button with 1 finger."</span>

And how many times during that 16 minutes did you have to push that button with 1 finger to repeat the required cycles and cool down periods? And how many pushes and close personal attention would be needed for a couple hundred cases or more?


<span style="font-style: italic">"Actually not messy at all. Simply pour content into sink. I do have the luxury of having a utility sink with a counter top."</span>

My vib tumbler/dry media does not require a sink of any kind nor does anything around me get wet as they did when I had to repeat the whole process over and over to clean the next small batch of cases with sound waves.


<span style="font-style: italic">"And unless you have to reload the cases immediately i find that after the cases are shaken and left in a basket they dry overnight."</span>

Me too. But I can tumble my cases in an hour - without any personal attention - and can use them immediately afterwards. And my tumblers are neither loud nor dusty, that's controllable by the way we do it. ??


<span style="font-style: italic">"I don't see anything wrong with reloading surgically cleaned cases for a 3,000.00+ surgically precision rifle" </span>

On that, we agree, there is certainly nothing wrong with it. On the other hand there's nothing certainly good about it either; your costly precision chamber never sees the interior of your surgically clean cases and my tumblers clean the exterior as well as anything else. But I wasn't trying to change anyone's mind or methods, only giving the OP my experience with ultrasonics as he requested.

</div></div>

My cheapy little 25$ harbor freight us cleaner is going on 3 years now. I do have to push the button 4 times for a 16 minute cycle. I don't know what in the world yor talking about with cool down period? I never read the instructions but like I said after 3 years it's going strong. Looks and functions like brand new.

So exactly how do you separate you cases from the media? Certainly more effort involved than simply emptying 20 clean cases into a small plastic basket. Then after doing so you have to make sure the primer pockets are clean from the media.

Now, as I mentioned in my previous post. I do use a tumbler with my preferred lizard litter, but, for quantity pistol and carbine cases.

When two boxes (40rnds) of 308 takes almost 2 hours at the range I find my 20 case capacity us cleaner is more than sufficient for my bolt gun.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

"I don't know what in the world yor talking about with cool down period? I never read the instructions..."

Ah. That explains that!

 

[Jeffvn]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

hmmm I spent a bit more than most on my ultrasonic - roughly $250.00 5+ years ago off of ebay. Its probably considered commercial in size and strength, as it lets me clean upwards of 80 WSM cases at one time in multiple beakers (something like 65 338LM, and close to 100+ 6x47L); the digital timer lets me pick any length of time up to 30 minutes with one button pushed, and it can heat the tank to 70 "C" if I want to.

I dump the dirty solution (citrinox - or something like that)rinse my clean cases in tap water. Turn them upside down and let them sit overnight in my ultra-high tech 45 ACP ammo plastic stands. Done; nice and bright, just like new brass.

very rarely I will need to go back and spot clean a primer pocket, but 99% of teh time they come out clean from the regular process. sometimes the necks have soot on them and I wipe them off with a paper towel.

I did it the same way in Houston, but needed to dry them indoors, where the humidity was controlled. Here in vegas, the garage is fine for the whole process.

Slow - nope.
Expensive. Not to me. I think my last gallon of the critinox cleaner cost me $49.00 delivered and lasted me nearly 3 years (has to be close to 8,500-9,000 pieces of brass cleaned).

I have and use my tumbler and lizzard media for my .45 ACP brass and for trying to clean scuzzy range brass before I take it to teh recycle shop for sale.

I looked at SS media, but folks said it took 4-6 hours of run time to do what I do in 30 minutes.

For ME, I like the Ultra Sonic process, which is why I have not gone to something else.

JeffVN

 

[mkollman74]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

I only use mine to remove the case lube. Tap water + a bit of simple green.

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

<span style="font-style: italic">"...on my ultrasonic - roughly $250.00 5+ years ago off of ebay. Its probably considered commercial in size and strength, as it lets me clean upwards of 80 WSM cases at one time in multiple beakers (something like 65 338LM, and close to 100+ 6x47L); the digital timer lets me pick any length of time up to 30 minutes with one button pushed,"</span>

Try that with one of the cheap-o reloading branded table top ultrasonic units and you'll probably be disappointed.

 

[WyomingShooter]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

Gentlemen - Thanks very much for the information in this thread. I found a Hornady unit on sale yesterday for $82 at a local store. As for Gene Poole's recipe, I couldn't find any "Filter-Mate" locally. The closest I could come was "Bright Green Automatic Dishwasher Rinse Aid" - dye and fragrance free, made from naturally derived nonionic surfactants and citric acid derived from sugar. Before I mix up a gallon, 1) Will the "Bright Green Automatic Dishwasher Aid" "work"?; 2) Any chance it will damage my brass?; and 3) Any idea how much to use in a gallon of distilled water? Thanks again. From the Big Empty, ELN.

 

[Jumper]

Re: What's your experience with ultrasonic cleaners?

I tried US a few years ago with a Branson unit that was being thrown away. The heaters didnt work but the transducers would perforate a piece of aluminum foil when suspended in water. Right now I'm using a Thumlers tumbler with plastic abrasive blasting media instead of the Stainless Steel media. I add about an 1/8th cup of Go-Jo orange hand cleaner and a shot of Dawn dishwashing liquid. They come out very clean, no mouth peening and I dont have to worry about a stray steel rod going down the bore of my rifle. The drawback is seperating the plastic media. I have to hand rinse every case.

So, I think I'm going to go back to the US method. Especially with what Gene Pool posted about using Citric acid and SLS. I would like it to clean gun parts as well as brass and we get industrial grade SLS at work by the truck load.