# UltraSonic Cleaning



## Savage260

Ok, who has tried this method for brass prep, and how has it gone for you? I read an article on 6mmBR about it, and it seems from the reading, this is great. Sounds like a lot of extra work to do it like they do. I also read some reviews of the Hornady cleaner, and it seems most are bad. Any thoughts?


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## Plainsman

I talked with a fellow yesterday that really likes his. I have been considering it for years, and think I am about to make the leap. I'm sick of taking two hours to do a really good job of removing copper. Some copper solvents are safe to leave in the bore for half an hour while watching tv and some are not. Most that are safe to leave in the bore are also poor at removing copper. I need to get serious about checking in to the type I want to use. If I remember one was a portable nine volt system.


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## ac700wildcat

Hmmmmmmm, I think you two are talking about two completely different things. I'm pretty sure Savage is talking about cleaning brass cases and Plainman, you must be talking about cleaning copper from the bore of a rifle. I think it would be interesting to see how both work.

I was actually thinking about buying a cheaper ultrasonic cleaner to clean a set of fuel injectors and then I figured I might try and see how well it would clean brass. I've found a few online that are quite a bit more affordable than the $100 that they want for the Hornady cleaner, but then there are quite a few that are waaaaay more. I might try find one for around $50 that is meant for jewelry, and if it doesn't work very well at least I'm not out as much.


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## Plainsman

Your right I need to check closer. I was talking to a fellow the other night who referred to the bore cleaner as ultrasonic. I used an ultrasonic at work a lot. Turn it on and old dry ink just squirted out of drafting pens. I looked at the Hornady ultrasonic at Scheels for $99 and was sort of wondering about it. I think it could be used for cleaning black powder gun parts also. It should do a good job on that Thompson Center breach plug in short order.


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## Savage260

I think the hornady would be ok for gun parts, but from reading the 6mmbr article it doesn't seem like it would be good for brass. The way they mounted jars of cleaner in the ultrasonic machine full of water seemed like a lot of extra hassle. The cleaner they cooked up seemed to work a lot better than the stuff you can buy. I guess I will have to buy a cheap one and run some tests myself.


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## People

I bought an Ultra Sonic cleaner. It works very well. There is a down side with it. Regular tap water is not the best. There is so much junk in the water it takes away its effectiveness. I have access to Reverse Osmosis water (RO water) by the gallon at no cost to me. I just have to bring in my water cooler and then fill it up. With RO water it will pretty much clean the casings without anything else. I put my finger in the water and a person can feel the vibrations with RO water with tap water it was so weak it was hard to feel the vibrations. I did get some cleaner the stuff that 6mmbr said they were using. The cleaner makes it work so much faster. I am only doing about 15 6mmbr casings. Adding too many casings will force you to run your cleaner far longer than you would if you just kept doing small batches and clean water.

I am going to try the steel pin method of cleaning casings also. I am looking for a method of cleaning the inside of the casings in batches of more than 15 each. The pin method allows a person to clean two pounds at one time. It will make it easier for me to clean my casings faster. The cost of the tumbler will stop some from this way of cleaning but I was looking at one for actual rock polishing. The tumbler should be here today. I will post my results as soon as I can. If I remember I will take some pictures so we can see how well it works.

Chuck Norris once invited all of the other badasses from TV to duke it out in order to see who was the supreme badass. Only two showed up-- Jack Bauer and MacGyver.

MacGyver immediately tried to make a bomb out of some Q-Tips and Gatorade, but Chuck Norris roundhouse-kicked him in the solar plexus. MacGyver promptly threw up his own heart.

Jack Bauer tried to use his detailed knowledge of torture techniques, but to no avail: Chuck Norris thrives on pain. Chuck Norris then ripped off Jack Bauer's arm and beat him to death with it. Game, set, match.


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## utahhunter1

I have used the hornady ultra sonic cleaner with the hornady case cleaning liquid for about 5 months now. Its works ok. I have found that it is too small to fit most gun parts in it to clean. I still have to scrape primer pockets clean after running them through the ultra sonic cleaner and don't think it really cleans the inside of the cases any better than running them under tap water. The only real advantage I have found with it is that I don't have to punch media out of the flash hole like with a tumbler, but you don't really save any time because then you have to wait for cases to dry. Also I have found that even if you hand dry them after running them through the cleaner they have water stains on them, which is not a big deal but I like having my cases polished and nice looking so I usually end up running them through the tumbler anyway. I have found that either way is good but the tumbler is alot cheaper. The ultra sonic cleaner is not really worth the money in my opinion.


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## Savage260

I am hoping that is where the method described on 6mmbr will come into play. I won't fill the cleaner with brass, only a handfull at a time, and put it in jars in the water so the ultrasonic action actually has a chance to take place. I am ordering a cleaner from Harbor Freight today, and will report back when I have some results.


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## People

I did have a chance to run a batch with the pins. I will have to post pictures later. The casings were once fired 22-250 casings. They were shot during a recent PD shoot. They went from the ammo box to the rifle and back. The outside was clean and grit free. In the past I would not have polished then at all. I would have just neck sixed them and reloaded them. I let them run for a total of 2.5 hrs and they are very shiny and the inside is pretty clean. You can tell there is a layer of carbon still inside them but you can tell that almost all of it is gone. I was able to do 80 casings at one time. The water was very dirty when it was done.

My overall impression is while they are very shiny it does look like the outside has a bunch of small dings on it. It is almost like what some factory brass looks like. If I did not have access to RO water I would probably stop using the ultra sonic cleaner except in very rare instances.

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed... unless it meets Chuck Norris.


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## Hunter_58346

a friend bought the one from Harbor freight and we compared it to my Hornady and there is no comparison,,,,,spend the extra couple $$$ and get the Hornady Sonic Cleaner,,,,but you have to follow the directions!!!!! I have yet to have to clean a primer pocket and it is untouchable for small gun parts!!! The harbor freight cleaner is great for cleaning oil and grime and maybe you wifes wedding ring.


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## Savage260

people, where did you get the media for this? Is it pretty spendy? I just ran into a thread from another site talking about the SS media. Sounds like it might be the best thing going. Too bad I already have a vibe tumbler, and now getting an ultrasonic cleaner.

Hunter, what was so much better with the Hornady? I am partial to Hornady equipment. Which model of cleaner from harbor freight? The same method was used and every thing? Thanks for any info!


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## KurtR

A little of from this type of cleaning but have you seen the stainless steel media that they have been using. Kind of looks like the cats ***.


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## People

Here is the URL from where I got my stuff from.

http://stainlesstumblingmedia.com/index.php

This purchase was a two part thing for me. I have always wanted to polish rocks. So when I saw that you can do two pounds of brass at one time. I thought that was pretty cool. I have been doing about 15 6mmbr casings at a time in my harbor freight Ultra Sonic cleaner. As stated above I get free RO water so it works very well on small batches of brass. Tap water is almost worthless in it. Anyway I figured I would get a batch of these steel pins and try them if nothing else I would have a rock polisher.

So far I have two batches done and those 22-250 brass looks pretty good. The first batch looks a little rougher than the second. I think the pins were ultra-sharp on the first go. They seem a little less sharp now. I am doing a batch of 80 7.62 casings. I got before pictures of them. I will take pictures of them every hour they are in the media. This way we can see how much is happening every hour of use. These casings are starting off as once fired gov casings just de-primed so they are dirty.

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## Savage260

I ran a quick test tonight with 4 once fired .308 cases in plain DL tap water. People, our water must be really good!! I could see and feel the ultrasonic action in the tank. I placed the 4 cases on the "tray" for 90 sec, then ran another with them sitting upright, all but one fell over within 3 seconds. Then I ran one 90sec cycle with the cases in a plastic jug filled with water(just enough to cover the cases) that I held in the tank of water. The outside of the cases is as clean as my tumbler gets them, the primer pockets are: 1 almost completely clean, 2 mostly clean, and one mostly dirty. The inside of the cases are much more clean than the tumbler gets them. Once I can find a beaker I will start running tests to see how much water I need in the tank, how much solution in the beaker, how deep the beaker needs to set in the tank, and how much brass can be cleaned quickly and efficiently. This definately has promise, but if it gets to be too much of a hassle I am going to keep the cleaner for gun parts, and buy a Thumler's and some steel pins.


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## ac700wildcat

I'm wondering which one you bought from Harbor Freight? I haven't gotten around to ordering one yet.


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## Savage260

It was the 2.5 liter model byChicago Electric or some thing like that. It is quite a bit bigger than the Hornady model, for less money. I couldn't find any thing to compare the output of the transducers though.


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## TerryinFL

Savage260 said:


> It was the 2.5 liter model by Chicago Electric or some thing like that. It is quite a bit bigger than the Hornady model, for less money. I couldn't find any thing to compare the output of the transducers though.


Purchased the Chicago Electric Power Tools 95563, 2.5 Liter Ultrasonic Cleaner from Harbor Freight ( http://www.harborfreight.com/25-liter-u ... 95563.html )a couple weeks ago. I was comparing that one to another that looked the same but cost about 20 bucks more plus shipping. I called Chicago Electric tech support (1-888-866-5797) and was informed the transducer produced a frequency of 42khz - the same as the comparable unit. Have used it 3 times now with about 75 38 special each load and am very pleased with the results.


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## Savage260

I just got done with my first test of the 50% vinegar/1drop dish soap per 8oz water from the 6mmbr site. I ran 15pc of twice fired 30-06 for 10 min, rinsed then ran the cases again(6minutes) with 30oz water and 30gr baking soda to neutralize the acetic acid. I then rinsed. Sorry the pix are pretty crappy(blackberry camera) but I am convinced this is a pretty good way to go! Primer pockets are 100%clean, and the inside of the case is almost 100% clean on most cases. This is the "Cheap and Clean" recipe, there is a "Clean and Shiny" recipe too if you need your cases to have that bling.
Left 3 uncleaned cases, Right 3 cleaned cases.








Left 2 uncleaned, Right 2 cleaned case head/primer pockets.








Left inside of 1 cleaned, Right inside of 1 uncleaned.









The second batch I ran 35 cases instead of just 15. They all came out just as clean as the first 15. From what I have seen it works better to just let the cases sit on the bottom of the tub rather than use the "basket".


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## Savage260

After getting sick of doing small batches of brass in my ultra sonic, I finally broke down and bought a Thumler's Tumbler and gave it a shot tonight. The steel pins are kind of a PITA, but if you are careful it isn't too bad. I used 1 gal cold water, 2tbl spoons of dish soap, and 1/4 tsp of Lemi Shine. The brass, 100 .280 AI cases, tumbled for 1.25 hours. I was not overly impressed with the clean. The primer pockets were still kinda dirty, and inside the case was about the same as the ultra sonic. The folks at STM suggest 4-6 hours for tumbling, but I couldn't wait that long, and I have read other's reviews that say an hour is as good as 4 so I just tried a short time. It is still better than vibe tumbling, and I can do a lot more cases than the vibe so I am going to say it is worth it. I will maybe try two hours next time and see how it goes. The brass comes out nice and shiny using the Lemi Shine, even better than new brass! They suggest compressed air to dry the cases since a lot of water is involved in this process, but I don't have that. I tossed them in my food dehydrator, and it dried them out very quickly!

I will probably take a few pix and post again when I have more time.


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## xdeano

Good update! Thanks Sav.

xdeano


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## barebackjack

The thing that scares me about stainless steel tumbling is unecessary work hardening of the brass.

They say its not significant, but I cant for the life of me see how tumbling soft metal with hard metal doesnt cause unecessary hardening.


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## Savage260

BBJ, I am not sure about that. I know they do say there is no work hardening of the brass. I am guessing since it takes place in water, the interaction is more like scouring rather than hard impacts of the steel on the brass. I could be way off base here, just an idea. I guess if it gives me clean brass more quickly than ultra sonic, and better clean than tumbling, and I lose one or two loadings, I can live with that. I would have to see evidence that it actually does work harden the brass though before I worry about it.

People, have you noticed any thing with yours?


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## People

You can try hot water. I have noticed that it does work faster.

I can see where you would think it would work harden your brass but the brass and pins really just roll over each other. They are not hitting with much force at all. With the addition of water I would say it is no worse than walnut, but it cleans the inside also.

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## barebackjack

So you guys are running the stainless "media" in an ultra-sonic???

I was referring to dry tumbling.


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## Savage260

Nope, stainless in a Thumler's Tumbler with water, soap, and Lemi Shine, Ultra Sonic with just water/soap/solution, and vibe tumbler with dry media.


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## barebackjack

Youre doing all three???????????

Holy crap thats to much work. I went from not doing ANYTHING to clean my brass, and thought I made a big jump when I bought an ultra-sonic!


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## Savage260

Are you serious, or you just messing around? Those are the three methods I have used. I am not using all three at once. You seemed confused about the use of the stainless media, so I just did a quick update on the three methods.


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## barebackjack

Im quite familiar with the methods. The way you worded it though it sounded like that was your process. I was kinda thinking holy moly, he must be eating out of his cases of something. :lol:


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## Savage260

HA HA HA, if I took that much time cleaning my cases, I wouldn't shoot them and make them dirty again!

Last night I did 100 338 Edge cases and 50 .44Mag cases together in 1gal cold water, 5lbs stainless pins, 2tbl spoons Dawn dish soap, and 1/4 tsp Lemi Shine. Tumbled for 2 hours. Every thing came out very shiny, and the cases, including the primer pockets, were a good bit cleaner than the .280 AI brass after 1 hour.

1hr tumbled .280AI Brass









.338 Edge and .44 Mag before









.338 Edge and .44 Mag after 2 hrs with stainless pins


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## Plainsman

Good reminder 260. I purchased the Hornady shortly after this post begin. After paying $80 to have the carburetor from a 9.9 HP Johnson run in an ultrasonic cleaner I decided to have my own. I broke out an old Honda lawn mower that has not run for six years. No way would it start. I run it for three cycles in the Hornady ultrasonic and she fired up.

Brass hmmmmm it's ok, but I often don't have the patients to wait for them to dry. :lol: I suppose I will use it once in a while, but meantime I'm just doing most things with corn cob media.

I wish I would have bought the larger cheaper model from Harbor Freight.


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## Savage260

My cheap tray style food dehydrator works great for drying out cases. They are GTG in about an hour!


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## Plainsman

Savage260 said:


> My cheap tray style food dehydrator works great for drying out cases. They are GTG in about an hour!


  I'm doing jerky tomorrow, they will have to wait.


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## barebackjack

Plainsman said:


> Good reminder 260. I purchased the Hornady shortly after this post begin. After paying $80 to have the carburetor from a 9.9 HP Johnson run in an ultrasonic cleaner I decided to have my own. I broke out an old Honda lawn mower that has not run for six years. No way would it start. I run it for three cycles in the Hornady ultrasonic and she fired up.
> 
> Brass hmmmmm it's ok, but I often don't have the patients to wait for them to dry. :lol: I suppose I will use it once in a while, but meantime I'm just doing most things with corn cob media.
> 
> I wish I would have bought the larger cheaper model from Harbor Freight.


The $55 Harbor Freight model is the EXACT same unit as the $110 Lyman, just a different name on it.

If you want a "quick" way to dry em, run em under HOT HOT HOT water to rinse them after taking em out and shake em out with a collander good. Getting em heated up under that hot water will dry em surprisingly fast. They'll probably be dry faster than itd take ya to go through em all and poke corn outta flash holes anyway. :wink:

Ive never given a hoot if my brass is shiny and fancy looking. But ive been really pleased with how clean the pockets and interior of the brass get with just 16 minutes in the ultra sonic. They arent "shiny", but they're clean.


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## SCW

I have been using the ultrasonic cleaner for all my brass. It works very well. It also cleans the inside and primer pockets well, which the tumbler cannot. I then let them dry and put in the tumbler for 30 minutes to give them a consistent highly polished shine. I am using the Hornady machine and their cleaner. I have used it to clean gun parts with the parts cleaner and it also works great-gets where I cannot with a q-tip.


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