case cleaning

[bigted]

well i finally got my sonic cleaner. it is the hornaday 'magnum' and it seems well made with stainless steel. the basket is made of metal and has snazzy handles to deal with hot cases after cleaned.

what a treat. i took the 120 out for some excersize yesterday loaded with 120 grains of cartridge powder. after shooting them i de-capped them and deposited them in my jug of soapy water for the ride home. then i poured the solution in the magnum and put the cases in the basket and dunked them into the solution...turning the temp control to 95 degrees i let it warm up before turning on the cleaner for 15 minutes. after 7 minutes or so i rusled the cases in the basket and turned it back on for the remainder of time.

taking the cases out of the solution after the time was up made me smile as they were very clean with just a hint of the old black that was on the cases. after rinsing them off in clean water i observed that the black residue will rub off with a lite finger rub...so into the vibrator they went and after an hour they were new looking and ready to load.

long story short the sonic cleaners do a fantastic job and remove ALL the fouling from ALL the nooks and crannys. and this with NO scrubbing whatsoever. i can do other stuff while they are doing their thing...dont know if the effort is less or more then the old fasion way with a scrub brush but they are definetly cleaner then the old ways and that is tops with expensive cases.

got a smokin deal from midway on the cleaner.

[montana_charlie]

An ultrasonic cleaner is a good thing to have around when you're serious about getting a bullet mould clean.
I like a 2% solution of Micro-90 for iron moulds.
CM

[texasmac]

Hello CM,

Just curious why you'd want to clean a mould other than just spraying it good with gun cleaner or brake cleaner and brushing. Does it help to get lead deposits out of the vents?

Wayne

[Boz330]

I just went to the stainless steel pins and I have been amazed at how well they clean the cases, inside and out and even the primer pockets. The cases literally look like they are right out of the bag new. And there is no media stuck in the primer holes. Sure takes the drudgery out of cleaning cases.

Bob

[montana_charlie]

Hello CM,

Just curious why you'd want to clean a mould other than just spraying it good with gun cleaner or brake cleaner and brushing.
I own an ultrasonic cleaner to clean brass cases. But I 'justified' it's initial cost by saying it could be used for other things.

About the time I joined this site, I had a new mould that would only give bullets with wrinkles.
Cleaned it twice (maybe three times) and varied the two temperatures.
I could make changes in the resulting bullets, but the wrinkle never went away.

So, I disassembled the mould and cleaned the 'parts' in an ultrasonic cleaner.

After a very hot rinse, I dried the mould on a hotplate to get it up toward casting temp. Had to juggle hot parts to get the screws and sprue plate back together while things were getting hotter. That was all to head off any flash rusting due to being 'absolutely degreased' ... and I poured lead into it as soon as I could.

With a bullet filling the cavity, I then coated the outside and under the sprue plate with (dry) spray-on graphite. That's all the 'rustproofing' I normally use in our climate.

Never had those wrinkles again ...

Now, all new moulds get their preliminary cleaning that way.


Does it help to get lead deposits out of the vents?
I can't say I have ever had that problem, so I can't give you an answer.
But, I would be inclined to use a damp rag on a hot vent. That was the method used to keep our soldering irons clean when doing precision electronic work.

CM

[bigted]

charlie...what is micro-90? this sounds good and id like to try it on one of my stuborn moulds.

also bozz 330...do you use these stainless pins in a vibratory cleaner or a tumbler?

[montana_charlie]

charlie...what is micro-90? this sounds good and id like to try it on one of my stuborn moulds.
It is a detergent concentrate.

I use it (Micro-90) on brass cases and iron moulds.
For aluminum moulds, I think Surface-Cleanse/930 is 'safer' and effective.

You can use this page to request free samples of products from International Products Corporation.
http://www.ipcol.com/shopcontent.asp?type=requestsample

Expect to receive a follow-up call (probably from a very nice lady) who will want to know your application and requirements.

CM

[Boz330]

charlie...what is micro-90? this sounds good and id like to try it on one of my stuborn moulds.

also bozz 330...do you use these stainless pins in a vibratory cleaner or a tumbler?

Tumbler, my vibratory cleaner isn't water tight. I haven't seen that it would work that way anyway.

Bob

[Don McDowell]

Ted I like my ultrasonic cleaner as well, to get the shine on the cases, I run them in the corncob media after they dry from the ultrasonic.

[Boz330]

Ted I like my ultrasonic cleaner as well, to get the shine on the cases, I run them in the corncob media after they dry from the ultrasonic.

Don, the SS pins does all of that in one step. Not trying to get you to buy something else just saying if you don't already have the ultrasonic it really works well.

Bob

[Don McDowell]

Bob those stainless steel pins worry me a bit. Seems they may be taking more of the brass off than we would like?
I'm happy enough with all the other cleaning systems I have I just can't see any need to do the stainless pins.

[felix]

I don't even see the need for new brass, or old brass that looks like it is new. I don't even keep my shoes shined. I don't wear ties any more either. Maybe once a year or so, like for Christmas, I will dress in accordance with everything spoofied up including having a haircut and my hair combed. Yeah, a bath too. ... felix

In other words, if "it" does not encourage mo'betta' accuracy, it is a waste of time to even think about it. It's all about goals and objectives. ... felix

[John Boy]

[smilie=1: I like a 2% solution of Micro-90 for iron moulds. ... :drinks:

[Ed in North Texas]

I just went to the stainless steel pins and I have been amazed at how well they clean the cases, inside and out and even the primer pockets. The cases literally look like they are right out of the bag new. And there is no media stuck in the primer holes. Sure takes the drudgery out of cleaning cases.

Bob

I'll second that. Dirty range pickups come out like new. BP same, same. I'm sold on this method. I started with an old clone of the Thumler's Model B, agro-engineered replacements for broken and missing plastic "bearings" from protection inserts intended for metal conduit, and started cleaning brass. I just bought a high speed Thumler's and I'm giving the old clone to my youngest son as I set him up in reloading (going to put real bearings on it first).

Ed

[Lead pot]

This will be my next case cleaner http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/mixers/1-1-4-quarter-cubic-ft-compact-cement-mixer-91907.html My Mod.B is just about shot and and spending a week at the Q or 4 days at some of the other shoots I will have over 1000 cases that need cleaning and I think this little mixer will do the job very nicely.
Two cans of plastic dip like you have on tool handles will coat the inside of the drum very good. http://www.plastidip.com/

[Don McDowell]

:veryconfu I think that mixer will be to hard on the case mouths when you turn the thing over to dump em...:bigsmyl2:Sides all that I'm not sure your spotter is going to readily approove of the extra space being taken in her camper.[smilie=s:[smilie=p:

[powderburnerr]

kurt I got one with a plastic drum , it really works nice but I did have to slow it up a little ,

[mold maker]

When I used to clean range brass, my HF 3cf model did a great job of first getting rid of the good ole NC red clay. Then citric acid and Dawn left everything clean, 5 gals at a time.
I never found a problem with necks or mouths. Just saved a lot of time.
One word to the wise. Any unsorted brass will hide in the next size larger, sometimes 3-4 deep. Strange how they find their way so easily into each other.

[kokomokid]

Cement mixer worked great but case mouths all got belled to the inside.

[Lead pot]

Don.

I have the bestest spotter in the world. The only time I get my ears bent is when I miss and she asks me did you make the change I suggested and I say NO I didn't :not listening:


Dean.

I planed on slowing it down and maybe even use smaller paddles if they need to be changed.
The rubber coating will dampen the case mouth damage.

[mold maker]

Cement mixer worked great but case mouths all got belled to the inside.

You may be running the mixer too long. Removing the dirt takes longer than the citric acid bath, which only needs to turn a round or so every 5 minutes.
I didn't have occasion to do many (heavy) rifle calibers, but .223 and hand gun calibers worked OK.
There also may be a difference in how big a load your doing. I usually waited till I had a 5 gal bucket to do.

[bigted]

yepper my new system is great. i dump my cases in the ultrasonic magnum for 15 minutes...blackpowder fouled...and do other things while this is going on. after i rinse em in HOT water and pat dry with a towel...then into the vibrator for the shine.

every crevis is clean and every crevis is shiney like a new case. this with no scrubbing or brushing and best of all i can do other things while this process is accuring.

what a nice addition to my stuff. and yes the clean n shiney is needed for this shooter as ive been surprised with hidden cracks before hiding under the stains on uncleaned [unshined] cases so i am particular with my inspection and the cleaning thusly gives me ample opertunity to examine them in depth...again...best addition for awhile.