Ultra Sonic Cleaner.-Why-Where and when?

[gcollins]

Howdy Guys,
I am trying to devote more time to my Target Ammo.I have been reloading for over 30 years, but nothing compared to this!! I think I know why but don't know what to buy or build ?? (Fixed Income) I spent a little looking threw the post on cleaners, and watched the utube video on the home made cleaner and I liked it. I had read a post on another forum, this post was AWEOME:) I most likely will never be able to do all the case prep work that was in that post. He states buy this and that, all high dollar peice's, if I went and ordered everything stated it would come close to what my monthley check is. But then he stated to go buy a cheap Ultra Sonic cleaner from harbor frieght! They have there cheapest model on sale for $29.95 and I am sure it works great, but that home made one looks like it would clean them better? Do the factory cheap ones or any heat the water up?
I sure would like to buy or build the cheapest one I can that will last! I have a couple of projects that I started a couple years ago that are in 50% finished. So I should lean closer to buying one!:Fire::Fire:
G

[Maynard Shooter]

The one that's on sale for $77 is a clone to the Lyman that I use, it also has heat.

[JRLesan]

Sir,
If you are close to KCMO I have a tumbler which I made some 30 or so years ago which you may have. It needs only some new rubber hose for the drive rollers - a 2 dollar item at the auto parts store. It's not worth the expense of shipping (I don't think) but if you are close it'll only cost time and a little gas. The drum is 6" dia by about 10 0r 12" long and will easily do 50 or 100 .45 (ACP or Colt) at a time. I used walnut shell media and polished many thousands of cases. Contact me here if interested...

[gcollins]

Jr,
That is a wonderfull jesture, and I am great full for the offer! I am looking for Sonic Cleaner that you use water and a small amount of soap, this type of cleaner cleans the inside.

Maynard,
How do you like your Lyman cleaner? If you could do it all over, would you have bought a different one ? I will be totaly honest and I have no idea what to get? Maynard, H.F. has one on sale for $29.95 but I don't have a clue if it is good or junk? I didn't see the one that they have on sale for $77.00. So I will go on line and look at it. Since I don't get very much time to shoot that means I don't have alot to load, but on the other hand most of my brass is
1x and I would like to get it sized and decapped, and trimmed to size and cleaned inside and out so I can sort them out and do my best to load them like book.
Again I thank you guys!
G

[Atonic]

You want the ~$75 model from HB. If you get American Rifleman there is a 20% off coupon each month.
Deprime, use hot tap water, 1/4 teaspoon Lemi Shine, 3-4 drops Dawn dish washing detergent. After sonicating, quench them in a cold water bath.

My sonicated brass looks new.

[gcollins]

Thanks Atonic,
I will go to H.B. online and look and find the item number and see if it is the model you are refering.
Thanks again
Greg

[Cane_man]

HF is your friend... use the 20% off coupon and it will get you in the game pretty inexpensively... i really like it for rifle brass, gets the insides clean

drop of dish soap, teaspoon of Lemishine, some hot water, and you are good to go

[gcollins]

Unfourantely I don't get the American Rifleman mag. anymore, and I have been digging threw all of my back issuie's, my lastest I have found was Dec. 2011 and I found the coupon, but of course they have expired! I keep looking.
Thanks Guys
Greg

[JRLesan]

Same coupon in all three NRA publications, or did you DROP your membership???

[myg30]

Im starting to wonder if I should dig out my old OS cleaner from harbor freight. I picked one up to do rifle brass but the process was so long and time consuming I gave it up to depriming brass and running in tumbler fer 3-4 hrs.
If my memory is correct they say in the instructions to only use cold water ! No built in warmer but after several cycles it di get warm.
The process was vinegar,water,drops of dawn. 2-3 cycles. Then baking soda and water, then rinse cycle or two. If the neutralization process was not proper then the brass turned pinkish !Then had to tumble it any way.
So my question is did the lemi shine alone make this a worth while process now ? I really did not like having to hit the cycle button all the time. My tumbler runs unattended on a timer. The process that I used was the one on the 6mm br site or google ultra sonic cleaning rifle brass.

Mike

[alfloyd]

The larger HF sonic cleaner has a heater, so it heats the water.
I have one, and love it, but did not like the tray type basket, so I ordered the basket from Lyman and put it into the HF cleaner.
The Lyman cleaner came out after the Harbor Freight cleaner and is the same cleaner with a different logo and name on it.

Lafaun

[gcollins]

JRLesan, I allways said I was going to get a life time NRA membership, but like a lot of things go, I had to drop my membership after getting hurt, I first got hurt in Oct 2003 torned L3,L4,L5(that is not the way doctors say it,they use a combined configuration) and I worked 4 years without missing any days other than out of town testing, and then I did a very dumb thing, since i was the only male at that school I lifted on some new marker boards in July that I had no buiness doing, but I allways did my job and so I worked untill Dec 17,2007 and I was taken off work because I couldn't stand up! Unless you have had to deal with workmans comp, and the co.that was the distric's WCC, and I can't talk in any more details, other than I had to sell my BIG toys:Fire: And trying to pay bills with my wifes wages just put us deeper in the hole:evil:
There is a lot more to this, but if you have not WALKED in my shoes, you have no clue!I do not want anyone to feel sorry for me, I didn't post this for that reason, I just knew by Jr's reply, that I felt the need to say something, if JR has more to say, he needs to pm me or email me!

alfloyd & all members, I apoloziges for my ranting, Thank you for the heads up on the HB and the Lyman!

myg30, From what I have read, the sonic cleaners do not get your cases as purdy as a case tumbler. My reason for wanting one is to get the inside of the case clean! There most likley will be those that will disagree, and they have the right to! I shot my Ruger #1B in 243 Winchester for at least 20 years, I FL my cases, tumbled them,and if they needed case trimmed then I would debured in and out, I shot a lot of yotes and some at fairly Long Range,plus some nice Antelope and White tail deer. I had never heard of a Sonic Cleaner! And to be truth full, I have jumped into a world of reloading that I had no idea that there was such deeply detailed reloading untill 2-3 years ago, and I have done a lot of reading and still have a lot to do, and also need some more tools before I have everything I need!

G

[Cane_man]

for the HF model with the heater, you can use a 1 quart pyrex container and put the shells in there

[gcollins]

cane man,
Since I have only seen pic's, could you go into more detail ? I hate that I don't know what you are trying to tell me, but I am great full for your help!
G

[popper]

I started with just the lemishine & dish soap, just put them in a pretzel jug and swished it around for a while. Did pretty good but time wasted. Then got the large HF unit - didn't clean the PP very well for me so I got the small Hornady one. Works fine for rifle brass. I have noticed that after several reload and cleanings the PP stay clean. Maybe the lemishine finally gets to passivate the PP and then it cleans easier.

[Cane_man]

cane man,
Since I have only seen pic's, could you go into more detail ? I hate that I don't know what you are trying to tell me, but I am great full for your help!
G

instead of dumping the shells in the cleaner, you put the shells in a 1 quart pyrex measuring cup like this and put this in the cleaner... this way you can keep cycling the same hot water in the cleaner and not contaminate the inside of it...

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/usr/products/400053014854.jpg

edit: hope that made sense, i was in a hurry earlier... what you will do is put the cases in the pyrex container, fill it with hot water, and then dump whatever cleaners/chemicals you may want to add (i add a drop of Dawn dishsoap and a table spoon of Lemishine dishwasher spot remover- i get it at Walmart)... the ultrasonic waves work through the glass... I usually cycle the cases 3 times using the highest heat setting and longest cleaning time and it usually takes a total of 20 minutes per batch... about 100 pistol cases fit in the Pyrex and 50 rifle cases and it gets the inside really clean!

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/70/30/74/22/0070307422874_300X300.jpg

[JRLesan]

Mr. Collins,
An annual NRA membership is now only $20.00! Hopefully, you and millions of other non (NRA) members who are gun enthusiasts will come into a windfall and consider membership.

[John Boy]

gcollins - using an ultra sonic cleaner to clean brass is not the tool to use. I did several tests using the HF 2 liter sonic with burnishing solution and the cases were not even close to those that I clean using a double barrel rotary with media and Strat-O-Sheen burnishing solution. Normal run time with the rotary is 1.5 hrs cleaning BP cases that come out looking close to factory new, even better
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd220/Meadowmucker/Casting/IMGP1024.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd220/Meadowmucker/Casting/IMGP0998.jpg

[M-Tecs]

I use Iosso Brass Case Cleaner in my Ultra Sonic. This cleaner is designed as an immerse only cleaner. I was not overly impressed with it as an immerse only cleaner but when used in the Ultra Sonic it is simply amazing.

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/623467/iosso-brass-case-cleaner-1-gallon-liquid

[2wheelDuke]

I'd like to work up my own mix, but for now, a capful of Hornady's ultrasonic brass cleaner is what I'm using in the HF machine.

[gcollins]

Sorry to say this but now I am totaly lost:killingpc And I meant no dis respect, I have been tumbling brass for a long time,I started useing a rock tumbler, when I used that thing I had to put it is the farest place I could find:lovebooli and then I stepped up to a Lyman and have been upgrading up untill 12 years ago.
I really thank each and everyone for there option, I have allways wondered if a person was doing harm to the brass by using chemical's
I am going to see if I can get a friend to build the homemade cleaner that uses rare earth magnets???????????????????????????? Because
I havn't finished the last 5 project's!! At least my annealer works but I have to turn it by hand!!
Thanks again!
Greg

[nvald1982]

from what I have been reading the stainless media look promising! I have the hornady 1.2L, it just not enough room to sonic clean. lyman look to be the best choice