Ultrasonic cleaning brass for reloading

NC-rifle

NC-rifle

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I searched and found mostly using ultrasonic cleaners on gun parts, most talk about cleaning suppressors.
I am just getting started in reloading, and am considering buying an ultrasonic machine instead of a media tumbler for cleaning used brass.

For those who have used an ultrasonic machine for cleaning brass, I would like to hear from you.
1) Pros and Cons
2) Cleaning solutions (brass specific vs others)
3) Do I need a machine with the "degas" feature?
4) Plastic basket vs stainless steel basket? Pros/Cons
5) Should I put the brass in one layer, or is a pile just fine?
 
I cleaned with ultrasonic 3 times then tossed the machine. Took a long time and did ok at the very best. Now it’s strictly dry media that I let run all night and every 5-6 firings I might use ss pins in a tumbler.
 
I just got a cheaper 2.5 liter one for Christmas. I haven't used it yet.
What I've gleaned so far searching threads...
Put the brass in a zip lock with your solution then just fill the tank with water. This saves you money on not needing so much solution. Also saves you from having to clean up the ultrasonic.
Run multiple cycles for best results.
Use citric acid/lemmie shine with dawn dish soap. Just a little of each.
Brass won't be as clean as steel media tumbling, but probably good enough.

I'm thinking the ultrasonic will be good for smaller loads. Tumbling takes a lot of effort to get the pins out of each case after. It's a pain.
 
It’s not worth it. I purchased one from harbor freight, it’s actually the same one from Lyman. Just a different sticker. For brass it sucks. Gun parts works good. Nowadays it’s used to clean the wife’s jewelry.

My solution was one 9mm case full of lemishine and about the same of blue dawn dish soap.

Mine had just the plastic liner in it that came out.

Save your money and get a regular tumbler or a stainless steel pin wet tumbler.
 
Been using Sonic cleaner for years to clean brass. I use 50/50 water to 5% white vinegar with just a splash of dish soap. Turn the heater up to 140 or more degrees. Pistol brass I will usually put in two hand full of brass just enough to fill the Sonic clean half way full. Let it run for 5 to 10 minutes. Take them out rinse them off in a bucket of clean water. Let them air dry for a few days or throw them in the oven at 170 for an hour or so. If I deprime the brass first they will come out looking brand new.
Even brass that I pick up at the out door range that are packed full of mud. Just my 2cents worth.
 
I’ve tried it before, but eventually ended up wet tumbling most brass. The only brass I will clean with the ultrasonic cleaner is 5.7 FN, which has a polymer coating that should not be removed. I use Simple Green for that.
 
Thanks for your inputs so far, keep them coming.

If people can describe "clean" it will help describe the difference between "polished pretty" and "cleaned of carbon/residue inside the neck, case, and primer pocket". I see manf (RCBS, Hornady, etc) sell a separate solution (concentrate) for brass and another for gun parts. But home made solutions that work good for cleaning used ammo brass are nice to hear about too. Many have made a good point about drying the cleaned brass before any more reloading processing, good to remember.

If I go this route, I will use the ultrasonic cleaner for other parts (different cleaning solution) as well as ammo brass. But If I have to buy an ammo tumbler anyway, I am not going to buy two machines.

Thanks!
 
Tumble in dry media and hit inside of the neck with a brush is what I do for precision loads. I don’t want to get everything out of the necks. The ones I did in the ultrasonic were not shiny like dry tumbling. The cost of the wet tumblers and dry is not that high these days.
 
I'm a fan of using an USC on both brass and gun parts. IMO poor results are due to low powered machines and the wrong solution. Couple this with the expectation that the brass should come out shiny like it was polished in a tumbler and you get haters. Lets face it you're not going to get great results with a cheap USC that holds a quart of water and has a single transducer.

I've used my B.I.L.'s wet tumbler and while it delivers clean shiny brass its quite an involved process, cleaning by US is faster when cleaning small batches. In addition to a large Dillon tumbler I've got an old Hornady Magnum USC which has two transducers plus a heater. The timer control failed and parts are not available to fix it however I noticed that if I depressed the ON button for several seconds it will start and run. The heater control doesn't work but the unit warms up anyway while in use. Sure this makes it a bit of a PITA but I continue to use it.

I use the SS basket to suspend the brass in the solution which according to everything I've read is better than simply dumping brass into the tub and allowing it to contact the tub floor & walls. I also fabbed up a polycarbonate lid with a hole cut in it to hold a Pyrex beaker without the bottom of the beaker touching the floor of the USC. The beaker works well for small batches of rifle brass or other small parts like bolts or suppressor components.

I've cleaned brass with a mix of basic dish soap and commercial case cleaners with good results. A combination of Dawn dishwashing detergent and Lemi Shine is popular. I try to use RO/DI water although my tap water is not too bad and with a pH near 7 works okay if I'm in a rush.

Check out this link for more recipes and info on case cleaning with a USC: https://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
 
Clicker, thanks for both your input and the link. That article sounds pretty good to me.
What I like about that article, it shows what he tried that did NOT work well, and what he did like.
Clicker said:
Lets face it you're not going to get great results with a cheap USC that holds a quart of water and has a single transducer.
Click to expand...
What do you think of the 2.5 liter Harbor Freight unit? (looks like Lyman). Does it have two transducers?
 
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NC-rifle said:
Clicker, thanks for both your input and the link. That article sounds pretty good to me.

What do you think of the 2.5 liter Harbor Freight unit? (looks like Lyman). Does it have two transducers?
Click to expand...
Check amazon. The same unit is sold under like 20 different names including Lyman and Hornady.
 
I don't have any idea about the construction of the 2.5L unit but I would bet that it doesn't have dual transducers. Their 6L version might since the photo shows two stamped circular areas on the bottom of the tank.
 
I am not overly concerned about how shiny my brass is. I only want it to be free of oil, dirt, and excess carbon before I load it. Real shiny is pretty but not necessary for my purposes. Several hours in a vibrating cleaner (Dillon) with some walnut lizard bedding gets me everywhere I wish to go and does not take any other chemicals, repeated rinsing, extra time to dry, or any other equipment. I do run the vibrator outside under the house to cut down on any lead contamination concerns. I had my lead levels checked last year and was fine. I should add that I loaded for over 20 years without any kind of case cleaner except a towel and did just fine.

With only a few exceptions, I do all the case prep before I put the cases in the walnut for the final cleaning. The cases frequently go into the vibrator as soon as I get back from the range for a quick cleaning to get off any excess dirt. I almost always size, deprime, trim, and anything else the cases need before I clean them in the vibrator for the final cleaning.
 
Charlie said:
I am not overly concerned about how shiny my brass is. I only want it to be free of oil, dirt, and excess carbon before I load it. Real shiny is pretty but not necessary for my purposes.
Click to expand...
That is all that needs to be done. If the round is shot and you pick the case up off the ground, all you need to do is wipe off any dirt. Anything more than that is a matter of personal preference.

I do like very clean brass, which is why I like wet tumbling. Clean brass is easier to inspect for flaws (I mainly do this for bottleneck rifle brass) and having the inside very clean helps reflect light which makes it easier to see the powder level. I've started tumbling most pistol brass without pins, and still gets it plenty clean and I don't have to worry about separating the media from the brass. Having some of the combustion byproducts left over inside the case actually helps prevent the brass from sticking on the expander. But, again, this is all a matter of personal preference for me. I can't tell that the really bright shiny brass shoots any better.
 
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I just bought an ultrasonic unit. CREWORKS 3.0 liter, dual transducer (120W), with 300W heater and degas function.
I also bought some RCBS case cleaner and the instructions say not to rinse after use. It has an anti-oxidation additive.
Although I like the article linked in the post above, it may be just fine with some version of this:

Cycle 1: 50% white vinegar + 50% water with 1 drop dish soap per 8oz water
Cycle 2: Neutralize with clean water and 1 ounce baking soda per ounce water
Cycle 3: Case Cleaner 40:1 with distilled water

I did try the article's "Cheap and Clean" procedure (50/50 vinegar, baking soda, extra rinse) on some once fired PPU .308 brass and all the carbon was gone. These were cases fired in my rifle and picked up after each group, so they were not ugly. They did have residue inside the case & neck as well as in the primer pocket. I did deprime before cleaning. They dried overnight on a towel and still look good (not changing color). Very clean and good looking, but not polished like tumbling in steel media.

RCBS_Case_Cleaner_instructions.jpg
 
I use mine for cleaning firearm parts and stuff other then brass. I think the best way to really clean brass is with stainless pins in a wet tumbler. I use dry media in a tumbler because it's what I have.
 
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I concur with most other opinions here. I strictly used the ultrasonic cleaner when I first started, then I went to dry tumbling which worked well, now wet tumbling which is great. Ultrasonic worked well for my plinking ammo. Its usually a pretty fast efficient process for me.
 
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