Case cleaners

[bigben]

Whats better the ultrasonic ones or the media tumblers?  I was thinkin the ultrasonic ones because i can se it to clean gun parts as well.

[FinsnFur]

Which one did ya get for Christmas?

[Hawks Feather]

Depends on what you want.

Clean Inside and Out:  The ultrasonic cleaners will clean out the carbon on the inside of the case.  The tumblers will clean and polish the outside, but won't do much for the inside.

Primer Pocket: The ultrasonic cleaner will do a better job and you won't need to use a primer-pocket cleaner like you will with the tumbler.

Polish:  The ultrasonic will not put a polish on the brass, leaves it clean but rather dull.  The tumbler will polish the outside of the case so that it looks like new, but does little for the inside.

Media/Cleaner:  The tumbler media will last MUCH longer and you can get refresher so that you can continue to use it for a long time.  The ultrasonic is pretty much use and flush.

Types of units:  There are vibrating (dry media only) that do a very nice job of putting a polish on the cases and clean/polish (outsides) very well.  An example of this would be:  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/case-tumblers/lyman-1200-turbotumbler-prod37513.aspx?psize=96   Then there are units that will accept both dry and wet media:  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/case-tumblers/rcbs-sidewinder-case-tumbler-prod38396.aspx?psize=96    And finally ultrasonic units:  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/ultrasonic-case-cleaners/lyman-turbo-sonic-6000-prod45540.aspx?psize=96    While I don't have the exact same model as the dry media (only) linked above I have one that is similar.  I also have the other two models shown.

Dry only media units:  I use Sinclair's media  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/tumbling-media-additives/sinclair-polishing-media-prod33918.aspx?psize=96  and it does a really nice job of putting a polish on the cases.  As mentioned before, it doesn't do much for the inside or primer pocket.  I have tried the walnut shell media in the past and don't really care that much for it.  That being said, others love it.  Another media that I would consider if I were just starting would be stainless pins  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/tumbling-media-additives/stainless-steel-media-prod42858.aspx?psize=96  I have never tried them, but they are usually praised.  Dry media will usually get stuck in the primer pocket and sometimes the actual flash hole so you HAVE to check each case.  There have also been times when I will find media stuck inside the case.  I don't know why it does and it does not do it with all cases.  Military cases seem to have it happen the most.  So, after dry tumbling I clean the primer pocket, flash hole, and then put them into a reloading tray so that I can turn out the lights and use a small mag-lite to check the inside walls.  The last thing that you want is cleaning media stuck to the inside walls and possibly causing extra pressure on a reload.  The good side of the dry media is that it is DRY.  You can finish the cleaning, check the cases, and start reloading right away.

Wet/Dry media units:  I use RCBS liquid   http://www.midwayusa.com/product/516387/rcbs-sidewinder-liquid-media-case-cleaner-8-oz   when I use the tumbler and like it.  Since it is a liquid it does a pretty decent job of cleaning the inside as well as the outside of the case.  I have tried other liquids and keep coming back to the RCBS one listed.  You do need to rinse the cases after using this which means that you need to allow time for the cases to dry.  Depending on the weather (or your oven) that can be fairly quick or an extended time.  I usually have enough brass that I don't need to use the oven, but if you need to rush a batch you can put them on a cookie sheet and put them in on low.  If it is summer and there is a nice hot sun shinning, I sometimes lay them out on a towel in the sun - going out several times to roll them over so that any water inside doesn't lay there.  Other times I just lay them on a towel on the basement floor and rolling them over when I go by.  In an EXTREME emergency you can take an air compressor and blow out the inside and primer pockets of the cases, but I really don't trust that for really getting rid of any and all moisture inside the case.

Ultrasonic units:  I have used  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/ultrasonic-case-cleaners/hornady-one-shot-sonic-clean-solutions-prod41384.aspx?psize=96  and also the  http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/case-cleaning/ultrasonic-case-cleaners/lyman-turbo-sonic-cleaning-solutions-and-accessories-prod54753.aspx?psize=96    Of the two I think I like the Lyman a little better.  Don't think that just because you are using an ultrasonic unit that the inside of the case will be clean as new.  It depends on how many times you have reloaded the case BEFORE you start using the ultrasonic and also how hot of loads you have been running.  It does do a better job than the other two methods on the inside of the case.  I would NOT get an ultrasonic unit unless it were new or I could test it.  I bought one years ago on e-Pray and it never seemed to really do much.  I finally found a way to test it and the ultrasonic unit was pretty much shot.  It still gave the impression of working, but just didn't clean much.  I would also stay away from the small unit models if you are doing much.  Some are low power units made for cleaning jewelry that are now being sold for other uses.  They don't do much.  Make sure you check out the reviews on gun sites before you plop down your money.  You can also mix your own ultrasonic cleaner and there are several places that discuss this.  http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html   This link will give you some pictures so that you can see what the inside will look like.  Great read.  The only down side with ultrasonic units is that you can't throw in 200 rounds and walk away to come back later.  The up side is that you can use it for gun parts and other small tools that you want to get clean.


This is just my quick 2¢ on the topic.

Jerry

[bigben]

I got a bunch of gift cards a one piece cleaning rod is going to be purchased but i am leaning toward getting a ultrasonic cleane. I am not to worried about the look of polished brass. Im looking at cleaning the carbon out. I read on 6mmbr that they use vinegar and water along with soap.

[Hawks Feather]

I read on 6mmbr that they use vinegar and water along with soap.

I thought about trying that but haven't yet.

Jerry

[riverboss]

I bought mine at Harbor freight and for $20.00 i got a 2 years extended warrenty. I use both tumbler and ultrasonic. I hate the residue the tumbler leaves behind in the case. But i also hate  having to restart the untrasonic every few minutes. I use vinegar and water it cleans very well but the cases arent as shiney on the outside but are super clean.

[bigben]

I ended up making it to bass pro on sunday afternoon. There was one ultrasonic cleaner on the shelf and i decided i didnt want that model. There just so happens to be a harbor freight right around the corner so i called em up and they were open. We drove on over and checked sure nuff they have a 2.5 liter unit from Chicago electric for 75 bux. I haven't tried it yet but plan on cleaning some stuff shortly.

[Hawks Feather]

Sounds good.  Keep us posted.

Jerry

[centerfire_223]

I bought one from Harbor Freight a while back and I love it. I got the largest size they sold, which ran about $85 bucks or so. I throw in a couple of hundred .223 brass at a time. Run it through about 3 or 4 of the long cycles, in a mixture of water and lemon juice. The brass come out looking like new, nice and shiny on the outside and the inside is really clean too. No carbon that you can see, even down in the bass of the shell. I use about a 1/4 cup of lemon juice per batch. Normally I clean about 600-800 brass before I change out the solution.

One thing I did notice is the brass will loose their bright shine after a few weeks. But I was reading some where to run them through a baking soda and water cycle. This is suppose to stop the tarnishing effect.

Sometimes when I want them super shiny I will run them through the tumbler for a couple of hours with corn cob media with a shot of McGuire's car polish in there. They come out shiny like brand new brass and stay that way.

That has been my experience with it so far.

[bigben]

I never thought of lemon juice. I gotta run some brass threw the sizing die here shortly i plann on trying the vinegar solution first since i have that. I got the wrong solution for it the first time around at bass pro its for gun parts. Not brass.

[bigben]

Here are what most of the cases looked like. I had a few that were really bad from load development and those didn't come clean as they should have.  But overall im pretty happy 

After cleaning




I used a solution of 1/3 vinegar 2/3 water and about a teaspoon of dish soap i ran 5 cycles of 8 mins. And ran two 8 min rinse cycles. I am sure more vinegar might work better/quicker.

[yotefever]

I would be careful with the vinegar because it is an acid and saw warnings on it on another forum.
I use the ss media in a Thumbers tumbler with a small amount of dish soap and rinse aid. They look better than new. After some time on an old cookie sheet by the heat vent or out in the sun they are ready to reload.

[centerfire_223]

From what I have tried in the Vinegar mixture, you have to run them through a baking soda solution or they will tarnish really fast and bad. Just my experience with it. After using that I wouldn't run anymore, thats when I found the lemon juice recipe.