I like this ultrasonic cleaner!

Had a couple of goes at reloading for the first time last year, and really enjoyed it other than a couple of bits. One being cleaning the neck and two being cleaning out the primer pockets after resizing. So being the lazy fella I am I looked at alternatives and decided it would be easier to knock out the primers then clean the brass in an ultrasonic cleaner. So after finding a cheap cleaner and getting hold of a decapping die I'm into it. Think I can just about throw away the primer pocket brush.

Now the job is still fun but a hell of a lot less tedious. By the way being one of those guys that squeaks when he walks I decided not to change the cleaning mix with each batch, and I can't tell any difference between the first and fourth batch. Takes about 20minutes to run a batch of 25-30 308 or 243 brass. Now to the next stages ...

Will I need more brass? I've only got about 750 pieces for the 243 and 300 pieces for the 308. Definitely need more for the 223, only about 10 pieces. About half way through cleaning it all.

What one? How much?

hey gadgetman,

I've wondered about the ultrasonic cleaners, almost bought one a Couple a years ago. But bought a Lyman tumbler instead as was talked into by the man in the shop, wish I hadn't know.
And good to see ya over here

What cleaning mix do you use?

Got one of these Ultrasonic Cleaner | Trade Me off the first-in website for $40 and not much freight. I use a mix of roughly 2/3 water 1/3 white vinegar and a couple of drops of dish washing detergent. Run through three full cycles with a bit of a mixup between cycles, then drain, rinse quickly in fresh water, then leave to soak in a tub with 500ml water and a heaped table spoon of baking soda to neutralise and remaining vinegar.

The good thing is that it doesn't require constant attention, so can be running in the background while decapping, resizing, making a cuppa, ... whatever. The big disadvantage is the boss saw how well it works and wants jewellery cleaned in it.

Teaspoon of citric acid and hot water in my sonic cleaner. Rinse when finished, no need to soak anything.

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Originally Posted by dogmatix

Teaspoon of citric acid and hot water in my sonic cleaner. Rinse when finished, no need to soak anything.

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They'd smell nice afterwards too. Can't go hunting with smelly ammo, the deer will laugh at you.

I'm not 100% sure and only starting out so figure I should play safe and make certain there is no more reaction with acid. Doesn't really take any more effort and can just sit there. Why did the Irishman wear two condoms? Ah ... to be sure, to be sure.

I clean most of the brass I have laying around by hand would be 100-200 rounds of various calibers. Just found out with the last 2 .300winmag shells I had to clean I used brasso and boy did that shine better then new brass from a packet. might clean them all with that now.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

Got one of these Ultrasonic Cleaner | Trade Me off the first-in website for $40 and not much freight. I use a mix of roughly 2/3 water 1/3 white vinegar and a couple of drops of dish washing detergent. Run through three full cycles with a bit of a mixup between cycles, then drain, rinse quickly in fresh water, then leave to soak in a tub with 500ml water and a heaped table spoon of baking soda to neutralise and remaining vinegar.

The good thing is that it doesn't require constant attention, so can be running in the background while decapping, resizing, making a cuppa, ... whatever. The big disadvantage is the boss saw how well it works and wants jewellery cleaned in it.

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Next you will want a SSM tumbler. Takes cleaning to a new level.

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Originally Posted by Toby

I clean most of the brass I have laying around by hand would be 100-200 rounds of various calibers. Just found out with the last 2 .300winmag shells I had to clean I used brasso and boy did that shine better then new brass from a packet. might clean them all with that now.

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Just use ya shell holder in a drill and a piece of fine finishing sandpaper the thick soft stuff , come up beautiful.

I've always used 50/50 vinegar and waters with a few drops of detergent, after the post above I thought I would try citric acid and the difference is huge, ill never go back to vinegar now.

lactic acid as an active ingredient works well also.
i was told new solutions need to be de-gased for 20mins to work best. that basicly means run the solution with the machine on, by itself.
i was warned against using vinegar, i forget the reason now.

I notice some of the brass is turning a bit pink, the missus will love it

Nah, that was just where the brass was oxidised (does it do that?) and the corrosion has now been removed by the sonic cleaner and solution.

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Originally Posted by Toby

I clean most of the brass I have laying around by hand would be 100-200 rounds of various calibers. Just found out with the last 2 .300winmag shells I had to clean I used brasso and boy did that shine better then new brass from a packet. might clean them all with that now.

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Brasso contains ammonia. Ammonia will make your brass brittle I have been told. Would advise against it.

Shit

I just got a hornady one from the states with some other stuff. I paid US$80+freight on sale. It's a 110v, but I've got an adapter for my powder meter/scale already.

Graf & Sons - HRN LOCK-N-LOAD SONIC CASE CLEANER 110 VOLT

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Originally Posted by kiwijames

Brasso contains ammonia. Ammonia will make your brass brittle I have been told. Would advise against it.

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It would make the brass/rag go green if it had enough ammonia in it to effect the copper content of the brass

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

So its ok if its not green? My rag went black and the brass went shiny gold.

Shine away i say

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Thats a relief I just cleaned all the wsm rounds and a few winmags I thought I just fucked it all

Your choice Toby but I personally would not clean my brass, which in some cases has cost me $2.25 a piece, with a chemical (Brasso) that has a reasonable amount of documented concerns raised re the use of it for that purpose. (Although I will admit to using Brasso when I first started out ha ha.)

I doubt it will have any effect short term Toby, I'd just not consider it a long term solution.

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Originally Posted by kiwijames

I doubt it will have any effect short term Toby, I'd just not consider it a long term solution.

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Agreed. I should have said that. Sorry Toby. It does make them pretty though...

Just to share my personal experiences with near pure liquid ammonia and brass/bronze fittings.
A standard compression fitting on a pipe(dont do this its what you do when no s/s fittings are on board and your 4 days steam from land) will last around 4 weeks with liquid ammonia on the inside and salt water on the outside with the combined electrolysis effect of brass/bronze on a s/s pipe.

Ammonia eats the copper out of these alloys, the result is green "rust"

The human nose can detect around 5 parts per million ammonia in the air.

I cant smell any ammonia from my tube!

Im putting it in the wives tail bin until someone can show me a "scientific" study proving degradation of the brass in its lifetime.

:)

VC I guess the liquid ammonia you will have will be aqueous. Piss weak in my world. I deal with the real stuff, anhydrous ammonia, daily.:ka boom: The real stuff will be around -33deg C and will boil at room pressure/temp. I've seen it clear a room full of real blokes will a spill of less than 50ml fighting their way for the first doorway (squealing all the way like a bus load of school girls), and I have seen (real) ammonia take about a CD size piece of skin off my leg with a combo chemical/freezer burn in a few seconds. :on fire: A few times I've seen where a brass fitting was installed in a fridge system running ammonia and it was gone overnight.
I would have to though concede that Brasso will most probably be so mild any real issue would probably be outlived by the brass wearing out after multiple firing.
Still, I have a corn cob tumbler (until I can find a cheap enough SS media one). I have enough shooting bogeys to worry about not to add another into the mix:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by kiwijames

I have enough shooting bogeys to worry about not to add another into the mix:thumbsup:

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+1

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Originally Posted by kiwijames

VC I guess the liquid ammonia you will have will be aqueous. Piss weak in my world. I deal with the real stuff, anhydrous ammonia, daily.:ka boom: The real stuff will be around -33deg C and will boil at room pressure/temp. I've seen it clear a room full of real blokes will a spill of less than 50ml fighting their way for the first doorway (squealing all the way like a bus load of school girls), and I have seen (real) ammonia take about a CD size piece of skin off my leg with a combo chemical/freezer burn in a few seconds. :on fire: A few times I've seen where a brass fitting was installed in a fridge system running ammonia and it was gone overnight.
I would have to though concede that Brasso will most probably be so mild any real issue would probably be outlived by the brass wearing out after multiple firing.
Still, I have a corn cob tumbler (until I can find a cheap enough SS media one). I have enough shooting bogeys to worry about not to add another into the mix:thumbsup:

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No straight pure refridgerant ammonia constantly freezing up to 40 tonne of fillets 24 hours a day and storing up to 800 tonne at -30 .

Yep i know all about leaks James.
When a noddy fails to check behind the freezer loading trolley in bad weather before moving it and knocks two liquid lines off a plate freezer the entire factory staff is on deck in an instant! Then on the bow while skip changes course into wind and all off shift are woken to evac accommodation. Mean while Im turning off the freezer wearing a simple face mask with ammonia burning the Fuck out of the eye of my cock my Arse hole and my arm pits (you know why or you should) then grabbing another mask to rescue the meal man who every one had forgotten about.

On a factory trawler refridgerant leaks are a fact of life be it ammonia or freon.
Most are very minor.
I prefer ammonia to work with as any leak is obvious and while bad for humans is quickly noticed and fixed.
Freon not so much. All you can smell is the fridge oil carried around the system if your lucky. people get happy as they suffocate then fall over.

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And even though it takes ages to clean them one by one, they come up so shiny its addicting.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

No straight pure refridgerant ammonia constantly freezing up to 40 tonne of fillets 24 hours a day and storing up to 800 tonne at -30 .

Yep i know all about leaks James.
When a noddy fails to check behind the freezer loading trolley in bad weather before moving it and knocks two liquid lines off a plate freezer the entire factory staff is on deck in an instant! Then on the bow while skip changes course into wind and all off shift are woken to evac accommodation. Mean while Im turning off the freezer wearing a simple face mask with ammonia burning the Fuck out of the eye of my cock my Arse hole and my arm pits (you know why or you should) then grabbing another mask to rescue the meal man who every one had forgotten about.

On a factory trawler refridgerant leaks are a fact of life be it ammonia or freon.
Most are very minor.
I prefer ammonia to work with as any leak is obvious and while bad for humans is quickly noticed and fixed.
Freon not so much. All you can smell is the fridge oil carried around the system if your lucky. people get happy as they suffocate then fall over.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

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I thought you may have been talking about a factory boat. Amaltal?
They run like fuck don't they when you get a leak:thumbsup:
I much prefer ammonia too, it pulls no punches. If its going to hurt you it will but its not too hard to avoid if you keep calm.
I once knew a woman fridge monkey. I could only imagine the burn:XD:

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Originally Posted by TeRei

Next you will want a SSM tumbler. Takes cleaning to a new level.

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I'll likely just stick with ultrasonic. I only want clean enough to make reloading easier, I'm not fussed with shiny.

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Originally Posted by gadgetman

I'll likely just stick with ultrasonic. I only want clean enough to make reloading easier, I'm not fussed with shiny.

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Wait till you try one I bet you dont say that afterwards.Just in process of doing a mates 250-3000 and 243 brass as a pay back for 2 magical days in the Children of the Mist Country.However it was all extreme heat.Brass that looks and feels like new brass cant be bad.