Well Im in the market for a new brass cleaner I've used the standard tumbler / corn media in the past but never used a sonic cleaner what do you guys recommend? Why? Pros and cons of both. I would like to make an educated decision before I buy. Thanks
Sonic cleaner vs. tumbler
- Thread starter mel_ester
- Start date
sonic vs
I have read quite a bit about these fairly new machines called Thumblers that use the stainless steel pins. This is what I would buy if I was to do it all over again. The thing with the sonic machines is you cannot do very many pieces of brass in one go, plus all of the different bathes most folks use in the process. The results are very similar as far as the quality of the clean. FS
I have read quite a bit about these fairly new machines called Thumblers that use the stainless steel pins. This is what I would buy if I was to do it all over again. The thing with the sonic machines is you cannot do very many pieces of brass in one go, plus all of the different bathes most folks use in the process. The results are very similar as far as the quality of the clean. FS
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
I run a Lyman ultrasonic...
Has built in tank heat, larger capacity then the Hornady unit and is very well made... As for not doing many pieces in one run? US machines with good soloution take about 5min maybe 10 to clean... Walnut or pins take several hours.... My Lyman holds I believe close to 2L volume in the basket... I ran 1000pcs of 44mag brass the other nite in 30min
I tried all of the home brew soloutions on the net and while they worked good I just got tired of the residue and discoloration if left in too long or improperly rinsed, I use Hornady one shot cleaner now with excellent results and doubt I will ever go back to vinegar or lagostina.
I may buy a thumbler tumbler and SS pin setup in the future to make super shiney brass but I really don't enjoy the thought of small stainless steel pins getting stuck in cases, I have enough trouble with recycled rubber our range uses in the shooting shack.
Has built in tank heat, larger capacity then the Hornady unit and is very well made... As for not doing many pieces in one run? US machines with good soloution take about 5min maybe 10 to clean... Walnut or pins take several hours.... My Lyman holds I believe close to 2L volume in the basket... I ran 1000pcs of 44mag brass the other nite in 30min
I tried all of the home brew soloutions on the net and while they worked good I just got tired of the residue and discoloration if left in too long or improperly rinsed, I use Hornady one shot cleaner now with excellent results and doubt I will ever go back to vinegar or lagostina.
I may buy a thumbler tumbler and SS pin setup in the future to make super shiney brass but I really don't enjoy the thought of small stainless steel pins getting stuck in cases, I have enough trouble with recycled rubber our range uses in the shooting shack.
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Site sponsor reloaders.ca and also available thru cabelas... Good luck finding the pins!
I can put almost 50 rounds in my little sonic.
Thing is that it's wet cleaning, and maybe I'm anal retentive but I feel I have to swab each case out with a qtip to make sure it's dry. And when I do there can be a bit of mucky residue on it. I've just started reloading so I'm sure that as time passes I'll become a bit more lax about it and just use hair dryer or something.
Thing is that it's wet cleaning, and maybe I'm anal retentive but I feel I have to swab each case out with a qtip to make sure it's dry. And when I do there can be a bit of mucky residue on it. I've just started reloading so I'm sure that as time passes I'll become a bit more lax about it and just use hair dryer or something.
I have the small hornady ultra sound cleaner. Love it. To make clean up easier fill the cleaner with regular water, then use 2 beakers - should be pyrex or similar chem grade, filled with the solution and the brass. Cleans great and the beakers make cleanup easy, as well switch and pouring out the solution is super easy. I have never used a tumbler or vibratory style one on brass, I have used a tumbler for rocks when I was a kid. The ultra sound is 8 minutes start to finish, then wash clean and dry, done.
The ultrasonic cleaner won't make your brass shiny. The dry media tumbler won't make the case clean in the inside. The wet media tumbler will make your cases clean in and out + shiny. Yes, the process takes 2-3 hours but you can find something to do in the meantime.
The wet media tumbler is the winner in my book. Sold the ultrasonic cleaner a long time ago and my Dillon tumbler is collecting dust.
The wet media tumbler is the winner in my book. Sold the ultrasonic cleaner a long time ago and my Dillon tumbler is collecting dust.
The ss pin media does it require it's own special tumbler? Anyone know where to get this media type? Time isn't a big issue as I have a few different calibers I reload and I have it in different stages of the reloading process.
The pins only work in tumblers not vibratory cleaners like most people use.
www. thumlerstumbler.com Have been around for years, a couple years ago someone got the idea to wash the brass in one with stainless pins and lemi shine cleaner, then posted it on a forum and it became a new trend.
There is a place in the US that sells tumbler, cleaner, pins or kits. www. stainlesstumblingmedia.com
www. thumlerstumbler.com Have been around for years, a couple years ago someone got the idea to wash the brass in one with stainless pins and lemi shine cleaner, then posted it on a forum and it became a new trend.
There is a place in the US that sells tumbler, cleaner, pins or kits. www. stainlesstumblingmedia.com
I just got a Thumler's Model B this past weekend - already ran three batches through, and love the result.
I got the tumbler from Cabelas US, and the SS pins from Pellets LLC (search the forum, or just give them a call - they sell in 5-pound bags. I bought four bags, and may sell-off two, just want to give the guys at work a chance.
5 pounds of pins, 3 pounds of 9mm brass (about one margarine container), fill the tub with water up to about 1-1/2" from top, a tablespoon of dish detergent, tighten it down and walk away for 3 hours. I was amazed at how BLACK the water was when I poured it out - I won't be using my Lyman vibrating tumbler anymore (will post that for sale soon too).
I HIGHLY recommend it. The four bags of pins, plus the tumbler and a brass pre-cleaning solution set me back $325 plus $40 in taxes at the border. I'll be able to sell $100 of pins, so say $200-$225 plus taxes (and plus shipping and brokerage, if required).
There's a place in Canada, www.canadiantreasureseekers.com, that sells the Thumler's but they were out of stock, according to the website.
I just posted the unboxing, assemly, and test video (8 minutes for all that
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEo5tS4jbes
I got the tumbler from Cabelas US, and the SS pins from Pellets LLC (search the forum, or just give them a call - they sell in 5-pound bags. I bought four bags, and may sell-off two, just want to give the guys at work a chance.
5 pounds of pins, 3 pounds of 9mm brass (about one margarine container), fill the tub with water up to about 1-1/2" from top, a tablespoon of dish detergent, tighten it down and walk away for 3 hours. I was amazed at how BLACK the water was when I poured it out - I won't be using my Lyman vibrating tumbler anymore (will post that for sale soon too).
I HIGHLY recommend it. The four bags of pins, plus the tumbler and a brass pre-cleaning solution set me back $325 plus $40 in taxes at the border. I'll be able to sell $100 of pins, so say $200-$225 plus taxes (and plus shipping and brokerage, if required).
There's a place in Canada, www.canadiantreasureseekers.com, that sells the Thumler's but they were out of stock, according to the website.
I just posted the unboxing, assemly, and test video (8 minutes for all that
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEo5tS4jbes
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
No, a regular vibratory media cleaner is a compleatly different machine then a SS pin wet tumbler.
Depends what you want to use it for... I have both a high-end Branson ultrasonic and the Thumbler rotaty with stainless steel media.
The rotary tumbler does a better job of polishing the cases and cleaning them out, and I love it for pistol brass and cases for rifles that have standard chambers. But,
I no longer let the brass for my precision rifle anywhere near the rotary tumbler. It has a tendency to peen the case mouths which causes huge variations in neck tension if the resulting burr is not fully removed.
The rotary tumbler does a better job of polishing the cases and cleaning them out, and I love it for pistol brass and cases for rifles that have standard chambers. But,
I no longer let the brass for my precision rifle anywhere near the rotary tumbler. It has a tendency to peen the case mouths which causes huge variations in neck tension if the resulting burr is not fully removed.
- Location
- Fort McMurray
I've got the Thumbler and have been cleaning my brass this way for a year now ... lately I changed how I do it, making it a bit easier from my previous method ..
Re-size (in my Casemaster Junior) and de-prime ..
5 lbs of pins, 1 squirt of dish soap, 2 teaspoons of TSP (tri sodium phosphate, available at Canadian Tire or Rona) and 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of Lemishine, plus brass .... ~220 9mm, 200 .40, or 180 .45 ...
Turn it on before I go to work, rinse when I get home (rinse well to get any soap residue off). Put it in the dryer (the wife has a tray that goes in the dryer) on low for about 1/2 hour and done. Shiny as all hell and ready to reload.
And SO nice working with clean brass
Re-size (in my Casemaster Junior) and de-prime ..
5 lbs of pins, 1 squirt of dish soap, 2 teaspoons of TSP (tri sodium phosphate, available at Canadian Tire or Rona) and 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of Lemishine, plus brass .... ~220 9mm, 200 .40, or 180 .45 ...
Turn it on before I go to work, rinse when I get home (rinse well to get any soap residue off). Put it in the dryer (the wife has a tray that goes in the dryer) on low for about 1/2 hour and done. Shiny as all hell and ready to reload.
And SO nice working with clean brass
- Location
- Fort McMurray
So why not clean then trim? Wouldn't that work? I don't shoot enough rifle to know, just asking ...
Because each time the case mouth gets peened, the case length gets reduced. After a couple iterations you end up with cases that are below the trim-to length. This happens even if you just chamfer and deburr the case mouths. It's also difficult to get rid of the burr entirely. The K&M tool does a nice job to remove it on the inside, but deburring tools don't have a steep enough angle to remove it on the outside. You either have to fire the case once and then remove it internally (it will get pushed to the inside from the pressure) or use something similar to a neck turning tool to remove it.
A simple test to know if the burr is still there is to take a fired case and try to drop a bullet into it. It should just drop in. If it doesn't, that means there is case material getting squished between the bullet and the chamber wall when you fire. A few thousandth difference in neck tension is nothing compared to the pressure spike that causes vs. a case that the bullet drops in freely. And the likelihood of that being consistent is very low.
A simple test to know if the burr is still there is to take a fired case and try to drop a bullet into it. It should just drop in. If it doesn't, that means there is case material getting squished between the bullet and the chamber wall when you fire. A few thousandth difference in neck tension is nothing compared to the pressure spike that causes vs. a case that the bullet drops in freely. And the likelihood of that being consistent is very low.
I recently bought a ultrasonic cleaner. For the price at $100 it cleans brass just fine it doesn't make it super polished like stainless media but it still gets my pistol and rifle brass clean so I could reload. I say about 95% of my primer pocket for my pistol and rifle brass are very clean. Also the other benefit of having an ultrasonic cleaner is it could clean your pistol parts, frame, bolts etc.. which a tumbler won't be able to do.
