Hi I'm cleaning 200 to 300 cases a week and find the vib drum does a soso job in a 24hr time period.but does not clean out the primer pockets , Anyone tried ultrasonic cleaners and what type seems to work well , Them seem to be priced between $100 to $600 for a branson 3L machine ?? Thanks G
ultrasonic cleaners
- Thread starter gacameron
- Start date
- Location
- Fort St John BC
If you want clean primer pockets in a short amount of time look at stainlesstumblingmedia .com works much better then any ultrasonic I've ever used
CZ_Silhouetter
Regular
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I have the Hornady ultrasonic cleaner and a stainless tumbling setup. For brass you want the stainless tumbling system it does a much better job and doesn't require "baby sitting" to run.
If you want to clean gun parts the ultrasonic is really good. It also does an awesome job on chainsaw carbs lol.
If you want to clean gun parts the ultrasonic is really good. It also does an awesome job on chainsaw carbs lol.
There is a fairly good write up in 6mmbr web site on these sonic machines. They do seem to do a nice job on primer pockets. A buddy of mine in southern alberta has the SS pins unit and he thinks it is the best. FS
I know the SS and tumbler is the best. I read a thread on here a while ago about the same thing. BUT I priced out the whole thing and by the time everything was taxed, shipped...etc I was easily around $400. The Hornady Ultrasonic is $130.
So the question is does the SS and tumbler $300 better than an ultrasonic ?
I think I am going with the Ultrasonic, given I only clean about 300-500 rifle brass a year. I suppose if I was loading for my 9mm and was cleaning 2000 + cases a year it might be different ?
So the question is does the SS and tumbler $300 better than an ultrasonic ?
I think I am going with the Ultrasonic, given I only clean about 300-500 rifle brass a year. I suppose if I was loading for my 9mm and was cleaning 2000 + cases a year it might be different ?
I built myself a wet stainless tumbler...
I'll never go back to walnut/corn cob vibratory cleaning.
I can do 500+ .223 cases at a time... Let the machine run two hours.
Brass comes out clean and shiny inside and out. Primer pockets spotless.
I'll never go back to walnut/corn cob vibratory cleaning.
I can do 500+ .223 cases at a time... Let the machine run two hours.
Brass comes out clean and shiny inside and out. Primer pockets spotless.
Where did you get it ?
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
Wholesale sports sells the Lyman unit... I use Hornady one shot cleaner in mine with excellent results.
Don't get caught up in the name brand. The ultrasonic cleaner they have are just re-branded with their name. I picked up a 2.5L Ultrasonic cleaner same as the Lyman for $109 here in BC. PM me if you like to know the company. They could be also found on Ebay for and has their own website and last time I checked their website they offer free shipping within Canada. In terms of volume I reload probably just as much as you. I go through 1000 ACP cases as year, 200-500 .223 and several other calibers a year. So a Ultrasonic made more sense for me bringing price into consideration.
I found it clean my brass very well for about 1/3 of the price of stainless. Plus the added bonus of gun parts cleaning and jewlery cleaning for my wife.
I found it clean my brass very well for about 1/3 of the price of stainless. Plus the added bonus of gun parts cleaning and jewlery cleaning for my wife.
I got mine from Gone Fishin in Nanaimo, but I'm sure one of the sponsors would have em too
Ok 308BAR may be on to something for sure. The one he is talking about does not appear to be any different than the name brand ones.
As for how well these things do on brass, I found this link.
http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
Now this fella is a little extreme in his various solutions and stuff but his results look real good. It may be that using the Hornady solution or similar does the same job in less time ?
The other question that seems to get mixed answers is by cleaning the inside of the case will your loads be more consistent ? Now I would say yes but that is a guess. There are lots of articles/posts from other forms that argue both ways.
Anyone here care to share their experience ?
As for how well these things do on brass, I found this link.
http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
Now this fella is a little extreme in his various solutions and stuff but his results look real good. It may be that using the Hornady solution or similar does the same job in less time ?
The other question that seems to get mixed answers is by cleaning the inside of the case will your loads be more consistent ? Now I would say yes but that is a guess. There are lots of articles/posts from other forms that argue both ways.
Anyone here care to share their experience ?
- Location
- Edmonton, Alberta
I plan to move to the ultrasonic cleaning method soon. Currently I soak my brass in a solution of Vinegar, Toilet bowl cleaner and boiling water. I soak for about 3 hours (no I don't keep boiling). Then use a paddle I fashioned for my cordless drill to "agitate" things for about 2 minutes. Then rinse and towel dry.
I think ultrasonic will be faster with less baby sitting and yield better results.
I think ultrasonic will be faster with less baby sitting and yield better results.
Here is mine. http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=714088
My ultrasonic lasted 3 seasons and then gave up the ghost. It worked ok for cleaning up the brass, if you follow the link that jacky posted and do what he says it works really good. The biggest problem I found with ultrasonic was with the amount that I needed to clean you virtually had to have the unit sitting right beside you as you did something else because you were constantly baby sitting it. I would run thru one solution with all the brass I needed to clean and then dump it out and into the next solution.
For me it took about 4-6 hours to get all the brass I needed clean.
Now with the homemade tumbler and stainless steel media I am done in 2 hours with no babysitting, 15 min. to separate the media from the cases and let the brass dry overnight on a towel.
If you only have 30-50 rifle cases to clean then ultrasonic might be the way to go. If you go to the range with 4 different pistols and 3 rifles and come home with 500 cases to clean then the tumbler is the way to go.
I ordered the tumbler and stainless media from Sinclair International for $219.00 plus $12.00 shipping.
I shipped it to a freight forwarder south of the border and paid the taxes at the border.
I have the Hornady ultrasonic cleaner and it doesn't compare to stainless steel media.
I shipped it to a freight forwarder south of the border and paid the taxes at the border.
I have the Hornady ultrasonic cleaner and it doesn't compare to stainless steel media.
Here's my set up... I'm not a welder so I used trees instead of steel for my base...
My set up is still a little rough, but it seems to work. Later when time permits I think I might have someone local weld me up a frame, but for now my wooden base seems to suffice. I'll have to tidy up the wiring and add an on/off switch too...
Cuttin' to the chase:
500 fired cases... Not extremly dirty or tarnished, but definately in need of a bath.
Dirty case mouth for the record...
25lbs of pins picked up from Pellets LLC today...
Rather have too much than not enough.
The media
I will initially try 15lbs of media and exactly 500 .223 cases. I esitmate the weight of the brass at just under 7lbs.
Water added...Squirt of Dawn dish soap.. and a little LemiShine
After 15 minutes... Cases already starting to look clean
After 15 minutes... Primer pocket looks pretty good.
Short video of the machine running
[youtube]YmTjfo4H4cA[/youtube]
