Ultrasonic vs. Tumbler case cleaning

pete_viking

pete_viking

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Hi all,

I am about to get into reloading and am doing my research before I buy the bulk of my gear from Henry at http://www.budgetshootersupply.ca/. For case cleaning he has suggested the FRANKFORD ARSENAL QUICK-N -EZ CASE TUMBER KIT, http://www.budgetshootersupply.ca/frame.cfm?ItemID=342&CategoryID=75. However, I've also been looking at the option of an ultrasonic cleaner. I like that I wouldn't have to deal with separating out polishing media and from what I understand you have to wash the brass afterwards to get all media dust out. I have also seen people saying that they've used ultrasonic cleaners for gun parts themselves (like a whole pistol frame, to clean internals without having to disassemble) and like the fact that I could use it for other items as well (jewelrey, silverware etc).

I am seeing them on Ebay.ca in a variety of sizes and prices, one decent sized one (2.5 litre) from a high rated Canadian seller for $100, Cabelas Canada has the Hornady for $120.

I'm looking for advice from people who've used both. Is the ultrasonic a better cleaner? It claims to clean the case interior unlike a tumbler. Is it cheaper in the long run with solution vs media and polish or is that not a factor at all? Either way I don't mind doing brass in several loads, so capacity itself is not a major factor.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pete
 
Well I can say that I spent a lot of time reading post regarding this issue. The just of it is that the tumbler will polish the brass shiny and the ultrasonic won't but the ultrasonic cleans both the inside and the primer pocket. I recall a fella on here who had used both and post some good pictures of brass he had cleaned with the ultrasonic.

The other plus to the ultrasonic is that there is no dust. This according to some people is a big plus.

My plan is to get an ultrasonic. Look on ebay as there is always these ultrasonic cleaners selling for $109 ( with a stainless basket) out of Vancouver I think ? I am going to get one of those but they are out of the stainless baskets right now.

If you do a search there is a ton of good info on this topic.
 
I have exactly what you show in the link. I have not used an ultrasonic.

What I have works great, and has done so for 30 yrs. I imagine the US works good too.

And NO, you do not have to wash the brass to get the dust out. I have never done that ever and have never had any issues nor have I heard anyone say that before. ever.
 
clean (incl. primer pockets)= ultrasonic
polished = tumbler

I have both, I rarely use the US for cases

tumblers will clean the inside, esp w/walnut, but not as well as the US
 
jacky said:
Well I can say that I spent a lot of time reading post regarding this issue. The just of it is that the tumbler will polish the brass shiny and the ultrasonic won't but the ultrasonic cleans both the inside and the primer pocket. I recall a fella on here who had used both and post some good pictures of brass he had cleaned with the ultrasonic.

The other plus to the ultrasonic is that there is no dust. This according to some people is a big plus.

My plan is to get an ultrasonic. Look on ebay as there is always these ultrasonic cleaners selling for $109 ( with a stainless basket) out of Vancouver I think ? I am going to get one of those but they are out of the stainless baskets right now.

If you do a search there is a ton of good info on this topic.
Click to expand...

Your mistaken.
SS media is beyond comparison of any other brass cleaning type.
More expensive yes but still the best.
 
I bet you I can clean the primer pockets on a batch of brass from tumbler faster than you can dry a batch from the ultrasonic cleaner. And cleaning the inside of the case makes not 1 iota of difference other than looking shiny until you seat a bullet on it.

A tumbler and walnut. It just doesn't get any easier.
 
Yes, Stainless steel tumbling media is without a doubt the best thing. It will make your brass so shiny and new looking you won't beleive it until you do it yourself. Mirror bright inside and out, the primer pocket, the headstamp, everything. Cheaper to get into as well. I use the little thumlers model B with about 2 pounds of media.
 
zuke said:
Your mistaken.
SS media is beyond comparison of any other brass cleaning type.
More expensive yes but still the best.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah I forgot about this. I didn't go this route as the cost was huge.

Now correct me if I am wrong but for the sake of the OP the Thumlers Model B is what you need minimum ?
( Cabella's $229 +tax + shipping)

The SS media ? If I recall to buy it and ship it to me was at least $100 maybe more.

So for me it was not worth the cost, but that is just me. The ultrasonic, given the results that were posted previously, does just fine, is easy and the gets the cases clean. That is why I am going with US.

The reason I am not going tumbler route is the dust and the primer pockets. I know Joe-NWT won't agree. Maybe the dust is from corn ? I just recall this being an issue for many before on the other threads I read about cleaners.
 
Given what was said above about ultra sonics cleaning but not polishing, is there any benefit to polishing aside from visual appeal, or will unpolished but well cleaned brass be just as good to shoot?
 
jacky said:
Oh yeah I forgot about this. I didn't go this route as the cost was huge.

Now correct me if I am wrong but for the sake of the OP the Thumlers Model B is what you need minimum ?
( Cabella's $229 +tax + shipping)

The SS media ? If I recall to buy it and ship it to me was at least $100 maybe more.

So for me it was not worth the cost, but that is just me. The ultrasonic, given the results that were posted previously, does just fine, is easy and the gets the cases clean. That is why I am going with US.

The reason I am not going tumbler route is the dust and the primer pockets. I know Joe-NWT won't agree. Maybe the dust is from corn ? I just recall this being an issue for many before on the other threads I read about cleaners.
Click to expand...

Sinclair International ( a Brownells company) has the Thumler Model B with 5 lbs of Stainless Steel Media for $219.95 P/N 749-012-773SB
If you specify USPS shipping this will save you the brokerage fees and sometimes even duties.
 
pete_viking said:
Given what was said above about ultra sonics cleaning but not polishing, is there any benefit to polishing aside from visual appeal, or will unpolished but well cleaned brass be just as good to shoot?
Click to expand...

The only real advantage to a polished vs unpolished case is the ability to see cracks in the brass. Do a search under my name and I built my own homemade tumbler that will handle 70 lbs of media/brass/water. I found some 30-06 cases that were at the range all winter, some really bad and had green rust on them. I tried two of the cases in the ultrasonic and the rest went into the tumbler with SS media.

I put the brass thru 6 cycles in the ultrasonic and they were clean somewhat but not even close to the tumbler.

The difference proved once and for all that the tumbler is by far the best cleaner for brass we have.
 
jacky said:
Oh yeah I forgot about this. I didn't go this route as the cost was huge.

Now correct me if I am wrong but for the sake of the OP the Thumlers Model B is what you need minimum ?
( Cabella's $229 +tax + shipping)

The SS media ? If I recall to buy it and ship it to me was at least $100 maybe more.

So for me it was not worth the cost, but that is just me. The ultrasonic, given the results that were posted previously, does just fine, is easy and the gets the cases clean. That is why I am going with US.

The reason I am not going tumbler route is the dust and the primer pockets. I know Joe-NWT won't agree. Maybe the dust is from corn ? I just recall this being an issue for many before on the other threads I read about cleaners.
Click to expand...

My media was about $55 from mark.
I got my tumbler here in Ontario for about $190 shipped.
Do your homework.
 
^^^^ now now there is no need to get snotty. I did do my homework and I did not see any Model B for $190 shipped to BC nor did I find media for $55.

So if the OP is interested ( as I am )maybe you could give some more details instead of just saying "do your homework" which helps nobody.
 
getmygun/Les Pinder has the tumblers for $230+ shipping and the stainless pins for $45 for 5lbs +shipping in the EE under reloading supplies

///how’s that for 20 seconds of home work ///

and stainless will clean better than a ultra-sonic hands down and yes the case are wet ...but if you rinse them with real hot water and roll them dry on the outside they dry in no time inside and yes walnut cleans and polishes nice as well but how long do you really want to wait for them and how much time do you want to spend cleaning primer pockets

worth the cost of the pins any day and you dont have to replace them and they are cleaned everytime you use them and rince them

and for thoose who may be wondering my Thumbler ar-12 is 30s year old and i have only had to replace the drive band a couple of times ..and they are like 2-4$
 
etmygun/Les Pinder has the tumblers for $230+ shipping and the stainless pins for $45 for 5lbs +shipping in the EE under reloading supplies
Click to expand...

Yes I have seen this as well. Thanks but it isn't any better than Cabella's. I am not sure if the OP had considered using SS media as it is expensive - almost three times the amount of the tumblers ( US or Frankford) he is considering . However, without a doubt SS method is the best. I guess one has to make a choice for themselves.
 
So you can buy all this for $85 from Henry......

tumblersifter.jpg


Which I think is a good deal, will last you forever, all you will ever need is more media, can use car wax to polish the brass, and it will work fine. Which is what I have except the vibrator is a hornady bought many years ago, and you can buy them at Shooters Choice for $93 which means you can get them elsewhere cheaper.

I tumble mine (vibrate actually) before I resize, to get all the grit off the cases. Then a quick swipe in the primer pocket with a flat blade screwdriver, (or primer pocket brush)another quick vibrate (if you are so inclined) to get the resize lube off, and you are ready to go.

No drying, no waiting, nothing but nice clean polished brass. They always go bang.

You can make it more difficult if you want to but there is not any need or benefit to in my opinion. None of the deer have complained so far about the brass not being clean enough.....This is what I have been doing for 30 years with no problems

This is like arguing if a pump is better than a bolt....everyone will have there own preference....
 
pete_viking said:
Given what was said above about ultra sonics cleaning but not polishing, is there any benefit to polishing aside from visual appeal, or will unpolished but well cleaned brass be just as good to shoot?
Click to expand...

When you get right down to it, all you really need to do to fired brass is wipe it down to make sure there is no grit on the case that might scratch your dies. Anything past that is purely cosmetic.:)
 
^^^ mmmm this is a very good point and I will add that I like the primer pockets as clean as possible in all my rifle loads. I think you get more consistency with your loads if this is the case.


My reason for wanting a cleaner is that I want to start doing some 9mm reloading and have a pile of once fired brass. However, at my range about half the cases end up in the bark mulch/ dirt. So before I start reloading these cases I wanted to clean them up without hours of effort.
 
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