Ultrasonic cleaner

[Billo]

Recently squirted some Aldi Orange Blossom into my Ultrasonic cleaner as is contains 2.4% Lactic acid. Also a few caps of white vinegar and lemon detergent with hot water.

Brass came out the cleanest I've ever done in only 6 mins.

[FoxSpotter]

I'm getting carbon left behind in the neck...after much US cleaning.
The rest of the case seems carbon free...but..not the neck.
I want the neck clean for consistency reasons..I use dry neck lube.. redding.

I use citric acid and dish soap. Sometimes a dash of bore tech carbon remover.

Will cream of tartar attack the carbon?

I love sonic cleaning...but...partially dirty inner necks are not ideal.

In trying to avoid buying Bore tech sonic cleaning or hornady solution.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[Oldbloke]

Mate, You worry too much. Accuracy doesn't really improve much it you do it. Its just bling.

I do usually do it using an Aldi ultra sonic cleaner tho.

Anyway I get a good result with:

70% water
28% vinegar
2% dish wash liquid (just a good squirt)

Above is all approx.

Obviously rinse well after.

[FoxSpotter]

Do you have comment about creme of tartar. And carbon?
I have carbon remaining inside case neck
Thanks.

[Oldbloke]

Do you have comment about creme of tartar. And carbon?
I have carbon remaining inside case neck
Thanks.

NFI.

I've found the above works fine.

[wanneroo]

I'm getting carbon left behind in the neck...after much US cleaning.
The rest of the case seems carbon free...but..not the neck.
I want the neck clean for consistency reasons..I use dry neck lube.. redding.

I use citric acid and dish soap. Sometimes a dash of bore tech carbon remover.

Will cream of tartar attack the carbon?

I love sonic cleaning...but...partially dirty inner necks are not ideal.

In trying to avoid buying Bore tech sonic cleaning or hornady solution.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

I started with ultrasonic cleaning but switched to wet tumbling and never looked back. Wet tumbling has some agitation action going on there which gets the brass cleaner. I typically use stainless steel pins but sometimes if I just want to get dirty brass clean, I tumble without pins. And either way, rinse with distilled water and then dry them in the brass dryer. I use a splash of Hornady case cleaner and some Lemishine(citric acid).

IMO ultrasonic cleaning is only going to get the brass so clean. I have found with ultrasonic cleaning, no matter what you are cleaning, brass, other metals, parts, etc. that ultrasonic may loosen some dirt but typically things still need a scrub to get them clean of dirt.

[Oldbloke]

Aldi have them again.

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[Wapiti]

Creme of Tarter will work mate, loosening it, but will need some kind of agitation to remove completely. Carbon, I mean.

Despite some poo-pooing carbon as only being cosmetic, build up, subsequent dislodging and being swaged between a projectile and a barrel isn't good.
Nor is it in any way aiding the consistent neck tension/bullet release essential for accuracy because every deposit in every case will be different. You are on the money thinking about this.
Those who don't worry about it or take the time to solve it won't know the benefits, or just don't see them as important, but some want the best from their hard work and the results afterwards.

I just gave up and tumble all my decapped brass, using SS pins, a teaspoon of citric acid, and a squirter of commercial car wash 'n wax. This stuff stops the cases spotting or corroding afterwards too.
Decapped because the primer pockets are perfectly cleaned too, not a speck of carbon or crap anywhere.
Yeah I know, tumblers cost way more than Aldi ultrasonic cleaners. But the results aren't what I'm after, at least I can't get them. Maybe my troglodytic misdemeanour prevents me from solving life's issues.

Clean shiny brass isn't just cosmetic. You can spot flaws as they develop easily, get less wear on your tooling (dies etc) and chamber, and more consistent chamber and bullet grip/sealing which aids your accuracy goals.
And shiny brass is way easier to find on the ground.

[Robin]

Is a Ultra sonic cleaner worth it.

[Oldbloke]

Is a Ultra sonic cleaner worth it.

Depends how you look at it. 1,000s out there never clean or tumble. Some swear it's important.

IMO it's mostly bling but does help to see faults, cracks etc. I just clean in an Aldi one if it looks grubby these days.

How much do you pay for brass if you lose it hunting?How much less will you lose if it's shiny?
I think tumblers start at about $100. Some buy cheap ebay tumblers.

[Robin]

Is a Ultra sonic cleaner worth it.

Depends how you look at it. 1,000s out there never clean or tumble. Some swear it's important.

IMO it's mostly bling but does help to see faults, cracks etc. I just clean in an Aldi one if it looks grubby these days.

How much do you pay for brass if you lose it hunting?How much less will you lose if it's shiny?
I think tumblers start at about $100. Some buy cheap ebay tumblers.

I was more looking at one to clean my gun bolts when I do a full clean of them.

[Oldbloke]

Ebay $80

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[bladeracer]

Is a Ultra sonic cleaner worth it.

Depends how you look at it. 1,000s out there never clean or tumble. Some swear it's important.

IMO it's mostly bling but does help to see faults, cracks etc. I just clean in an Aldi one if it looks grubby these days.

How much do you pay for brass if you lose it hunting? How much less will you lose if it's shiny?
I think tumblers start at about $100. Some buy cheap ebay tumblers.

I've never cleaned brass, not even IPSC brass which really gets filthy. I'm shooting .38's every week and just reloading the same ones each time so they're getting worked hard. I'm losing several every time, and the rate is increasing as the loads add up. I culled three or four that I don't think will hold a bullet any more but this batch is getting loaded for another go.

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I used factory ammo in a Cowboy shoot last week and lost six cases in the grass. This morning I fired 76rds of 9mm and came home with 75 cases, not too bad. I clean up my .22 brass every time I shoot so I don't mind having to fossick around hunting them.

[Oldbloke]

The one I have cleans ok

[Fester]

I use the machines because I think scraping primer pockets must be the worst case prep job of them all.
Pins tumbling never really got the pockets clean, even using Aussie Saphire pins and MP103 burnishing compound.
Maybe if you tumble for 3hrs or more but I wasn't willing to go that long.

The answer, although it sounds a hassle, is actually the quickest way.
A SCA ultrasonic is a fair size (does more cases than my 3KG Chinese tumbler can fit)
I worked up to 2 teaspoons of citric acid and a squirt of dishwash detergent to start getting them properly cleaned.
May be too strong as I sometimes get the pinky color on the necks.

Any carbon left must be loose as a quick run in the pins tumber seems to take it out.
Just a teaspoon of MP103 and the last 10 min in plain hot water.

The shine is on another level but the pockets and inside the cases are like new.

The scientist types say vinegar is bad with brass but citrus is good.
I may be ODing with 2 teaspoons but never had an issue and have some batches of brass that have shot around 20 times now.
I anneal of course as I think it's part of the process when resizing over and over.
I gave up on neck sizing as I like 100% feeding reliability as well as that nice 1/2" at 100 so it keeps good at longer ranges.

[JohnV]

You don't want salts they harden brass . You want weak organic acids , like vinegar , orange juice , citric acid , sulfamic acid . Try water and a cup of CLR .

John, would you mind explaining the chemistry behind that?. Keep in mind they are in the solution for 3 minutes.

Alkali substances like Ammonia , Salts , Caustic soda etc. are bad for brass they can on long exposure cause stress corrosion which results in fine cracks in the case . On short regular exposures they harden the brass . Add to that work hardening from sizing operations and the brass can get brittle . The more you do to reduce brass hardening the longer the case life and reduce the need for annealing However annealing can not repair any lost Zinc .
A cases job is to expand and seal the chamber . it can't do it well if the brass is filthy . Also constant chambering of dirty brass will roughen your chamber and could hamper easy extraction in time .

[Bugman]

You don't want salts they harden brass . You want weak organic acids , like vinegar , orange juice , citric acid , sulfamic acid . Try water and a cup of CLR .

John, would you mind explaining the chemistry behind that?. Keep in mind they are in the solution for 3 minutes.

Alkali substances like Ammonia , Salts , Caustic soda etc. are bad for brass they can on long exposure cause stress corrosion which results in fine cracks in the case . On short regular exposures they harden the brass . Add to that work hardening from sizing operations and the brass can get brittle . The more you do to reduce brass hardening the longer the case life and reduce the need for annealing However annealing can not repair any lost Zinc .
A cases job is to expand and seal the chamber . it can't do it well if the brass is filthy . Also constant chambering of dirty brass will roughen your chamber and could hamper easy extraction in time .

Yep. All I use is a bit of white vinegar and some dishwashing liquid. For me, tried and tested.

[Wapiti]

I just use a decapping die on all brass now, then throw it all in a dedicated rotary tumbler that has the small stainless pins. I use a capful of wash-n'wax car wash, it removes and suspends in the water any grime, and stops the cases tarnishing whilst drying and after loading and storing.

Any sizing, trimming, checking is done afterwards.

Clean cases have saved me missing cracks and other issues with each piece, give consistent neck tension because every case is the same state and surface finish inside, and I NEVER have to clean primer pockets any more.

I would recommend the accessory pin separator, a rotary drum that separates the pins from the cases, is used as a rinse option at the same tome and ensures you don't lose any pins.