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Cleaning brass in quantity

memilanuk

Gold $$ Contributor
Okay. I got one of the little rinky-dink US units off of eBay. It works well enough... but it is extremely limited in how many cases it can clean in a reasonable amount of time. Apparently there is only *one* transducer, right in the middle, and I can fit about ten .308 Winchester cases over it before performance starts falling off - and yes, I've tried most of the popular 'recipes' for cleaning cases in this unit.

Does anybody have first hand experience with a somewhat bigger unit? I need to be able to clean a *minimum* of fifty .308 or 6.5-284 cases at a whack. A hundred would be better. Time is getting to be a bit scarce in my life, and I'd prefer to not have to sit there baby-sitting the doggone timer all evening!

I'd prefer not to break the piggy bank if possible, but I'm am looking for good quality and durability - if I have to pay $$$, I want it to last a long time.

Thanks,

Monte
 
I bought an electric cement mixer that has a plastic mixing tank,less than $125.00). I removed the paddles inside. I buy walnut hull blasting media by the 25 pound bag,less than $10.00 per bag). I made a box with 1/2 X 1/2 mesh top to empty the mixer in to seperate the cases from the media. I add about 4 oz of mineral spirits to the mix. I clean up to 3000 .223 brass and or 2000 .308 brass at a time.

Nat Lambeth
 
Nat,

If I could get walnut hull blasting media around here I'd be there already ;) Might have to either order some in or schedule a side-trip the next time I go over to the coast,3-4 hours each way).

I have one of the big Dillon vibratory cleaners and the separator/tub to go along with it. They work fine, but around here the only tumbling media anybody carries is the RCBS boxed stuff - $15 for a couple pounds.

Does the mineral spirits make a noticeable difference in the dust level? I've tried the various little 'fixes' such as dryer sheets, folded-up paper towels, etc. and none of them worked very well in my experience.

Thanks,

Monte
 
Jeff,

I'll take another look... don't recall if I looked specifically under 'lizard'. I know I spent a lot of time sorting thru the general small critter 'bedding' aisle without finding anything promising @ Petsmart.

Cat,

I've been eyeballing those... seems like I *always* have a use for a couple more pails/buckets in the shop ;) For the 4-5k of LC .223 brass, and the 1500 Win .223 brass, I'll probably stick w/ the vibratory tumbler.

I would like to see about getting a somewhat bigger US unit eventually... I have to admit, I like the idea of my 'match' brass being shiny inside and out. Whether it matters or not, well... ;)

Monte
 
Monte, I have this unit from Harbor Freight. I got it for $139 on sale. It goes on sale alot so just wait. Sign up for the sales flyer email and sometimes you can get an additional 15% off coupon. Then go over to Wally World and pick up Lema-shine found in the cleaner isle. Works great and you dont have to neutralize after. Search for Jason Baneys threads. This combination works great for me. I can fit in 2 quart size jars. So however many 308 brass you can get in 2 quart jars, is what you can clean.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91957
 
Michael,

The unit I purchased was the next 'tier' down,$99) from the all-metal unit you listed. Supposedly it actually has a larger volume - 2.5 liter, or 2.6 qt, vs. 1.5 qt or 1.4 liter for the metal unit. Where I ran into problems is that apparently the single transducer is right at the bottom center of the tank - putting the cases directly over it is about the only way to get effective cleaning out of it. Cases out towards either end of the tank might as well be sitting in plain hot water, because they aren't getting crap for ultrasonic action. I ended up taking a cartridge holder, cutting the bottom out so it just made a 'grid' to hold the cases upright over the transducer, and stopped using a separate container as it reduced the effectiveness even more.

Whats the biggest cartridge case you've cleaned in the metal unit, and how many, and how long did it take you from dropping them in to acceptably clean to pull out? I do like that the unit has a longer-duration timer... having to reset that 480 second timer gets old pretty quick.

Thanks,

Monte
 
WSM cases is the biggest volume case that I have cleaned. Im not sure how many the 2 jars hold. I just stand the cases on end until the jars were full. I would guess 50 cases? I had to run the timer a few times.
 
Okay, so let me get this right... you have to run the *60 minute* timer thru several cycles for a total time of 120-180 minutes?

In looking at the,apparently hand-drawn) parts drawing in the manual PDF, it appears the unit has *two* transducers, which is an improvement at least.
 
Michael,

2-3 hours per batch of say, 50 is a bit longer than I'm looking for. Thanks for the info, though.

Cat,

I had been thinking about that last night,this morning? who knows) as I was looking at another shooters photo tour of his prep/loading sequence. I believe he tumbles first, then after sizing/decapping he sticks the cases in a container of Iosso and buzzes them for a few minutes in a US cleaner to get the lube off and then rinses them in plain tap water. When I read that in the past, I'd missed the Iosso bit... now I'm thinking that might work better for cleaning the primer pockets,since they've been decapped) and inside the case neck as well,since the tumbling did the 'heavy lifting' and got the worst of the loose surface crud off). Not sure if I want to order some Iosso just to test that theory or not.

I've been reading through what information I can find on the actual mechanics of US cleaning, and this page:

http://www.bransoncleaning.com/ultrasonic_technology.asp

on Branson's site has me wondering... if the lower frequency ranges are better for removing heavy residues i.e. 20kHz is approx. 10x better than 40kHz, which most of Branson's table top units use, and 40kHz is 100x stronger than say, 170kHz... starts to make me wonder what frequency these little HF units use? Might have to pry the case open on mine and have a look-see. From what I read there the higher frequency units are better for lighter and more delicate objects like jewelry, glasses, etc. while the lower frequency is better for heavier/dirtier/more substantial objects... like rifle brass.

Monte
 

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