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Folks Using My Ultrasonic Case Cleaning Process...Please Look.

One more idea on the ultrasonic cleaning approach ... I just got a Food Dehydrator from Harbor Freight for $25 and I use it to dry the cases after cleaning. The temperature never gets much about 160F so there is zero chance it will affect the case hardness/temper. So, instead of waiting hours or overnight for the cases to dry you can put them right into the dehydrator and in about 15-30 minutes the cases are nice a dry. Depending on the size cases you should be able to do at least a few hundred at a time and perhaps as many as 1000.


Brian
 
Raptor1956
This is what I use in the ultra cleaner.
I fill the cleaner up with water to just under the full line, I use a plastic candy dish that is 3.575 in dia at the bottom and 4.56 at that top, it's 4.375 tall.
I found plastic pistol bullet box's and cut them to fit the plastic candy dish.I have two different size's of plastic bullet box's that way I can use the big size to hold 357,44,45, 308,30-06,30br,6br,case's in and the smaller hole box's are nice and I can put the necks of the big mags like 300win 338,'s in the smaller holes. But" I only clean about 12 AT A TIME" I have tryed 15 and 12 is the number that cleans them all really good about eight min.
Now in this plastic dish I put in 50% white vinger then add 50% Iosso and then I squert in foue squerts of simple green and mix it up good and I use tape water. set the case's in the bullet box and put it in the ultra cleaner set it to 480 and bing-o it's done. and thank you for the hint on the dehidrater:thumb:
 
I prefer the use of glass beakers for holding cases and cleaning solution and then placing them into the ultrasonic cleaner. I use a 3 cup plunger coffee spare glass,beaker/flask) that is extremely thin walled and heat treated. It works fantastic and appears to be very low loss/resistance to ultrasonic transmission.

I can fit 2 of these glass flasks into my ultrasonic cleaner and clean 50 cases at once. Using a five minute cycle to completely clean the case using 50:50 water:vinegar. The ultrasonic cleaner I use has a ss mesh basket which keeps the glass flasks off the bottom.

The spare glass I use are Bodum Size 3,3 cup) Part No.1503 and they hold 12oz/0.35L. Check out http://www.Bodum.com and look for Component/Spare Part list. Its a Swiss company and the quality seems excellent, I give them rough handling drop cases straight in and absolutely no breakages.

I posted an article here http://ozfclass.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1491 which shows pictures of flasks etc.
 
For those using liquid cleaners, I recommend the IOSSO or the readily available everywhere KABOOM. I'm sure using either of these products in an ultra sonic, the strength can be dilluted less than prescribed. As far as drying cases: Spread them on a cookie sheet, place them in the oven at the lowest setting for about 30 min. Works wonderfully well. Larry
 
I have a Crestwood 1 & 3/4 Gallon cleaner that I picked up new off of flea-bay for cleaning pistols and gun parts,100 years of crud off of a 1909 Argentine Mauser, etc.)

If you are cleaning mass quantities of brass,i.e. High Power shooters getting ready for the season) it is the cat's ass. The Iosso or Birchwood Casey products both work great, as does a product called Alconox that you can order by the gallon or case,four gallons).

Anyway, fill the woven basket about three quarters full of cases, just like the McDonalds French Fry cooker, and let her rip. Depending on condition you dial in thirty minute cycles until done. ONLY get the analog version - microchips do not like either heat or humidity.

You'll choke on the price, but it is the best way for mounds of brass. I only use deionized,distilled) water, and I finish drying in a Corning Ware cake pan in the oven at 150 degrees. Then Everything gets a shot of Ballistol or Hornady One Shot lube and a run through the tumbler with corn cob - clean or with a touch of polish. Ooh, ooh, my, my, but everything looks pro-fess-ion-al!! when you are done and have 3,000 pieces of brass in a 5 gallon bucket.
 
Has anyone here tried using the dishwashing tabs for use in dish washers, in the ultrasonic cleaners. I have and I think it does a great job and is cheap. I do 4 480 second cycles in hot water. Rinse under running water from the faucet and dry them.

Anyone see any problems with this?

Larry
 
Hi Larry,

Just a thought. For the guys that have inherited dishwasher duty and I have, automatic dishwasher soap is fairly abrasive. That's why we don't put in fancy dinnerware or drink glasses that have a design, logo or other picture that you want to keep. Just a thought.


Phil
 
I am a newbie to reloading. Have all the equipment but still studying how to do it. Bought a ultrasonic cleaner on ebay and some BC case cleaner. My question is this: I have some dirty brass that needs to be decapped. Do I lube the brass inside and out then decap and then clean it? I haven't been able to see the whole process from start to finish and the books don't really go into it much? What do you use to lube the case neck inside, brush, patch or mop? Thanks for your help.

Larry
 
You can use a punch-and-base die to decap (like what Wilson sells). This keeps the primer crud out of your press ram. Also allows you to control where the spent primers end up; over time they add $$ to my brass recycling buckets when it comes time to take 'em in.

I de-cap cases this way, then run a pocket uniformer into the primer pockets for the gross residue, then they go either into the ultrasonic basket or a tumbler bowl.
 
Thanks for your reply but I guess I'm dense. I have a Hornady 2 die set, one to decap and size and one to bullet seat. So I guess I don't understand a universal decapping die. Is that a separate piece? My instructions with the dies say to use lube unless you want to send the die back to Hornady to get the brass removed from the die. Also, I don't know what fl is. Sorry I'm so dense about this.

Larry
 
Jason, I would like to know what you mix your Birchwood Casey Brass cleaner with in your cleaning process for brite and shiney.
 
Hi Larry,

The decapping-only die that has been mentioned above means exactly that. The die does not touch the case except to de-cap(remove the primer) the case. In most cases, it does not require the case to be lubricated. Most accuracy loaders do this step prior to cleaning, so as to perform basic clean-up of the primer cup when cleaning(vibrating) the brass. It is an extra step that produces measurable results when performing accuracy loading. That die is an additional step in the loading process. It is also an additional expense, because it is purchased separately. However, you can produce the same results if you use your F/L resizing die with the de-capping rod extended to the point where you do not have resizing done to the case. The spent primer gets removed and you can proceed to the cleaning step, and after that, you can resize to your specifications. Just check de-capping rod run-out to ensure that your extended rod is still concentric with the center of your die.

Cheers,

Phil
 
Thanks Tazzman, I like your suggestion and will give it a try. To all, thanks for your great answers to my silly questions in my attempt to learn how to properly reload my casings. Merry Christmas to all and may the Almighty God continue His blessings on our great nation. Pray for Obama, Psalm 109, verse 8.

Larry
 
Try using 1/4 teaspoon of Citronox and two drops of Dawn (do not substitute another brand!) in 2 cups of water. Follow this by rinsing the cases well. I then go for a final rinse in the ultrasonic.

My cleaner works on multiples of 5 minutes. So, I do the first cleaning at 25 or 30 minutes, then the rinse for 10 minutes.

The brass comes out really nice.

YMMV,

Greg J.
 
Another note: in using the ultrasonic to get the STP/Mobil-1 neck turning mixture out of my cases, I have used two methods.

Method 1 is to soak the cases in odorless mineral spirits for 45 minutes to an hour, agitating occasionally, before the ultrasonic cleaning mentioned in my previous post.

Method 2 is to use Iosso brass cleaner in the ultrasonic for a while, rinse vigorously in a bucket, then rinse in the ultrasonic. I haven't got this totally worked out yet. Haven't iterated in on the right amount of time with the Iosso in the ultrasonic. It's not 30 minutes, though!
 
Update on the Iosso Brass Cleaner duration.

I did 10 minutes in the Iosso, then 30 minutes in clear water. Worked GREAT.
 
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