SQUEAKY CLEAN CASES

[KLENCHBLAIZE]

Hi

I'm looking forward to seeing the full article on ultrasonic case cleaning and particularly the method for FULLY cleaning out primer pockets. I've used this method of case cleaning for some 5 years and have never been entirely convinced I have achieved the required standard of clean in this one area. It could be that I'm being fooled by the colour the brass sometimes turns; that of colour case harding or annealing after a nice long bath, but a quick turn of a pocket with wire brush always releases some further residue. This after trying some quite aggressive solutions and leaving them in the tank until they come out VERY hot and squeaky clean!

Also of interest will be your views as to weather this method shortens case life although I guess my own experience should tell me this is not the case. The 'tracking' that sometimes occurs can be useful and greatly help identify early signs of head separation and cracked necks etc. This justification enough to use this method of cleaning?

Cheers

Klenchblaize
Ps: Never stick you hand in an ultrasonic tank whilst switched ON even when covered by a glove.:, You have been warned!

 

[jb1000br]

Awe, c'mon, it feels neat when you stick your hand in it

I dont think it will affecct the cases at all. THe concentration of the acid in my homemade solution is less than the acid in the commercial solution.

No problems so far after a couple of CLEAN firings

JB

 

[KLENCHBLAIZE]

No, they haven't been left in the 'buzz' tank for 4 years but even 4 hours would appear too long!!

Cheers

 

[Preacher]

I've never seen cases look like that after a while in a US...
With the correct solution a 15 minute clean time is enough...
I always clean the pockets after they are cleaned with a uniformer anyways..
Never had a problem with a whole hand immersed in a US either, done it a lot
especially when I've been working in dirty conditions and need my hands cleaned... it just tingles a lot.... I've had my hands stuck in worse ;D

 

[spclark]

I did notice some surface changes in a few cases I inadvertently left soaking for a few days in a diluted solution of Simple Green.

Surface had a dull texture overall, but where the cases had been in close contact with the plastic basket the surface remained polished.

I've since fired those cases again a couple of times without problems but am using them for short-line loads only while also monitoring them for other changes like primer pocket stretching, internal wall "rings," etc.

 

[Silverfox]

WOW!!! Those casings look pretty bad even though they are probably just fine for use. I'd probably run them through a virbrating or tumbling case cleaner with some corn cob media to see if the dark areas would polish up. I have never left my casings soaking for four hours. I use the Clean and Shiny method on mine and total time for that is about 45 to 48 minutes with time for rinsing between various steps.

I do run my primer pocket uniformer into the primer pockets and clean them thoroughly BEFORE I use the ultrasonic cleaning on them.

I wonder whether the inside of the necks on my ultrasonically cleaned casings are too squeaky clean because now there's no carbon in the neck. I haven't had any real issues with them, but maybe there's a bit more friction between the bullet and the inside of the casing neck than you get using casings that have some carbon inside the neck?? Just a thought. ???

 

[TonyR]

I have used Jason' method on for several years and they always come out mostlt bright and clean. The necks are the only problem. The inside is too clean and the outside doen't clean completely. I always pop the spent primers out with a decapping die then put them into the US with no additional work. My cycle takes about 45 minutes for a batch but I bought a big machine that does 120 cases in a batch. Then I anneal them and resize them then back into the US to get the lubricant off them. I find the inside of the necks too clean so I use a quetip with a lttile dry neck lube to slick them up. Evens out the seating force a lot. It sounds like a lot of time but my US has a 1 hour timer on it so I turn it on and go do something else while it is working. I found that hard to do with the 6 minute timer on some of the smaller US machines. The clean just as well but I would need to do more batches and pay closer attention than I do with the bigger machine. Here are pics of 180 cases I am loading for a match this weekend.

 

[KLENCHBLAIZE]

Two days in the tumbler should sort then out!

 

[TonyR]

I guess I don't understand the whole tumbler process. I looked at some 338 Lapua cases that a friend had run through his tumbler and there was so much dust and such inside and out that I would have wanted to put them through the US before I would have loaded them. I must be missing something but that would be nothing new.

 

[Bob3700]

I purchased an US cleaner and worked with Jason's chemical formulas and several others.

My unit was a commercial one that had a timer that could be set up to 1 hour.

Once fired cases came clean in a single cycle. Cases that had multiple firings took a whole lot longer.

I was always careful to use distilled water as local tap water had too many minerals and left cases discolored.

The "Clean and Shiney" method worked the best but I was not satisfied with the end product. Inside was fairly clean but the outside left something to be desired.

I read Nancy Tomkin's book and was intrigued by Mid's case cleaning method. Works great and I have been more than satisfied with the results. Sold the US cleaner.

Bob

 

[TonyR]

I have Nancy's book so I'll have to read that.

 

[KLENCHBLAIZE]

Same cases after 8hrs in a tumbler with a few dollops of Brasso added:

I always put the cases into DRY media first and allow them to fill, then add any polishing juice. If you do it the other way and put them into too damp media you will never do it again as winkling out the cement-like blockage is no fun.

(When removing cases from tumbler I ALWAYS do this outdoors and with gloves as the fumes given off by my choice of polisher are not pleasent.)

Cheers

 

[Big Stick]

Brasso bad - has ammonia in it. Ammonia will break down brass making it brittle and more suseptible to cracking.

 

[Ring31]

Brasso bad - has ammonia in it. Ammonia will break down brass making it brittle and more suseptible to cracking.

buy flitz for tumbalers

 

[broncman]

Has anyone used LemiShine to clean their cases with? It can be found in the dishwashing section for automatic dishwashers in your grocers or Wal-Mart.

It has NO ammonia. Citirc acid I believe.

It does the best job of removong carbon and tarnishing I have found. Better than Purple Power or Mean Green and it DOES not trun your cases if left in even for overnight. I then throw in the tumbler for polishing.

 

[KLENCHBLAIZE]

I wouldn't argue that Brasso is "bad" stuff but after 58 reloadings of the same Hornet cases I've only lost one and that was after the 1st re-sizing exercise. And these are cases that have had their necks turned and cope with 13grains of LilGun