Clean Anything with Ultrasonic

[BluesBrother]

If you buy one of these with a Lyman, Hornady, RCBS or Franklin Arsenal brand on it, you'll pay double or more. It'll probably be made in the same manufacturing plant, just going out a different door. If you have been thinking about ultrasonic as a way to clean your reloadable brass this would be a way to do that. This Harbor Freight 2.5 liter is a good size. I think the smaller one is not as useful. I have used one of these for a few years and I would give it 4.5 - 5 stars. I use 1 - 2 liters of warm tap water, a table spoon plus or minus each of Dawn and Lemi Shine, 1 or 2 cycles and brass is acceptable to load. If you want your brass to look new again give it an extra cycle or two. You'll be surprised how dirty the water gets. The down side is it takes time to dry. I put it on a tray in the sun and 1 - 2 hours it's done. An up side is if you punch out the spent primer before you ultrasonic, the pockets will get cleaned and you wont have to poke out the pesky media that lodges in the flash hole if you dry tumble. I've also used ultrasonic to clean any gun parts that fit into the basket.

 

[DAS HUGH!]

Yeah I need to break down and get one of these soon, thanks

 

[Boogan1]

I am also kicking around the idea of getting one of these. Mine would be mainly for cleaning guns/parts.

 

[72sofsme]

I have a Lyman, but is large enough to hold larger firearm parts as well. Works magic on dirty brass. I use distilled water only and I try to get it really hot on the stove first before pouring it into the tank. Simple Green is a great solution for general cleaning but I use the Lyman products for my brass and follow the instructions as I like to get the max life out of them. Highly recommend this device!

 

[BluesBrother]

This is a 12 minute video on the use of Lemi Shine formula I referred to in OP. The main take aways of the video are cost, non toxic, and it works faster.

 

[DAS HUGH!]

I randomly came across a YouTube video that explained why you can't clean some materials like aluminum in them. It explained the science behind it all. Pretty cool stuff. Turns out that those bubbles are little hyper cavitations. Each one creates a tiny super sonic boom explosion as they collapse. It then showed a comparison of how the same principle is what eats up boat propellers edges.
I'm getting a can soon. So yeah I'll likely want to get one of these too for cleaning stuff associated with it. I'll have to check into what can and can't be tossed in too after seeing that. But yeah the whole thing is really cool how they work. Very interesting stuff

 

[JedClpIT]

SOLD THANKS I have this 6 Liter lab quality model I have used for the last couple of months. $100 if you want it. I have a larger one of same manufacture now. Check out VEVOR web sight . This 6L is $115 plus tax. It has a full basket inside and a small parts mesh "ball".

Specifications

• 
  Input: 110V
• 
  Material: Stainless Steel
• 
  Ultrasonic Frequency: 40KHZ
• 
  Tank Capacity: 6L
• 
  Working Time: 0-30 Minutes
• 
  Cleaning Power: 180W
• 
  Heating Function: 300W(Power); 0-80℃ Heating Temperature
• 
  Tank Size: 12.8"x6.9"x5.9"/325x176x150 mm
• 
  Product Size: 13"x7.09"x11.22"/330x180x285 mm
• 
  Package Size:16.3"x11"x14.17"/415x280x360 mm
• 
  Product Weight:12.43 lbs/5.65 kg

 

[Jevaughn]

I've been using ultrasonic for years. Not as shiny as media tumbling, but it gets the insides of the cases and primer pockets clean. Shiny brass doesn't shoot any more accurate than dull brass. Get citric acid instead of lemi-shine, it's the same stuff, just a ton cheaper. A 9mm case full is all you need, but make sure you rinse the brass very well or you'll turn it pink from the lemi-shine/citric acid leaching the zinc out of the brass.
I've had the Hornady and the Harbor Freight model, they're made by the same company, just different colors. The trick to getting clean brass is don't put too much brass in there at once, 100 or so pistol cases and about half as many rifle cases, but two 4 minute cycles is all you need, followed by a rinse and then 30-45 minutes in an old food dehydrator and they're ready to load. A lot more efficient than vibratory tumbling in my opinion, and the best cleaning solution is damn near free. A 5lb bag of citric acid will last forever, and is only about 5 bucks and a squirt of dawn dish soap is all you need.
Another good trick, is if you're cleaning really nasty stuff that requires something other than soap and water, put it in a peanut butter jar or baby food jar, cover with whatever solvent you want, then set it in the ultrasonic cleaner, fill with water to the same level as the fluid in the jar and turn it on. Works like a champ.

 

[Bullet Splatter]

I wet tumble w/ stainless pins, a little citric acid & armorall wash n wax. Turns even the dirtiest of range gobbles into new looking brass, primer pockets, insides & all. Toss em in an old food dehydrator for about an hour to dry. Wash n wax keeps them from tarnishing, that bucket of 9mm brass still looks the same almost 2 years later.

 

[BluesBrother]

I wet tumble w/ stainless pins, a little citric acid & armorall wash n wax. Turns even the dirtiest of range gobbles into new looking brass, primer pockets, insides & all. Toss em in an old food dehydrator for about an hour to dry. Wash n wax keeps them from tarnishing, that bucket of 9mm brass still looks the same almost 2 years later.

WOW! That stuff looks like new brass. How long do you tumble in the pins? You use the powdered citric acid like for canning?

 

[Bullet Splatter]

WOW! That stuff looks like new brass. How long do you tumble in the pins? You use the powdered citric acid like for canning?

Usually tumble for 60-90 minutes depending on how much brass I’m doing at a time. If they’re really dirty I’ll do 30 min with a dash of dish soap, change the water out then run em. Use the very same citric acid used in canning, takes very little.
Overall the entire process is a little involved. (Decap; tumble; rinse; towel dry; separate pins; dry; inspect for any missed pins) And not really necessary, but the results speak for themselves.

 

[nitro]

I've been using ultrasonic for years. Not as shiny as media tumbling, but it gets the insides of the cases and primer pockets clean. Shiny brass doesn't shoot any more accurate than dull brass. Get citric acid instead of lemi-shine, it's the same stuff, just a ton cheaper. A 9mm case full is all you need, but make sure you rinse the brass very well or you'll turn it pink from the lemi-shine/citric acid leaching the zinc out of the brass.
I've had the Hornady and the Harbor Freight model, they're made by the same company, just different colors. The trick to getting clean brass is don't put too much brass in there at once, 100 or so pistol cases and about half as many rifle cases, but two 4 minute cycles is all you need, followed by a rinse and then 30-45 minutes in an old food dehydrator and they're ready to load. A lot more efficient than vibratory tumbling in my opinion, and the best cleaning solution is damn near free. A 5lb bag of citric acid will last forever, and is only about 5 bucks and a squirt of dawn dish soap is all you need.
Another good trick, is if you're cleaning really nasty stuff that requires something other than soap and water, put it in a peanut butter jar or baby food jar, cover with whatever solvent you want, then set it in the ultrasonic cleaner, fill with water to the same level as the fluid in the jar and turn it on. Works like a champ.

Where do you get a 5lb bag of citric acid?

 

[stage20]

My Hornady is the same shape as that harbor freight one pictured but it's black and maroon. I didn't buy it new so I'm good as far as money goes.

 

[Jevaughn]

Where do you get a 5lb bag of citric acid?

The interwebs. Wife bought some to make bath bombs and I just started pinching some of her stash