Case cleaning options

J

Jerry Tracy

New member
Just kinda curious as to what most folks here use. I've always tumbled but I'm thinking of getting one of those electronic/liquid cleaners like they use to clean jewelry.
 
harbor freight has a little ultra sonic jewelry cleaner for 30$ but it says it holds a pint wich isnt much. I like being able to tumble 300+ at a time.
 
The ultrasonic cleaners do a pretty good job cleaning the brass but it doesn't polish it like other options. The ones that warm the solution also do a better job cleaning.

If you like your brass to look like it came from "Tiffany's" tumble it in walnut media (doesn't clean the inside or hard turns like the primer pocket) or buy a SS tumbler & add some LemonShine.

I just recently started SS tumbling & other than the slow process of seperating after tumbling, it's great. Brass is cleaner & brighter than anything I've ever used before. I tumbled some 6BR cases with just over 40 firerings & they litterally look brand new inside & out. I would highly recomend.
 
What media are you using in the SS tumbler? Is the lemon shine just an additive? It would be nice to have inside and out nice and clean along with the primer pockets. Brushing them can get old fast. I've got a RCBS viberator type thats almost new and it does a good job but doesn't clean the primer pockets hardly at all, which is more of a media issue then the machine itself. I'm using a granular meida with some brass cleaner additive. Whats a good media to use that will clean the pockets? I've also experimented with rice and it does okay but not in the pockets. I would think something along the size of table salt would be best.
 
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ss media is the way to go,the lemi shine helps clean.dawn may work but the lemi shine is cheap.i done some new LC brass after i made sure they were the same lenght and it is better than when i got it.it shines inside like it does on the outside. way less work the sonic cleaners won't shine them
 
I like my Hornady Magnum ultra sonic cleaner...it's the larger stainless tank version with heat and 2 transducers. It works well, as mentioned it doesn't polish but my goal is to have clean brass as quickly as possible. Speed and convenience wise ultrasonic is much better than the SS media...no separating required and your brass is clean in 20 minutes or less compared to the hours needed for SS wet tumbling.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760This is the route I'm taking, soon!

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

Yep, that's what I use. There are a couple different "brands" of SS media, not sure there is much diff. The Thumbler Tumbler is about the same price everywhere. I just bought the Kit from the above link.

Very recently, I bought over 1200+ (fired) LC 223 Brass on another forum for $10 (yeah $10). When I got it, it was actually in better shape than I expected (from the price) but still needed help. Most cases were decent, some cases looked bad, with an occasional peice here & there that looked like it had been on the ground for 2-3 years. I rinsed all the brass off (to get the dust & grit off the outside for sizing), FL sized it, checked length, chamfered & then dropped into the SS media with a little Dawn & a dash of LemonShine. After 3.5 hrs of tumbling it, it literally looks better than brand new. I can post a pic, but the cases look just like the bright & shinney pic the website link shows. I can't differenciate the old "2-3 years of laying on the ground" peices from the others after tumbling. SS media is by far the best thing out there (I know about). Not sure I would use it every firering, but if you need a deep clean IT WORKS.


FYI, you use 1 gal of water & dish detergent with the SS media. The Lemon Shine is suposed to be what makes it "bright" (you only need very little). It's a little messy depending on your process. The easiest way I found is go outside, pour the dirty water out, then stick a waterhose in the tumbler "bucket" until the suds are gone & the water is clear (the brass & media is heavy enough to stay on the bottom but the dirt runs over with the water). Dump that out go back inside & fill the "bucket" back up with warm/hot water (says to rinse brass in warm water; I'm just rinsing all at on time). Then with the warm water still in the bucket, I take the brass out 3-4 at a time making sure no media is left in the case (really the only time consuming part, & still not that bad; 10 minutes tops).
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1I like my Hornady Magnum ultra sonic cleaner...it's the larger stainless tank version with heat and 2 transducers. It works well, as mentioned it doesn't polish but my goal is to have clean brass as quickly as possible. Speed and convenience wise ultrasonic is much better than the SS media...no separating required and your brass is clean in 20 minutes or less compared to the hours needed for SS wet tumbling.

I have used ultrasonic before also. On well used brass it takes much more than 20 minutes to get it really clean. Plus the capacity is less than a Tumbler, so add time for that also. Yes ultrasonic is still quicker, but when you add in waiting for the brass to dry (the long part), the difference is really negligable. With the other advantages the SS media has (brightens, last vertually forever, cheaper addatives, etc) it's a no brainer for me.
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1I like my Hornady Magnum ultra sonic cleaner...it's the larger stainless tank version with heat and 2 transducers. It works well, as mentioned it doesn't polish but my goal is to have clean brass as quickly as possible. Speed and convenience wise ultrasonic is much better than the SS media...no separating required and your brass is clean in 20 minutes or less compared to the hours needed for SS wet tumbling.

+1 It is great for my gun parts too, with Hornady gun cleaner. It did a great job on my Glock and AR bolt.

I am going to try some CLR on my next load of brass. I made a rack to dry my brass. Just a board with long nails. The trick is to use distilled water.
 
You can really speed up the media and brass separation with SS process buy using a media separator. I just dump the brass and media right in the basket of the separator along with the dirty water. Close up the separator and give it a few spins in each direction and all the SS is out and in the water.

I then dump the brass out of the basket into a container and rinse it off (just cold water works fine). After that dump in a towel and rub it around to get the outside dry so it won't spot or streak. Put it in the sun and let the insides dry or rig a dryer with a light bulb,etc.

Anyway then the old water in the separator is dumped out being careful not to dump the ss pins. Then I dump it back into the thumbler's and fill it with water, let it overflow for a few minutes, and then pour the water out carefully and slowly lay the Thumbler's on it's side to let everything air dry.

Actually it is very simple and quick when you work up your own routine.
 
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Originally Posted By: coleridgeOriginally Posted By: Dixiedog1I like my Hornady Magnum ultra sonic cleaner...it's the larger stainless tank version with heat and 2 transducers. It works well, as mentioned it doesn't polish but my goal is to have clean brass as quickly as possible. Speed and convenience wise ultrasonic is much better than the SS media...no separating required and your brass is clean in 20 minutes or less compared to the hours needed for SS wet tumbling.

I have used ultrasonic before also. On well used brass it takes much more than 20 minutes to get it really clean. Plus the capacity is less than a Tumbler, so add time for that also. Yes ultrasonic is still quicker, but when you add in waiting for the brass to dry (the long part), the difference is really negligable. With the other advantages the SS media has (brightens, last vertually forever, cheaper addatives, etc) it's a no brainer for me.

The drying time is not a factor...whether you use ultrasonic or the SS tumbling you need to wait for the brass to dry. The big difference is waiting for your brass to tumble for hours in the SS media.



For drying I use RCBS reloading trays, I put all my brass in the trays and blow dry that side. Then I put another reloading tray over all my brass, flip it and blow dry the other side. Works great. As far as capacity I can clean 200 .223 brass in each load, that's plenty for my needs.
 
the brass don't need to tumble for hours in the ss media i have never tumbled mine for more than an hour.a hair dryer works if your in a hurry to dry
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760This is the route I'm taking, soon!

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

Mine arrived Friday. Set it up last night and ran three loads through it today. It works EXACTLY as advertised. I wish everything did. I used a two step rinse with an alcohol bath as the second step. After that, 10minutes on a towel and it was dry.
 
Originally Posted By: KlrDrvrOriginally Posted By: pahntr760This is the route I'm taking, soon!

http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/

Mine arrived Friday. Set it up last night and ran three loads through it today. It works EXACTLY as advertised. I wish everything did. I used a two step rinse with an alcohol bath as the second step. After that, 10minutes on a towel and it was dry.

That looks like a really nice setup and competitively priced. Might just have to get one of these and put the ole RCBS vibratory up for sale.
 
I'm still working on a routine. Right now, once the brass has tumbled I dump most of the water into a 5G bucket and then refill the tumbler tub about half full with clean water. The brass gets fished out two or three at a time, swished in the cleaner water to get the pins out and then hit with a shot of compressed air through the primer pocket to make sure. They then get dumped into a strainer sitting over the bucket to drain.

Once the whole batch is in strainer they get rinsed first in softened tap water, then in isopropyl acohol then dumped on a towel in front of a fan to dry.

Now I'm working on smoothing the process and keeping the brass from discoloring slightly as it drys.

That notwithstanding, after this is done these things are so clean you could eat with them.
 
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