The good, the bad and the ugly about ultrasonic cleaner

H

Howard Nguyen

New member
I've been thinking about retiring the tumbler to go with the ultrasonic cleaner at Harbor Freight, which is $70. Besides of cleaning brass, this is supposedly also a very good device to have when time comes to clean carburetors on lawn and other small engines as well as fuel injectors in my boat motor.

So, what do you all think about ultrasonic cleaner? is it worth it to switch over from the ole tumbler?
 
It depends on the cleaning solution used. I have that model
to which you refer. With solutions suggested, it cleans
little of nothing. I HAD a recipe on another computer, with
links to a site with several recipes for gun cleaning,
barrel cleaning, glass cleaning, and brass case cleaning
which worked beyond belief. Even the primer pockets and
flash holes come out clean. It was a combination of lemon
juice (the kind that comes in a green bottle), liquid
laundry detergent, salt, vinegar (don't really know if two
types of acids are necessary), and distilled water. I
washed off all the solution from the cases immediately
after removing them from the machine. Chucked in a drill
using the Lee case holder, I cleaned any remaining tarnish
with 0000 steel wool. They are shinier than brand new.

Perhaps someone else has a link to the site I mentioned.?.
 
The best use for an ultrasonic cleaner that I've seen is for cleaning handgun parts, and other small items, rather than using it on brass...

By the time you put together the cleaning solution, run the brass for the necessary time, rinse the brass, and thoroughly dry the brass, I can have two batches, minimum, done in my vibrator and be reloading it.. With no additional mess...

By using rouge impregnated media in my vibrator, my brass looks like new in a matter of a couple of hours...
 
I've just got into reloading for my 223 and I started using a small ultrasonic cleaner that a jeweler geve me when I bought my wife's ring. I can do about 25 cases at a time. I decap first, then use a solution of 25% vinegar, warm water and a couple drops dish soap. Run this for 2-3 minutes, rinse, run for 2 minutes with a baking soda, water and soap mix, rinse and run for 2 minutes in warm water. I then hang the brass on a board with small dowels to dry. I don't reload in large quantities so this works for me and only takes about 10 minutes and they are squeaky clean inside and out. The first bath does most of the cleaning. It works well for me and I didn't have to buy any new equipment.
 
I tried ultra-sonic for a while but went back to my tumbler. Much nicer looking brass with the tumbler and thats the way i want my reloads to look. Dave
 
I got the Sonic Cleaner from Harbor Freight to clean the AR15 gun parts. Bolt carrier group parts are a [beeep] to clean IMHO. I'm anal and want them to pass the White Glove Test so I'm not happy with the clean job until they come out without any carbon on the white gun cleaning patches. And that can take some time to do.

I cleaned my BCG parts in a sonic cleaner tonight for the first time today. And it go the carbon off the BCG parts pretty good but I added a few squirts of Simply Green out of a spray bottle of that stuff. I added 2 ounces of Hornady ONE SHOT Sonic Cleaner Solution and 40 ounces of distilled water and used two cycles of 480 seconds (longest cycle that the machine has) and then rinsed the parts in tap water under the faucet and then used CLR to clean and lub them up along with some Hoppe 9 for Automatic Rifles MSR stuff and then used some Hoppe's Elite Spray solution. I cleaned these solutions off with a paper town and some cleaning cloths 2" by 2" and used a brass brush and picks to get the hardened carbon of the parts of the BCG.

Lubed the parts up with CLR and gun grease on the wearing parts area and put it back together. Ran a bore snake and some Gun oil though the barrel after cleaning it with a brass brush with Hoppe's semi-automatic cleaning solution on the brush and then let it soak for a while before removing the stuff with a cleaning cloth and a cleaning rod. Then followed up with the clean cloth patch with some gun oil on the patch. Finally ran the bore snake though the barrel twice after all the other cleaning. I add a bit of gun oil to the end of the bore snake to leave a wee bit of gun oil inside the metal of the barrel. To prevent it from rusting down the road.
 
I've not used one. For brass I have a Dillon, CV-500? I think. The smaller one of the 2. I put the brass in let it run while I do other stuff & take it out.

I think I'm too lazy to want to have to mix up solutions & wash & dry brass after cleaning to do it.
 
Originally Posted By: Stu FarishI think I'm too lazy to want to have to mix up solutions & wash & dry brass after cleaning to do it.

makes me tired just reading about all that work
sleep.gif
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top