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  #1  
Old 01-20-2014, 05:43 AM
JINGWEED JINGWEED is offline
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Default Which ultrasonic cleaner

I am looking to buy an ultrasonic cleaner for those small calibers and having no experience with them I was wondering if I could get some direction into which one is best. All comments more than welcome.
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  #2  
Old 01-20-2014, 12:04 PM
rider rider is offline
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Default ultra sonic units

JINGWEED,
I recently purchased a Lyman TS6000. It is the only unit that I have any experience with. I have been well satisified with it. No more picking media out of flash holes and the inside of the case is clean! The cleaning time, once it is heated and de-gassed is about 10 minutes per batch. I recently cleaned 44 mag cases in lots of 100 but the tub is large enough to clean rifle actions should you so desire. Easy operation and clean up.
Rider
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  #3  
Old 01-20-2014, 12:26 PM
jim saubier jim saubier is offline
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Default what solvent

I recently got a heated ultrasonic cleaner but haven't used it yet. What solvent are you folks using? i have a tumbler and use it for brass clean up on the volume stuff (9mm and .223). I was planning to use the degreaser to clean guns/parts. If it is easy enough to use, I may switch to it over the tumbling.
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  #4  
Old 01-20-2014, 12:39 PM
Nor Cal Mikie Nor Cal Mikie is offline
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I "had" one from Harbor Freight. Wasn't too impressed. Took too long to get the brass clean. Once you get the brass clean, you have to keep after it. Maybe after 3 or 4 firings, otherwise the buildup of burnt powder takes a while to remove. It does get clean but you have to watch it. It will get "too clean" and you'll run into problems when it comes to seating bullets. The necks can get sticky so you might need a neck lube of some sort.
No doubt they do end up looking "real nice".
.308 brass from my M1A was a real bugger to get clean and the US cleaner just didn't get the job done as fast as I had expected. Lots of small batchs and long run times to get the results I was after.
I'll stick with corn cobb in my Tumbler. I don't mind picking hunks out of the flash holes. Every time I pick up a case, it gives me one more chance to inspect it for defects.
If you go US, the bigger the better. A pre treatment of some sort might help getting the brass clean and remember to keep after it or it won't work as fast as you might expect. Good luck with your decision.
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Old 01-20-2014, 12:52 PM
MarinePMI MarinePMI is offline
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I switched over to stainless steel media/wet tumbling.

While it does take a bit longer, I'll never go back to vibratory tumblers. As far as ultra sonic, I've seen the results (seem "okay"), but nothing like SS. I'll never go back. The draw back with SS media is time, but I have seen a new type of tumbling with SS that I want to try that is supposed to cut the time down just about 5-10 mins. (A magnetic tumbling process with SS, that uses spinning and opposed polarity neodymium magnets.)
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  #6  
Old 01-20-2014, 01:11 PM
TinMan TinMan is offline
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For an ultrasonic cleaning solution, try water with a non-foaming detergent, not a soap, hopefully with a surfactant in it. "Dawn" might be a decent choice to start. For actions and other steel parts, you should use care to avoid rusting any parts by using a hair dryer to dry the parts.
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  #7  
Old 01-21-2014, 12:01 AM
JINGWEED JINGWEED is offline
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Default Cleaner

I think I would love the SS Tumbler but then again when tumbling 12 and 14 cal. cases it takes forever to get that stuff out of the tiny necks they have. I just cleaned 100 14 cal cases the other day and it took me a good hour to remove the corn cob pieces. That was enough for me to look to the ultra sonic cleaner and i'm afraid the SS Media will be the same. Thanks for you guys input I knew I would get some direction on here. Thanks again!
Ralph
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  #8  
Old 01-21-2014, 12:14 AM
csterner csterner is offline
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Just how important is it to get the inside of cases clean? Doesn't tumbling media get most of it?

I loaded for 20 years before I even got a tumbler. Used to just wipe the outside of the cases down after sizing. Imperial wax always kept my cases clean on the outside. The only reason I use ione now is for 223 and handgun cases and range pickup that get real dirty.

FWIW I just switched to FINE walnut blasting media from Horrible Freight and it works wonderfully with a good squirt of liquid turtle wax. No rouge added to the media. No mess. And it's tiny grained and I have had zero pieces stuck in the flash holes. They even come out shiny like using corn cob.
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  #9  
Old 01-21-2014, 01:09 AM
JINGWEED JINGWEED is offline
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Default Media

Yes, the tumbling media gets the inside clean enough it's getting the media out of the cases is what takes the time. with a 12 cal. which is only 1/8" some of the media is that size so you have to take a paper clip and constantly dig the media out of the case. Way different than dumping it out of a 45-70 case then you dig the media out of the flash hole. All this takes an incredible amount of time especially when you do several hundred at a time. To do 500 cases you would spend most of the day. Like I said I am not concerned about cleaning the inside as much as getting the media out of the cases. Hope this explains it.
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  #10  
Old 01-21-2014, 02:25 AM
Stevo Stevo is offline
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I use the stainless pin method. Does a good job but it is a PIA to get the pins out of the cases with 17 cal. necks. Also the brass comes out sparkly clean but in a week it looks like crapola lol.
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