ultrasonic cleaning

[N1YDP]

anyone tried ultrasonic cleaning for there cases?what is best?vinegar,citrus,dish soap,salt.what have you tried.any pics?

 

[jwalts27]

anyone tried ultrasonic cleaning for there cases?what is best?vinegar,citrus,dish soap,salt.what have you tried.any pics?

A dash of simple green works well, or i use the Lyman solution. Just be careful though when reloading 9mm. I kept getting stuck cases in my dies after i started Usonic cleaning them even when using a carbide die. But all other calibers i have done with no issues.

 

[Ben_hutcherson]

I've used the RCBS solution with decent results. It gets all of the "crud" off and out of the brass(inside and out) but doesn't do a great job on tarnish. It will remove some, but not all.

I suspect that if clean brass(as opposed to sparkly, shiny new looking brass) is your goal, a few drops of Dawn in warm water would probably work about as well as anything. I have tried dawn and vinegar in the past, but avoid it now as I find that the vinegar will cause green corrosion(verdigris) if any is allowed to dry on the brass.

 

[Neumann]

Gun shops that sell ultrasonic cleaners also sell cleaning solutions for that application. In general, there are two types, one for parts cleaning and the other for shell preparation. It only takes a capfull per tank, so it goes a long way.

The best cleaner for brass contains a low-sudsing detergent with EDTA. It is slightly basic, and will not etch brass unless you leave it in the solution for a couple of days.

Solutions for general cleaning and degreasing usually contain citric acid and a stronger detergent. It can also be used for brass, but is more agressive than EDTA. Vinegar (acetic acid) is not particularly effective, but causes no harm either. It smells bad, so it must be doing some good

For cleaning parts, Simple Green works well. I use it on carburetors and bicycle parts. For cleaning barrels and receivers, nothing works as well as elbow grease and a brass brush.

Ultrasonic cleaning is not a short cut to avoid stripping and disassembly. Grease is fairly resistant to ordinary gun cleaning agents, but ultrasonic cleaning will strip it bare. In any event, you must rinse everything well with clean water and dry it before use. Gun parts must be greased or lubricated and reassembled.

 

[tlay]

I have a Lyman ultrasonic cleaner. I have found that the Lyman solution works very well but do not buy the cheaper stuff being sold on fleabay. I like the formula they have for metal and gun parts. It works great to clean an old gun. I have found that if you turn the heat off it works better for brass.

 

[BennyS]

I use a hornady L&L with hornady solution and a sprinkle of lemshine.

 

[N1YDP]

what about home recipes

 

[SteveFi]

I have one of the Hornady ones & have used the hornady solution - it does go a long way but it is also mostly citric acid so I am sure it wouldnt be hard to make your own substitute

 

[fla_gun]

I use a 50/50 mix of water/white vinegar.

I believe that ultrasonic cleaning and tumbling after compliment each other.

I have even tried a car wash/water mix and it turned out good.

 

[fjtiii]

Harbor Freight ultra sonic cleaner with Dawn and a little lemishine. So far it has worked good. Doesn't polish but gets them clean.