Thread: Sonic Case Cleaner vs Media Tumbler Case Cleaner ?

Diy tumbler cost, $16

then into the ultrasonic, which was free (older unit from a jeweler friend)
and into the dehydrator, which was also free
If i had to choose one, for the same price, it would be the ultrasonic, mainly because i use it for everything from gun parts to carbs, tools and small sprayer nozzles from work.

Seven minutes in ultrasonic. Just as bright as the last picture I'd say. ( hard to tell from pictures)
These have been sitting around for a week or so.

@MassiveAttack put my brass through his wet tumbler can out nice and shiny, only took an hour or two. Then an evening ontop of the fire to dry out.

Originally Posted by specweapon

Diy tumbler cost, $16

then into the ultrasonic, which was free (older unit from a jeweler friend)
and into the dehydrator, which was also free
If i had to choose one, for the same price, it would be the ultrasonic, mainly because i use it for everything from gun parts to carbs, tools and small sprayer nozzles from work.

Fuck yes, I love it!

Originally Posted by bully

Seven minutes in ultrasonic. Just as bright as the last picture I'd say. ( hard to tell from pictures)
These have been sitting around for a week or so.

Bit more of a difference through a semi. They get grubby as hell, especially if the rifle is suppressed. Also, running a semi often equals a lot more cases to clean.. If I were only shooting a bolt action a few times a year, I'd use an ultrasonic no worries. Being able to turn a huge pile of grey grubby filth into shiny awesomeness is quite rewarding though.

+1 Wet tumble with stainless media for clean and shiny. Just add water, stainless media, detergent and a pinch of citric acid.

I got one of these Stainless Tumbling Media | Thumler's Tumbler High Speed Model B

Waiting is no problem? I give them a quick rinse in meths and then dry in the oven.

Took advice from a mate and mix 1 cup or white vinegar and 2 cups of water in a bowl with a bit of dish washing liquid. Added 300 9mm cases and striped for about 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.

Quick rinse under hot tap and in the oven at about 70 degrees for 20min.

Job done!

Originally Posted by keenbloke

In terms of the sonic cleaners is it you get what you pay for? Tempted to try a $50 piece off trade me but don't wanna kick myself in a few months time

Those cheapo chinese ones on TM - beware. Same deal with Aliexpress ones. Doesn't take much for the Ultrasonic board to go and then no replacement, or worse, the solder joints on the mains wire to break off, and then you have a live wire on the casing. I've emailed the cheapo trademe dealers and asked them if they come with a warranty or an NZ certified PAT test/Earth leakage test. No answer. They are just cheap sh1te.

I have been looking at ultrasonics because I can also use it to clean bike parts in. But then @MassiveAttack lives so close to me, I can knock a golf ball into the garden, so I'd rather furnish him with a slab and get to use his steel pins cleaner.

whats a good one that youd recomend

Originally Posted by Uplandstalker

Took advice from a mate and mix 1 cup or white vinegar and 2 cups of water in a bowl with a bit of dish washing liquid. Added 300 9mm cases and striped for about 10 minutes with a wooden spoon.

Quick rinse under hot tap and in the oven at about 70 degrees for 20min.

Job done!

Yeah I've been looking on youtube , you can definitely use the bucket and a few house hold chemicals and odds and ends, I will give this a go next time. 135 case's I know aren't alot but that's every two weeks or so and the number will only grow over summer.
thanks for the recipe Uplandstalker.

Originally Posted by viper

Yeah I've been looking on youtube , you can definitely use the bucket and a few house hold chemicals and odds and ends, I will give this a go next time. 135 case's I know aren't alot but that's every two weeks or so and the number will only grow over summer.
thanks for the recipe Uplandstalker.

I used to do this with a vibrating sander glued to the bottom of the bucket to give an effect like the ultrasonic. Also used to use it with dry rice as a media, which worked well aside from blocking primer holes.

Deadeye Dicks - Other I just bought one of these so will let you know if it is rubbish or not. Just finished getting all the bits to get me reloading so down the rabbit hole I go.

also what is a good solution to use? I don't want to buy the proper stuff cause that just seems like bullshit in a bottle

Check YouTube Tombi. Some mixtures on there

Originally Posted by Tombi

also what is a good solution to use? I don't want to buy the proper stuff cause that just seems like bullshit in a bottle

The Hornady made bullshit in a plastic bottle actually works very well but like everything you need to stick to the recommended dosage - none of this extra teaspoon for the pot shit. Otherwise you end up with stunningly clean brass that turns purple in front of your eyes. I have also used a Googled brew which was a high %age of white vinegar which the guy said he had developed after lots of trials - result, more purple.
Here's what I used b4 I gave US away and went SS pins - 1 teaspoon of Hansell's Citric acid/5 liters (mine is a larger tank) of hot water plus a few squirts of the wife's dish washing liquid. I ran my tank heater set to 80 degrees. At the end of the cleaning cycle I used to put the brass thru the tank again for a neutralizing cycle. I stopped doing that and just went from the cleaning cycle to throwing them all into a std size plastic bucket of clean water with 1 teaspoon of backing soda disolved in it. I used my compressed air to agitate them and then followed with a wash in clean hot water. I blew them out with compressed air and then either left them in the sun (summer time ha) to dry or put them thru the food dehydrator. In theory US on its own should clean the brass but it just doesn't seem to work like that.

A splash of shower power with water

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