Help with sonic case cleaner

R

reelxprs

New member
I recently got a RCBS sonic case cleaner and a bottle of the case cleaning solution. No where in the instructions with the unit or on the bottle does it recomend how much cleaner to add to the water. On my first cleaning I
used 2 of built in measuring bottle on the solution. The cases came out very clean except the primer pockets.
Any recommendations will be appreciated.
Jeff Fountain
 
Ultrasonics work best with hot solution . do not know anything about yours, also let the sonic run for awhile you will notice a difference in action of solution. If your's is not heated then heat solution before putting in ultrasonic. As far as pockets, scrub them and put back in... Now, my use of ultrasonics is jewelry, we use a product from Rio Grande that is green, do not know the name, a concentrated degrease. Dawn dish soap works as well as anything I have used but it needs to be hot...
Bill Greene
you can also buy a good tumbler and stainless pins and your brass will look as new.
Then, of course I do not care how my brass looks only how it shoots
 
Thats what mine stays setup for. We figured that out in the marine business when the great ethanol came about. It cleans everything i throw in there
 
I use a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric Professional 2.4 pint ultrasonic cleaner with great results. Just looked and they do not offer that model now as I have had it 10 plus years.

First, I NEVER put the cleaning solution in the machine "tank" itself, too messy to clean up. I have some 600ml Pyrex beakers that cleaning solution is placed in, along with the cases to be cleaned. Put this beaker in the cleaning unit "tank" and fill cleaning unit with water surrounding the beaker to the proper maximum indicated level for YOUR cleaner (ultrasonic waves will transmit into beaker and clean the cases just fine). I use a piece of cardboard and cut a hole in it to snugly fit the beaker and place this contraption on top of the cleaner unit with the beaker in the "tank" water. The purpose of the cardboard is prevent the beaker from migrating around in the cleaner "tank" when it is in use.

FWIW-This is my process for cleaning 300 Win Mag cases used for work at 1000 yards:

1. Clean primer pockets FIRST. They will be like you want them after ultrasonic cleaning is complete. Not so much if you don't clean them first.
2. Have used both Iosso Case Cleaner and CLR (not mixed). Prefer CLR as it is cheaper, easier to clean out of the cases and does a great job. My friend says white vinegar works but have not tried it yet.
3. Put the cases in the beaker in an upright position standing on the case head so they completely fill with cleaning solution and do not have air pocket voids. (I prefer 5 cases at a time).
4. Set my Harbor Frieght cleaning timer to 480 seconds (max time), then start cleaning cycle. It makes a pretty annoying noise I might add!!! Your wife / by-standers will love it...
5. After cycle is complete, remove and rinse the cases out with hot water until you reach a complete rinsing of the cases you are comfortable with. Set cases aside.
6. Place 5 more cases in solution and repeat this above madness.
7. While the next batch of cases are cleaning, use compressed air to dry the cases. (this is why I only do 5 at a time).
8. After all cases are cleaned and air dried, I like to put the cases in a MTM case box and leave them air dry for a day or three to ensure no water remains.

Iosso gets the cases a brighter, shiny finish but is a pain to rinse. Not quite as shiny with CLR but much easier to rinse. Targets can't tell the difference in gleaming and shiny cases vs. just good and clean ones. Plus, if you shoot a bad group, you can blame it on this instead of your ability to shoot well.... LOL

YMMV

Some of this process I obtained from Jason Baney. I seem to remember he posted his cleaning process on this forum, or, it may have been the 6mm forum. If that is not the case, then I got it from our telephone conversations many moons ago...

Shoot small folks!
 
I use the Lyman 6000 w/IOSSO, heat tank to 130*, run 25 min cycle or as needed, flush/rinse with hot water in utility sink, dry with a old (hood style w/a net basket I made) hair dryer on high heat high air settings about 10-15 mins., toss in the Vibra-Shine w/green treated media about 20 mins., You can do 350-400 308 cases in about an hour like this (start to finish).
 
I bought a no-name Chinese U/S cleaner from Amazon about two years ago, and gave it a flurry of use at first, then it sat unused until now.

I was using Dawn and Lemi-Shine initially, then unsweetened Lemon Kool-Aide. The cases would quickly tarnish despite thorough rinsing.

Since then, I have encountered some plausible insight into the U/S cleaning process.

First, the grand majority of the cleaning (as opposed to tarnish removal) is done by the water molecules themselves. The U/S waves actually cause cavitation at the material's surface, converting the water molecules very briefly into water vapor. The net result is something highly akin to steam cleaning. Detergent emulsifies any residues and acid reduces any oxidation, releasing the bound oxygen molecules.

Due to the extreme efficacy of the cavitation process, only minor amount of detergent and/or acid are required to achieve those compounds' full effect.

I intend to resume the use of my U/S cleaner for brass restoration. I will be adding no detergent (I use RCBS Water Soluble Case Lube, which is a form of detergent itself, and I intend to partially rinse that before cleaning), and maybe up to a teaspoon of Heinz 5% white vinegar. I will be doing some very cursory primer pocket cleaning prior to the U/S cycle, and will be using the U/S cleaner itself with clear water for the rinsing process. The brass will be dried using a food dehydrator.

Greg Langelius
 
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