Ultrasonic cleaners

G0JSM

Well-Known Member
Hi folks I'm a keen reloader and have been for twenty plus years. I've seen these ultrasonic cleaner advertised and watched the results on you tube. I'm impressed with some of the results but very few show the insides of the case. Ok you could say this is the height of fanny ing about. But any deposit inside a case lessens the volume and let's face it reloading is all about tiny amounts.
So how clean will ultrasonic cleaning get the inside of rifle cases?
There are a number of different makes and those sold by reloading firms are considerably more expensive than those that can be purchased on the internet. Is there a great deal of difference in them and the cleanliness of the end product?
 
Ultrasonic cleaners work using water, heat and tiny vibration bubbles to clean, and in some cases a cleaning solution

With long enough in the cleaner and proper drying it should be spotless inside

I bought a large 30 ltr one of ebay last year to do the carbs on my bike, still haven't got around to it yet but the noise it makes although not loud is really irritating so it's going to live outside in the shed before it gets used properly
 
I picked one up cheap off the bay,because in my tin pot head i thought ok if it doesn,t work ok ive lost nowt, anyway after days flitting from site to site i saw one for a price or an offer so i said 25quid and a couple hrs later they accepted it,it arrived i went to chemists for some citric acid monosodium powder for culinary use put fifty 308,s in its brilliant cleaner than the factory stuff,how long it lasts i dont know but for now ive cleaned enough 6,5 and 308 to last a season,;) its a vgt 1200 ,i think its the same chinese place that does most of them anyway,
 
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ive used various different ultrasonic cleaners over the years in various laboratories. They all work on the same principle. I.e. They resonate at a frequency which will disturb particles which in turn leads to them detaching from the item to which they were attached, bit like a nagging wife.
the presence of water and any surfactants or acidic/ammoniacal compounds simply helps hold the released particles in suspension until they can be decanted from the cleansed item.
i wouldn't recommend using any acid on brass. A few of drops of washing up liquid and a splash of ammonia will produce excellent results.
 
You get what you pay for with these things. I bought one of the inexpensive ones from Lidl or Aldi. Yes, they work, but they take time and for that reason I sold mine off as it wasn't as efficient as I had hoped. But they do clean cases but not as shiny bright ckean as does a tumbler.
 
Got the Hornaday on from the states a few years ago. I use water & one shot cleaning solution. I will cycle through the cleaner first then dry, I then de cap the primer & put back through the cleaner a couple of times before rinsing in clean water & drying. No complaints and even cleans up the primer pocket ok some brass will need a couple more cycles that others but results are as clean inside as outside.
Just make sure properly dry before loading
Wingy
 
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