Ultrasonic clean before or after sizing?

[Beretta shooter]

Evening folks,
so I have an ultrasonic cleaner coming this week for a few other jobs but I plan to use it also for cleaning my brass.
Question is would I be better cleaning before or after sizing? From what I read most people seem to clean prior to sizing but my thinking is if I clean after sizing that will remove all sizing lube prior to priming/charging etc.
What are people’s thoughts?

 

[Alantoo]

Both.

When full length sizing I decap and anneal if I am going to, then U/S clean, resize, trim to length U/S clean again.

Cleans any residue the first time ready for resizing, the second clean, as you say, removes any lube and trimming swarf.

Depending on the size of the U/S tank you might find it useful to put the cases and cleaning fluid in a smaller container to save cleaning and refilling the whole tank each session. The tank is 80% full of water which has been in there since I had the machine two or three years ago. I use a teaspoonful of citric acid and a drop of washing up liquid and hot water in a 1lb Honey jar per 25 odd cases. Pour that out of the jar and rinse with a bicarbonate of soda then plain water then onto a baking tray on the night store heater. If doing a lot of cases at a time I put up to 4 honey jars containing 25 cases each in the tank at once...

Alan

 

[Beretta shooter]

Many thanks Alan, a very helpful and informative post. Especially the part about using containers In the main bath.

 

[Yorric]

When washing/ultrasonic cleaning cases to get the swarf out, put the cases in the liquid mouth down to ensure all swarf drops out.
Also quick drying is greatly aided by using compressed air to blow off the bulk of the water & any persistent swarf before heat drying.

Ian

 

[Sonicdmb73]

Universal decapper to de prime first. Then I will clean with either the ultrasonic or tumbler. I don’t put dirty brass through my dies. I usually use the tumbler to clean off the lube from full length resizing. As it is quicker than waiting for cases to dry after ultrasonic cleaning.
I tend to use my Lee neck die for most reloadings, with the third or fourth full length. Which is when I will U/S clean and Anneal.

 

[Beretta shooter]

Thanks guys, I had already planned to dry the cases off with compressed air but it’s looking like a dip in the U/S cleaner before and after sizing for my brass.
Cleaner arrived today so will get a solution made up and get cracking with it.

 

[Beretta shooter]

Another quick question, possibly more aimed at Alan but do you find the second U/S clean after sizing etc needs the citric acid etc or does a shorter clean with a little washing up soap works just fine?

 

[Klenchblaize]

Evening folks,
so I have an ultrasonic cleaner coming this week for a few other jobs but I plan to use it also for cleaning my brass.
Question is would I be better cleaning before or after sizing? From what I read most people seem to clean prior to sizing but my thinking is if I clean after sizing that will remove all sizing lube prior to priming/charging etc.
What are people’s thoughts?

After all operations are complete has worked for me for the last 20 something years

 

[Alantoo]

Another quick question, possibly more aimed at Alan but do you find the second U/S clean after sizing etc needs the citric acid etc or does a shorter clean with a little washing up soap works just fine?

I use citric acid both times, the soap and the ultra sound will get any lubricant off and the citric acid will take off any tarnish/finger staining that has accrued since the initial clean....

I do tend to do the various stages over a period of days or even weeks so there can be quite some time between the two cleanings.

Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it!

Alan

 

[Alantoo]

As a follow up regarding the cleaning agent...I tried the stuff that came with my U/S tank, which was one of the 10 litre Chinese made GT Sonics. The liquid was okay, but my citric acid and washing up liquid mix was better on cartridge cases providing the temperature was up. So I left the stuff that came with it for doing things like carburettors.

A fellow SD member owns or works for a company that makes the Sea Clean U/S cleaner liquid for James Products which many swear by for cartridge case cleaning. I haven't tried it personally to compare...mainly because I still have a few kilos of Citric Acid powder to get through.

Alan

 

[Limpet]

As a follow up regarding the cleaning agent...I tried the stuff that came with my U/S tank, which was one of the 10 litre Chinese made GT Sonics. The liquid was okay, but my citric acid and washing up liquid mix was better on cartridge cases providing the temperature was up. So I left the stuff that came with it for doing things like carburettors.

A fellow SD member owns or works for a company that makes the Sea Clean U/S cleaner liquid for James Products which many swear by for cartridge case cleaning. I haven't tried it personally to compare...mainly because I still have a few kilos of Citric Acid powder to get through.

Alan

I was going to ask about Seaclean! I've used it but I was asked recently if Seaclean affects or hardens the brass. I guess ammonia might? but am not sure what is in Seaclean.

 

[Alantoo]

I was going to ask about Seaclean! I've used it but I was asked recently if Seaclean affects or hardens the brass. I guess ammonia might? but am not sure what is in Seaclean.

Brass is only hardened by working it.

Even atmospheric Ammonia can cause stress corrosion cracking in (as the name implies) stressed brass. Annealing or stress relieving will prevent that happening.

The de-zincification of brass can happen in fresh water, let alone sea water...but it is usually over considerable time (years) rather than the 2x10 minute bursts I immerse my brass in the U/S cleaner.

Sea Clean is seaweed based I seem to remember...

Alan

 

[Beretta shooter]

Thanks guys for the input.
I couldn’t get my hands on any citric acid so found another recipe and it works a treat.
50/50 mix of water and vinegar with a splash of fairy liquid for 25min then water with bicarbonate of soda for 7 min followed by 7min in water to rinse.
Came out spik and span with a braw shine also.

 

[Alantoo]

Vinegar will work fine to remove tarnish...but you have to be quick with the Bicarb rinse I found otherwise the brass darkens thereafter quite rapidly. Citric acid becomes more aggressive/effective as it gets warmer...vinegar works okay at room temperature...but 50/50 sounds very strong...you would probably get most of the tarnish off without needing the U/S!

25 minutes also sounds a long time, were you checking it at shorter intervals? I don't bother with zapping the rinses, that just happens instantly in the sink under the tap pouring the brass into a stainless sieve.

What wattage is your machine?...mine is 240W and I only zap it for 5 minutes, give the pot a shake and then zap for another 5 minutes.

Alan

 

[Beretta shooter]

Vinegar will work fine to remove tarnish...but you have to be quick with the Bicarb rinse I found otherwise the brass darkens thereafter quite rapidly. Citric acid becomes more aggressive/effective as it gets warmer...vinegar works okay at room temperature...but 50/50 sounds very strong...you would probably get most of the tarnish off without needing the U/S!

25 minutes also sounds a long time, were you checking it at shorter intervals? I don't bother with zapping the rinses, that just happens instantly in the sink under the tap pouring the brass into a stainless sieve.

What wattage is your machine?...mine is 240W and I only zap it for 5 minutes, give the pot a shake and then zap for another 5 minutes.

Alan

Hi Alan,

the recipe was was something I found here:
http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
it really does a good job with the cases spotless inside and out, I still intend to get some citric acid but was eager to get up and running so gave it a go. Was only a matter of seconds after a quick rinse that the cases went into the BS mix.
I sat and watched the machine for the full time checking the cases every few min, machine is only 120w if I remember correctly.

Cheers BS

 

[Sonicdmb73]

Hi Alan,

the recipe was was something I found here:
http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
it really does a good job with the cases spotless inside and out, I still intend to get some citric acid but was eager to get up and running so gave it a go. Was only a matter of seconds after a quick rinse that the cases went into the BS mix.
I sat and watched the machine for the full time checking the cases every few min, machine is only 120w if I remember correctly.

Cheers BS

The above link is what I followed too. I found it cleaned well enough. But as I am only using an ALDI ultrasonic cleaner it does take a few cycles. Part of the reason I only use it every few loadings. As I only need the neck cleaning for the Lee collet die.

 

[Beretta shooter]

The above link is what I followed too. I found it cleaned well enough. But as I am only using an ALDI ultrasonic cleaner it does take a few cycles. Part of the reason I only use it every few loadings. As I only need the neck cleaning for the Lee collet die.

Yes I found the above recipe worked well but have some citric acid coming today or tomorrow so will give Alan’s recipe a try to see if I can achieve as good results in a shorter time.