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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Case cleaning (Read 3352 times)
Ranch13
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #15 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:14am
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Thumblers model B and other tumblers with a rubber liner are popular for a reason.
  
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yamoon
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #16 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:18am
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I have been using Lyman or Hornaday ultra sonic cleaner in an ultra sonic unit for 8 minutes. I shoot only smokeless. Most here seem to use a tumbler and a media. Is there a reason you guys don’t use ultra sonic? Most of the calibers I shoot require making the brass, some very time consuming, so if the ultra sonic cleaning method has a down side, please let me know.
Mike
  
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texasmac
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #17 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:26am
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yamoon wrote on Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:18am:
I have been using Lyman or Hornaday ultra sonic cleaner in an ultra sonic unit for 8 minutes. I shoot only smokeless. Most here seem to use a tumbler and a media. Is there a reason you guys don’t use ultra sonic? Most of the calibers I shoot require making the brass, some very time consuming, so if the ultra sonic cleaning method has a down side, please let me know.
Mike


Mike, the only downside is ultrasonic does not make the outside of the cases shinny.  And the time it takes is a big upside with ultrasonic.  You may be interested in the following article I wrote on case cleaning a couple of yrs ago.
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Ranch13
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #18 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:32am
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yamoon wrote on Jan 2nd, 2023 at 11:18am:
I have been using Lyman or Hornaday ultra sonic cleaner in an ultra sonic unit for 8 minutes. I shoot only smokeless. Most here seem to use a tumbler and a media. Is there a reason you guys don’t use ultra sonic? Most of the calibers I shoot require making the brass, some very time consuming, so if the ultra sonic cleaning method has a down side, please let me know.
Mike


I use the Hornady ultrasonic for when traveling to extended length matches. I rinse the cases before putting them in, then run for 15-20 minutes, rinse the solution off and let them dry at the end of each days shooting. Then when back home either run them for a short time in the tumbler or put them in the vibrator with corncob media to get some shine back on. Not that the shine is necessary, but they look prettier.
One thing I did find with the ultrasonic years ago, was if brand new once fired with bp cases went thru , they didn't need much for shining up afterwards. Older cases that had been cleaned with other methods, usually don't come out to shiny, but could be loaded as is.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #19 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 3:25pm
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Only reason I'm not using an ultrasonic is capacity. Those I've looked at weren't large enough to do large batches. Same reason I recently added the Northern tumbler to do larger batches than my Lortone does. I still like the Lortone, but the small rubber drum limits volume, plus it's smooth inside so it takes longer than the shaped Northern poly drum that seems to churn the brass better. The Northern states it will accept 1000 .223 cases. I don't do any of those, but it will easily do several hundred larger BP cases.
  

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Mick B
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #20 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 5:52pm
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I don't know if it was missed but I said I used LYMAN Turbo Sonic, not ultra sonic which i got sold by mistake once, the ultra sonic didn't work very well for me at all and ended up down the drain.
To repeat, turbo sonic, ss pins, rotary tumbler and a couple of cups of water.
Mike.
  
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oneatatime
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #21 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 6:11pm
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Mick, the Lyman Turbo Sonic is an ultrasonic cleaner and has a rectangular tub. The Lyman Turbo is a vibratory cleaner and has a round tub. Does yours have a model number on it?
  
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sharps
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #22 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 6:13pm
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i've noticed more is not better w/ lemishine,  too much and my cases will come out dull looking, which is not to say you may have something else going on
  
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Deadeye Bly
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #23 - Jan 2nd, 2023 at 9:02pm
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I agree on not using much Lemishine. I only use about half a teaspoon on a batch of cases.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #24 - Jan 3rd, 2023 at 11:29am
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I personally have never cared about making my cases look like jewelry, so I just get them clean and stop at that point.
  

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Mick B
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #25 - Jan 4th, 2023 at 5:38pm
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Oneatatime,
The stuff I use is in a round plastic container containing 16 FL OX  473 ml. The label reads Lyman TURBO SONIC Concentrated Case Cleaning Solution. I use two cap full's plus two cups of water in the tumbler, works perfectly.
Mike.
  
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Marlene
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #26 - Jan 7th, 2023 at 10:44pm
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Lemishine helps make old corroded range pickup brass look new faster, but is otherwise completely unnecessary for tumbling. The soap should be thought of more as a lubricant than as a surfactant in tumbling. I use 1/4 tsp of liquid Tide in my thumbler's with water and pins and nothing else. I expect Dawn would work similarly well, but Tide foams less.

I expect the original problem is the aluminum, but getting the lemishine (citric acid) out of the situation might be enough to stop the aluminum making everything gunky.
  
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nuclearcricket
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #27 - Jan 8th, 2023 at 10:01am
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LIke the OP I have at times in the past had issues with my brass coming out worse than what it looked like going in. I had been using Dawn, Dawn with limishine, and ceramic media. I changed from tap water to bottled water and that helped a little. What made the biggest difference for me was to change soaps. I tried a different dish soap and it didnt' make much difference, they I tried Simple Green. I got almost no foam but what I did see was that the debris that had been attached to the cases was now suspended in the water and the cases looked very nice. 
What I do next some will not agree with and that is ok, tis works for me. I get the media out of the cases and make sure they are rinsed and I take them right to the vibrator and dump them in walnut shells. I let them run for a few hours and they come out nice and shiny and clean inside and out.  Of late I have been using the coarse nut shells I got from harbor freight. They are untreated and big enough to not get stuck too often in the flash hole.  For about $30 for 25 pounds of shells kind of hard to beat the price. If you need a bit more shine a little squirt of super fine auto polish will really make them stand out.   
This has worked on everything from just dirty cases to ones I found that had so much green stuff on them I figured  they would never clean up. turns out I was wrong and they look just as nice now as they did when new. 
I am not sure if this will help with the aluminum baffles you have in there but might be worth a try. 
Sam
  
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #28 - Jan 9th, 2023 at 12:24pm
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Thanks, sounds worth trying.
  
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nuclearcricket
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Re: Case cleaning
Reply #29 - Jan 15th, 2023 at 1:50pm
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I wanted to do a little test on case cleaning. I have a bunch of 300BO cases that were made from once fired .223 brass. They were cleaned when they were formed but not shiny inside like new would be. I put them in my tumbler with 3 pounds of 3mm ceramic balls.  Added 1/2 oz of simple green and water to cover by about an inch or so. Ran them for 2 hours and then rinsed and put them in the vibrator.  They are not shiny  on the inside but all most all of the carbon has been removed. The balls didn't clean the primer pocket but I didn't think they would but they also didnt stick in the pocket or inside the cases. Simple green does not foam but does hole the dirt in suspension. The pics show the cases before they went in, cases in the tumbler and with the balls. Then the dirty water, cases after tumbling and then out of the walnut hulls from the vibrator.
  
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