Ultrasonic Cleaners?

[Rocketrob]

So who likes what cleaner and why?

I like that the rcbs and lemon have dual transducers but not sure I need 6.3 qt capacity. Want to clean parts not only brass.

[Garv]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1590670&highlight=Ultrasonic

[skyline]

I like using hornady parts cleaner

Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

['ol shooter]

Hornady parts cleaner is the same as what they sell at Harbor Freight with different colored plastic. I bought the Hornady on sale, it's fine for de-greasing parts and cleaning jewelry, but will not replace wet or dry tumbling. It simply does not clean the cases well enough for me.

[BrassCase]

I have a larger Stainless steel unit off e-bay that holds a bit more than 2 gals. It has a high and low setting, adjustable temp. It is made for a dental lab type.

[NapalmCheese]

I have a harbor freight cleaner and am currently using it to clean brass.

It does a fine job for cleaning stuff that wasn't all that dirty in the first place (case necks are pretty clean). It'll clean dirtier stuff to, but if you want it really clean, tumble it.

I'm tumbling another batch of brass in a harbor frieght tumbler right now.

I mostly use Dawn and water, I added a little vinegar this time to see how it comes out. I'm just cleaning the stuff before sizing. I'll tumble in stainless pins with a bit of Dawn after sizing.

[C.G.]

Another Harbor Freight unit with a heater works well on brass. I mostly just use vinegar in water solution, strength depends on how dirty the brass is. I wish I had a bigger unit, one of these days maybe. If you get one, make sure to blow out the excess liquid from the brass (I use air from a compressor) or dry it well.

[five.five-six]

I have a HF for over 10 years, I mostly use it for parts when I strip down a gun. I have done brass with it but it just doesn’t hold that much and seems like an extra and unnecessary step. If you want your brass super clean, get a tumbler with SS pins.

[kcstott]

I got news for you.

All the ones mentioned. Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, Grizzly, Harbor freight are all made by Isonic.com
So go over to Grizzly, buy the BE1165 for $135 on close out and have the exact same unit as the RCBS unit at 1/3 or less of the price.

Isonic also has parts and accessories for these that if you know the Isonic part number you can get from Amazon far cheaper than direct

[Sheldon]

Got one off Amazon for less than $100 shipped....3.5 liter sized. I initiated its use with a tank full of Hoppe's 9...wheeeew.....talk about fumes!!! And that was using it without any heat. Still cleaned my 1911 and Ruger MKII pistols well. Just took grips off and put whole frames in without any disassembly.....I did separate the slide from frame and barrel/bolt from slides.

[kcstott]

Got one off Amazon for less than $100 shipped....3.5 liter sized. I initiated its use with a tank full of Hoppe's 9...wheeeew.....talk about fumes!!! And that was using it without any heat. Still cleaned my 1911 and Ruger MKII pistols well. Just took grips off and put whole frames in without any disassembly.....I did separate the slide from frame and barrel/bolt from slides.

If your tank has no drain port it is fine to do your cleaning that way. But if it does chemicals can attack the plastic parts and you'll find out when all your chemicals are on the floor and your cleaner is burned up due to running empty. I advise you to fill with your tank with water then use a glass or stainless tray tall enough so that when placed inside the water the water will not over flow the edge of the tray. Fill this tray with your chemicals place your parts inside and run as normal. Be advised a plastic tray will work but will reduce the energy reaching your parts by about 30%.
Also be advised complete disassembly is highly recommended, parts that are in contact with each other can be damaged over time and cleaning cycles due to the ultrasonic energy.

[Sheldon]

Solid pan so no plastic. Didnt know parts left together might be damaged. Only needed maybe 10 minutes run time. Will keep that in mind now.

[kcstott]

Solid pan so no plastic. Didnt know parts left together might be damaged. Only needed maybe 10 minutes run time. Will keep that in mind now.

Think about it. You are vibrating the parts at 30Khz or more. That vibration will cause wear and tear over time.
If you cleaned your guns manually and say once a year dunked them in the sonic cleaner you most likely would never see an issue. Now if you dropped the gun in there after ever trip to the range you may see problems sooner. The damage is going to be minor. Peening of surfaces in contact with each other.

When i worked for an Injection mold shop we use to tear down the molds and place parts in the ultrasonic tank. Everything came apart and parts were kept separated. this was to keep the parting line from being damaged.
yes part in a pistol have far less mass then the ejector pins in a mold but still the vibration is happening and it's only a matter of time before significant wear occurs.,

[Sheldon]

Yeah I will keep that in mind! This will be a once in a great while thing.

[kcstott]

Yeah I will keep that in mind! This will be a once in a great while thing.

then it will not be an issue. I wouldn't worry about it.

one thing you will see is just how cruddy stuff is. Ultrasonic cleaners are amazing. Good luck to you