Ultrasonic Case Cleaning Oz Style

[IanP]

I read about ultrasonic case cleaning on the 6mmBR website and decided to use that method. I have posted this thread thinking that other shooters might be interested in how well it adapts downunder.

It works really well and is very quick removing powder and carbon residues from the cases including the primer pockets. For a 5 minute clean it doesn't remove every trace of grime that has rubbed onto the outside of the case neck. It can be easily wiped off the case neck with a cloth if you are concerned by the tiny deposit left there.

Overall I found my cases shiny clean after 5 minutes and brighter than my new unused Lapua brass!

The component parts I sourced locally (Adelaide) and are as follows:

A Jaycar Commercial ultrasonic cleaner ($299) which features a 3ltr SS tank with lid and basket and is rated at 100W.

A pair of Bodum coffee plunger spare glass flasks in glass size 3. I got these from Myers for $15 each. They are ultra thin walled and hardened and transmit the ultrasonic waves thru to clean the cases.

I then lashed out and bought a bottle of Coles brand white vinegar and some Mckenzies Bi-carb Soda.



The 2 glass flasks fit nicely into the tank allowing plenty of room for the ultrasonic action to be transmitted effectively. I put 1.5 liters of water into the tank and this is enough for the 2 flasks with 223R cases. Each flask can hold 30x223R cases with lots of room to spare.

Notice I fitted a self adhesive thin rubber gasket (draft excluder) to the top of the tank for the basket to sit on. This stops the basket rattling during operation of the cleaner.



Mix water and vinegar at a 50:50 dilution to clean the cases.



Note: Before cleaning the cases the manufacturer recommends de-gassing the water in the tank for 5 minutes. This removes air from the water allowing a stronger ultrasonic effect for cleaning. I didn't notice any difference but it may be worth doing if adding a prior step to cleaning doesn't put you off.

Cleaning is underway! Notice in the photos the carbon/powder residues being put into suspension. The ultrasonic cleaning effect is very fast this sequence is in a 5 minute cleaning cycle. This brass has only been shot once yet look at the amount of deposit coming off only 21 cases.






Cases have now been rinsed in water before going into neutralising solution. This is just to rinse off the vinegar solution and get rid of all the muck suspended in the flask.



Add a pinch of bi-carb to the flask of water with the cases to neutralise the weak acetic acid from the vinegar. This is the second and the final 5 minute cleaning procedure in the ultrasonic tank.




Rinse the cases in water (in flask under the tap) once again after neutralising then dry the outside of the cases with some paper towel. Place in a drying/draining stand to drain dry the inside of the cases. Thats all there is to it and I hope you find it as easy to do as I have.

[Lynn Otto]

Excellent post Ian with the pics and info. Trevor and I have been doing this for some time now, using the same ultrasonic unit but a different method and able to clean about 50 cases at a time. We also found the rubber strip to be an essential addition to the unit, lol.

[richmac]

Good Post Ian
I also have a ultrasonic cleaner that clean my cases very clean inside and out.
I use 1 Teaspoon of Cream of Tarter per 1 litre of water.
This solution cleans the cases without tarnishing and I blow them out with compressed air.
There is another product that they use overseas which has the trade name of Citronox,huge raves on how good it is,It is very highly concentrated and lasts for quite a long time.
I will try to find out where you can buy it here in OZ.
Regards Rich

[IanP]

Good Post Ian
I also have a ultrasonic cleaner that clean my cases very clean inside and out.
I use 1 Teaspoon of Cream of Tarter per 1 litre of water.
This solution cleans the cases without tarnishing and I blow them out with compressed air.
There is another product that they use overseas which has the trade name of Citronox,huge raves on how good it is,It is very highly concentrated and lasts for quite a long time.
I will try to find out where you can buy it here in OZ.
Regards Rich

Good info Richard, I looked up the ph of cream of tartar and its around 4.0 for a fairly concentrated mix. White vinegar is around ph 2.8 full strength so a 50:50 solution might bring it down around the same acidic level as cream of tartar.

Bi-carb (or baking soda) is around the ph 9.0 and being alkaline neutralises the acidic vinegar and would do the same for cream of tartar. I wonder if creme of tartar is more economical to buy than cheap white vinegar?

I have not had any discolouration problems using vinegar so far on cases but I use a quick clean time.

Anyone else have a brew they want to share for ultrasonic cleaning?

[IanP]

Excellent post Ian with the pics and info. Trevor and I have been doing this for some time now, using the same ultrasonic unit but a different method and able to clean about 50 cases at a time. We also found the rubber strip to be an essential addition to the unit, lol.

Hi Lynn, thanks for the positive feedback! Would you like to post how you do your cleaning so we can all share in another method that works well?

[Grant]

I also use an ultra sonic cleaner for my cases and I buy my vinegar at $1.75 for 2 litres from safeway (cannot get more economical than that) after cases have been cleaned and neutralized I then drop them into a container of metho to remove any traces of water (water and metho mix) then put then mouth down in a drying rack and leave for 24 hours my drying rack has warm air blowing through underneath it to thoroughly dry cases inside. I end up with reasonably shiny cases but I rub them with a mixture of brasso / light machine oil (approc 30 drops) finish with a light rub and they come out better than new. the little bit of machine oil also adds a slight lube to the cases and they feed and eject so much better, I also check and trim the case neck after every use and check for head seperation. I only use ADI cases

[Chopper]

G,day Grant,be carefull with the oil on the cases,maybe not a good idea ,this could put a lot of pressure back on to youre bolt and cause big problems,Regards Chop.

[AlanF]

Well spotted Paul. You've probably heard me going on about the danger of getting cases wet in some of the higher pressure cases we use. Oil would probably be worse.

Alan

[Grant]

99.9% of the oil comes off when cases are given final polish and if you did not know it was there you would not know and it cannot be felt with fingers, there is just enough residual left to make the cases feel smooth

I do take you point and that is why i polish them so well at the end and I have seen too many people end up with metal in their face due to carelessness when reloading. I even do a final check on every round before heading out to the range and my grandson gives them all a final loving wipe down before he puts them back in carry case.

[SJM]

THOSE OF YOU WITH LEMON TREES CAN SAVE A FEW DOLLARS - THE JUICE FROM 1/2 A LEMON WILL BRING YOUR CASES OUT GLEAMING.

[IanP]

THOSE OF YOU WITH LEMON TREES CAN SAVE A FEW DOLLARS - THE JUICE FROM 1/2 A LEMON WILL BRING YOUR CASES OUT GLEAMING.

I'd have to wrestle the other half to get the lemons (might be fun). How do you use it 50:50 with water or straight up? Its an interesting option as a eco friendly cleaner but please provide some details on how you use it and how well it works! Do you neutralise with bicarb or just rinse, great idea just need more info.

[SJM]

The juice of 1 lemon to 1 lite of water will clean 30 cases very well - I run the cleaner for 2 cycles of 400 seconds each, then I drain them and rinse in meths before blowing them dry with an air compressor. The cases are very bright and therprimer pockets are also very clean. After 3 or 4 firings I also use a case timbler with coen cob to smooth the cases.

[LeoL]

Where did you get the self adhesive rubber gasket from please? I am in NZ. Awesome visual layout. I have been using a recipe in a bucket.

[IanP]

LeoL, its sold at any hardware shop as a draft excluder for doors etc. It comes in a coiled length for cutting into gaskets for any use.

[LeoL]

I had a yank cleaner as well. Unfortunately you also need a transformer. Went well first time but I think I overloaded it. Bought this rig as suggested. However I think I bought the biggest Bodum glasses. They touch at the top. But it is great to see the cases clean up so well. Many thanks for such a well laid out demo. There is an art in communication and this is spot on. Heading off chasing sika this weekend. Will send you some venison.