The Creedmoor Forum

Anyone use one of these?
Hornady® Hot Tub™ Sonic Cleaner

https://www.hornady.com/reloading/case-care/sonic-cleaners-and-solutions/hornady-hot-tub-sonic-cleaner

I can't say I've tried this one but I have tried others, never found one I liked.

I ask myself what else do I have to do from a cleaning perspective once I've "cleaned" the brass?

The ultrasonic cleaners I've tried still left me with cleaning the primer pockets, and I have to dry the brass either passively or actively.

SS pin tumbling with a dash of Lemmie and squirt of Dawn leaves me with drying the brass, done.

I'm all over a better mousetrap if one comes around.

I will add that SS pins and induction annealing are not good friends, so, I have to exercise care to make sure the cases are pin-free,

  What are you using to tumble with SS?  All the reviews I read on various brands look like they are mostly garbage.

I use a Frankfort arsenal ss tumbler and theirs nothing garbage about it... brass comes out looking brand new... been using it for a couple years now and have washed thousands of cases with it and works as good today as it did when I got it;; using a Frankfort arsenal media separator that sits on top a bucket of water seperates the pins ..  to the op I havnt ever tried a ultra sonic cleaner... I did watch the Hornady video about the one your talking about and it looks like a nice unit... but for cleaning brass to like new its hard to beat a ss pin tumbler...

Quote from: Fliers on January 13, 2019, 04:58:06 PMWhat are you using to tumble with SS?  All the reviews I read on various brands look like they are mostly garbage.

"SS pin tumbling with a dash of Lemmie and squirt of Dawn"

You can buy the Lemmie shine at WalMart or most any lager retailer, I use 1/4 teaspoon per cleaning.

Thanks for all the replies, I have other  places to spend my $$
Greg

So I have both a Hornady Sonic cleaner and SS pin cleaning system.  Both systems have their pros and cons.
Sonic Cleaner is faster, easier to use, does a fairly decent job but does not get the brass as shiny as the SS pin system.
SS pin system get the brass much cleaner but is more work separating the media from the brass and takes longer.
I use both depending on my mood i guess.  Small batches usually with the sonic, large with the SS pins.
With either method, you must ensure that you brush the insides of your necks because they do remove the carbon.

Quote from: Blinkster on January 15, 2019, 05:19:56 PMWith either method, you must ensure that you brush the insides of your necks because they do remove the carbon.

Blinkster, would you mind elaborating on brushing the inside of the necks? I always want to know more about the steps I'm missing

Quote from: bikemutt on January 15, 2019, 05:49:56 PMBlinkster, would you mind elaborating on brushing the inside of the necks? I always want to know more about the steps I'm missing

So the liquid method of cleaning does such a good job, it removes most or all of the carbon on the inside of the necks.  This carbon acts as a lubricant, allowing the bullet to release more consistently.  I typically use a very stiff (Montana-X) nylon bore brush of the correct caliber.  Being somewhat OCD, I typically screw my brush into my prep center and run the case up and down about 10 times.
To see what affect this has, try seating a bullet into a case that has been brushed and one that has not and you will feel the difference.  The goal is to try to get the same seating resistance for each round.  Benchrest shooters say that this is one of the most importance factors for consistency.

I use a cue tip soaked in Neolube 2 on the necks.

Eric

I use a Harbour Freight tumbler and the SS pins.  However I use basket strainer that has telescoping handles which I put over the sink with a piece of Nylon window screen inside of it.   Pour the pins out into the basket and screen, rinse, Pick the brass out shake the pins out.  After the pins have dried in the basket pick the screen up and pour it back into the tumbler.  I like it better than having to fool with dry media and having to replace it.  I use a sonic tumbler after sizing to remove the lube.  Your mileage may vary

I do run a nylon brush in/out, in/out using the FA rotary prep tool, mostly to make sure no debris is stuck in the necks, especially if I trim and chamfer.

For lube, I place 10 in a 30 cal plastic loading block, then invert a 20 cal loading block over the necks. I spray the bodies with Hornady One Shot from both sides. The upside down loading block keeps lube off the necks and prevents it from getting inside the necks. Once a piece is body sized I wipe with an alcohol rag and call it good.

Quote from: Blinkster on January 16, 2019, 04:20:19 PMSo the liquid method of cleaning does such a good job, it removes most or all of the carbon on the inside of the necks.  This carbon acts as a lubricant, allowing the bullet to release more consistently.  I typically use a very stiff (Montana-X) nylon bore brush of the correct caliber.  Being somewhat OCD, I typically screw my brush into my prep center and run the case up and down about 10 times.
To see what affect this has, try seating a bullet into a case that has been brushed and one that has not and you will feel the difference.  The goal is to try to get the same seating resistance for each round.  Benchrest shooters say that this is one of the most importance factors for consistency.

Now you have me adding another step to my process. 

I presently use a RCBS Ultrasonic for cleaning.  I de-prime first and heat it up to 140F, and run 30 minutes.  It took the RCBS unit forever to heat up, so I just heat up the water in an old teapot and pour it in.  Using the hot water, it cleans everything nicely, but still does not polish.  I then size and trim.  Then, my last step before loading is to vibratory tumble for 3 hours just for the shine, and shaving removal.  Now I will brush the necks after this and see what it does for my loads.

 I really like the simplicity of this build... super cheap.  I think I'm going to try it.  Found a motor on ebay for $20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bXLq_9CW4c

Quote from: bikemutt on January 17, 2019, 10:13:42 AMI do run a nylon brush in/out, in/out using the FA rotary prep tool, mostly to make sure no debris is stuck in the necks, especially if I trim and chamfer.

For lube, I place 10 in a 30 cal plastic loading block, then invert a 20 cal loading block over the necks. I spray the bodies with Hornady One Shot from both sides. The upside down loading block keeps lube off the necks and prevents it from getting inside the necks. Once a piece is body sized I wipe with an alcohol rag and call it good.

I tried that One-Shot stuff a few times.  Kept on getting stuck cases.  I have now been using Imperial sizing wax exclusively.  A little more work but I think I get a more consistent coverage.