Ultrasonic Case Cleaning

[LeadWaster]

Does anyone have any experience with heated ultrasonic cleaners for use with brass? Graf and Sons has a 2.5l heated ultrasonic cleaner on sale, and I think they claim it will handle 500 pieces of 9mm brass at a time. Will it get brass as nice and shiny as walnut hull media in a Dillon vibratory cleaner? I can see other applications for the ultrasonic cleaner besides just cases. Thanks.

[gregintenn]

My wife has an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. It works great for that. I doubt she'll let me put brass in it, however.

[LeadWaster]

Sneak a piece or two in there and tell me how it works! HA! I'll bet a lot of how it performs is dependent on the solution you use in it.

[gregintenn]

Is ammonia harmful to brass?

[kb4ns]

Is ammonia harmful to brass?

I've always heard that ammonia will attack the copper in brass.

[LeadWaster]

I found info on-line where a fellow tested all kinds of cleaners, commercial and home made, in his ultrasonic cleaner. The best cleaner was 50/50, white vinegar and water. He followed that with a neutralizing bath of water with a bit of baking soda. The cases look great. While Grafs price is good on the 2.5 l cleaner, Harbor Freight has a similar machine for about $70. I think it would be good to clean gun parts as well. not sure what kind of cleaning solution to use for that though.

[gregintenn]

Sometime when I'm bored, I might slip a few in and see what happens.

[Verne]

I have one of the $70 dollar Harbor Freight ones. It works great for what I need it to do and if you keep your eye on their site you can catch them on sale very often for $59 dollars. I use it mainly to clean my suppressors and a few other small parts. Mainly use Pure jugged water in it. Have not thought about using it to clean brass though.

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[LeadWaster]

I think Harbor Freight has them for $59 right now. I've heard that demineralized water is really good for cleaning... much better than distilled. Not sure why.

[MudBugjr]

Back in the day when I was working as a jewler we never used ammonia or harsh chemicals. The best thing is a Mr Clean and water solution. Should work great for brass. The only thing an ultrasonic will do is remove grease and dirt. It won't polish a case.