Hornady Sonic Cleaner

[DrMike]

Well, I purchased the Lock-N-Load Sonic Cleaner a couple of weeks back. However, I only hooked it up this afternoon. Pretty neat the way it works. They do recommend that the spent cases be deprimed before cleaning, which makes perfect sense if you want to clean the primer pockets and not have to brush them. It works pretty good. I'll post some pictures later.

 

[SJB358]

Man, it sounds like a sweet piece of gear. Wished they would have came out with it a year ago before I bought a new tumbler. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

I can tell you that a 480 second cycle does not complete clean 27 cases. It takes at least three cycles, and it is amazing the amount of residue that comes off. The case mouth is brass coloured again. I'll post pictures later today.

 

[JD338]

Mike,

What are you using for a fluid?

JD338

 

[R Flowers]

I too, bought the Hornady Sonic Cleaner and like how it works.

Using Hornady's own additive in the water ( I think it is citric acid) I find that it cleans cases well enough if you do several cycles. And, I find that if you fill it too full with cases you need to rotate them between cycles to truly get the insides of the cases clean.

And, I am likewise amazed at the residue I find in the water after a few cycles, lots of black stuff in the bottom of the pan.

However, for those interested in buying one, be aware that it CLEANS cases, it does NOT polish them. So, depending on what you want your cases to look like, you still may want to tumble them.

 

[DrMike]

I'm using the Hornady Lock-N-Load Sonic Solution. There is a really good article on a variety of homemade cleaners on the 6mmbr site (http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html). When I run out of these solutions, I'll undoubtedly try the "CHEAP and CLEAN" or the "CLEAN and SHINY" formula suggested on that site.

I'm a little bummed out. I used sonic cleaners for a long time in the lab, and never thought to suggest using one for brass. Consequently, the sonic cleaners are made and marketed as laboratory equipment by GemOro.

 

[SJB358]

Mike, what is the benefit of the sonic cleaner over a tumbler? I just look for clean cases to run inside my dies. If they look good, that is great also, but it is nice to keep the grime away from the inside of my dies as much as I can. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

In theory, this should be faster. In practise, it saves about ten minutes if you do three cycles. It does a more thorough job of cleaning, taking off a ton of residue from inside the case. I was astonished at the filth suspended in the cleaning solution. It is certainly quieter than the tumbler, which can be problematic at times. One suggestion that the 6mmbr site made was to place the cases in a Pyrex beaker, which would make clean-up easier. On the whole, it appears to have been a good move. Here is a quick shot of cases after three cycles.

The process is not perfect, but the primer pockets are clean, and there will be no scraping to get them clean. The necks are free of residue, and that means no extra brushing before sizing. It is apparent to me that the cases may require as many as four 480 second cycles.

 

[kraky]

I bought the harbor frt unit. If you go in with one of their coupons you can get it for about $55. It has a heater element which I like. I tried the cheap route first with some of the homemade cleaners. They didn't work all that well......especially once I tried the hornady solution...that works really good.
BUT, I have to say that I think that you could buy the hornady solution......mix it with some water in an old pan....heat it up....put in your brass and stir with something from time to time and I think you might get a surprising good job.
In the old days I used to use vinegar and water and do that with range brass and it worked fair. I'm thinking the hornady solution is good enough that you might get by without the sonic cleaner.
Anyone try it this way??

 

[SJB358]

In theory, this should be faster. In practise, it saves about ten minutes if you do three cycles. It does a more thorough job of cleaning, taking off a ton of residue from inside the case. I was astonished at the filth suspended in the cleaning solution. It is certainly quieter than the tumbler, which can be problematic at times. One suggestion that the 6mmbr site made was to place the cases in a Pyrex beaker, which would make clean-up easier. On the whole, it appears to have been a good move. Here is a quick shot of cases after three cycles.

The process is not perfect, but the primer pockets are clean, and there will be no scraping to get them clean. The necks are free of residue, and that means no extra brushing before sizing. It is apparent to me that the cases may require as many as four 480 second cycles.

Mike, those do look really clean. Man, I hate when new stuff like this comes out. Oh well, I have a few other pieces of kit to upgrade before I get to brass cleaning, but that does look nice and taking the carbon from the inside of the case is pretty nice. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

kraky,

I've used vinegar and dish washing soap with brass before I used a tumbler. It does work, but it takes quite a bit longer than the ultrasonic cleaners. Actually, the article that I referenced earlier in this thread found that vinegar and dish soap worked quite well. It is acidic with a bit of long chain hydrocarbons to suspend residue as it loosens, which is what is needed. I'll likely do some experiments this summer with solutions.

 

[SJB358]

Mike, do you still tumble cases after cleaning like that? Just wondering if I could sell my brain on having both? Scotty

 

[DrMike]

Scotty,

I have two tumblers. I won't be getting rid of them. I can see that they have their own value. No, after sonic cleaning, I see no need of tumbling. Because I am doing so much custom work of load development, I try to keep my workup confined to techniques that are commonly available to the average handloader. If I throw in something that would be seen as exotic to many, it would introduce a twist that would be unfair. With fresh media, however, the outside of the case is polished to a much deeper lustre than the sonic cleaner can provide. That is what many people (dare I say most people) are looking for.

 

[SJB358]

Makes alot of sense Mike. Scotty