Ultrasonic cleaners and BP,

[fourfingersofdeath]

I have done a search and gone back through the Dark Arts and these pages without success.

I was all set to buy a ultrasonic cleaner when I got an email regarding a group buy a friend organised on tumbling media. I had forgotten about it and ended up with 2x 35Lb bags of it. The other guys I was buying on behalf of backed out, I guess their work isn't as reliable as mine. Sooooooooo, it looks like I will be dry tumbling for awhile yet.

I ended up picking up a small u/sonic cleaner to experiment with. It will hold a big handful of brass, wehich isn't much, but it was pretty cheap and will do for C&B cylinders and experimenting.

What do you guys use on cartridge brass that bp has been used in and also for c&b gun parts?

I heard someone somewhere say that they used a bit of vinegar and water.

[Blackpowder Burn]

I have the large Hornady ultrasonic cleaner.  For BP brass, I first rinse with a Simple Green and water solution, then put it in the cleaner with the Hornady brass cleaning solution the sell for the ultrasonic cleaners.  I disassemble my guns and put them in the cleaner with the Hornady gun parts cleaning solution.

The solutions are a concentrate and go a long way.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Ultra sonic cleaners are the rage among UK shooters.  Both my son & I have them and they work slickeran...!

Get a good one from Amazon at a fraction of the price quoted by the powder companies.  I chose the smallest one, which was a bit of a mistake, but it still does the trick.

Here is the procedure;

http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html

The vinegar & H2O can be reused several times.  the Soda neutralyzer is a one-off.

[rbertalotto]

I bought the Ultrasonic cleaner that Horrible Freight sells. Looks just like the Hornady and I paid under $30 for it with all the coupons available.

I used it to clean some brass and the results were excellent, but it is much more inconvienient than simply tumbling, and the outsides of the cases looked identical. I don't really care about the inside appearance.

I then put the cylinder from my 1858 Pietta C+B revolver in the mix. It removed all the blueing and the cylinder came out "in the white"!!!

My buddy wanted to clean his Glock slide. Yup, removed all the finish.

I was using nothing buy a few drops of white vinigar and a dask of dish soap.

Be careful what you use for a solution and what type of items you try to clean.

[Ranch 13]

 Friend of mine gave me a Hornady unit. He said it worked, just didn't shine the cases the way he wanted.
I've used it for batche of 20 or so cases at a time, and am very happy with it. I'm thinking simple green is working better than the Hornady solution.
But here's the first time I used it with some cases that I collected over a couple weeks of hunting.

after the first 8 minute cycle


second cycle

[Mako]

I bought the Ultrasonic cleaner that Horrible Freight sells. Looks just like the Hornady and I paid under $30 for it with all the coupons available.

I used it to clean some brass and the results were excellent, but it is much more inconvienient than simply tumbling, and the outsides of the cases looked identical. I don't really care about the inside appearance.

I then put the cylinder from my 1858 Pietta C+B revolver in the mix. It removed all the blueing and the cylinder came out "in the white"!!!

My buddy wanted to clean his Glock slide. Yup, removed all the finish.

I was using nothing buy a few drops of white vinigar and a dask of dish soap.

Be careful what you use for a solution and what type of items you try to clean.

If the finish was removed from a Glock Slide it must have been Black Oxide and not Manganese Phosphate over the Tenifer finish (salt nitrocarburizing) the Austrian pistols have.  Was it the slide or the barrel.  The barrels have a black oxide finish on some models.  A couple of years ago Glock started producing models in the U.S. for export to countries that didn't have export/import agreements with Austria or were on the prohibited list for export from Austria.  They are supposed to have the nitrocarburized finish under the Melanite trademark instead of Tenifer and they have a black oxide finish instead of Parkerization.  How old and what generation was that Glock?



It's not the ultrasonic cleaner that would remove the finish, it's the vinegar.  It's a common way of removing black oxide finishes, but it leaves them mottled or grey unless they are polished.  More finishers use hydrochloric acid or a commercial stripper with a brightener in it for commercial refinishing.

~Mako

[Blackpowder Burn]

The Hornady gun cleaning solution has not affected the bluing on my USFA's or Uberti's.  I'm sure it's more expensive than home made solutions, but the use cost is still low.  I figure it's not worth taking a chance.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

The ultrasound didn't remove the bluing, the ascetic acid did through chemical & galvanic action.

When my son cleaned the cylinders of his Remington Navies after the shoot with PUK & Ned Pepper, he used a mixture of Uncle Dan's BP Solvent, dish soap, and Ballistol.  Worked like a charm!

[Fairshake]

I use Windex/Vinegar that is purchased from the store so I can't say what the mix is. It's about the best thing for removing the plastic that is shed from the wads while shooting Black Powder. I spray the barrels of my TTN SXS until the Windex comes out the barrel. I then use a Bronze 12 ga brush and the first push will slide out the snake skin.
I follow this with a good spraying of moose milk and patches until they show no black or grey. The last step is a coating of EEZOX to protect the barrels inside and out.
The cleaning of my brass is done in a Thumblers model B Fast Speed motor with just enough ceramic to cover the brass. I then add enough water to cover the brass and ceramic with about 1/4 inch above. I then add Dawn/Oxy, a few squirts and a cap full of Lemi- Shine powder. My brass appears as if brand new both inside and out. the primer pockets are also cleaned.
A vibrate type of cleaner with corn cob and walnut hulls will shine the outsides but not the insides and primer pockets.
The new steel pins will also give you great results with a tumbling type of case cleaner.