Sonic brass cleaner

[Wooly Dan]

I have a chance to purchase a sonic brass cleaner new in box, cheap   I know nothing about them.  So any info will help. Starting to shoot black, how do they work w/black and black substitute.

[Ranch 13]

 Rinse/wash you brass to remove the heaviest of the fouling, and then put them in the ultrasonic, won't make em pretty like tumbling, but they will be clean.

[matt45]

I can't draw a definite conclusion to this, but one time I didn't rinse the cases after they came out of the sonic cleaner, and I had several dud primers.  Considering the difficulty/ cost of same, I make sure I rinse the cases well after they come out of the cleaner.
Of course, there is the real chance my findings are total B.S.

[Pitspitr]

I love mine.

Echo what Ranch said, and I still tumble, but it seems to take less time.

If you use different solutions, you can clean things other than bass too

[Ranch 13]

 I use the snot out of mine when going to extended matches, like the Desert International, where I'll go thru 400 rounds in 6-7 days or so, and dragging the tumbler along is a pain.

[Wooly Dan]

Thanks all. Conclusion tumbler works why change. 

[Robert Swartz]

....regarding sonic cleaners. As said above they will get brass clean but they "won't be purty". I use a cheap Harbor Freight one on my BP brass. Deprime them and run them through a couple cycles. Then dry them and run them through the tumbler to make them shiny.

[ira scott]

What the ultrasonic cleaners really work well on is cap and ball cylinders. I give them 2 or 3 cycles in Dawn/H2O, remove them and dry with compressed air. I then remove the nipples, do a little touchup with a nylon brush and reinstall the nipples with a little anti-seize, actually choke tube lube. A little Ballistol wipe down on the cylinder inside and out, and GTG. Removing the nipples each time is probably overkill, but I don't like stuck nipples.

B. N. Scotty

[Whiskey Double]

I made the mistake of cleaning my 1858 conversion cylinders, didn't  use dawn. Plus I turned the heat on. Well I 4 very original looking cylinders now.      NO finish left.   I didn't do the research, the have special  cleaners for gun parts.

Lived and Learned
WD

[Major 2]

....regarding sonic cleaners. As said above they will get brass clean but they "won't be purty". I use a cheap Harbor Freight one on my BP brass. Deprime them and run them through a couple cycles. Then dry them and run them through the tumbler to make them shiny.

Since you mentioned Harbour Freight, I'd like to point out their model is exactly the same unit Lyman offers.  Hornaday also offered the same model, only difference was the prices and DECAL.
I recall my HF with 20% off coupons, was about $32 back when.

[Pitspitr]

Since you mentioned Harbour Freight, I'd like to point out their model is exactly the same unit Lyman offers.  Hornaday also offered the same model, only difference was the prices and DECAL.

Yep!

[Mogorilla]

I am a chemist and we use these for all sorts of applications.  They are great, just had never thought of using them for cleaning brass.   I may have to head to Harbor Freight.   I have a tumble rock polisher/cleaner.   It works just takes forever and is small enough that doing a lot takes days.   

[Snake Oil]

I like my rock/brass tumbler from harbor freight, I think I spent 3 days cleaning brass from the grand muster though... if the sonic cleaner is that much faster, maybe I should invest... I was thinking of going towards the Frankford Arsenal liquid tumbler... what are pros and cons of the two wet systems?

[Ranch 13]

 using the sonic cleaner at the end of each days match, then when you get home it only takes maybe an hour to run a tumbler full of brass in stead of the 3 hours normally. So it does save some time, but more importantly it gets you brass preserved when you may be gone on the trip for 2 weeks.

[Snake Oil]

Harbor freight is a little more pricey now ($89.99)...and they have a new 6 liter option ($169.99)... compared to the  rock tumbler at $69.99.

[Niederlander]

I've never used a sonic cleaner, but I love using the stainless pins with detergent.  I built a tumbler for a Thumler's drum I was given by a friend.  I can do a couple hundred rounds of .30 Krag (at least) at a time.

[DeaconKC]

Okay, I use the wet tumbler below and love it. I used a vibratory for decades until it died and then bought this one from an estate. It will handle 300-400 45 Colt cases easily. I use Armorall Carwash with wax and no pins. This leaves the cases clean and ready to load, even though I still give them a spritz of Oneshot even with carbide dies. It produces excellent results.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012721373?pid=713881

[Abilene]

using the sonic cleaner at the end of each days match, then when you get home it only takes maybe an hour to run a tumbler full of brass in stead of the 3 hours normally. So it does save some time, but more importantly it gets you brass preserved when you may be gone on the trip for 2 weeks.

So does rinsing the brass in a jug of ordinary water or soapy water.   

[Ranch 13]

 But I can also reload those cases without polishing and all the carbon is gone and primer pockets are clean
Just a rinse in water won't do that

[Coffinmaker]

  Holy Smokes Marshal Dillon 

Man-0-man are younz (pittsburgheeze) ever working too hard for too long.  Although I suppose if you just have to have bright shiny Brass . . . . . .

Just throw your brass inna bag at the range.  Take it home (duh).  Drop it in a small tub of water cut with a goodly amount of White Vinegar, let sit 15 - 20 minutes.  Rinse > Dry > toss inna Lizard Litter Tumbler.  DONE!!

People ARE Hazardous to Yer Health!!