Sonic cleaning
- Thread starter Brutus
- Start date
I like my sonic cleaner a lot and yes it does clean primer pockets.
I have about the smallest one produced - Lyman TS 700 - But it's perfect for me because I run small (pistol) lots anyhow, and it only takes a few minutes to run a batch so doing a few batches isn't a big affair.
Well worth the $ for me! I ordered mine online... and the liquid solution too in the same order.
No big outlay... @ $60... Very happy with it. Bigger ones run @ $120...
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyman-Turbo-reg-Sonic-TS-Sonic-Cleaner/1324101.uts
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoo...uts?destination=/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1100197
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyma...01&categoryIds=104792580|104761080|104661180|
I have about the smallest one produced - Lyman TS 700 - But it's perfect for me because I run small (pistol) lots anyhow, and it only takes a few minutes to run a batch so doing a few batches isn't a big affair.
Well worth the $ for me! I ordered mine online... and the liquid solution too in the same order.
No big outlay... @ $60... Very happy with it. Bigger ones run @ $120...
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyman-Turbo-reg-Sonic-TS-Sonic-Cleaner/1324101.uts
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shoo...uts?destination=/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1100197
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lyma...01&categoryIds=104792580|104761080|104661180|
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Have never seen any tangible evidence that cleaning a primer pocket does anything useful beyond pride or simply bowing to some strong OCD.
On top of that, any method of cleaning a primer pocket brings with extra work, mostly of a nature I would label tedious.
However, to answer the question...
Yes-- sonic cleaning will clean a primer pocket where vibratory cleaning will not.
On top of that, any method of cleaning a primer pocket brings with extra work, mostly of a nature I would label tedious.
However, to answer the question...
Yes-- sonic cleaning will clean a primer pocket where vibratory cleaning will not.
Sorry but I'm kinda anal, like my brass sparkly clean, only use a single stage press. It's all part of the reloading ritual, each round made with TLC. Guess to my way of thinking, not cleaning primer pockets is sorta like washing your pants but not your underwear but that's just me.
Each individual will find his own limits. I will always back the idea that you must have your own comfort zone. For you, clean pockets are part of that zone.
However, you have your limits also! Afterall, this would be a moot point if you only used NEW brass. You could skip all of this brass AND pocket cleaning and you must admit... Shiny new brass would be like a recreational drug to someone who is anal about precision and quality in handloads.
However, you have your limits also! Afterall, this would be a moot point if you only used NEW brass. You could skip all of this brass AND pocket cleaning and you must admit... Shiny new brass would be like a recreational drug to someone who is anal about precision and quality in handloads.
Airman Basic
New member
Good explanation here:
http://www.theboxotruth.com/educational-zone-154-wet-tumbling-brass-for-more-bling/
I'll file this with the rest of "I like to."
Don't get me wrong, anyone can do whatever they want when it comes to cleaning. I've read a few posts from people that don't clean their brass at all. When you think about it, dirty insides shouldn't affect the way it shoots (although I'm sure someone can find a reason that it would; if so, is it enough to make a real difference?). It might affect your dies.
I had 1,400 cases to prep and clean. I paid 1 cent each, that was 1,400 cases for $14.00 dollars. All with crimped primers. At about the same time I purchased 800 linked rounds, again with crimped primers. I purchased the RCBS case prep center, never a regret.
I have since wore out the large crimp remover, the primer pocket uniformer shows no sign of failing. I also have small brushes that fit the prep center and handles, the brushes were made for cleaning primer pockets. Again, I use the primer pocket uniformer.
When prepping cases I have 5 options, I hold the case and remove the crimp, uniform the primer pocket depth/clean, chamber/bevel the case mouth, brush the inside of the neck etc. Something to look forward to, after the crimp is removed it is not necessary to remove it again after the first firing.
Hating to do something is an option I do not have.
F. Guffey
I have since wore out the large crimp remover, the primer pocket uniformer shows no sign of failing. I also have small brushes that fit the prep center and handles, the brushes were made for cleaning primer pockets. Again, I use the primer pocket uniformer.
When prepping cases I have 5 options, I hold the case and remove the crimp, uniform the primer pocket depth/clean, chamber/bevel the case mouth, brush the inside of the neck etc. Something to look forward to, after the crimp is removed it is not necessary to remove it again after the first firing.
Hating to do something is an option I do not have.
F. Guffey
serf 'rett
New member
I've been using stainless steel pins for around five years. They really are the cat meow for us Type A folks. Mix brass, water, stainless steel pins, dishsoap and Lemishine (or citric acid) and run until you get the results you want. Clean, super clean or see-yourself-shiny clean
My impression from a few years of tumbling in 'traditional' media was that the interior of the cases and primer pockets were basically filth magnets, and suck the rouge from media and make it stick like the glue on a K-Mart price label. I think cases are actually far dirtier inside after tumbling that if you left them alone--when using the usual light weight impregnated media.
I truly do enjoy loading new brass or brass that's shiny, bright and looks new inside and out. But, it costs time and money to do that. I seldom clean brass anymore at all, and the thing is, when the finished cartridges drop in the bin, they look darn near identical whether they've been cleaned or not.
I use a Harbor Freight ultrasonic unit that's identical to the Lyman cleaner, with a citric acid based cleaner called Citrinox (made by a company called Alconox). This stuff does a great job, using 2 to 4 ounces in a full bath.
These are 40SW cases that were as black as any I've seen, with primer pockets to match, after 8 minutes in the ultrasonic tank:
Pretty. Makes me feel good to put them in the press. What makes me feel better is dumping them straight from the range bag into the box on the bench, and getting them loaded again.
I did use a big Lyman vibrator/tumbler for years, until I finally admitted the fact that the only part of the case getting clean was the outside. The insides stayed as black as they ever were, as did the primer pockets, and in fact all tumbling did was add a bunch of rouge to the mess. The experience seems similar to yours--you tumble, and now you have bright, filthy brass.
Anyway, I find the ss pins to be a real attractive option because everything I've seen indicates it does a great job. But, I'm still at the 'why' portion of the program, and cleaning brass simply doesn't solve any problem that I have. I have no dies that will wear out in my lifetime, and 60 minutes ditzing with brass cleaning is 3 boxes of ammo I didn't have time to load.
I truly do enjoy loading new brass or brass that's shiny, bright and looks new inside and out. But, it costs time and money to do that. I seldom clean brass anymore at all, and the thing is, when the finished cartridges drop in the bin, they look darn near identical whether they've been cleaned or not.
I use a Harbor Freight ultrasonic unit that's identical to the Lyman cleaner, with a citric acid based cleaner called Citrinox (made by a company called Alconox). This stuff does a great job, using 2 to 4 ounces in a full bath.
These are 40SW cases that were as black as any I've seen, with primer pockets to match, after 8 minutes in the ultrasonic tank:
Pretty. Makes me feel good to put them in the press. What makes me feel better is dumping them straight from the range bag into the box on the bench, and getting them loaded again.
I did use a big Lyman vibrator/tumbler for years, until I finally admitted the fact that the only part of the case getting clean was the outside. The insides stayed as black as they ever were, as did the primer pockets, and in fact all tumbling did was add a bunch of rouge to the mess. The experience seems similar to yours--you tumble, and now you have bright, filthy brass.
Anyway, I find the ss pins to be a real attractive option because everything I've seen indicates it does a great job. But, I'm still at the 'why' portion of the program, and cleaning brass simply doesn't solve any problem that I have. I have no dies that will wear out in my lifetime, and 60 minutes ditzing with brass cleaning is 3 boxes of ammo I didn't have time to load.
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+1 on the harbor freight ultrasonic cleaner Got it yesterday and ran some brass using dish washing soap and lemi shine, don't think I'll do that again. It cleaned the brass well but left an orange tint on the brass. I did some others with just dish washing soap and they came out clean but not bright and polished looking, so I'm running them through the old tumbler so see how they look. I haven't tried the different brass cleaning solutions yet just wanted to see what soap and water would do, I am impressed with how well just that has worked.
Possible reasons for clean primer pockets
Board member Hummer70 used to work for Aberdeen proving grounds as a test director (as well as being a national champion long range competitor). He says that during extensive testing, he observed barrels lasting longer when using new brass. He believes he has been able to trace greater throat longevity, in particular, to the absence of age-hardened carbon left in primer pockets that is blown out during firing. He was an early adopter of the stainless steel pin tumbling media for this reason.
Another factor has been concern the residue will cushion a primer anvil's feet, making ignition slightly less uniform. Cleaning half your pockets and not the other half, loading by your method and looking for a statistical improvement in velocity SD is the only test that comes to mind. If you seat primers uniformly enough, you might be able to see the difference. If you don't, your own variation in primer seating may well swamp the difference out.
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, carbon does harden with age. If you decap fired primers at the range while still hot from the chamber, the residue mostly just falls out. It takes awhile for it to set, then it keeps hardening for a time. So whether or not a particular cleaning system removes the carbon may depend a lot on how soon you get them into that system after firing.
Some folks uniform the depth of their primer pockets and then use the uniformer to clean them after firing. That often shaves a little brass, too, since firing gradually moves the floor of the primer pocket back if you run near maximum pressures. The uniformer allows primers to be seated to the same depth and have the same bridge set.
The cases below are ultrasonically cleaned. It took about 40 minutes. I used a relatively strong (5% by weight) citric acid solution, having found acids make primer residue fizz, which seems to help weaken it a little. These cases had some carbon hardening time on them. They'd also been exposed to water.
Board member Hummer70 used to work for Aberdeen proving grounds as a test director (as well as being a national champion long range competitor). He says that during extensive testing, he observed barrels lasting longer when using new brass. He believes he has been able to trace greater throat longevity, in particular, to the absence of age-hardened carbon left in primer pockets that is blown out during firing. He was an early adopter of the stainless steel pin tumbling media for this reason.
Another factor has been concern the residue will cushion a primer anvil's feet, making ignition slightly less uniform. Cleaning half your pockets and not the other half, loading by your method and looking for a statistical improvement in velocity SD is the only test that comes to mind. If you seat primers uniformly enough, you might be able to see the difference. If you don't, your own variation in primer seating may well swamp the difference out.
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, carbon does harden with age. If you decap fired primers at the range while still hot from the chamber, the residue mostly just falls out. It takes awhile for it to set, then it keeps hardening for a time. So whether or not a particular cleaning system removes the carbon may depend a lot on how soon you get them into that system after firing.
Some folks uniform the depth of their primer pockets and then use the uniformer to clean them after firing. That often shaves a little brass, too, since firing gradually moves the floor of the primer pocket back if you run near maximum pressures. The uniformer allows primers to be seated to the same depth and have the same bridge set.
The cases below are ultrasonically cleaned. It took about 40 minutes. I used a relatively strong (5% by weight) citric acid solution, having found acids make primer residue fizz, which seems to help weaken it a little. These cases had some carbon hardening time on them. They'd also been exposed to water.
Magnum Wheel Man
New member
I'm sure there is a big difference between commercial ultrasonic cleaners & the small ones marketed at us reloaders... I have one of the Hornady ( actually 2, after the 1st one had a defect & tried to burn my house down 
) my OCD is not happy with the Hornday ultra sonic...
I started with an RCBS Sidewinder & cob & or Walnut then bought the ultra sonic, then bought stainless pins to run in my old Sidewinder ( it was like a miracle ) but my Sidewinder was pretty worn out when I got it, & it didn't take long with the heavier drum to finish it off...
I'm now running a Frankford Arsenal rotary that came with the pins, & the only critisism is the only 3 hour timer... ( I liked the RCBS which had a 12 hour timer ) as I could set it & come back later to shut it off, & the cases wouldn't be sitting for hours in dirty water... & the Thumler brand has no timer, so if you forget it, it'll run until you notice it running... perhaps much, much later...
BTW... I notice I get more of my cases back during CAS shooting, as they are way easier to see for the picker uper people, than dirty brass also if the insides of the cases are shiney, it makes inspection of cases prone to head seperation, easier to inspect... primer pockets are a bonus...
BTW #2... I use a universal decapper die before tumbling, so my sizing die stays cleaner & scratch free
) my OCD is not happy with the Hornday ultra sonic...I started with an RCBS Sidewinder & cob & or Walnut then bought the ultra sonic, then bought stainless pins to run in my old Sidewinder ( it was like a miracle ) but my Sidewinder was pretty worn out when I got it, & it didn't take long with the heavier drum to finish it off...
I'm now running a Frankford Arsenal rotary that came with the pins, & the only critisism is the only 3 hour timer... ( I liked the RCBS which had a 12 hour timer ) as I could set it & come back later to shut it off, & the cases wouldn't be sitting for hours in dirty water... & the Thumler brand has no timer, so if you forget it, it'll run until you notice it running... perhaps much, much later...
BTW... I notice I get more of my cases back during CAS shooting, as they are way easier to see for the picker uper people, than dirty brass
also if the insides of the cases are shiney, it makes inspection of cases prone to head seperation, easier to inspect... primer pockets are a bonus...BTW #2... I use a universal decapper die before tumbling, so my sizing die stays cleaner & scratch free