Stainless Steel tumbler or Ultrasonic Cleaner???

[vertical ascent]

For Range Brass it may even be insufficient depending on how much crud is on the brass.

For brass that's cleaned after every shooting, yes, 3 hours is probably overkill.

3 hours? When all you need at most is 30 minutes in 20/40 corn or 15-30 minutes in an ultrasonic?
3 hours? Wow.
Enjoy.

I do 30-60 minutes in my stm. 3 hours seems excessive.

These are my range brass and this is the first time these brass were cleaned, I am sure that my subsequent case cleaning will not take as long. These brass are very pretty though, nice and sparkly.

 

[deadshot2]

Overall, does it make all that much difference how long it takes?

For me, I put my spent brass in a small bin that holds a "batch" for my Tumbler. When full I deprime and toss in the tumbler.

The tumbler can sit there for 30 minutes, 3 hours, or more. Doesn't slow me down because I have more brass that was cleaned previously. Brass I clean today won't be needed for a couple weeks or more.

 

[springfield0612]

Ok, so I all ready had a Harbor Freight dual drum rock tumbler for the kids and wifes rock tumbler project. I found a vendor on another Gun forum site selling SS pins for $7.50/pound. I only needed two pounds to work with my drums(drums are 3# max so 1# of pins 1# of brass and 1# of water is the max weight per cylinder).
I figured I all ready had the tumbler so $20 for pins shipped is not that huge of an investment. It's not like buying a new Thumlers Tumbler or equivilent for $300 and then another $50 for pins. So I got 'em, and wow. Once or twice fired brass in for 1 hour with lemi-shine and dish soap looks great! So I think I am going to SS tumble everything to get a good base of clean brass, and then I will Ultrasonic them as needed and see how that does. Keep in mind that since these are small drums I can only do like 250 9mm at a time or 170 .45 acp at a time. But set it and forget it for an hour and it's not that big of a deal.
I am not an OCD super shiney brass nut, but I figured since we shoot on public land some times the brass misses the tarp the shiney will be easier to spot in the long grass and weeds.

 

[Hydrobob]

Have used the SS tumbler for over last couple months on over 4,000 cases. As small as .380 and large as 7mm mag. I cannot believe how new it makes even the most garbaged corroded cases look. Easy to spot any problem cases after cleaning.
I like the Harvey deprimer to deprime (quick and easy) to allow the primer holes cleaning. Very thorough inside and out! Use a Dillon separator to remove the SS and then lay on canvas on floor with fan blowing over top, dries spotless in couple hours. CLEAN

 

[rumblebee1967]

I have has both and got rid of the ultra sonic and now have 2 stainless tumblers. Sonic is the second best method but the stainless is outstanding.

 

[44mag2ndamend]

Seems to me the most cost-effective high quality method is the Harbor Freight rock tumbler with the ss media. Granted it may not process a ton of brass, but me thinks that is the way to go!

 

[deadshot2]

Seems to me the most cost-effective high quality method is the Harbor Freight rock tumbler with the ss media. Granted it may not process a ton of brass, but me thinks that is the way to go!

One of the most common mistakes made my many "reloaders" is they fail to look to the future. Not even a small "peek".

Buying decisions are based on "how little can I spend to get this done"? Then, as they get into the hobby they realize that the inexpensive choice doesn't measure up to their needs. Then they go ahead and buy what they should have in the beginning if they'd only taken that one step of looking ahead. That makes the total cost even more than than if they'd taken the jump to begin with.

If that look forward determines that an inexpensive solution will be adequate several years down the road, no problem.

Just take that time and make a realistic forecast so you don't essentially spend your money twice.

 

[Gunner3456]

Guys, all too often when I check in here I hear of guys using acid based cleaners such as lemon, etc.

Brass isn't an alloy. It is a mixture of copper and zinc. Zinc is very, very soft and can be dissolved by acids. That leaves you with microscopically porous brass. Sometime it isn't microscopic but rather really obvious.

In any event it significantly weakens the brass, especially over time and repetition.

Can you please find something to clean your brass with that isn't acid based?

 

[noylj]

I have never before heard any one say that brass is NOT an alloy.
Definition of alloy:
"A homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metals, the atoms of one replacing or occupying interstitial positions between the atoms of the other: Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper."

 

[Gunner3456]

I have never before heard any one say that brass is NOT an alloy.
Definition of alloy:
"A homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metals, the atoms of one replacing or occupying interstitial positions between the atoms of the other: Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper."

You are correct. My bad. I made the unforgivable mistake of reading that somewhere and repeating it without looking up a link.

Cheers!