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June 25, 2013
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Endeavor to persevere,
Press on regardless.
Need little, want less, love more.
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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M y buddy owns a gun and pawn and I use him when I buy off gunbroker. I put my model 12 in his tank and went to lunch. Clean as a whistle . Well several hours later the trigger failed to returnand I was crestfallen to say the least. Finally I got up the courage and with the help of the DWF I opened her up, figured it out, ordered the parts and repaired a broken hand spring.I don'T know what it would have looked like without ultrasound but the 42 year old gun was clean as a whistle inside. Maybe too slick as I couldn't get it to work until a dried it off a bit. The trigger return spring would slide under the hand. Dried off I got it to stay in place finally till I put on the sideplate. I think the lubricant in the ultrasonic tank was too slippery? After drying the parts off I used ATF and it worked fine. I had read a thread in the Forum about a certain lubricant that dans didn't like and suspected it might have been similar to what was in the ultrasound tank. It's ATF for me now. My friend puts all his guns through the ultrasound and swears buy it. I might think twice myself. I think the hands on average joe tuneup may be better and I swear by ATF. OD
September 25, 2012
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Max,
I have been using (or learning to use) a Harbor Freight cleaner for cleaning brass over the last month.
The pros are it cleans pretty decently if you get the mixture of cleaning solution right and leave it in solution for the correct time.
The downside is that I need to rinse in water with baking soda to kill the acid reaction of the vinegar solution I'm using. then follow that rinse with a clean water rinse, then dry.
If you don't kill the vinegar or leave them in too long the brass will turn a pinkish tint.
Another reported downside is that the case inside neck gets too clean and will stick on the belling die, this I have seen myself so I lube the pistol brass with Dillon case lube.
I have been planning on using just water and dish/laundry soap and leave out the vinegar, but haven't had a chance to try it this week. I will decap and then soak in a solution of water and dish soap to loosen the crud 2-3 hours, then run them in the cleaner for 1 or 2 8 minute cycles.
My HF unit came with a plastic tray instead of a wire basket. I have purchased some stainless steel mesh to make a custom basket. The mesh arrived Thursday so I can build it next week.
Supposedly the plastic dampens some of the ultrasonic action making the cleaning take longer, but I don't really have enough knowledge to know for sure.
Jim
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June 25, 2013
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Ole dog... Lubricant? Can you explain more?
JTecalo... Good write up. Harbor Freight huh?
Endeavor to persevere,
Press on regardless.
Need little, want less, love more.
September 25, 2012
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The HF unit is the bigger one they sell but it is still small. If you are cleaning 50-150 pistol cases it should be all right. I got it for 20% off so about $60-65.
It has a heater in it but it takes a few 8min cycles to get hot so I start with hot water (I think the instructions say 140 F max)
The cleaner can be used to clean your pistol parts but you will need to oil them immediately afterward . I think this is what Ole Dog is referring to. I have not used it for cleaning parts.
Validated my purchase by cleaning the wife's rings and jewelry. Momma didn't raise no fools 
Here's a youtube link to the unit I have and a guy cleaning some rifle brass. I put in a lot more brass than he does.
Jim
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Dans Club
March 25, 2013
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Maxwell, my friend says he uses a special, expensive oil in his ultra sound tank. I don't know how
dirty the inside was but clean as a whistle after. He uses it on all the used handguns he buys. One thread I read on the forum mentioned a lubricant that dans don't like. Too slick. I suspect his special oil was such. when I dried it off it worked. I pump ATF inside my new acquisitions and let them drain. Soon I will start doing the average joe tuneups. There are threads about lubricants that are very informative.
I didn't realize you were just asking about cleaning brass. I wonder if the same ultra sound setup is what my friend uses for guns. I am amazed that used gun sellers don't often clean the guns they sell. Most sellers don' t know if anything is wrong with a gun.
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