RCBS Ultrasonic Cleaner Cleaning 308 Brass

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Important: See disclaimer at end of video description.
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In this video, we'll clean some 7.61x51mm rifle brass with the RCBS Ultrasonic Cleaner (RCBS 87055). Full story on ultimatereloader.com
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The following Ultimate Reloader partners are featured in this video:
- RCBS
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[@robertrogish1038]

Never heard of ultrasonic cleaning of brass cartridges - You made this a very painless process - thank you.

[@coltonwise244]

Don't know if it's been suggested yet but a friend suggested rinsing your cleaned cases in denatured alcohol to neutralize cleaning solution; the damp cases will dry very quickly and leave no residue.

[@BDKennels]

I;m cleaning both pistol and rifle brass in my RCBS sonic cleaner. I will never go back to dry media again. The sonic is simple, easy, and works well. I can now clean brass in my reloading room rather than in the outdoor shed I had set aside for the tumbler. Nice video and good explanation Gavin.

[@richardt.4224]

This video is the very first I've watched on Ultrasonic Cleaner Cleaning, thank you 😀 My only concern is that you case preped FIRST. Everything I've read to date says, decap/deprime only first! Then Ultrasonic Cleaner clean, followed by case prep. Nice unit you used, I'll be looking at that one first.

[@stevenholmes6582]

Great video. I use my wife's sewing thread rake for drying my shells. They load with the mouth down so they drain and dry quickly. You are right about draining the solution from the top. A MESS! So I dumped my brand X cleaner and ordered the RCBS just today. Thanks for all of your video's.

[@ksdavey1]

hope i'm not the only one that heard him say he, de-capped, sized, trimmed, chamfered and de-burred,,, dirty cases before putting them in the cleaner. i would guess this is ok if you don't care about scratching your dies. De-cap then clean, then your working with clean brass for all the next steps, makes it easier to inspect and see flaws at each one of the next steps. just my 2 cents. But i do appreciate the videos, keep going.

[@zanpekosak2383]

ksdavey1 He only trimmed and cleaned the primer pockets. Nothing to do with dies since I think he has one of those trimmers that dont need a die.

[@ParadigmUnkn0wn]

@@zanpekosak2383 But you trim after resizing, maybe unless you're just bumping the neck instead of full length sizing, but then you wouldn't bother trimming before either.

[@xexorz]

Thought exactly this, went to comment, saw your. Indeed!

[@Sjackson2369]

Definitely going to go for an ultrasonic cleaner down the road. Will end up using it for many other things beside cleaning cases.

[@Blake4Truth]

Excellent! So much better cleaning and much less work than using a tumbler.

[@bigextra4me]

I have the same cleaner I've found that if you rinse you cases off in a bucket of water after you take it out of the ultrasonic cleaner you'll be surprised how much more grime comes off the case after they are clean. I rinse mine till the water in the bucket I'd clean. usually about

[@Graysail0r]

Wow. I'm a believer. Was looking for something else on youtube actually but this was very interesting. I'll subscribe and start watching! Thanks!

[@tires2burn]

I like all your videos and appreciate the time you put into them. When you want to move on to the final and end game of cleaning brass you will go with SS pins and wet tumbling.

[@donduran1834]

tires2burn I

[@raymondpontremoli4500]

I agree, Here is a trick that has been used for years....Ultrasonic the cases, rinse them in water and then dunk them in denatured alcohol. The alcohol will absorb any extra water and then air dry them. They dry 10 times faster. When the alcohol gets dirty, filter it thru a coffee filter and youre good to go ....I use a a 3 lb coffee can with a blow dryer blowing in the side and strainer across the top of the can...Air comes in the bottom and out the top at 145 degrees...

[@Elweenieloco]

You got me to buy this thing and it works great.

[@garycorbier9123]

Great video, clear and to the point, very informative. One of the best video I've seen. Thanks for the info.

[@calevel]

Excellent results. Nice video as always👍🏻

[@Ultimatereloader]

calevel florida Thanks!

[@TehBr0]

Great video as always!

[@devinhughes7803]

Go to 1:12 and listen after he says "I LOVE!" and it he says "Which I've stated in the PRETTIEST video" we know you meant "previous" but I found it hysterical and you got my sub!

[@hugeslacker]

My issue with depriming before cleaning is that the dirty shells tend to stick in the resizing/depriming die on my press so instead I clean the brass first and then deprime, and then clean the primer pocket/decrimp with a grinding tool. Then trim the cases and deburr. I guess it depends on your setup but this works for me.

[@paulwest4424]

I have the same issues but my best fix was that I purchased the FA de primer hand operated tool. Made de priming fast and easy then I just toss into the rotary tumbler but now I’m looking into these ultra sonic cleaner but they are pretty pricey

[@Alen725]

This is waste of time. Its more time effective to just deprime cases before and clean it in one go. And cleaning primer pockets are a waste, some precision shooters dont even clean that much their brass, they just wash it briefly.

[@ronaldjohnson1474]

The Lee decapping die (#90292) doesn't touch the case. I have no idea why $$ fanboys hate Lee products.

[@boostaddict20]

MAKE SURE YOU DEGAS FIRST!! i work in aerospace and we use ultrasonic cleaners regularly for precision cleaning. you need to degas for at least a good 5 mins before putting your brass in. this will maximize your cleaning sys effectiveness as well as your time spent. no need for heat during this time necessarily

[@CSryoh]

degauss?

[@Aleckael]

*shrug* Maybe he meant degrease?

[@kennydoughboy]

He really did mean de-gas. There are microbubbles that naturally occur in water. If you run the ultrasonic cleaner in de-gas mode for about 10 minutes you get a more efficient cleaning. Water is not compressible but the gas is. Get rid of the gas first.

[@yojimbo05]

So basically you dry run your sonic cleaner to decompose or degas you system then you can run you brass in cleaning cycle. The Degas part is a dry run to break down the gas and carbons correct.

[@yojimbo05]

Sweet thank you guys so much for the information alot of teamwork here that makes a Dreamwork thank you all so much.

[@troyelder56]

The other reason to deprime is to allow water inside the case of air is trapped inside the case the ultrasonic can't do it's job, I think a lot of people get turned off ultrasonic case cleaning because they don't understand this concept.

[@justfly60482]

$20 one off eBay. 2000 rounds so far with it. Cleans em.

[@James_Sovereign]

5 minutes, no heat, in my ultrasonic cleaner with Hornady 'One Shot Case Cleaner' and my brass is brand new. I have a large ultrasonic I use for both motorcycle restoration work and gun work (including the guns). All you need to know is what solutions to use with what metals.

[@jimf1964]

Heated is definitely the way to go. My sonic cleaner is unheated, and it was a mistake to buy it. But you can use pre made solution or use your own. Any kind of cleaner with a pinch of LemiShime crystals dishwasher cleaner/decalcifier. Pre made is easier. I'd rinse before drying though. Don't want to add anything to the powder. I use mine for pistol brass. You can load it up with quite a lot, unless you're into ipsc or something.

[@maxnaro]

THANK YOU BRO!!! HOPE TO SEE MORE VIDS ON THAT ONE

[@BarryWyner]

The cases look like there was etching on the brass instead of a gleam.

[@tbonespartacus9368]

One of the reasons you should clean your brass is to protect your reloading dies. Cleaning them after you resize and de-prime them seems backward to me. I like the way the ultrasonic cleaner worked on the primer pockets, however, I would clean them first before I resized, and then run them through the ultrasonic cleaner a second time.

[@Icriedtoday]

That’s not the reason. Ultrasound cleaning is to get residue out from the INSIDE of the case. It has nothing to do with the dies.

[@a.k.4363]

Great video!!

[@colinarmstrong1892]

I use an ultrasonic cleaner for my brass, but I would never resize brass before cleaning as I dont like getting dirt in my dies

[@jesusmurillo9712]

Great video thank you.

[@falconrd2164]

Thank you

[@KountryKowboy29]

That's a reasonable price on Amazon for this RCBS cleaner only $133.49 cents it seems like it does an amazing job. If you going to buy something that gets the job done this would be the one to do it with instead of purchaseing 2sd best products.

[@zaknafein641]

Do ultrasonics clean lead off case necks?

[@Iceberg050]

I rinse my brass after the solution in distilled water to remove the cleaning solution and prevent tarnish from the caustic cleaner!

[@shaku2182]

I have never used a sonic cleaner, but agree with you that it's a good idea to rinse the cases after cleaning. I believe there probably is/must be? a tiny amount of some sort of acid in cleaning solution? I wish I could get a used BIG "industrial size" ultrasonic cleaner for a very good price. I have a HUGE amount of sized & trimmed (By Dillon trimmer) and decapped 7.62x39 brass cases here in northern europe!! (Yes they are berdan primed cases!!) The cases are very clean, but a good sonic cleaner would make them to look almost perfect. (Only slight amounts of calcium in primer pockets.)

[@mihaelkupresak]

Why don't you use food dehidrator to dray your brass. I am doing like that and they are awsome.

[@pine0981]

I tried my new RCBS cleaner last night. I had 100rds of .308 brass. I used 2 liters of water & 2 shots of the rcbs yellow case cleaner. I set it for 20 min @ 130°F & it did not clean the primer pockets. I had to add a 3rd shot of cleaner & run it for 30 more minutes to get them clean. Is there a difference in the yellow cleaning solution?

[@dustoff499]

With the wife's permission, I purchased this ultrasonic cleaner today and gave it a run. Like many other comments here... I am very impressed. The unit appears to be built very well, not loud, functionally easy to use and it has a display a blind person can read. I further cleaned 250 9mm brass [single 10 minute cycle] after 2 hours in the Lyman 1200 Tumbler and the results were fabulous. More than enough for my needs. I recommend this unit for those who want more cleaning versatility than a wet tumbler. Try cleaning fountain pens, jewelry, auto/motorcycle/lawn mower parts, RC engines, tools, glass frames etc. in a wet tumbler - you get the point. Less space and easy to clean.

[@travisbickle0815]

Which way to go for cleaning rifle brass, ultra sonic, wet or corn media?

[@crankyemoji2328]

It would be interesting after dry tumble cleaning your brass give it the sonic cleaner dunk and see how much more your brass is cleaned.A Sonic cleaner is an excellent cleaner for the electronic parts and automotive parts using simple green.😀👍👍

[@waynohouse74]

When was the last time you used this or how often do you use it?

[@gob9333]

5:47 is that my alarm :D lol

[@kjmdrumz3]

Man, guys sure do spend a lot of time and money to make pretty brass.

[@2pugman]

Please explain all the functions of the cleaner. I just bought this machine and I'm curious about the other functions. Thanks.

[@robertbrandywine]

AFAIK, there's just the pre-warm function and the degas function.

[@3thirty689]

Put the clean shells in a delicate laundry bag. Then place them on a shoe rack in a inexpensive dryer. let me know what happens

[@svenoliver8311]

Subsonics?

[@mtnman8364]

I just bought a 160 watt ultrasonic cleaner. I wasn't very impressed with the results over just boiling purple power cleaner or vinegar. I returned the ultrasonic cleaner and went back to boiling and media tumbling. One less piece of equipment cluttering my reloading bench. I little dab of car wax in the tumbler and brass looks much better as time goes on since the brass now has a coating of wax.

[@johnsanford3043]

Do you have to rinse them off?

[@mattp9029]

I've been using the Hornady 2L version, but this one looks nicer. Are you sizing before you clean your brass? It would appear that you are.

[@williamharbison9621]

pretty sure he is. I dont like doing that as running clean brass through your dies smooth operating. my process (I use wet tumbler tho) is tumble for 30min with some dish soap and media, then decap/resize and then final clean in the tumbler with some lemon shine and soap (2-3hrs for mine).

[@Schilgyballs]

Hi Gavin, Thanks for the video mate, I just have a quick question. Did you end up with any wet spots or marks after the drying process? My brass looks perfect when it first comes out of the cleaner, but give it a day or two after drying they turn dull with very obvious drying spots. I'm wondering whether distilled water would help - I also rinse mine before drying with tap water which may also effect the end result! Any thoughts would be great. Cheers

[@silentbob267]

I always rinse my cases with regular tap water when I get done. The only time I have had an issue with them getting spots is when I tried leaving them out to air dry for several days. I now put them on a large tray in my oven on the lowest setting for an hour or two shaking them around a little bit occasionally. If you use the oven technique make sure to use the lowest setting I tried turning up the heat once to dry them faster and the brass started turning weird colors.

[@Schilgyballs]

Thanks Craig!

[@dougharlow6037]

why didn't RCBS put a lid on that basket, so you can rotate the basket and dump out most of the water/solution with the bass and not have the brass fall out.

[@chaecoco2]

LOL, you voice is a tad bit higher in this older video. I started off with dry tumbling, then ultrasonics, and wet tumbling with steel media. I am back to ultrasonics. It helps to have a tad bit more powerful ultrasonic cleaner than that Lymans, and the secret ingredient for me has been Brass Juice--just wonderful stuff. That being said, benchrest shooters reload during matches without extensive brass cleaning--just wiping off the exterior of the brass before resizing and brushing the inner diameter of the necks. Their accuracy doesn't seem to suffer using brass with a dirty interior. I guess if you are going for 1000yrd F-Class, then it probably makes a difference.

[@kenhawk1235]

Are those sonic cleaners loud by any chance? I am looking into reloading and I want a brass cleaner that is nice and quiet.

[@joshl1350]

No, they’re pretty quiet. I’ve heard people use them a lot when they live in apartments because it’s a lot quieter than a tumbler is

[@bigfhands]

maybe this is covered in the other videos have you just try to use alcohol or something like that does it have to be specifically expensive cleaner.is there going to be cheaper option from Walmart or Amazon or something like that.

[@NPAMike]

Seems like a great way to save time vs using the tumbler for 3hrs.

[@robertbrandywine]

But doesn't work as well.

[@EugeneWilliams-rj7fs]

Used Hornady ultra sonic machine, did 50 300 blk. Used electric oven to dry at 250. Brass came out gray any suggestions on how to fix.

[@ronaldjohnson1474]

Rinse with water!

[@josephhcondo7281]

Hi, Question for you. Do you clean your brass after every shot..or can i reload a few times B4 cleaning

[@cleatussfmo7437]

While you can reload several times, it all depends on what you are shooting. If the brass is fouled up, you'll want to clean it before reloading. Also, if you are going for precision loads, you'll want to clean it. Bottom line, clean it....its just better that way, and doesn't take that long to do.

[@beanerflowers09]

Gavin, long time sub. awesome videos like always however i personally have never had very good results with ultrasonic cleaning(prob had too high of expectations) i went and bought a Thumbler's Tumbler with stainless pins and honestly i have never looked back yes a little bit more work but totally worth it, keep up the good work love your videos take care

[@Ultimatereloader]

Terranitup Nice- are you using a vibratory tumbler or the rolling style? (I've seen wet tumbling on both)

[@beanerflowers09]

I'm using rolling style currently ive never experimented with vibratory tumbling with SS media.

[@chrismccartney8668]

No rinse ?

[@MuzzleFlashTV]

I'm curious do you monetize your reloading videos? I'm looking to do reloading videos, but I'm not sure of the nuances.

[@TaintedMojo]

Is there really a big difference between this an a regular sonic cleaner?

[@James_Sovereign]

No difference at all. With this one you're paying the pew pew premium tax.

[@MrDbowschnider]

Is it safe to say , with the sonic cleaner you don’t need a tumbler ?

[@ignaciorodriguez8931]

I have the same question, but can't find answers. Can you affirm?

[@fentonpainter7907]

@@ignaciorodriguez8931 A (dry) tumbler would polish the brass. Other than that you don’t need one.

[@ignaciorodriguez8931]

@@fentonpainter7907 I found both necessary, the ultrasonic cleaner for flash holes...

[@danietkissenle]

dose the cleaner act as a lube aswell cause that would be cool

[@robertbrandywine]

No, just the opposite.

[@patdennis3751]

My unit just won't heat the solution. I set the temp, turn the heater on, the light flashes but no matter how long I wait the water remains cold to the touch. Am I doing something wrong?

[@tires2burn]

You probably got a bad cleaner. Duh

[@ronalddavis]

I had one that woldnt heat either so I just bought a cheap coffee maker to heat the water.

[@murrayandru7527]

Very expensive RCBS cleaner when a 38.00 Amazon sonic wave will do the same job cheaper less time and fuss IMHO.

[@roccotoothycombs]

Degas my brohammed

[@markmessa5888]

Is it safe to reload and use again such brass?

[@robertbrandywine]

Yes.

[@i556xx4]

Were all the primer pockets clean? I was looking into getting a heated ultasonic cleaner but some people say they don't clean the primer pockets well.

[@robertbrandywine]

They don't.

[@2pugman]

You sized dirty brass thru your dies ?

[@Ultimatereloader]

2pugman No, it was "cleaned" by the person I bought the bulk brass from. The residual carbon buildup and the case lube from sizing during brass prep is what I'm cleaning off in this video.

[@robertbrandywine]

Ultra sonic cleaning isn't nearly as effective as wet tumbling with steel pins. I guess you could use the ultra sonic before resizing if you have really dirty brass.

[@Chris-go9ti]

We put a penny into the crest ultra cleaner we just got 800 dollars. The penny didnt look clean and now it has metal from the basket on it. We bought a basket on ebay. What did we do wrong and did i just discover how to electroplate on accident?

[@silentbob267]

Electroplating requires an electric current running through the material being plated so I would say no to that. Some materials and cleaning solutions do not hold up well in an ultrasonic cleaner. Your cleaning solution may have been eating the basket especially if it is of a cheap build quality. Also if the basket material is softer than the penny it is possible the basket material just rubbed back and forth on the penny enough to leave a deposit.

[@scottcrawford3745]

Don't forget: Most modern pennies are not solid copper any more, they are a base-metal slug that's been copper-washed/ lightly plated. You may have cleaned off the plating.

[@robleo69]

I would never run filthy range brass in my dies. I will de-prime first though. The whole point of cleaning your brass first is to preserve the dies and get the best possible resizing. Even if I'm doing a quick "fire & reload" and no other sizing is needed like, bumping the shoulder, I'll use 0000 steel wool and spin the case neck in the wool. In some instances, I will chuck up the case head in my QD holder attached to my small Dewalt cordless and do the whole the case. I'll then clean the primer pocket on my RCBS prep machine as well as use a spinning bronze or nylon brush attached to the prep machine and run the case over it to clean any burnt residue from the ID of the neck. Then, I'll resize the neck only with my Less collet die, prime, charge, and seat with my Coaxial. Pretty simple. I'm now getting ready to run a batch of older fired 7mm Dakota brass I've had sitting around for a while shot from another rifle in the ultrasonic and do a full length resize getting it ready for fire forming in my new match grade tight neck 7mm Dakota chamber.

[@andrewcox9279]

Just remember that 7,62 by 52mm ATO is only 50,000 psi f

[@maddmoxx6414]

Don't waste your time or money on either a ultrasonic cleaner or tumbler, just get a stainless steel wet tumbler....oh so clean. Then I use and old presto fruit dehydrator with stacks of trays to dry my brass.

[@tomkimbrel4192]

You need to rinse with clean water!

[@robertfink1126]

You should deprime the primer only Then clean your brass Why? Dirty brass can scratch your reloading dies

[@jamesgroce3125]

Exactly.

[@dicekar]

dsontacchi

[@ronaldjohnson1474]

Now I know why your dies are dirty! Why size dirty cases? That leads to deformed cases, which can be dangerous to use. Plus, now you have contaminated brass (the solution).

[@tjkaiser6595]

Too bad this thing was made in CHINA