Lyman Turbo Sonic Cleaner

For years, I would fastidiously clean my guns, inside and out, after every shoot but paid scant attention to the brass cartridge cases. If I felt that the primers were becoming a little hard to seat, the primer pockets would be given a quick scrape out, but I worried very little about the outward appearance of the cases.

I invested in a Lyman tumbler many years ago and, although the results were not brilliant, unless a very long tumbling cycle was used, if cases were cleaned every time they were fired, they were at least respectable.

Worthwhile upgrade

Ultrasonic cleaners move the cleaning operation up a notch and there are sizes to suit most needs and pockets. The Lyman Turbo Sonic 2500 is a midrange model that should satisfy most shooting applications. The machine draws its numerical name from the fact that it holds two and a half litres (2500ml) of liquid, and a mark on the tank shows the maximum fill level. It has a plastic outer body with a stainless-steel tank and comes with an inner plastic basket, which prevents items being cleaned from coming into direct contact with the tank. There is a four button control panel on the front allowing you to turn on the heater, set the length of cleaning time and switch the machine on and off.

Distilled water is recommended, to which you add an appropriate amount of cleaning solution and there is a maximum fill mark on the tank wall. The heater takes 20- to 30-minutes to heat up the liquid and there are five timer settings. Depending on how badly tarnished your brass has become, the amount of cleaner and length of time will vary and it is not unusual to require three or four passes on the maximum time setting (480-seconds) for really dirty cases. This is still much quicker than the tumbler and has the advantage of cleaning inside the case and the primer pocket, as well as being much quieter in operation. It is advised to rinse the cases in clear water afterwards and they can be left to dry naturally or with the use of heat; I have an old hair dryer which does the job. The cleaned cases do not have a high polish and if this is what you want then a spell in the tumbler will give you that finish.

Conclusion

Ultrasonic cleaners are a kind of halfway house between tumblers and the more expensive stainless steel pins type of machine and I find that this one does just what I need at a price I wanted to pay. An extra bottle of solution allows the cleaning of small metal parts like dies, cylinders etc. There are videos on YouTube and the Lyman web site showing this machine in operation.