how to you find the service life of rice? i have an image in my head of ground rice after a few uses. Do you have problems with that at all?
The rice doesn't really break down at all. Just gets progressively dirtier until it doesn't work very well anymore. Hard to say how long it lasts, does seem quite a while though. I used to use it for my pistol cases before the buy back. It only cost me $1.50 to refill the tumbler with rice anyway. That was white rice, be buggered if I know whether other flavours work any better. Best not to use cooked rice I guess though (for those of you reading this full of piss).
But could have a really interesting flavour if cooked after using it to clean your cases I'm sure!
Regards Brett
Let me know which Ultrasonic cleaner you are looking at on ebay. I have one set up to clean cases as per 6mmbr.com. The photos on ebay are very deceptive when it comes to size. The one I bought looked about the size of a car battery but when it turned up it wasn't much bigger then a motorbike battery. Big enough to hold a 400ml beaker though.
I got the U/S unit in the picture of the article on 6 BR.com from a place on Australian egay just before christmass
they were haveing a sale on $125 delivered IIRC but dont quote me.
Haven't used it yet- it's still sitting in it's box under my desk- haven't got anywhere that I can get a glass beaker from to begin doing some cleaning. only places reound here have plastic beakers and they dont work
I'm going to measure up the tub in the unit and see whether I can get 2 beakers to fit in it with a decent numbers of cases in each beaker.
My U/S unit has a CD cleaning insert that holds the cds inthe centre of the tub I'm considering pitting some cases in there to try the unit out with.
Problem is I haven't been shooting since my operation this time last year I have no dirty brass to test it with.
Ogre have you tried contacting the scientific supply shops, i dont know the situation in melbourne but you can get that sort of equipment in adelaide from places that supply universitys, hospitals etc. Its usually fairly cheap but you would need to go in person and pay cash etc otherwise you need to set up accounts and for one off purchaces theres no point.
the other place that often can get this sort of stuff is mining supply companies like Strength Mining and Blackwoods
I read that a champ bench shooter in the USA uses paint thinners to remove the lube after resizing.
I use lyman spray lube when FLS cases, Lyman recommends removing the lube as the case will not grip the chamber upon firing, which causes the cartridge to move forward and then back onto the boltface.
I only clean when FLS to remove the lube. I use a wax and grease remover which is 1000 g per Li Hydrocarbon. Wet a rag and wipe clean. One litre $13 from Super Cheap Auto does alot of cases.
I use Lee Collet Neck Sizing Dies which do not require lube so I dont clean if only neck sizing.
A little tip that someone said on this forum (I think it was here) so I will not take credit for it.
They said that as soon as they pull the fired case from the chamber, while still warm, wipe the neck and most of the carbon crap is supposed to come straight off.
I haven't tried it yet myself but will soon.
As far as cleaning, myself I just throw the fired case's, still primed, straight in. Then decap, clean flash hole, and start reloading.
Works fine for me for hunting loads.
I bought my beakers off ebay under Business & Industrial (medical supplies) I think. They had a deal of 2, 400ml and 2, 500ml glass beakers. My cleaner will just fit 1, 400ml beaker without touching the sides with the perspex to hold it. The only reason to use the U/S cleaner is to get the crud out of the inside of the case otherwise a tumbler is easier to use.
