Brass Cleaning without a tumbler

[CZinVA]

I plan on cleaning brass with a method I heard about. I’m planning on using a 50/50 solution of plain white vinegar and water first. Than a solution of Baking Soda and water to further clean the brass while neutralizing the acid of the vinegar. Then a final cleaning with 100% water. Anyone else ever try this?

I have a few question though. What should the baking soda solution be, 50/50 like the vinegar? After the final wash (with clean water), should I allow the brass to air dry or is there another option?

[Sean Gaines]

Personally I would stay away from the vinegar. You may get the same results just using hot soapy water, then rinse with clean water. Maybe try that first, before you try your vinegar mix.

[ChuckS]

A few years ago, I did laundry and found some .45 ACP brass that I had in a closed pocket. They were real clean! I had a bucket of .45 to process so I put a bunch in a mesh bag (scuba diver's game bag) and dunked them in a bucket of water to get the loose stuff off and then soaked them in a solution of Simple Green and water for 30 minutes or so. I then dunk rinsed them a few times and let them dry in the sun. A tad faster than tumbling them.

Later,

Chuck

[Joe4d]

Just buy the tumbler.

[PhotoRecon]

CZinVA:

I haven't used a vinegar solution for simple soaking. I have used it in my RCBS Sidewinder Tumbler, however. I use two (2) ounces of white vinegar, water and a squirt of dishwashing detergent. I tumble for three hours.

After rinsing the cases three times while still in the Sidewinder drum I then lay the cases out on a towel ensuring all cases are laying on the their side. If the cases have been deprimed first they're dry within 24 to 48 hours. If the primers are still in I let them dry for six days. Bottle neck cartridges may tend to trap water inside if they're not deprimed. Cases like 45 ACP, 9mm and .38 Special are easy.

I've been using liquid media since the early 90's without problem and appreciate the absence of dust when sorting cases after tumbling indoors. I typically tumble 15 to 20 thousand cases per year.

I'm interested in hearing how your experiment works out. I suspect with out the action of the cases tumbling that the results may not be what your looking for.

Regards...

[kevin c]

I've done all of the following, and they all work, so take your pick and judge what expense/time/effort is worth it for you.

Iosso brass cleaner - not the stuff that goes into media, but the dipping solution. You want brass to come out looking factory new except for the spent primer, this is the way to go. The case interior will be nigh on spotless. But it will cost you.

An extra long tumbler run in dry media with polish. Walnut followed by or mixed with corn cob - 4 hours plus. Lots of dust and rapidly worn out media, and the case interior will still be sooty, but pretty bright outside.

Half and half white vinegar and warm water (mainly used for tarnished brass). Most of the tarnish comes off in a few seconds. More will come off if you soak the cases, and sometimes some of the soot inside the case, but the longer you go, the more likely you'll get a chemical plating effect, which is copper colored, over both nickel and regular brass, and which is hard to polish off. I've never used the baking soda, a few water rinses through my shell sorter between does a good enough job. Muddy brass gets rinsed first. The wet brass has to dry before you load it. Don't think of trying to dry it in a tumber - the media will clump and stick inside the case, both a headache, and if not caught on loading the case, a big hazard. I tried putting brass in a bag and into a clothes dryer - the bag broke and the ensuing racket was amazing. Worse- the brass chipped the interior of the dryer's enameled metal drum. Outdoors in the sun on an old towel works for me.

I keep reminding myself - The brass may look good, but it doesn't shoot any different.

Edited March 2, 2010 by kevin c

[Graham Smith]

I had a box of pretty dirty 9mm brass I got from an outdoor range. I made up a solution of Simple Green and hot water and washed the brass, stirring frequently after letting it soak for an hour. Did several rinses then spread the brass out on two large well worn sheet pans and put them in the oven set as low as it would go (about 110°) with the door ajar for an hour then turned the oven off and let them sit overnight.

While I was quite pleased with the results, I still gave them an hour in the tumbler before starting to reload.

P.S. I don't know what temperature it takes to anneal brass, but it's a good deal more than a warm oven.

[BigTinVA]

Take a look at this thread: There's No Such Thing As Old Brass! Brass Cleaning Tutorial

[GForceLizard]

This article says 1 grain baking soda to an ounce of water. He recommends using Birchwood Casey Case Cleaner instead of the baking soda. Use a large capacity ultrasonic like the Kendal 2.5L from Shining Image. Then it can be used as a dunk kit to clean your pistol.

http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html

[CZinVA]

I gave it a try and I'm happy with the results. I used 50/50 vinegar and water. I let the brass sit for about 5 minutes and stirred frequently. I used a 3-1 mixture of baking soda and water next. I also let them set for about 5 min. and stirred frequently. I then rinsed well with clean water and put a town to dry. the brass was shiny and new looking, although it still had some powder fowling in the primer pocket and inside the case.