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Brass Cleaning


DustinI

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I use parrot bird litter, which is walnut media, from Petsmart - 25lbs for $30. I mix in a cap full or so of NU Finish car polish and 2 - 3 tablespoons of mineral spirits. Mix it all up with an old long screw driver while the bowl is on and vibrating. Then add brass. Once fired brass comes out brand spanking new!

I have suggested the search button recently, and have been accused of being mean spirited. I guess some folks have girlie feelings. Don't wanna offend anyone.

Edited by Red Ryder
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+1 on the NuFinish & Mineral Spirits. I was surprised how well it worked. I currently do 1-2 hours of the NuFinish & Min. Spir. with corn cob and another hour with NuFinish & Min. Spir. and walnut. The corn cob gets all the gunk and the walnut gets it purty.

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Best method is to stainless pin the brass prior to the final touch with the fine grade of walnut hull (so it doesn't stick in flash hole) and Nu-Finish car polish.

The fine grade of walnut hull from Harbor Freight works very well, lasts a long time and I've never had any stuck in flash holes.

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I use 50/50 walnut and corncob with a cap full of polish for 12 hours in a dillon 750 vibratory cleaner. It works well enough for me to pick the brass out of grass its so shiny.

12 hours! Wow. I tumble my brass for an hour, two tops. But I shoot a revolver with moon clips so finding my brass is very easy :). I'd love to see a picture of your shiny brass.

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i use both the s/s media and the Nu finish with corncob. I had to make some bearing housings for the S/S thumblers thumbler. Be aware that the plastic bearings do not like the added weight. If you keep it light it will work. I like the Nu finish with corn cob. I use a large vibrating tumbler from Harbor Freight. I had originally bought it as a ceramic media tumbler for machined parts. The biggest draw back to the Nu finish and mineral sprits is that if it sits for a day or so the mineral sprits evaporates. DO NOT BUY odorless mineral spirits.

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I have the big Dillon case cleaner and use 2/3 Walnut to 1/3 corn with Dillon Rapid polish...I ran out of walnut and now using 100% corn and that is doing the job just fine for pistol (9 and 45) brass. When I remember I will als use a dryer sheet to keep the dust down.

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I also buy animal litter from the pet store. Lizard litter is what I can usually find. I also use the Nu Finish car wax just add a cap full now and then. We save dryer sheets and I add a couple to each batch and throw away the sheets after each batch. The dryer sheets collect the dirt and crude.

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DO NOT BUY odorless mineral spirits.

What's bad about it?

Good timing that I ran across this thread since I was about to buy some more tumbling media. I usually bought it in small boxes at the local shop for cheap enough not to care. Maybe $3 or 4. Barely noticable when added to my normal bill, hehehe. But the price jumped to $9 or so recently -- enough to make me go hmmmmm...

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Yikes! 12 hrs? 3 hrs in the tumbler with crushed walnut and a capful of Nufinish every other load and my brass is so shiny I have to wear sunglasses to reload .... U trying to scrap paint off your brass ...?

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I have been using lyman treated corncob with a capful of NuFinish and about 4 hours in the tumbler. Brass comes out nice and shiny but the media sticks in the flashhole. I'll be switching to some of the parrot bird litter that Red Ryder recommends very soon. Oh and I'm gonna try the mineral spirits and dryer sheets too. Glad you started this thread Dustinl. Good info on here, thanks all.

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