Cleaning brass

[J_Clan]

Washing is the way to go!

Large glass pickle jar (Gordon foods)

DIY tumbler (spins the jar)

Add brass (~1700 9mm), 1/4 cup liquid laundry detergent, 2T vinegar and hot water to fill.

Tumble for 75 minutes.

Rinse with hot water and spread out on mesh sweater drying rack (liberated from wife).

Result: Bright shiny brass, everything else goes down the drain.

I have washed 10's of thousands of cases this way and there is simply no downside.

dkemxr,

So you don't use any type of 'dry' tumbler or vibratory cleaner? This method seems easier and less mess/fuss than dealing with walnut, corncob, rice, beans or whatever other concoction everyone is talkin about.

Thanks for your input...

[GrumpyOne]

All this seems almost like a waste of time. Tumble enough to make sizing easier, then load. Does factory looking ammo make your gun perform better? If not, stop being so uptight about it. You are loading it to shoot, not show it off. Look at a piece of brass 15 minutes after it exits your gun after firing. Does it still look like factory new? Personally, I think you guys are just a little too concerned about looks.

[Corey]

I throw my brass in the tumbler with some trated media to give it a little polish. turn it on, leave the room. Come back a few hours later (usually b/c i forget its on) and empty clean shiny brass into giant plastic jug unsder my bench. End of cleaning process.

[Modoc]

I have to second Corey, it's just that I start the tumbler in the garage before bed and turn it off in the morning when I come in to make breakfast. No big deal after work, I come home and empty out the brass and start over.

BTW I use walnut with either Dillon or Lyman polish.

[dkemxr]

J_clan,

No dry media. All my brass cleaning supplies comes from Sam's Club. Cheap bargain brand liquid laundry detergent and some white vinegar if you want the brass shiny. A $10 jug of soap goes a very long way.

[noylj]

The "recommended" procedure has nothing to do with clean brass and everything to do with shiny brass. The "required" procedure is to wipe the outside of the case with a clean clothe to remove any dirt/grit/ash/soot. Anything beyond that is done for pride.

I simply sort, inspect, and deprime when I get back from the range (or some convenient time afterwards). If I get a grain of corn cob tuck in the flah hole, it will be knocked out when I resize the case. If there is still a grain of media in the cases (how I have no idea), it will not affect anything.

Seems some people spend more time and money making shiny brass than they spend reloading or shooting. Same people who reject a powder if their gun gets dirty (just like a gun is supposed to) and don't even consider accuracy or metering ability of the powder, just cleanliness.

Each to their own and what ever makes you confident in you loads, but don't tell any one else that it has to be done.

[EEH]

All this seems almost like a waste of time. Tumble enough to make sizing easier, then load. Does factory looking ammo make your gun perform better? If not, stop being so uptight about it. You are loading it to shoot, not show it off. Look at a piece of brass 15 minutes after it exits your gun after firing. Does it still look like factory new? Personally, I think you guys are just a little too concerned about looks.

I try to concentrate on hitting the target with the bullet not the da### shinnney brass,,you guys need to get a hold of yourself,this is for shooting not showing,,my .02

[S391]

Anyone have experience actually washing their brass before tumbling it? I found a guy who recommends putting dirty brass in a nylon net bag and washing it in a solution of:

2 gal warm water

1 cup vinegar

1 Tbs salt

2 squirts dish soap

I tried it, soaking the brass for about 5 minutes, then agitating it a bit and letting it soak for a bit longer. Then rinsing well and man was the water dirty. Following this I poured it out on a towel to dry, then threw it in corn cob for about 45 minutes and it looks like new.

Any thoughts from the experts...?

I just tried this and I was pretty impressed with the results. Thanks for the tip.

[dkemxr]

It's not about shiny brass, simply a alternative to dry media.

[BigGabe]

I've just gotten back into pistol shooting after a pretty good layoff. Had a pot load off crushed walnut shells stored up. Just needed to find a good polish to add with it to get the brass clean and shine up. Found some Flitz Tumbler and Media additive on Midways websight. Went ahead and ordered a bottle and added some to some crushed walnut shells. I've got to tell ya it does a fine job. Brass cleaned up pretty quick and came out looking shiney new. I know benchrest shooters clean their primer pockets but I don't think it's neccesary for pistol brass. Decapping after tumbling ensures that the primer pocket is open. I think that's really all that's needed.

[freakshow10mm]

Citric acid solution, then oven dried, then loaded, then polished with a 90-10 corncob-walnut mix with mineral spirits for 10 minutes.

No your ammo won't detonate and no it won't cause any problems. It's a myth.

[benos]

I tumbled a bizzilion rounds over many years with coarse grade corn cob media I got from a local feed and tack store. If the media was new, I'd only tumble for about 20 to 30 minutes - cleaan enough to load. Once the media got dirty enough to have to tumble for an hour to get the brass as clean as the new media would - time for new media.

Always lubed with One Shot - never tumbled it off.

be

[Worriedman]

I have been using a cut wire stainless steel media for the last few years. Started with a Thumblers Tumbler, and on to a home made ball mill for greater case capacity.

I deprime, load the brass, hot water, media, dishwahing liquid detergent and a pinch of Lemonshine, run the ball mill for 4-6 hrs., and the brass is like new, inside and out, including primer pockets.

Media never wears out or gets too dirty to use.

[Jeff686]

I've found that a test-tube brush works great. Remember them from high school? Anyway, they fit 45 ACP great!

I use a special homebrew cleaning solution. One quarter cup Simple Green, three cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsb cyanne pepper, and a dash of beer (cheap stuff).

I usually run the ultrasonic cleaner with my homebrew and 30 or so cases for a hour, no more.

Then I use the bottle brush. Three quck turns of the brush inside each case is all you really need. Any more, and you're wasting your time.

Then, another 20 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner. Drain and rinse with HOT water. The hotter the better, since it dries faster. If you live in a humid climate, consider buying a dehumidifer where you can dry them faster.

After drying, I tumble a couple of batches together. First I use corn cob media, then switch to walnut shells after about an hour. However, be sure to use Arizona Walnuts! The more common Persian Walnuts shells are too soft, and are known to contain trace amounts of ammonia (weakens the brass).

Since the brass usually still has a light coating of powder (from the walnet shells), I like to wipe them down each with a rag and some mineral spirits. If you find any that still have some remaining tarish or discoloration, now is the time to use the dremel tool with felt tip and some flitz polish.

After loading, I like to add some wax, just to get the shine back. Because, of course, we all know, they work better when they are shiny. I like Meguires, but some of the a Nu-finish Once-a-Year polish will help protect your ammo from open flames and key scratches.

[GrumpyOne]

I've found that a test-tube brush works great. Remember them from high school? Anyway, they fit 45 ACP great!

I use a special homebrew cleaning solution. One quarter cup Simple Green, three cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsb cyanne pepper, and a dash of beer (cheap stuff).

I usually run the ultrasonic cleaner with my homebrew and 30 or so cases for a hour, no more.

Then I use the bottle brush. Three quck turns of the brush inside each case is all you really need. Any more, and you're wasting your time.

Then, another 20 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner. Drain and rinse with HOT water. The hotter the better, since it dries faster. If you live in a humid climate, consider buying a dehumidifer where you can dry them faster.

After drying, I tumble a couple of batches together. First I use corn cob media, then switch to walnut shells after about an hour. However, be sure to use Arizona Walnuts! The more common Persian Walnuts shells are too soft, and are known to contain trace amounts of ammonia (weakens the brass).

Since the brass usually still has a light coating of powder (from the walnet shells), I like to wipe them down each with a rag and some mineral spirits. If you find any that still have some remaining tarish or discoloration, now is the time to use the dremel tool with felt tip and some flitz polish.

After loading, I like to add some wax, just to get the shine back. Because, of course, we all know, they work better when they are shiny. I like Meguires, but some of the a Nu-finish Once-a-Year polish will help protect your ammo from open flames and key scratches.

[DyNo!]

I've found that a test-tube brush works great. Remember them from high school? Anyway, they fit 45 ACP great!

I use a special homebrew cleaning solution. One quarter cup Simple Green, three cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsb cyanne pepper, and a dash of beer (cheap stuff).

I usually run the ultrasonic cleaner with my homebrew and 30 or so cases for a hour, no more.

Then I use the bottle brush. Three quck turns of the brush inside each case is all you really need. Any more, and you're wasting your time.

Then, another 20 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner. Drain and rinse with HOT water. The hotter the better, since it dries faster. If you live in a humid climate, consider buying a dehumidifer where you can dry them faster.

After drying, I tumble a couple of batches together. First I use corn cob media, then switch to walnut shells after about an hour. However, be sure to use Arizona Walnuts! The more common Persian Walnuts shells are too soft, and are known to contain trace amounts of ammonia (weakens the brass).

Since the brass usually still has a light coating of powder (from the walnet shells), I like to wipe them down each with a rag and some mineral spirits. If you find any that still have some remaining tarish or discoloration, now is the time to use the dremel tool with felt tip and some flitz polish.

After loading, I like to add some wax, just to get the shine back. Because, of course, we all know, they work better when they are shiny. I like Meguires, but some of the a Nu-finish Once-a-Year polish will help protect your ammo from open flames and key scratches.

[jaredr]

I've found that a test-tube brush works great. Remember them from high school?

...

After loading, I like to add some wax, just to get the shine back. Because, of course, we all know, they work better when they are shiny. I like Meguires, but some of the a Nu-finish Once-a-Year polish will help protect your ammo from open flames and key scratches.

what's with all the laughing smiley's? jeff's got a great program here, suggestion I would make is thinking twice about the actual loading operations once you've completed your brass prep. after the dremel touch-up with flitz, you may want to consider just stopping there. i'd reccomend a purged environment container (nitrogen is ideal, but if you have access to welding equipment then argon is an easy alternative). seal your polished & prepped brass in a rigid container (glass display cases for lab specimens are ideal) either in vaccum or with a neutral gas that won't promote oxidation. occasionally, you can unseal a container and take out a few cartridges to admire them and rub them with a cloth diaper...

[m134b]

I personally use stainless steel media.... a little dish soap and lemishine, in this beast http://www.lortone.com/images/C40.gif

Works great, and has MAJOR capacity

Available here: http://www.lortone.com/commercial_tumblers.html

The only downside is getting all the little pins separated, but it takes less time than fighting with walnut or corncob in rifle cases.... I put a computer fan in the bottom of a 20mm ammo can along with a light bulb... Couldn't imagine processing brass any other way now!

Ken

Edited October 4, 2010 by m134b

[waynes_world_45]

get it too clean and it'll stick to the powder drop...dillon reccommends 1 1/2 - 2 hours max

[oddjob]

I bought a bunch of reloading equipment and there was some white powder that was to be dumped into the cleaning media. I did and it worked well. Trouble is I threw the package away and forgot to see what it was. Anyone have an idea what that stuff was?

[glynnm45]

I bought a bunch of reloading equipment and there was some white powder that was to be dumped into the cleaning media. I did and it worked well. Trouble is I threw the package away and forgot to see what it was. Anyone have an idea what that stuff was?

Tide or Cocaine?

[DyNo!]

I bought a bunch of reloading equipment and there was some white powder that was to be dumped into the cleaning media. I did and it worked well. Trouble is I threw the package away and forgot to see what it was. Anyone have an idea what that stuff was?

Tide or Cocaine?

Speaking of that I gave my teammate half of my Lemishine detergent to chemically process brass with however; I had to pour it from the container into a plastic bag.

White powders do not look legal in plastic bags and even writing "Lemi-Shine" all over it and drawing sunshine and rainbows does not make it look more legitimate.

[oddjob]

Two eights balls worth of white powder went in (former Narc here). Too expensive for me!!!

[jeffsoward]

I bought a bunch of reloading equipment and there was some white powder that was to be dumped into the cleaning media. I did and it worked well. Trouble is I threw the package away and forgot to see what it was. Anyone have an idea what that stuff was?

Would your cleaner happen to be a rotary? Wet tumbler, maybe?

I ask because I use a Thumler's model B, brass media, wet with dishwasher detergent and the little white powder which is Cream of Tartar (to shine the brass).

[rjennings10]

I hope you guys are using purified water! All those impurities in tap water could do some damage to your cases.