Brass Juice - thoughts??

[Stephen7942]

9 hours ago, m700 said:

I like wet and had always went with pins/dawn/lemishine/warm water for 2 hours or so

 

I bought some of the juice and it gets 95% as clean without sorting pins so ive been using it like that

 

I also noticed that 1 hour gets it 95% as clean as 2 hours.

 

So im running 1 hour on first batch and 2 on second so that my dryers have enough time to get cases dry before second load comes out.

 

I have noticed the one hour mark does just about as good as I need it vs. 2 + hours. I have been re-using the water for the second batch I do and it comes out dang near just as good. I have been using 2 oz of the Brass Juice with 3/4 full tumbler of brass and fill with water just over top of the brass. 

[dannyd]

On 9/5/2020 at 3:41 AM, limitedgun said:

There are as many ways to tumble as there were best cams for a small block Chevy in the 70's.There is no wrong answer if it works for you. I use a cement mixer, Brass Juice, Dehydrator, and then Rollsizer.com DC unit. Then it is dry tumble again in the cement mixer with cob and Lucas metal polish. I process once or twice a year and go from there.

 

That Rollsizer is some piece of equipment, if I were younger I would probably get one.

[limitedgun]

On 9/8/2020 at 10:11 PM, dannyd said:

 

That Rollsizer is some piece of equipment, if I were younger I would probably get one.

I got it because I am old. I had a total shoulder replacement and could no longer live with the push through. Makes my life way easier.

[dannyd]

Just now, limitedgun said:

I got it because I am old. I had a total shoulder replacement and could no longer live with the push through. Makes my life way easier.

I may think about it, I always like new equipment.

[terrapin]

Just ordered some Brass Juice. Tired of the walnut shell dust.

I’m going to run brass in one of my industrial parts tumblers, no pins. Looks like about 2k 9mm and a half a gallon of water is about right. Should make my life easier. No more running 300 at a time in walnut, then sifting and getting covered in dust. Additionally, my walnut media gets sand in it from my range pick up. If I don’t change it frequently, it builds up and starts etching my brass.


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[Stephen7942]

20 hours ago, terrapin said:

Just ordered some Brass Juice. Tired of the walnut shell dust.

I’m going to run brass in one of my industrial parts tumblers, no pins. Looks like about 2k 9mm and a half a gallon of water is about right. Should make my life easier. No more running 300 at a time in walnut, then sifting and getting covered in dust. Additionally, my walnut media gets sand in it from my range pick up. If I don’t change it frequently, it builds up and starts etching my brass.


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Awesome! Best of luck. I had to play with the ratios and tumble time just a bit before I got it just right. Makes life much easier for me. Best of luck!

[eboadway]

I think I'd use more than 1/2 gallon for 2,000 cases, but let us know how it works! I love Brass Juice, I don't even reuse it.

[terrapin]

I think I'd use more than 1/2 gallon for 2,000 cases, but let us know how it works! I love Brass Juice, I don't even reuse it.

I’ll let you know. Too much water (on aluminum parts) slows the tumbling action. I figure as long as the brass stays in constant submersion I should be fine. I’m sure the ratio will evolve over time.


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[Stephen7942]

I have been using about 3 oz with a 3/4 full Frankfort Arsenal tumbler and fill it up with water just above the top of the brass. I ran a few batches with a 30 min "pre-wash" with just plain water and would dump it/rinse it and refill w/ water plus brass juice and run for an hour or so. That worked good. I recently switched to just running water/brass juice mix from the start for 1.5-2 hours and it comes out just as clean to me. 

[Hdiamond]

1 hour ago, Stephen7942 said:

I have been using about 3 oz with a 3/4 full Frankfort Arsenal tumbler and fill it up with water just above the top of the brass. I ran a few batches with a 30 min "pre-wash" with just plain water and would dump it/rinse it and refill w/ water plus brass juice and run for an hour or so. That worked good. I recently switched to just running water/brass juice mix from the start for 1.5-2 hours and it comes out just as clean to me. 

try your first method again, but shorten the prewash to 15 min and add either a tiny tiny splash of the concentrate or a normal splash of previously used combined wash fluid. Dump, quick fill/rinse, then normal wash got the hour. 
 

especially if it’s a fresh batch, this method comes out looking as good or better than new brass. 

[Stephen7942]

On 9/23/2020 at 11:14 PM, Hdiamond said:

try your first method again, but shorten the prewash to 15 min and add either a tiny tiny splash of the concentrate or a normal splash of previously used combined wash fluid. Dump, quick fill/rinse, then normal wash got the hour. 
 

especially if it’s a fresh batch, this method comes out looking as good or better than new brass. 

 

Gonna give this a try today! Thanks

[Falloutboy89]

I have been doing pins with Dawn/Lemishine until last month. I typically process all my brass in February when the weather is s#!tty so this time I bought some Brass Juice to try to make it easier. I ran it for about an hour for each load. Re-used the liquid for three cycles and all the brass is pretty much the same (clean enough IMO). I did notice one weird thing though. All the brass that has been done with Brass Juice is noticeably lighter in color versus the brass that was done with pins/Dawn?Lemishine. It almost looks pale versus a rich brass color if that makes any sense.

 

Anyone else ever notice this or have any thoughts on why it may have occurred?

 

I'm about to start loading and can't imagine I will feel or see any difference but it is very noticeable in color...

[edison]

5 hours ago, Falloutboy89 said:

I have been doing pins with Dawn/Lemishine until last month. I typically process all my brass in February when the weather is s#!tty so this time I bought some Brass Juice to try to make it easier. I ran it for about an hour for each load. Re-used the liquid for three cycles and all the brass is pretty much the same (clean enough IMO). I did notice one weird thing though. All the brass that has been done with Brass Juice is noticeably lighter in color versus the brass that was done with pins/Dawn?Lemishine. It almost looks pale versus a rich brass color if that makes any sense.

 

Anyone else ever notice this or have any thoughts on why it may have occurred?

 

I'm about to start loading and can't imagine I will feel or see any difference but it is very noticeable in color...

 

Same... it'll get darker over time.

[Farmer]

Haven’t tried brass juice but have noticed lighter brass color when I add more Lemi or citric acid than normal. I dry tumbled for years but it seemed to take so much longer to get brass clean no matter what media I used. That’s why I switched to wet, faster and much better job. Little more labor to dry but still a better job. Used to use a liquid cleaner for really grungy brass called TC10. Pretty much an acid that you tossed brass in for a minute or two, rinse well and it came out looking like new. It also made brass look lighter/whiter and squeaky clean. 

[Braxton1]

I am no chemist, but is SURE smells like Simple Green to me.....

[Farmer]

On 3/11/2021 at 10:31 AM, Braxton1 said:

I am no chemist, but is SURE smells like Simple Green to me.....

Hmmm, might have to try that on a few grungy ones. Is the brass juice cut with water?

[dannyd]

Definitely not just simple green; tried simple green and brass juice cleans better.

[Farmer]

Maybe Simple Green & Citric Acid. 

[OnePivot]

Joined just for this. :D

 

Here's my wet tumble experience. After an hour I remove the brass from the solution and rinse. Now I have a few gallons of contaminated rinse water and contaminated original tumble water. I dumped it in the yard opposite of my garden... Ehh. I don't love the leaded water in my yard.

 

 

Leave brass out in the sun to dry for 4 hours. I can only do this for about 6 months of the year, otherwise it's going in my hobby oven. Brass is left with tons of calcium residue. Some cases have trapped water behind the primer, so they're left to dry for another day. 

 

Next day, brass is dry and ready to load... Kind of. I have to deprime and scrape calcium. This adds a ton of time too.

 

oooor, remove dirty fired brass straight from my range bag, into the dry tumbler, remove 45 minutes later and put it directly into the case feeder tubes. The light walnut dust is good straight wall lube. It's not mirror polished, but it's clean. Run the press and put a couple hundred rounds in the bin an hour later. 

 

So my options are 2 days and toxic waste in my yard plus an entire extra deprime and clean cycle, or from range pickup to loaded ammo in 2 hours total. 

 

Im sold on dry tumbling by no small margin!

[synchronicity]

Am I the only one who inspects each piece of brass after dry tumbling to poke out odd bits of cob stuck in the

flashhole or pocket?

 

I decap, wet tumble, size, and dry tumble every time.   But this is just pistol - I'm completely obsessive about

my 50BMG long range brass.

[OnePivot]

3 hours ago, synchronicity said:

Am I the only one who inspects each piece of brass after dry tumbling to poke out odd bits of cob stuck in the

flashhole or pocket?

 

I decap, wet tumble, size, and dry tumble every time.   But this is just pistol - I'm completely obsessive about

my 50BMG long range brass.

I bought media that is finer than the flash hole (walnut). Since I don't decap first, if any loose walnut does happen to be in there, it gets pushed out by pin when decapping. 100% clean flash hole every time without checking individually. 

 

Why do you do all that? That's so many steps. 

[Steve RA]

I don't understand the problem (time consumption and/or labor) with separating the pins from the brass.  I use one of the case separators - pictured below - and all you have to do is dump the brass, pins and water into the black part (best in sink) and rotate it a few times in the green part and it's done.  Pour the brass out of the black part and dump the pins back into the tumbler from the green part and it's done.

[jubi351]

Amen, have the exact same separator.

[synchronicity]

On 6/6/2021 at 10:13 PM, OnePivot said:

I bought media that is finer than the flash hole (walnut). Since I don't decap first, if any loose walnut does happen to be in there, it gets pushed out by pin when decapping. 100% clean flash hole every time without checking individually. 

 

Why do you do all that? That's so many steps. 

Decapping before cleaning allows the entire case to become spotless and no chance of trapped water.  Sizing when clean

allows for best results and keeps dies clean.  Tumbling with corn cob allows the addition of a light coating of nufinish to

prevent tarnish and add the smallest bit of lubricity.  After inspection they are ready for hand priming.  Like I said, this is just pistol -

I get serious with the 50BMG.

Why? Because I really enjoy it.

[Just4FunLP]

Interesting conversation. I’m about to start reloading massive quantities of 223 for low accuracy shooting. I really don’t care about how it looks.  I bought he RT-1500 case trimmer for my XL-600 (I’m still waiting for the die i rides on). The idea was to use the steel pins between the first and second trips through the 650 to help remove the burrs on the mouth of the case as well as help clean the primer pocket. It was recommended by people who reload rifle. Hope I haven’t made a mistake…

 

I’ve reloaded over probably close to 200,000 rounds of 9MM over the years, and am totally happy with the results of corncob media.