There's No Such Thing As Old Brass!

[Anubis]

Probably the mixing action would be poor with most of the brass staying on the bottom.......but worth a try.

I suppose if you really wanted to you could remove the impeller and make your own agitator thats low enough to catch everything off the bottom.

Seems like it might be too much work for the result though...

[UW Mitch]

If someone has large amounts of brass to clean, what about using an old beater washing machine? Plenty of them out there for cheap.

Now the brass might bust up the impeller, chip enamel off, or get wedged between impeller and bottom of tank( so use a beater machine)............but I'd go that route just to see what happens.

Probably the mixing action would be poor with most of the brass staying on the bottom.......but worth a try.

Anyone done this?

BB

What about a concrete mixer?

[DyNo!]

If someone has large amounts of brass to clean, what about using an old beater washing machine? Plenty of them out there for cheap.

Now the brass might bust up the impeller, chip enamel off, or get wedged between impeller and bottom of tank( so use a beater machine)............but I'd go that route just to see what happens.

Probably the mixing action would be poor with most of the brass staying on the bottom.......but worth a try.

Anyone done this?

BB

What about a concrete mixer?

The agitation of the brass is irrelevant. I only shook the bucket to mix the solute with the solvent to make the lemi-shine solution.

The brass only needs to sit in the solution to work.

I doubt agitating it continuously would yield better results.

Edited June 25, 2009 by DyNo!

[BlackBuzzard]

I wish I had several full 55gallon drums of brass out back.............like some I know.

Then I might take it to the next level and "industrialize" the process with some of these ideas.

BB

[Tom D.]

Re: concrete mixer for cleaning brass. Years ago, I frequently bought bullets from Taylor Bullets (IIRC) in San Antonio who also did commercial loading. He used a mixer which he had removed the blades & coated the inside with a rubber compound. Never saw it running or asked him about it but it did look imprressive. At the time, I couldn't imagine cleaning that much brass.

[kgunz11]

You should see the tumblers Danny uses at Atlanta Arms to tumble all the range brass they take in. They look like concrete mixers.

[DyNo!]

Update - after three cycles through lemi-shine-

Before 9mm & .45:

After:

9mm

.45

(The .45 GAP has not been treated yet and neither has the 9mm on the left end)

This is all brass that had been pulled out of the ground. Some of it is older than I am.

Edited June 27, 2009 by DyNo!

[pdice]

Update - after three cycles through lemi-shine-

Before 9mm & .45:

After:

9mm

.45

(The .45 GAP has not been treated yet and neither has the 9mm on the left end)

This is all brass that had been pulled out of the ground. Some of it is older than I am.

I recently had a batch that came out pink like your last photo. Do you have any idea what that is and if there's anything wrong with it? I haven't thrown them in the tumbler yet but plan to tonight.

[Miranda]

I think the pink is copper.

here is an old thread on this topic

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...ic=43530&hl

there is a good post toward the end on the hows and whys.

miranda

[Justsomeguy]

So...water and electricity don't mix?!!!

Oh... they mix VERY well, but they are then not compatible with human bodies!

[DUKE]

This forum is a wealth of knowledge,you learn something new everyday! LOL

[M.E.Anglin]

great info, now if we only had primers to put in all that purdy brass

[Shawn Knight]

I thought using an acidic compound to clean brass would weaken it??