Laundry.

[BulletFactory]

I wanted to clean up some brass, and since my rock tumbler only holds 50 at a time, I decided to toss some of them in with the laundry just to see how they came out. I added 3 or 4 cups of vinegar to the wash, and then tossed them into the dryer. I used all of the smaller articles of clothing, hand towels, socks, that sort of thing to help scrub the brass. To my great suprise and delight, the brass came out just like brand new. Seriously, they looked like you had hand polished them with brasso!

Toss them in the dryer as you are leaving the house, 1,000 brass casings in the dryer is LOUD!

[BABore]

I imagine the primer residue is a welcome addition to the laundry items.[smilie=w:

[cbrick]

A bachelor no doubt.

Rick

[M-Tecs]

A friend of mine is a national level skeet shooter. He has an old washing machine and drier in the garage dedicated to washing shotgun hulls. For the all plastic with brass rims it worked great. A drier full of shotgun hulls is one noisy SOB.

For a non dedicated machine I would be very concerned with lead and other bad things from the primers.

[sirgknight]

I hate to think what my wife would say to me, much less do to me, if I were to use "her" washer or dryer for ANY part of my reloading operation. I have heard of using an old dryer for cleaning brass. A small amount of tumbling media would be placed into the dryer, add the brass and tumble away. Just not my idea of being "thrifty"........HOWEVER.....it can be done. My brother is a taxidermist and he acquired a bad clothes dryer for his taxidermy business, free for just hauling it off. As many of us probably know a dryer operates on 220-240V. The motor runs on 110 and the drying element runs on 110. My brother discarded the bad elecrical element and changed the wiring harness to run just the motor to turn the drum. He then sealed off the vent to keep the media inside the drum (I think he used duct tape for this). The mess you see on the floor is not a result of the dryer transformation; it is a result of my brother pulling hides out of the dryer and dumping the media on the floor. So, if you had a lot of brass to tumble, this would actually make a wonderful tumbler.

http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h241/sirgknight/?action=view&current=photo1.jpg

[Jim]

I didn't see it, but I heard about the drier thing being tried. The guy told me the media ran out of the vent holes, made one helluva mess in the air system and beat the brass to a useless condition. If that wasn't bad enough, he had to hire an appliance repairman to come out and fix the drier.

[longarm85]

i put brass in a butter bowl, add about a cup of lemon juice(cheap stuff from wal-mart) a squirt of dish washing liquid then enough hot water to cover brass...shake the bowl ever 15 min or so. wash with clean water and dry.....works great inside and primer pockets clean...

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I use citric acid , a large mason jar and water put lid on agitate then let sit for 15 minutes then rinse and put out on a towel , i like to stand them up in trays and let them dry

i use the lee universal deprime first

i don't do large batches however , i just don't have that much brass

[Lizard333]

I'm pretty sure I'd be looking for a new place to sleep if I did this. I didn't pay 2000$ for my washer and dryer to clean brass. I think my wife would kill me.

[Jim]

Yeah, Lizard, you'd look kinda' funny crawling out of that drier with all those lumps on your head!

[gray wolf]

I still use a tumbler and corn cob, still happy, still married.

[ItZaLLgooD]

Maybe throw the brass in an old pair of panty hose and dunk in a bucket with your laundry detergent instead.

[treadhead1952]

:D:D:D:goodpost:

This is one of the reasons I come here. I can almost see Red Greene trying this one out.[smilie=l:

[BulletFactory]

Yup, bachelor.

Media sounds messy, but if you put the brass and media in a coffee can, and taped the lid on, it would keep the media in place, and the lead hazard contained.

[crazy mark]

I've used the washing machine to clean brass. Not a Bachelor either. I have my washer and dryer and she has hers. About 220 miles apart. I don't use the dryer for brass however. It's nice having hers and mine appliances. Mark

[Rangefinder]

Geez, if you would have asked, I could have told you ahead of time how loud brass is rattling around in a dryer--my wife reminds me every time she does laundry and I forgot to clean out the pockets of my jeans first. :D

[Moonie]

I did this with old towels and I put the brass in an old pillow case. It worked VERY well, brass looked brand new, came out dry (yes I did the washer AND dryer). SWMBO was NOT happy with the procedure and I now have a vibratory case cleaner.

[mdi]

OK, this is related to cleaning brass in washing machines. Often (like every time this comes up) someone posts about "dangerous primer residue" being left in the washer. So, how much residue is in 1,000 fired primers? Out of that amount, how much is considered toxic/poisonous/bad gu-gu (lead)? Out of that amount, mixed with 2 cycles of say, 5 gallons of water(I stand corrected, thnx Mk42. 30 gal. of water ) and solvent (soap) how much really stays in a washer? Fill, agitate, drain, spin, fill, agitate/rinse, drain, spin. Solvent/soap will suspend particles of residue, break down any solids, and enable the solids to to flushed out of the washer, once with the wash water and once with the rinse. I'm not advocating using a washer for cleaning brass, I just don't think there would be enough left over to have any affect, even over time, on any further use of the washer and residual bad stuff getting on clothing that is being washed (more water, more soap, more agitation, etc.). And even less chance of wearing that clothing having any transfer of toxic residue. It isn't Risin poison and it ain't radioactive, so mebbe these warnings are a bit over reactive?

Hey, jes .02 from a common sence old guy...

[Mk42gunner]

Actually, your average top loading washing machine uses closer to thirty gallons of water per cycle for a large load. At least they did when I was working on them in the 80's.

Robert

[JRR]

Here is a good alternative to the washer and dryer.

I use a plastic bucket with a vinegar/detergent solution. An old waterbed vibrator motor is duck taped to the outside. A colander is suspended into the solution filled with de-primed brass. Turn it on and come back an hour later. The gunk is in the bottom of the bucket. I use this same method with a different solution for grimy bicycle parts.

Jeff

[mroliver77]

In my shop I have a microwave, a refrigerator, a deep freeze, a clothes dryer(need a cheapo washer), a blow dryer, baby scale, hotplate, pots, pans, towels, etc, etc.

It sucks to wash your greasy coveralls and the next load your Sunday best yellow shirt or tan slacks! I had a friend whos shop had washer-dryer, toilet and shower. It kept him out of hot water with the wife. I don't have a wife anymore but still like my dress clothes to look sharp. With a washer in the shop one can do grease rags too! I will stick with my vibrating case cleaner or the 5 gal bucket tumbler I built for cleaning brass.
Jay

[63 Shiloh]

I don't know if you have verge collections in the US, we have them down here. People just place old white goods, TV's, electrical devices...etc on the verge for the council to pick up.

I have scrounged many good things from these collections. Especially in the more up market suburbs, they just put perfectly good and working equipment out as they have upgraded.

I have picked up a range hood for my casting area, got a dishwasher that I set up outside for cleaning and drying bulk brass. Also have a dryer that uses a rack in the middle for drying shoes, works great with a strainer full of wet brass too!

When I was married, my ex wife to to hate these collections, I would head out with the trailer and come home with heaps of good gear, or 'junk' as she referred to it.


Mike

[BulletFactory]

some states have them, in south carolina, its called a swap shop.

In Michigan, we donate to salvation army, or similar charities. Or they now have roadside bins that people use to drop old shoes and clothes to hepl people. Any metal left on the curb is picked up by scrappers (recyclers).

[XWrench3]

i dont think i want that in our new washer and drier. plus we have kids, and they certainly do not need to be absobing lead styphenate into their bodies from the clothes they wear. even as a bacjelor i wouldnt do it. if for no other reason that i dispise working on appliances.

[BulletFactory]

The lead is a non issue, as was clearly pointed out in detail in this thread. The washer wont be new after you use it, so thats out too. :D

[montana_charlie]

I don't clean brass in a washing machine, but I do launder my wiping patches.

Shooting paper patched with black powder means wiping between shots. Two damp patches and a dry one, shoved through the bore after every shot, turns into a lot of patches ... especially if only used once and discarded.

I started picking up all of my patches right at the beginning, but that was to keep the area clean of 'trash'. After a couple of sessions, and a couple of purchases to replace patches, I thought about reusing them.

The wife gave me a net bag (she had several) to put them in, and when I get a couple of hundred they go through with a load of jeans and t-shirts.

Yeah ... it takes time and patience to pick through and flatten them out, but once you get rid of any thread that unravelled they are entirely suitable for another pass.
I have a bag of patches waiting to be washed for their second time. We'll see if they are still as usable as before.

The patches I am using are regular woven cloth. I haven't tried the waffle-pattern jobs from U.S. Arsenal, but they might not unravel during the agitation. I have a thousand on hand, but I'll try to wear out the cotton jobs, first.

CM

[geargnasher]

Those of you who think it's a good idea to go dunking their brass in vinegar solutions owe it to yourselves to do a little research.

Gear

[Recluse]

If I ran brass through my wife's Maytag Neptune washer and dryer, it would adversely affect my shooting.

Hard to shoot from a somewhat crouched/bent-over position.

I'd be walking and standing that way because Mrs. Recluse would take each single, individual piece of brass I put in her washer and dryer and place each one of them up my backside.

I enjoy standing upright and shooting from the same position far too much to chance cleaning my brass in the washer/dryer.

The Thumler's Tumbler is yet one more device keeping my marriage safe, healthy and loving.

:coffee:

[waksupi]

Those of you who think it's a good idea to go dunking their brass in vinegar solutions owe it to yourselves to do a little research.

Gear

I have had the same concerns with the citrus cleaners.

[BulletFactory]

Whats wrong with vinegar? I thought the only real concern would be from ammonia.

[milprileb]

Hey, why not the dish washer ? They dry in it too?

Me: I am not doing it nor the washer nor the dryer.

Married: I found out the humor was not present when the wife opened
dish washer and found a Garand stock in there.

Probably, my adding Dawn to the machine and soap suds overflowing the kitchen
floor only added to that issue.

My experience: stay out of laundry room and kitchen with good ideas on ammo and guns.

My Wife Repellent from my reloading / gun area in basement: A wet Hoppes #9 patch hung up on clothes pin keeps her out of my area. A good investment.

[BulletFactory]

lol. I dont have a dishwasher.

[Huntducks]

All that to save money on buying a $40 vib. tumbler:groner:

[BulletFactory]

I dont have 40$

[jonk]

I tried this just once.

3 cases quickly worked under the agitator, jammed the machine, blew the fuse, and caused a curl of smoke to come out of the motor. Machine still works, but now unbalances a lot more often.

Never again.

[XWrench3]

The lead is a non issue, as was clearly pointed out in detail in this thread. The washer wont be new after you use it, so thats out too.

as for the washer and dryer, yes, the first time you use them, they are no longer brand new. but the first time a peice of brass jams into someplace, and tears up a transmission, or water pump, or seal, the warranty will not cover it, and i will have to pay WAY more than $40.00 to have it fixed. as for the lead being a non-issue, i saw one post that said he thought it would be very dilluted. and i guess since you are a bachelor, that is fine. but there is no way i would risk the health of my children just to clean brass.

[nanuk]

this makes me laugh!

I have laundered some pretty dirty work clothes, and left a dark ring in the washer. to clean it, I wiped off as much as I could then ran a full load with some old towels. Worked good. then, a full load EMPTY with double the detergent.
(I have now learned to wash my work clothes in smaller amounts so the ring is lower on the tub, and the full load of old towels scrubs it well!)

my wife wants me to get my own washer and dryer.

On a chainsaw site, guys use dishwashers to wash chainsaws! Works great they say, just run another pots and pans cycle with lemon scented detergent afterword... (before wife gets home!)

I think I'd like my own dishwasher also!

(oh... I don't pay for water!)