how soon before i have to clean my cases

[bigted]

well i found my experiment of this question that was posted by another some time ago. actually it was in september according to the date i scribbled on the container that holds my shot cases in soapy water.

the experiment was to be in answer to the question posted concerning how long before you could wait before cleaning bp fouled cases. these are winchester cases and had been fired with 70 grains of cartridge powder and decapped then dunked in the bottle that they have been bathing in since the 16th of september 2011. i have jostled them a few times to keep the suds up and make sure it was still in there.

the cases looked fine just setting there and peering down into the open mouth of them under water looked fine with no harm seemingly happening.

today i decided that this was a long enough time for this experiment so i emptied the bottle and cut it open to remove the cases into the sink. i saw imediatley that the cases had turned black where they were in contact with each other inside the bottle.

this didnt clean off with my finger and as i rinsed them after scrubbing them inside the case and the primer hole with my brass brush. the remainder of the cases were untouched with erosion to my eye for now but i dryed them and have them in the vibrator with the lyman nutshell media that always makes my brass shiney and bright. so.......

more news tomarrow when i take those lil buggers out of the vibrator and clean em with my rags and clean out the primer holes so i can examine them with a fine tooth comb. i just hope i didnt ruin some of my newer cases with a experiment that should have been with some of the older cases.......nobody ever accused me af being overly bright so this just fits rite in...LOL

[Ramar]

bigted,
I let mine soak in a Dawn and water solution for 3 days and then they were evil black. Rewashing didn't help change the color; I had to spin them on my lathe with 0000 steel wool inside and out to get them to look right.
Ramar

[ian45662]

Ceramic media is by far the best way to clean brass. It will make the blackest case look better than it did from the factory. I run mine in a hornady vibratory case cleaner. It gets primer pockets and the inside of the case. After I shoot I put the case in a jug of plain water then when I get home I put the cases in the media. I dont touch them with a brush

[montana_charlie]

the remainder of the cases were untouched with erosion to my eye
Did you really intend to say 'erosion'?
Did you mean corrosion?

One is mechanical damage, the other isn't.

Surely you didn't shake the bottle enough to 'wear away' any brass ... right?

CM

[bigted]

well the jurry is in. i have the answers i set out to get...

first off this is NOT the way i take care of my cases! there was a question posted mounths ago and it was the same question i posted with this post hoping to attract the origanal poster from mounths ago.

my ussual path is to de-prime and dunk in a milk jug of dawn impregnated water at the range. then upon getting home i clean my rifle first and put it away then i dump those cases in the sink and scrub em with my brass brush whereupon i dry them over the flame on the stove then i stick em in the tumbler for a couple hours if i want em shiney agai..otherwise they just go back to the loading bench for the next round of loading.

so here is the verdict for those interested...

the dawn dishsoap stays soapy in a bottle for at least 6 mounths...

the cases with the bp fouling just dont change color and seems to keep the fouling soft and ready for the cleaning...

the snag is that where the cases rest upon each other ...the brass when there is bp fouling present will begin to eat away at the brass to the extent that these that are 6 mounths old are un-usable as a result of this cancer on them. ..

so the final final for me is that the cases really should be cleaned within a week of firing if they are kept in a soapy water bath till then. i now have 16 cases that were pristine...[winchester]...that now are candidates for blow tubes and other such tools as a bp shooter has need for.

i dont know if anybody is even interested in this armless experiment but there it is. something for the amused to be amused for again.

@

yes charlie that is precisely what i meant...thanks bud!

^

[PanaDP]

I leave mine dry until they get cleaned. Thus far they've always been cleaned within 24 hours so I'm not entirely sure how well it works. My rationale is that I live in a very dry climate (southern CA) so there is very little moisture to be attracted by the salts present in BP fouling.

[montana_charlie]

I put mine in the soak bottle and leave them until I get ready to mess with them. That might be a few hours, or maybe a couple of days.

I rinse tham with lukewarm water until the water in the jug runs clear, then I put them in a grid that suspends them mouth down, to dry overnight.

Once dry they are tossed in an open box to await ceramic cleaning.
I may not tumble clean them for a month, or more. It depends on how long it takes to accumulate enough to make it worthwhile to tumble a batch.

I have been using the same cases for six years, and have no issues with them.

CM

[Ramar]

Am I the only one that has the brass turn black from the Dawn and water? If so, I'm thinking the well water that has been softened may be the problem.
Ramar

[WildmanJack]

Ramar,
No worries, mine did just this past month. Using well water, but I think it may have been a combination of the Black powder residue, the stainless steel media, the Lemi Shine , and the Sulpher Dioxide in my water. Although not enough to smell it or taste it, I think there's still a bit there and it turned all my .45-70 brass shiny black. They shined right back up when I cleaned them again.
Jack

[catkiller45]

I clean mine with a test tube brush chucked uo in a small battery
operated drill..Cleanes them so they look almost new inside..

Got the brush's from BACO long ago...