How to clean brass cases

[martyd]

I am using ground corn cobs and some times walnut hulls with rouge polishing additive. My cases come out clean on the outside but only ok on the inside.

The main thing I do not like is they do not look like new cases, they dull looking.

I recently saw several thousand 38 special cases which I know have been loaded several time but they were absolutely clean inside and outside plus they looked like new brass. The person who cleaned them took his secret to the grave with him.

Does anyone know how these cases may have been cleaned?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Others use a liquid soak/tumble technique to get a bright clean finish better than new.

I get pretty good luck by adding a brass polish and liquid car wax to plain corn cob media.
but this really doesn't take the black oxidation (I call it sunburn) off cases that have been laying outside for weeks.
Jon

[mold maker]

Up to a point, the inside of the brass doesn't need to be more than free of loose powder carbon from the last firing. For all practical purposes the outside only needs to be free of dirt and grit that would spoil the sizing die.
I also like shiny brass, but its a matter of preference. I tumble with a 50/50 mix of walnut/cob, with Nu Finish car polish. The inside isn't bright but there is no dirt in it.
The Nu Finish cleans and leaves a protective surface that doesn't tarnish from handling.

[Houndog]

Look under the shooters.com section of this forum for citric Acid cleaning. It works wonders cleaning brass.

[Dale53]

If you shoot Black Powder Cartridge Rifles, then the answer to clean brass inside and out is a rotary tumbler, tumbling liquid, and ceramic cleaning media. It cleans well inside as well as outside.

I have a vibratory tumbler. When I use smokeless (I'm mostly shooting pistols these days) I just tumble in a large Dillon vibratory tumbler with corn cob media and Dillon's polish (as directed). The cases are polished nicely outside but are dark inside. "Dark" inside doesn't hurt a thing - I ignore it.

Black powder cases are decapped shortly after shooting (while at the range) and dropped into a milk jug filled 3/4ths with tap water and a few shots of Dawn Dishwashing liquid. By the time I get home, most of the work is done. I shake the jug a few times, empty, and while the cases are still in the jug fill the jug with hot water and rinse VERY well (several times) while gently shaking. I pour the cases and water out into a colander (set aside for that purpose) and shake the excess water off. I immediately put (while still damp) the cases into the vibratory tumbler and tumble for a couple of hours.

Dale53

[martyd]

Thank all of you for your help!!!!!! I will try all three methods and then use the one which works best for me.

Again Thanks!
Marty

[mike in co]

dont worry about the inside of the case ...it is clean enough for the job being done in pistol..in rifle i often still brush the necks.

if you want bright polished outsides...fine corn cob(14/20 is the grit) and something like new finish car polish.
dunp the walnut and rouge.
the tumbler need to be near full ,,,try some where between 2: 1, 3:1 brass to corn cob.( i use 5 lbs of corn cob wiht 10 to 15 lbs f brass,....big tumbler..... ) by weight.

if your brass has already been abused...you may not get back to a bright polished surface.

i have seen brass with a sand blasted dull finish that would not polish..it had been done in walnut.

[Papa Jack]

I use the NRA formula ,it's a Vinegar and salt solution. I can use it over and over to clean tarnished brass. When it stops working or gets weak, I pour it out and remix a new batch.
I used to use the Burchwood Cassy liquid brass cleaner, it worked really well and I could mix up two gallons of reusable cleaner from one bottle of concentrate. I think i t was around $4.00 a bottle, but sometimes I couldn't find it at local stores so I just use the Vinegar / salt solution...
Then if I want em really shinny I throw em in the tumbler of corn cob...
And If they are REALLY tarnished ,and I want em polished I use the LEE case trimmer to spin em in my 1/4" drill motor and polish em with 4/0 steel wool.....
I pick up a lot of "range" brass from laying on old rock roads and dirt and some of the rock minerals really turn the brass BLack after a rain, but the above methods seems to work for me. I clean all my brass this way before I sort them into storage totes...
"Papa Jack"
PS: NRA Formula for cleaning brass is 2 table spoons of salt per Quart of Vinegar

Correct me if I am wrong guys, I don't have the info in front of me....

[jimb16]

I use 1 cup of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of dish detergent to 1 gallonof water. Throw the brass in stir and let sit for 10 minutes. Then stir or shake vigorously. Drain and rinse well. Then dry using your favorite method. Cleans the brass inside and out. Then I usually give the brass a corncob polish.

[Moonie]

50/50 mix cold water/white vinegar with a bit of dish soap for 28 min
cold water with a bit of baking soda for 8 min
hot water for 8 min
distilled water for 8 min

I'm good as is with this, or you can polish in a vibratory case cleaner for real bright cases.

[nes4ever69]

i bought a few years ago a 20 lbs. box of frankford arsonal corn cobb media. compared to some other brands i have used works great. a boss i had gave me some 44 mag brass from an out door range and it went from black and nasty to bright and shiny in a matter of 10 hours. media wasnt new i just added some lyman reactivator.

i wish i knew were the remaining 15 lbs i has went. it dissapeared in the move.

[XWrench3]

i wish i knew were the remaining 15 lbs i has went. it dissapeared in the move

something ALWAYS does!

i bought a quart of iosso brass cleaning soloution. it works fine on the outside of the case, but it will not remove what you are talking about. i have not found a cure for it either. i just gave up. the only thing that is ever going to see the inside of the case is gunpowder and the butt of a boolit. and they don't complain much. as long as there is not a build up of carbon (that will increase pressure), it will not hurt anything. life is to short. find something else to worry about!

[blackthorn]

Read the "sticky" in the "Shooters.com" forum on Citric Acid!!!!!!

[mpmarty]

I have found much to my surprise that AA9 leaves the inside of my 10mm cases as clean as before firing. Great powder.

[Fixxah]

Stainless media in a rotary tumbler will make them like new. Expensive though.

[Dale53]

I have been following this thread with interest. Sometimes we get too anal about some things we do. I fully believe in cleaning brass (I shot IPSC for several years and 1911's throw those empty .45's EVERYWHERE! They pick up all kinds of stuff that can be harmful to dies with the capacity to ruin them in short order. That said, most ANY tumbler, whether rotary or vibratory will clean them as clean as need be. If you use a bit of polish (I use Dillon's) the outside comes out looking like new and if the inside is "dark" who cares. After all, the inside of the case is the boiler room (you didn't see the old Steam Engineers scrubbing down the insides of their steam engines, did you?LOL).

I Do appreciate good looking reloads (people tend to judge by appearances) but enough is REALLY enough, huh? So, tumbling does it fine. If you cannot afford a tumbler (hey, I started out a beginner myself even if it was Sixty years go) then the Citric Acid bath will handle that. Just dry the cases off after the rinse (in the hot summer, spreading them out on newspaper in the sun will quickly solve THAT problem and in the winter just place them on newspaper near a hot air register).

Dale53

[nes4ever69]

something ALWAYS does!

yeah even better chance of loosing it is when it was bought on sale for good price.

[Gunslinger]

I too have journeyed down this path... and gave up! I shoot way too much to care about new-looking brass! Although I really love how they look! I just don't want to have to tumble my brass for 10 hours to get them that shiney. I tried the Dillon polishing stuff and found it makes absolutely no difference. I couldn't tell the difference!

I went away from walnut media and started using rice instead... works just as well for a fraction of the cost!

[zomby woof]

Brass cleaning:

I like my brass clean and shiny. Here’s what I do. I have a one hour timer with two vibrating tumblers.

1. Put dirty brass in media separator, spin to remove dirt, grass un-burnt …
powder etc

2. Place brass in walnut, polish, fabric sheet and mineral spirits for one hour.

3. Remove from walnut and place in Corn cob, fabric sheet and polish for one hour.

It’s that simple. My brass is clean and shiny.

[Lee S. Forsberg]

I don't worry to much about the inside of the cases. If I need the inside clean I tumble them in dish soap and water. For the outside I use Toilet Paper. Just put 5'-10' in the tumbler with the brass and run for a couple of hours.

[goste]

I found a real simple method, that only takes about 30 min. I soak in white vinegar, dish soap, hot water for about 10 min. pour out on a towel, and roll dry. put in a large gym sock and tie the top, put in another gym sock and put in the drier on high heat, with whatevers in the drier, for about 15 min. your brass will blind you when it comes out..

[XWrench3]

" I found a real simple method, that only takes about 30 min. I soak in white vinegar, dish soap, hot water for about 10 min. pour out on a towel, and roll dry. put in a large gym sock and tie the top, put in another gym sock and put in the drier on high heat, with whatevers in the drier, for about 15 min. your brass will blind you when it comes out.." [/QUOTE]

well, that will certainly get the dirt and nasty stuff off the outside of the case. it will do nothing as far as polishing it. what about the inside of the caseing? does this remove all traces of burnt powder from the inside? so it looks like the outside of the brass?

[Shiloh]

Nu Finish car polish from Wally World. FOund the idea right here onthe forum. Works great.
I tumble with 14-20 corn cob. THe more times th brass is tumbled, the brighter it gets in a shorter time.

SHiloh

[goste]

"well, that will certainly get the dirt and nasty stuff off the outside of the case. it will do nothing as far as polishing it. what about the inside of the caseing? does this remove all traces of burnt powder from the inside? so it looks like the outside of the brass? " (Quote)


Its the tumble motion, of the brass rubbing against itself in the drier, that polishes the case to a bright shine. And yes, the inside of the cases come pretty clean...... I was amazed the first time I tried it......

[Savy]

I have tried all the methods listed and am only happy with my current one. I purchased the Thumler Rotary Tumbler, 5LBs of Stainless Steel Pellets and RCBS Sidewinder Liquid. I decap the cases then run them in the Tumbler for a couple hours, rinse and dry on a towel (I am looking for a better drying method). Yesterday I cleaned a batch of Brass 12 Gauge Shot Shells and 45 Colt that were Black Powder fired. The results, Inside, Outside and Primer Pocket are Factory Fresh so I am completely sold on this method. Up Front Costs are a bit higher than a Vibrator with Corn Cobb or Walnut Shell but my Frankford Arsenal Vibrator gave up the ghost after a relative short time so I am convinced the cost will long term be in favor of the Thumler and again the results alone are worth the cost.

[MtGun44]

What shiloh said is correct. One capful of NuFinish car wax in 14/20 corncob, lasts
a VERY long time, makes the brass look just like new only slicker feeling.
When dirty , add a paper towel torn into strips, dirt embeds in the towel, throw away.
IMO walnut hulls are much dustier and dirtier, SS it way too expensive and entirely
unnecessary unless you are literally shooting black powder. Vinegar sounds
iffy on damaging the brass, but I have not tried it, for that reason.

Inside cleanliness is not useful. If you insist on getting superclean, use a bit of
Lemishine (dishwasher additive that is mostly citric acid) which is totally safe, will
NOT corrode brass, actually reverses any staining and corrosion electrochemically
and is safe enough to drink, literally. This is only necessary for brass that has
been exposed to the weather quite a while.

Bill

[DrBill33]

I now use a sonic cleaner. I de-prime the cases (using a Lee Universal de-primer) and then the Hornady Sonic Cleaner. Beautiful results!


If I want exceptionally shiny cases (seldom do I seek these ... only that the cases be CLEAN), I clean with Walnut, and then polish with corn cob and polishing agent.

All in all, I prefer the sonic cleaner

[Moonie]

I have tried all the methods listed and am only happy with my current one. I purchased the Thumler Rotary Tumbler, 5LBs of Stainless Steel Pellets and RCBS Sidewinder Liquid. I decap the cases then run them in the Tumbler for a couple hours, rinse and dry on a towel (I am looking for a better drying method). Yesterday I cleaned a batch of Brass 12 Gauge Shot Shells and 45 Colt that were Black Powder fired. The results, Inside, Outside and Primer Pocket are Factory Fresh so I am completely sold on this method. Up Front Costs are a bit higher than a Vibrator with Corn Cobb or Walnut Shell but my Frankford Arsenal Vibrator gave up the ghost after a relative short time so I am convinced the cost will long term be in favor of the Thumler and again the results alone are worth the cost.

I've moved on to the rotary tumble with SS pins using lemishine/dawn for a few hours, then a quick run in a tumbler with corn cob and nu-finish. Will just about blind you, look like factory new, inside, out and primer pockets.

[Jeff82]

+1 on the sonic cleaner. I deprime, then clean brass in an ultra-sonic cleaner. This cleans both the inside of the cases and the primer pockets. Then I tumble for an hour or two using standard corn cob media. Cleanest cases in town!

[jburris2001]

I always throw my 500 brass in a jar with warm water and dawn dish soap. slosh around a bit. rinse well. then place them primer up on a towl to dry. vibrate them in crushed walnut afterwords. always come out looking better than new.

[HiVelocity]

Stainless media in a rotary tumbler will make them like new. Expensive though.

MPMarty- Go ahead and bite the bullet one time and buy the Stainless Tumbling Media media set up (top of the page). Yes, its pricey. Unless you can find a decent used Thumbler Tumbler somewhere else, this is the way to go, barring none. I've taken range brass that was so black that it was almost impossible to determine what the case was. I use the full bag of stainless pins (5lbs), 150 45 Colt cases, deprimed, and cover with water, add 2 table spoons of "LemiShine" (available at Wal-Mart) and although the directions say to run for 4 hours, usually mine are done in 2. You couldn't tell the difference from tumbled brass and new brass from the bag.

Try it! Find someone close near you and take them your nastiest brass, rifle or pistol, and let them tumble it for you and see for yourself. I've already converted 3 of my friends to the stainless media set-up.

HV

[Twstanley]

I wanted to second or third the notion to use old dryer sheets in the tumbler to pull dirt out of the media...I also use a teaspoon of brasso now and then added to the media.

The dryer sheets are also great for removing static from any plastic powder measures, spouts, etc...