Shiny Brass

[ncbearman]

Hello all,

So I think I do well cleaning my brass with my steel media (over 2000 rounds now), but is there a way to keep that "just tumbled look" when it first comes out of the tumbler. I thought maybe drying it quickly somehow may accomplish that.

Thanks again in advance. I have really appreciated your answers to my noob questions over the last couple months. Thanks.

[Arnie]

I think the reason the brass doesnt keep that just cleaned look is because the SS media cleans it too good .I havent tried it yet but the stuff RCBS sells for there sidewinder seems to leave a film on the brass ,so maybe a little of this in the tumbler would help. Some people rinse right away in distilled water as some water seems to stain the brass .Arnie

[Silver-Silver]

I use stainless pins also...

Tips for keeping the brass "fresh"

Fill the tumbler up with water when using, don't leave a big air gap.
Final rinse in cold water.
Rinse with jet dry additive in rinse bucket
Dry, Dry, Dry right away. Lay out brass in the sun with a fan on it.

For the ultimate polish look. Tumble in corncob media with Nu-finish added to media. Tumble for 10 minutes, just to get a good coat of wax on the brass to keep the fresh look longer.

[Dakine]

I use a buddy's SSM tubler kit, and what works well for me is this:

I put in more than they suggest on the water softener, I use a tablespoon of "lemon shine" it's like $4 a bottle at vons.

I put in another tablespoon of lemon shine into the rinse bucket where I tumble all of the brass in the little plastic cage thing for about 100 turns.

I put the brass in very neat orderly little rows on a towel and then use a heat gun on high, for maybe 10 minutes. (this is the back breaker for me, I'm kind of tall and my kitchen table isnt lol)

Then I run a fan over the brass for a few hours.



When I'm ready to check the brass to see if it's completely done, I grab random pieces and tap them against the palm of my hand, if any water comes out, they are not done. And then I do the heat gun again and more time on the fan.


Oh, and just for giggles, I de-prime all of my brass first with a lee deprimer die. yeah it takes a little time and I know there's a lot of folks out there who think it's a waste, but that's okay... to each their own. I have shiny spotless primer pockets, I dont put dirty brass into my dies, and that's how I like to do it. It's working for me so far so I'm not going to make major changes

[W.R.Buchanan]

Wildcats method of cleaning with pins and then going nack with corncobs and wax is the wy to do it.

I have bags of brass that I haven't loaded that I tumbled in Walnut hulls with Dillon case cleaner which smells just like car wax. These bags have been sitting for years and the brass is still perfect looking.

The wax is what keeps it that way.

Also is it quicker to just blow the water out of the cases with an air hose. It takes about 5 minutes to blow 100 .308 cases out and then you don't have to worry about the sun shining that day. Blowing them also takes care of any media that is stuck in the flash holes.

Randy

[geargnasher]

+3 on the Nu-finish and PLAIN corncob rat bedding media or walnut Lizard bedding from the pet store. Run the vibratory tumbler with a couple tablespoons of Nu-finish for half an hour or until dry before adding brass or the media will pack inside the cases like concrete.

Gear

[latesvak]

im a walnut and Nu-finish kind of guy and i love the way mine comes out. could be the quick bath i give them before hand. but they always turn out nice and shiny.


latesvak

[Jailer]

Wet tumble and rinse in cold water or you can discolor your brass.

Also do NOT lay them in the sun to dry. The sun will bring on a dark golden tarnished look very quickly.

After wet tumbling I dry mine in an old heated forced air food dehydrator for about a half hour. Once they're done I bag them up in ziplock bags and they stay new looking.

[Swamprat1052]

I went to Petco and bought Lizard Litter and then to Wally World for NuFinish. This stuff works good for me without the expense of the stainless steel. I have a hard time paying as much for that as I have a lot of guns. lol. The only advantage I see is that the primer pockets dont get cleaned as good, and thats a plus I know. But I am lazy and dont want to fool with drying cases. Think I'll stick with the Lizard Litter................for now anyway.

Swamprat

[runfiverun]

i wash in the citric acid bath pour into an old teeshirt and swing them to get the water out.
then into the walnut and nu-finish, the heat from the tumbler finishes the drying process.

[Roundnoser]

I don't have any of these problems. I shoot it all long before it tarnishes!

[gray wolf]

drill spot corn cob, bargain of the century. I think I paid 23 $$ for the bag
( think feed sack ) must be 40 or so pounds. That's with shipping.
I was not that happy with the new finish car polish till I found I was not using quite enough. Now I fill the unit add about three teaspoons and run the unit like Gear said to do, making sure all the polish is distributed and there are no wet spots.
I get nice bright shine. ( very nice and clean, and shiny )

[Recluse]

For the ultimate polish look. Tumble in corncob media with Nu-finish added to media. Tumble for 10 minutes, just to get a good coat of wax on the brass to keep the fresh look longer.

+1

The NuFinish puts a protective "coating" on the brass and keeps it from tarnishing nearly as quick.

[MtGun44]

What Gear said. Nufinish in fine grind corncob.

Bill

[ncbearman]

Thanks gents. NuFinish in the cc media after drying it is. Sounds like that will cure my problem.

Oh, I took an old laundry sack, put in about 200 rounds and put it in the dryer with a load of clothes. The wife about had a heart attack when she saw me "loading the dryer". That dried the shells pretty fast.

Love this site. Lots to learn. Daddy always said "don't go to bed at night until you have learned something new that day".......................good night

Thanks Again

[Huntducks]

I store all my cleaned brass in either Zip locks or plastic ammo box's.

JUST A SIDE NOTE FINELY FOUND LEMI-SHINE AT WALLYS HOT DAMN THAT STUFF WORKS ON TARNISHED BRASS 5MIN IN THE WATER AIR DRY INTO THE VIB. CLEANER W/CORN

[Swamprat1052]

I like the lizard litter and nufinish. Was wondering if anyone uses it with a Thumblers Tumbler.
Would that get the primer pockets cleaner. Just wondering.

Swamprat

[John Boy]

I thought maybe drying it quickly somehow may accomplish that.

How to Dry Wet Brass in Under 2 Minutes!

Yes, the luster will diminish with aging of the brass exposed to air. I store mine in 2 lb pipe tobacco cans with free desiccants that the pharmacist saves for me

[mstarling]

OK Guys,

My STM pins are in and the inside of the barrel of the Thumler Tumbler is painted. Will assemble everything tomorrow after I spend most of the day doing other chores.

I looked up NuFinish at the WallyWorld site and it shows a paste car wax ... same stuff? How do you get it into the corn cob media? (I like to store polished, ready to load brass in zip lock bags inside kitty litter pails. Often takes me a while to get to loading it so preventing corrosion is a good idea.)

Thanks!


Thanks!

[brassrat]

I am a relative noob but after buying a proper vib. tumbler, I am done with drying times. I used to boil the brass in straight vinegar. Being a noob, I am still on Cabelas CC and the red walnut. I use like 2/3 CC and 1/3 Walnut mixed. My cases all look blindingly brassy and they get sorted, prepped and stored in MTM boxes. They stay bright for months and years.