brasso

[cattoon]

maybe off topic but I have approx. 200 once fired 7 mm mag cases that were cleaned with Brasso 5-6 yrs ago. I haven't been reloading for several years. I know that using ammonia based cleaners is not recommended however will just 1 cleaning cause enough damage to scrap the cases? I'm slowly getting back into loading and was just curious. thanks

[AlaskaMike]

I'm not sure if I'd use them for normal loads, but maybe for cast bullet loads? The cast bullet loads generate much less pressure than a normal 7mm mag load. It may also be worthwhile to look at neck sizing. I'm really reaching here, but I *think* that the Brasso makes the brass more brittle, so because a neck sizer works the brass left, it may last longer. Sounds good anyhow...

Mike

[Lloyd Smale]

IVe used a small amount of brasso in my tumbler for over 20 years and have never seen where it shortens brass life. Many will probably disagree though but i seem to get just as good of brass life as anyone not using it and have never had it cause a problem. I would think that adding tablespoon of brasso to a tumber doesnt really put any serious ammont of amonia in the media. Maybe if a guy soaked his cases in it for a couple days it might have an effect.

[JeffinNZ]

I agree with Fish and Lloyd. I have been using a small amount of brasso in my walnut media for yonks and seen no ill effect.

Moderation is the word of the day I think.

[Bret4207]

I think if you soaked the brass in Brasso it might damage it, but I've soaked a lOT of brass buttons, belt buckles, etc in Brasso and it never even etched it. Just took the really green crud off.

BTW- The smell takes me right back to Parris Island, 3rd Battalion, H Company, Platoon 3002. Wonder where all those guys are today......

[1hole]

fishhawk has it right. Ammonia is a liquid that evaporates fairly rapidly if left uncovered, as in a tumbler over night. When it evaporates it is gone, totally, and there is no residue to do any harm. Ammonia has a distinctive oder, if you can't smell it there isn't any left.

Used wet, the liquid ammonia in Brasso can, in principle, harm brass but I doubt you did any significant damage with a single application uless you soaked the cases in it for a period of time.

PS - Good job Bret, keep on keeping on Marine.

[Dale53]

The problem with using an ammonia based cleaner on brass is that it can infiltrate the "micro cracks" in all brass cases (they are caused by the manufacturing process). This has the distinct possibility to weaken brass to the point that you can have a catastrophic failure of the brass. This with brass that looks absolutely perfect.

It seems to me to be a pointless exercise to deliberately take a chance on hurting yourself, your firearm or a bystander when there are other alternatives that do NOT pose this hazard.

I read a paper on this several years ago complete with microscopic photos of brass damaged by ammonia based cleaners.

Just because you have gotten away with something does not make it a prudent activity. As an example, think of unprotected sex with strangers...

FWIW
Dale53

[KYCaster]

For years I used to use Brasso in my tumbler, then I found some 35Rem. loads on the back shelf with a date on the box from seventeen years earlier. Every one of those that I fired (five or six) resulted in a split case...some on the neck, some on the body. I pulled the remainder and the loads were as they should be...same charge of IMR3031 that I still use...gives me 2050 fps with a bullet or boolit.

I quit using Brasso after that experience, even though I've fired many thousands of rounds with brass cleaned with it with no problems. I don't know for sure if Brasso was the cause of the splits, but that's the conclusion I came to.

I have found that Flitz does the job just as well as Brasso at about the same price and the lable says "no ammonia". Maybe twenty years down the road I'll have another problem that I can blame on Flitz, but till then, I'll stick with it.

Jerry

[felix]

The rule of thumb is to always have the "solvent" moving against the target in question which would give minimum damage to the target. For example, cupro-nickel is the compound of choice for transporting sea water, which is full of inorganic chlorides. Nuke power plants use this stuff for its water cooling pipes, most especially in Europe. The ideal speed of the water through the system is 0.6 meters/second. Slower you get more chemical erosion; faster you get more friction erosion. ... felix

[EMC45]

+1 KYcaster! I got some Flitz liquid at the local Ace Hardware years back. It revitalized my TuffNut. And on the bottle it actually said "Ideal for brass tumbling" or something to that effect.