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View Poll Results: How Much Lemi, How Long to Tumble?

Voters
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  • 1/4 tsp Lemi

    69 44.81%
  • 1/2 tsp Lemi

    32 20.78%
  • 1 tsp Lemi

    32 20.78%
  • 1-1/2 tsp Lemi

    6 3.90%
  • 1 Tbsp Lemi

    13 8.44%
  • More Lemi

    2 1.30%
  • 30 Min Tumble

    8 5.19%
  • 60 Min Tumble

    13 8.44%
  • 90 Min Tumble

    16 10.39%
  • 120 Min Tumble

    50 32.47%
  • 180 Min Tumble

    30 19.48%
  • Longer Tumble

    15 9.74%
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Results 21 to 40 of 92

Thread: Lemi Shine - How Much, How Long

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    Hi...

    Just to add my two cents worth...

    I have recently started using about a tablespoon of Lemi-shine and a couple of squirts of Dawn to about a gallon of boiling water to wash dirty brass. Just enough water to cover the dirty brass in a plastic container. I stir it enough to get the dishwashing liquid and Lemi-shine well mixed and then stir it about every five minutes or so. It works very well to clean brass and remove tarnish from brass that has gotten wet. I discovered this method of cleaning brass after a large water leak in my reloading room left several thousand brass cases submerged in water. This method leaves a pinkish hue on the brass where it was tarnished.

    After cleaning and drying the brass, I run it through a tumbler with corn cob media for roughly two hours. This completely removes the pinkish hue on the tarnished brass and shines it to like new condition.

    I like shiny brass.

    FWIW, I do not usually de-cap my brass before washing and tumbling it. I like to de-cap and re-size and then clean the primer pockets on my RCBS Case Mate prep center. I just enjoy doing it that way which is one of the reasons I do not care for using a progressive press.

  2. #22
    Boolit Master
    Mytmousemalibu's Avatar
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    I use about 1 tsp to 1.5 tsp of Lemi and about a Tbsp of car wash & wax soap with about 2gal +- hot water to do 2-3K of 9mm with about 5lb of pins. I get perfectly acceptably clean brass in 45min and like new shine with 60-90min. I do have a large capacity machine, i like to do large batches and be done with it for a while.
    ~ Chris


    Casting, reloading, shooting, collecting, restoring, smithing, etc, I love it all but most importantly, God, Family, The United States Constitution and Freedom...

    God Bless our Troops, Veterans and First Responders!

    Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas
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  3. #23
    Boolit Master


    David2011's Avatar
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    FYI, I've found that when I treat decapped cases in citric acid it removed most of the primer pocket crud and what's left is much softer than before treating.
    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  4. #24
    Boolit Master
    JBinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by David2011 View Post
    FYI, I've found that when I treat decapped cases in citric acid it removed most of the primer pocket crud and what's left is much softer than before treating.
    Ditto.

  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master

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    In a 15# drum, like a Thumbler Model-B, I use about a 9mm case of Lemi-Shine and a cap full of Armor-All Wash and Wax. You need to adjust your Lemi-Shine to match your water hardness. Tumble time varies depending on how dirty the cases are. Cases that I loaded and shot will clean up nicely in an hour but range pick-up may take up to 4 hours.

    When I first started wet tumbling there was a huge thread on the old Snipershide about this. Lots of info and ideas about wet tumbling. One day, I dug a bunch of cases out of the burn barrel at the range and tumbled them, just to see what would happen. These were terrible looking, as you can imagine. It took 6 hours, but they came out looking like new. Being in a fire, I crushed them afterwards, just to keep them from ever being used again.
    Last edited by lightman; 10-13-2018 at 11:59 AM.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master


    Walter Laich's Avatar
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    my time is based on using Southern Shine Tumblers' media www.facebook.com/southernshinetumblers

    they are more like little chips than pins

    I think they do a much better job in a shorter amount of time
    NRA Life
    USPSA L1314
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    RVN/Cambodia War Games, 2nd Place

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
    marlin39a's Avatar
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    I used to use 1 Tbs of Lemishine in my Ultrasonic cleaner, with a touch of Dawn. I have since gone to Citric Acid and a touch of Dawn.

  8. #28
    In Remembrance Reverend Al's Avatar
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    It depends on your local water quality, but I use a teaspoon of Lemi Shine with a good squirt of Dawn blue dish soap and they come out bright and shiny ...
    I may have passed my "Best Before" date, but I haven't reached my "Expiry" date!

  9. #29
    Boolit Master 308Jeff's Avatar
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    My rifle brass ends up getting cleaned 3 times. Once in the wet tumbler after I've decapped, the second time (though brief) in the vibratory to clean the lube off, and then a final run in the wet tumbler after I've trimmed and done all the primer pocket work.

    For the final clean, I'm getting the best result by using only a dab of detergent, about 1-1/2 teaspoons of Lemi, and a 45-60 minute tumble.

    Prettiest, cleanest, shiniest brass I've ever had.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    If the brass is to bad I use Citric Acid and hot boil water. and just drop the brass in it for about 1 to 2 min. and take it out and drop in cold water and then they are clean and then after they are dry i use corn cobs in my tumbler with the brass and then are nice a shine to them.I like the idea of do the Citric Acid after the depriming. That would make life easyer on me.
    Life Member of NRA,NTA,DAV ,ITA. Also member of FTA,CBA

  11. #31
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by GrayTech View Post
    I use citric acid (same thing), but I don't tumble with it. I soak brass for 15 to 30 min in boiling hot water, ¼ tsp per 2 liters, plus a drop or two of dawn. Stir periodically.
    Often don't even need to tumble, brass comes out clean and shiny. Rinse well!!!!! last rinse I add wax to the water.
    Citric acid is very active in hot water so keep an eye on them every 5 min to check for red colour indicating zink being leached from the brass.

    Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk
    Same process I'm using and they come out plenty clean & shiny for me. I do de-prime everything first, then in the boiling water & Lemi-Shine all in plastic coffee container with the lid snapped on. What kind of wax are you using?

  12. #32
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Iowa Fox View Post
    Same process I'm using and they come out plenty clean & shiny for me. I do de-prime everything first, then in the boiling water & Lemi-Shine all in plastic coffee container with the lid snapped on. What kind of wax are you using?
    It's an auto wash and wax product that leaves a very thin film of wax. Isn't really needed as the citric acid treatment retards tarnishing.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master oldhenry's Avatar
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    I de-prime to make sure all brass will drain off the liquid.
    I fill my Lortone #12 no more than 1/3 full with the brass to assure that I get a good action.
    I add a 6 to 1 mixture of water (6) to lemon juice (1) (the cheap kind from Dollar General) enough to cover the brass.
    Add a squirt of dish washing detergent ....Dawn is best, but others work too.
    Tumble no more than 2 hrs.
    Rinse well: sometimes after rinsing, I'll tumble with just water for 5 minutes to make sure they are rinsed well & if any soap bubbles are present, I'll re-rinse & tumble in water for 5 more minutes.
    I lay out a bath towel (one my wife gave me for this purpose), pour brass in a line down the center, fold each side over & dry brass by letting it slide back & forth. In the summer I spread out the towel on my front porch in the sun & it'll dry fairly quick. In winter or @ night: I put the wet brass in a cut down plastic container & put it under the goose neck lamp on my loading bench & it'll dry.
    After it's dry, I tumble it in corn cob media for about 30 minutes. It'll look just like new. Old range brass that has turned black will come out almost as good as new (but will have a slight pinkish hue).

  14. #34
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
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    I have always just guesstimated with my FART but if I had to say it 1/4 of lemishine maybe half teaspoon of dawn add the pins and water then set the timer for 2 hours. Than into the dehydro to dry.

  15. #35
    Boolit Bub Uncle Dave's Avatar
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    As with many others I put about a 1/2 tsp in my F.A.R.T with cold water and 1 TBSP of RainX Car Wash with Carnuba wax pellets. I usually run 3 hrs because I'm cleaning it well before I need it so no hurry.
    FYI for you F.A.R.T users I have a easier time rinsing out by setting the drum on end on top of a large 8"ID piece of PVC that's 3' long. I drilled holes near the bottom of the pipe to Let water through and set the entire combo in a bucket to catch the pins by shaking around the drum on the pipe while rinsing through the grated end caps. After 5 back surgeries and I'm not happy with any kinda bending over and this is much easier on me.
    Uncle Dave

  16. #36
    Boolit Buddy
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    I also have a F.A.R.T. Took me a few post to put that together. HAHA! I have a 5 gallon bucket that I pour my cleaning water into. On the sides I duct taped a tool hanging magnet. So when I pour the dirty water out the magnet captures the pins. I rinse everything a couple of times and then put the bucket in the sun or near a hot air source and dry my pins. Then I pull the magnet and let the dry pins fall to the bottom of the bucket. Then pour them into my container. I lay the brass on a wife approved towel to dry.

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

  17. #37
    Boolit Bub g17's Avatar
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    Simple enough, using a Frankford Arsenal tumbler, 1/4 tsp Lemishine and 1oz of car wash and wax for 90 minutes for new looking brass.

  18. #38
    Boolit Buddy
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    I use 1 teaspoon of Citric acid per liter of hot water at my house that is 65 C at the tap, about 1/4 teaspoon of dawn or some such dish washing liquid per liter of hot water and they come out like new.

  19. #39
    Boolit Master 308Jeff's Avatar
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    Didn't add any citric acid to the nickel plated brass I tumbled today. Figured no need, right?

    Just the usual amount of car wash and the pins. Everything came out nice.

  20. #40
    Boolit Bub
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    I use the Frankford arsenal wet tumbler fill it about 3/4 with brass, about an ounce of car wash soap, a 45 case or 2 worth of lemishine and water to just below the neck of the threaded end and this seems to work the best. I have found that if you fill it all the way up with water the brass doesn’t seem to come out as clean.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check