home made case cleaner?

[Oklahoma Rebel]

not sure if this is the right forum but I was wondering if anyone had a recipe using household items to make a case cleaner that I could just put the cases in a Tupperware container with it, and shake to clean? I am trying a mix of lemon juice and vinegar + 1/4 volume hot water. I shook them and am letting it soak. mainly it is the thin layer of lube that has gotten on the case but also want to clean the carbon on the inside too. thanks!-Travis

[Shooter6br]

Lemi shine

[NoZombies]

Dawn and citric acid.

[country gent]

Iosso makes a case wash that's diluted in water also. Dawn and lemi shine works well. Avoid ammonia based products as its hard on the brass. Like some of the old butter churns. your brass and wash in a sealed container on the lower frame of a rocking chair then rock for awhile to agitate. LOL

[tankgunner59]

Birchwood Casey makes one it's called Brass Cartridge Case Cleaner. It's a concentrate that makes 2 gallons from a 16 oz. container. I've had it awhile and don't remember what it cost. You mix 2 ounces with a quart of water. It can be reused multiple times before mixing a new batch. I love it, after I use it I run my brass through my Lyman Turbo 1200 tumbler and the brass shines.
I have and do also use a mixture of hot water, about a quarter teaspoon of Lemishine and a few drops of Dawn dish soap and it generally works real good. But the Birchwood-Casey stuff removes the powder residue better.

[Minerat]

Dawn and citric acid.

I use this with water 2 TBS each and nuke it till warm. I keep it in an old 2 liter pop bottle and use it 3 or 4 time till no good. I have a small 1/2 gallon plastic pail and a mesh bag put the cases in the bag and soak for half hr or so. Rinse dry and into the vibratory tumbler.

[razorfish]

Be careful using acid (Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Citric Acid, Lemishine, etc) to shine up your brass. Limit the time of exposure and rinse thoroughly to stop the reaction.

We all know that acid “fizzes” when it touches a Zinc wheel weight. And, brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc. Copper is too soft for cases so they add Zinc to stiffen them up.

Weak acids used to clean brass dissolves a bit of the Zinc. Too much acid could potentially weaken your brass. A bit of acid is potentially okay, but just don’t over do it.


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[RED BEAR]

Got formula from old NRA reloading manual. At table spoon of salt to a quart of vinegar soak for fifteen min. Then wash thoroughly. They do not shine but come out really clean. After rinsing I always washed with a little dish liquid. Not sure it was required but always worked good. Also 3 tea spoons of citric acid to quart of warm water soak for a few minutes And Prince well. Citric acid can be purchased on eBay or amazon.

[David2011]

Citric acid is also availabile in the canning section at Wal Mart and at winemaking supply stores. Works great with Lemi-Shine.

[JBinMN]

Dawn and citric acid.

Ditto... Another one using them with hot water.

[bullseye67]

Good evening,
I have been washing brass with 1 tablespoon of dishwasher soap, Cascade, and 1/2 tablespoon of dishwashing soap, Sunlight.
I use a gallon milk jug and hot, the hottest the tap will put out 1/2 full then fill to 3/4 with boiling water. Put lid on....SHAKE...SHAKE....SHAKE. Let sit for 15-20 minutes, SHAKE up again, pour out rinse with hot tap water 2-3 times until water is clean. I pour them out on a large bath towel and holding the ends roll the cases back and forth to dry.
This works best if you de-prime first. Both pistol and rifle come out clean and shiny!!!!
Be aware that pistol brass will stick in the resizing die and needs a quick shot of spray lube. I put the brass into a gallon bucket with lid, a quick psst, psst of Lyman spray case lube. Put on lid shake them around then reload them.
I haven’t tumbled brass for 30 years....


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[poppy42]

Make sure if you use Citric acid it’s not the type used for making jellies. You’ll wind up with a case full of Jell-O. Don’t ask me how I know !