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Thread: Tarnished Cases

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
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    Tarnished Cases

    Does any member know what type of solution the Factories use to prevent tarnish on there new brass.. I tumble and polish all my cases for One caliber @ the same time and use them In Rotation.. I have even used a Shrink wrapper to seal Them. but they still tarnish.
    i know it makes no difference On the performance.
    Please don't tell me to shoot them up faster so they don't tarnish
    Sal
    NRA Endowment Member
    International Ammunition Association
    New York, the Empire State Where Empires were Won and Lost

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master

    dragon813gt's Avatar
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    I don’t know what they use if they use anything at all. I have old bags of never opened brass that are tarnished. I can tell you that tumbling in media treated w/ NuFinish prevents them for tarnishing. They will darken in color over time but thats it.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    Have you tried Nufinish car wax added to your media?

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Add Nu Finish cut with OMS to the media if you are dry/vibe tumbling
    Add Armorall wash and wax (an auto product) if you are wet/rotary tumbling.
    Both will prevent tarnishing and make sizing easier too.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master

    Rcmaveric's Avatar
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    I use nufinish. It really helps. I can notice a difference after a few months sitting on the shelf.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
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  6. #6
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    Any car wax product that leaves a finish on the brass will retard tarnishing for a period of time. I prefer those that contain a carnauba wax as the shining agent. I just add it to 20/40 ground corn cob in the tumbler as a finishing process, and it really helps.

    Hope this helps.

    Fred
    After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn't do it. - William S. Burroughs.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I don't know what Starline is using for lube now it has changed this last two batches ( 38-55 and 45-70) were so slippery I could hardly hold on to them to prep them. Previous hasn't been like this.

    I use iosso brass polish and nufinish to dry polish brass and it shines up quickly with little to no tarnishing. I suspect its the wax in the nufinish that seals the case from air in the thin film it leaves. I have also noticed some plastics and cardboards seem to accelerate the tarnish forming quicker than others. Ammo cans with good seals seem best in my use. Darker cases that keep light away from the cases also seem to help some.

    I had some brass stored on a shelf above the bench I cleaned rifles on and it tarnished very quickly and heavily while other in the room away from this area didn't. I suspect the fumes from the solvents caused this.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    + on nufinish

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    This is a link from the copper industry that describes the corrosion inhibiting chemical used in Birchwood Casey Case Cleaner. You can review the BW Casey MSDS to verify the use of the Benzotriazole

    Be sure to read this article down to the storage and packing section.
    Then way down below there is a section on cleaning solutions.

    https://www.copper.org/publications/.../pdf/a1349.pdf

    The benzotriazole is available as a technical grade for use by photographers if you think you have to mix your own stuff. About 3 months ago Birchwood Casey had a sale on their case cleaner at 50% off @ about $5 per bottle. For orders of $25 or more shipping was free so I bought 2 cases of the stuff so I don't have to mix the benzotriazole myself.
    I bought that much because I have cases that have been cleaned with it that have been stored 15 to 20 years without tarnish. Keep in mind this is a chemical that is widely known and proven by industry it is not a bubba process that is part of tribal knowledge.

    I only mix about a quart at time. When the solution gets slow I put a pyrex pan on a hot plate and warm it a little and it speeds up the removal of corrosion and tarnish. As a result a bottle of the stuff lasts a long time.

    I would add I keep new and cleaned brass clean. I use the BWC CC to rehab cruddy range pick up brass and other cases bought as once fired. It is normally used only once in the life of my worst corroded cases since I try to keep all brass free of crud once the dirt and tarnish have been removed. Worst corroded cases include cases with the orange and green scabs growing over deeply etched areas of the shoulder and upper body. Any cases etched or badly corroded near the head get a careful examination of the pressure ring area and usually go in the trash.

    https://shop.birchwoodcasey.com/prod...oz-bottle.html
    Last edited by EDG; 03-16-2019 at 02:45 PM.
    EDG

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Yes, i have tried Nu finish and others . They all work well but in time they all tarnish. I do have New Brass in Sealed Bags for a while that stay Bright for well oner a year Or two
    NRA Endowment Member
    International Ammunition Association
    New York, the Empire State Where Empires were Won and Lost

  11. #11
    Boolit Master

    lefty o's Avatar
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    when brass is made, after all forming and annealing is done, they get washed, and waxed. the wax is what keeps 'em shiny.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kenstone View Post
    Add Nu Finish cut with OMS to the media if you are dry/vibe tumbling
    Add Armorall wash and wax (an auto product) if you are wet/rotary tumbling.
    Both will prevent tarnishing and make sizing easier too.
    How much of the armorall do you add ? I use a FART and pins to clean.

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I use the cap on the jug as a measure and use one per tumble.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    My secret is living in Utah, we're at 48% humidity this evening, and even on a snowy day/night we rarely get > 70%. In the summer it's usually closer to 25%. I don't worry about oxidation.

    For cases I add a couple squirts of no name auto wax and some mineral spirits when rotary tumbling. Straight walled cases that's all they get, bottlenecked get sizing lube cleaned in the ultrasonic with tap water and lemishine. That works well enough that .223 and 30-06 that has been sitting in non-airtight wally world shoeboxes for 2+ years in my garage still looks shiny.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by lightman View Post
    I use the cap on the jug as a measure and use one per tumble.
    Thanks , I will try that next batch.

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
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