Citric acid brass cleaner

[jsanch03]

Has anyone tried brass juice? A minimal search shows pretty good results and it’s reusable up to 3 times. Meaning you’ll be using and having to store the dirty water. I’d like to hear if anyone has tried this stuff. Im Thinking of getting it after my current stock of dawn and lemishine are depleted.

[kevin c]

I don't use it, but a colleague of mine who does large amounts of brass (think a full cement mixer per batch) uses it. Decapped and done with SS pins, his brass comes out looking new.

I've stayed with the citric acid and car wash and wax, but Brass Juice certainly looks to be a good alternative.

[dikman]

I've been cleaning my (.38) brass using a tumbler and stainless pins, I add a dollop of liquid polish (it's thick stuff, probably car polish) and dishwasher powder. They come out nice and clean and shiny. Today I thought I'd try citric acid powder instead of the dishwasher powder, the difference was striking, the brass bright and even shinier than before! Looked like new brass.

[greenjoytj]

anyone here tried cascade? a 1/2 tsp amount in a rotary tumbler with ss pins works really well for me

I use 15 ml (1 tbs) of Cascade 6X Dishwasher Detergent with Dawn powdered dishwasher detergent and 1.25 ml (¼) Citric acid or Lemi-Shine detergent booster with 1l of hot tap water in a RSBS rotary tumbler with the SS pins.
Dishwasher detergent is better than liquid Dawn because it is a low sudsing detergent.
I tried liquid Dawn and had suds coming out the vent hole in the lid of the tumbler, like wise the Simoniz automobile wash and wax too much sudsing.

I used to add TSP but stopped that practice because the wash solution with TSP feels oily slick on my fingers. I though it would reduce the scrubbing action of the SS pins in such a slick solution.
My cases come out of the tumbler just as clean without the TSP.

I shoot mostly BP so I pre clean the cases by swirling 25 cases in a 2 lb margarine tub with liquid Dawn detergent. This removes the bulk of the fouling.
I mount a bronze bore brush in a short piece of cleaning rod and spin the brush in the cases with a cordless drill under running water.
Then the case go into the tumbler. I check the case condition after 1 hour, if I think they need more tumbler time I dump out, rinse and recharge the tumbler with fresh cleaning solution.

I do add wax to the cases by swirling the cleaned and rinsed cases in 15 ml of Simoniz Wash and Wax in the small 2 lb margarine tub.
The wax keeps the cases shiny in storage and the film of carnauba wax aids in bullet seating.

The first time I used the citric acid I used too much and the cases spent too long in this solution.
When the cases came out they were a dark greenish brown like old range pick up cases.
Along time tumbling in my Lyman green corn cob media brought the case back to shinny brass again.

[jsizemore]

I used the citric acid solution on some copper today. The top was exposed to the weather for 8 years and was black on top. I had to use a scotch brite while the copper was in the solution and it came out looking like new. I had tried vinegar with little to no result.

[.429&H110]

I hesitate to post to a sticky but...
.44 mag brass washes out looking like new
Must report I have a Brass hose nozzle
jammed, would not shut off
unscrewed it, was full of carbonate, hard water
soaked in a tablespoon citric acid 8oz water
and it came out like new
amazing stuff on brass
thank you for this forum
who woulda thought?

[243winxb]

Citric cleans the toilet too. The hole in the bowl builds up with iron over 40+ years. Slows the flush. Soaked for 2 days. Worked.

Now i put this in the tank.

[kevin c]

As I posted elsewhere, I had some badly rusted tools (muriatic acid fumes). A soak in a hot 10% citric acid solution got all the rust off. It also took off what was left of the original finish on most of them, but most also developed a dark patina. More important to me is that the tools are rust free and work fine.

[Rizzo]

As I posted elsewhere, I had some badly rusted tools (muriatic acid fumes). A soak in a hot 10% citric acid solution got all the rust off. It also took off what was left of the original finish on most of them, but most also developed a dark patina. More important to me is that the tools are rust free and work fine.

Citric acid for rust removal.
Good tip, I'll have to try that.

I went to the transfer station to bring some old paint cans and the lids all had a rusty powder on them.
The guy at the transfer station asked me how was my pool?
I do no have a swimming pool so I asked him why he said that.

He said he sees so many cans like that because people store their jug of Muriatic Acid in the same cabinet/place as the paint is stored.
Even though the acid jug had the lid on tight, somehow fumes get out and affect the metal paint cans.....just like your tools.
Needless to say I moved the jug of Muriatic Acid outdoors.

[OS1880]

That's good to know I have 2 gals of Muriatic acid in my shop with all my power tools. Those 2 gals are moving outside in the morning. Thank you Kevin c and Rizzo.

[greenjoytj]

I gave “Cascade Platinum” pods a try in my RCBS tumbler with SS Pins and a liter of water.
Tumbled fifty 45 Colt cases that had been fired with smokeless powder 1.5 hrs and then they sat in the solution for another half hour till I could attend to them.
After 2 hours total emersion in the detergent solution the cases look like old gold not bright but very clean inside.
The detergent solution poured out of the tumbler with a slightly bluish tint reminded me of a bore patch after using a copper remover solvent.

I will definitely try these pods again, next time after firing black powder filled cartridges.

[Unclenick]

It may have been mentioned already, but 10% citric acid solution (by weight) is an alternative to nitric acid for passivating stainless steel. Like nitric acid, it eats out free iron on the surface of the steel left by tooling and handling so it can't start rusting. IIRC, the procedure is to soak the parts in a hot lye solution for half an hour to degrease them, then they go into the 10% citric acid solution at 140°F for another half an hour.

[Conditor22]

remember to rinse your brass or ? well immediately after your don using citric acid or lemi-shine. I've found that it stops cleaning and starts staining if left sit even over night.

[Claudius]

I'm shooting 45-70 black powder cartridges, I like this citric acid method to clean my brass cases, but I have some problems, the result are not uniform. After the shooting session I put the cases into a bottle with water and dishwashing liquid. At home I rinse the cases, then a hot solution with a 10% of citric acid and water. Why my cases are not shining like yours?

[brassrat]

I stored hydrochloric acid in a chest with numerous cans of stuff that all rusted, including a few NOS Johnsons Onestep. I might sell but not pretty

[damoc]

Thanks I was just making fun of my wife using expensive organic cleaners that had nothing but citric acid in them I may have to eat my words. Citric acid is available in most large food stores in the canning section at least around here.

[.429&H110]

I have done around 1000 brass like this. Left the tumbler in Alaska. Just bought the last bottle of citric acid that Ace had, Walmort was all out. It's mule deer season here, I suppose that's why. 200 44 brass, two pound nut jar, tablespoon to a quart of water, dash of Dawn, 40 miles of bad road in a Tacoma, rinsed and baked at 200 for 3/4 hour. Cleans out the old powder better than my tumbler. Comes out smooth and shiny to deprime/resize. Copper makes copper citrate to passivate it.
Dishwasher stuff? Chlorine is no friend of brass.
Turns it green. Works, but rinse well.
Thanks for the forum!
All I know about 44 mag, I learned here.
Scary thought, that...
320gr/20 gr... No. Never again.
250 gr keith/22.2 gr: Ruger's happy.
Thanks!

[hk940]

Thanks I was just making fun of my wife using expensive organic cleaners that had nothing but citric acid in them I may have to eat my words. Citric acid is available in most large food stores in the canning section at least around here.

Do a search on Amazon, you can get 5lbs. for around $10.00

[Krag 1901]

My neighbor has a Myer Lemon tree and my wife juiced about 25 lbs of lemons, freezing the juice in ice cube trays. I thought about using a couple of juice cubes in a quart jar of hot water and try cleaning up my Krag brass with it?
2-23-21
Just tried it on some .30-40 cases, my oldest. They weren't too bad but after only a few minutes in hot water and three cubes of lemon juice to a quart and some of hot water, I could see the difference. I put in a few drops of Dawn dish soap to help with the carbon removal and looks like it's working.

I going to look now for my ugliest .308 brass and try it next.
Darn all my .308 brass has been tumbled and is shiny!

[Mmacro]

I have a bag of citric acid that I used with my kids to make DIY bath fizzers. I'm just returned to the U.S. after three years in South Korea and am getting back into shooting. I can't wait to try a citric acid cleaning solution with my old brass that was in storage.