Citric acid brass cleaner

[Autowood]

2 cups water
1-3 tblspoons lemon juice
1 squirt Dawn
1 tblspoon salt

I used to use laundry detergent but found Dawn works better and is already dissolved. More lemon juice if it is oxidized brown "desert" brass. The brass will turn a redish color as the surface zinc is being leached leaving more copper exposed.

The neat thing is you've probably got these ingredients at home already. Don't forget to punch out your primers first to clean primer pocket and speed drying time.

[sagacious]

I just got citric acid powder.I'd previously used lime juice( 4 teaspoons per 28-30 ozs) in my ultrasonic cleaner.How much do you guys use(who use the powder)?

I use 2 teaspoons/qt water, or 3 tablespoons citric per gallon water. Good luck!

[sagacious]

Thanks for the info, Unclenick.

[cosmoline one]

I use 2 teaspoons/qt water, or 3 tablespoons citric per gallon water. Good luck!

Thanks, I just came to those measures (2 tsp per 30ozs) in a trial the other night & it worked great!

[Wayne Smith]

I have always cleaned my PB brass in soapy water in the ceramic media - I have 3mm round. This past Sunday I shot a bunch of 44-40 BP loads and put them in the media and covered the media with citric acid. Left it running over night. Monday morning I pulled them out and put them in walnut for an hour or so to dry.

I now have the shinest antiqued brass you have ever seen! I'm gonna keep doing this.

[Arisaka99]

You mean everyone else shot a bunch of 44-40 rounds this weekend!!

[Wayne Smith]

You mean everyone else shot a bunch of 44-40 rounds this weekend!!

Well, OK, but I did put one or two cylinder fulls through it!

[jmsj]

A little help please,
I have selling range brass that I get, I have been seperating by headstamp and polishing. I am finally getting time to try to clean up some more 30/06 range brass that is a little dirtier than usual. I normally don't size or deprime the brass. If I use citric acid will this cause a problem? I had planned to rinse the brass and dry in an oven that I have in my shop.
I have 2-5 gallon buckets of this dirtier brass to clean. There is nothing wrong w/ the brass, I just don't want to burn up the time it would take to get it to the standard that I have set. I hate to but I might haul it of to the scraper if I have to deprime all of it.
Your advise would be greatly appreciated, jmsj

[WallyM3]

I think that citric acid cleaning will be your friend in this process. I've soaked some really nasty brass in the solution that sagacious has recommended. The most oxed areas came out a brick red color. This indicates that a constituent element has leeched out. If it disappears on tumbling, then it was superficial. If not, then the integrity of the brass ma be compromised.

What a great quality control check.

[jmsj]

WallyM3,
Thanks for the reply.
So if I don't deprime and some of the citric solution stays in the primer/primer pocket it won't hurt anything?
Thanks, jmsj

[WallyM3]

Oops. Sorry, forgot that part.

Of course it's best to decap, but if you rinse well, you should be fine.

Decapping doesn't take all that long (though it is dirty), so it might be a selling point in your favor if you sold brass with relatively clean pockets. And, the cases will dry more quickly.

It's good to use a little bit of liquid dish washing detergent at each stage (except the final rinse) because it reduces the capillarity and surface tension of the water.

I hope sagacious will weigh in on this. He's done the lab work, and very well, IMHO.

[sagacious]

Jmsj,
Looks like Wally covered your questions pretty thoroughly.

Nope, no problem at all if a little of the citric gets trapped in the primer cup and primer pocket. Won't hurt anything. It's nice to deprime first, because the solution will help remove primer residue, but it's OK to use the solution on un-decapped brass. The citric passivates the brass, and actually reduces the potential for corrosion. Good luck!

[jmsj]

WallyM3, sagacious,
Thanks for the input.
Hopefully this weekend I'll get to give it a try.
Thanks, jmsj

[WallyM3]

I can only take credit for replying first. I am the "Grasshopper".

[wdyasq]

Thanks for keeping this thread up.

I just purchased 5 pounds of citric acid for $23 or so at my door on eBay. I have a few thousand rounds of various cases to clean and will ultrasonic clean with citric acid after de-prime.

I'll try and report on the success/failure of the cleaning.

Ron

[MtGun44]

Ultrasonic will not be necessary, IME. The citric acid cleans marvelously well just by itself.

Bill

[sagacious]

Thanks for keeping this thread up.

I just purchased 5 pounds of citric acid for $23 or so at my door on eBay. I have a few thousand rounds of various cases to clean and will ultrasonic clean with citric acid after de-prime.

I'll try and report on the success/failure of the cleaning.

Ron

Ron,
You are set on citric for a good long time! You are also headed for success, so keep us posted.

Mt Gun is spot-on, the citric works well on it's own-- and very fast when used hot-- but ultrasonics won't hurt either. Heat increases the activity of the acid by virtually the same mechanism as ultrasonics. So, those folks without ultrasonics can get the same speed-of-cleaning by using a very hot citric solution. Good luck!

[wdyasq]

I have been reading folks who make jewelery use a "Magnetic Tumbler". Small Stainless Steel pins are used for the finest detail. Vibratory tumbling that took over a day ends up getting a better finish in about half an hour.

The basic machine, as I understand it , is a horizontal plate with 4 Neodymium magnets having alternating poles. This plate spins under a bowl containing the partially magnetic stainless pins, a surfactant and some water.

My guess is the pins are attracted to the magnets inducing magnetism temporarily in the pins (or other shape media). Then, before the pin has the time to switch polarity, the pin is driven into whatever is being polished. several thousand times a minute, the magnet polarity changes.

IF the proper media were used and IF the proper solution was concocted, I'm thinking a little citric acid and soap, brass should come out shinning and burnish polished in just a few minutes.

I actually plan on building one of these for another polishing job involving aluminum. I KNOW some brass cases will be de-primed and fall into the machine at some time.

Ron

[jmsj]

Used the citric solution last night on some of the dirtier brass I posted about in an earlier post. Absolutely amazing !!!
I'm glad I didn't take all that 30/06 brass to the recycler.
Thanks again guys, jmsj

[jcrntx]

I tried it out this weekend as well. Had recently picked up about 2500 DIRTY 223 brass. Bought me some citric acid online from the earliest link (I think midwest supply) and mixed up the solution on Saturday. Dumped in a 1000 or some cases and watched it work! Drained those cases and poured it onto the next batch, just as nice. A little time in the tumbler and the brass was better than new! Thanks for the info!