Citric acid brass cleaner

[WallyM3]

For comparison, I have a new bottle of "GOO GONE" here on my desk. The Stock No. is GG12 (UPC 70048 77112). Its viscosity is virtually indistinguishable from Kerosene.

[a.squibload]

Citric acid at local brewing supply almost $3 / 2oz bag.
Found here for $4 / lb +$8 shipping, 1lb bag would be 75¢ / oz.
http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbak...FQlZiAodpETsIg
I will keep looking, they only ship ups or fedex.

Also called "lemon salt".

Found on fleabay, 1 lb bag w/shipping $11 or 69¢ / oz. Getting better.

FYI: from their post:
"Contact with dry citric acid or with concentrated solutions can result in skin
and eye irritation, so protective clothing should be worn when handling these
materials."
Also said it can be used to clean brass, copper, and carpets. They recommend 1 pound per gallon of water for carpet stains!

---

Even better, 40¢ / lb, 2 lb bag w/ free shipping $12.75, better hurry, they only have 4900 bags left!

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-lb-32-oz-Citri...38672032433072

[sagacious]

I'm starting to think that my Goo Gone is something different than what you are talking about. My stuff is very thick paste, not quite peanut butter but much thicker than honey. This is why I thinned it with water to try on the case necks. Is the stuff you are talking about much lower viscosity than this? I can't imagine cleaning guns with this stuff, way too thick.

Bill

Bill,
OK, no worries-- I see what the problem is. Here's what I'm talking about:
http://www.magicamerican.com/googone...ecleaners.aspx

Back on post #35 of this thread I provided a link and suggested the liquid bulk-package Goo-Gone. It's a thin liquid as Wally noted above. That's the stuff you want. Very hand to have around. The ingredients xylene and d-limonene are about the best tar-removers available, which is why I suggested it for your chore. A bottle lasts a long time because just a little bit is usually effective on most everything. I use the 8oz squirt-top bottle and refill it from the quart size.

It makes light work of cleaning soot and grime off pistols/revolvers after shooting lead handloads. Well worth a try.

Hope that clears it up! Regards and best of luck.

[WallyM3]

Group buy on citric acid?

[madsenshooter]

$2.25/14.6oz, + shipping. http://www.qcsupply.com/qcsupply/bro...romPage=search Put here as it appears some of you missed my post from page 2. I've used it for years in printing to lower the pH of lithographic fountain solutions. It was my secret solution for use when anodized plates came out. The oxide portion of the aluminum oxide wants either carbon (ink, which causes background toning) or hydrogen, just like the metal oxides in your melting pot. Only recently have the fountain solution companies caught up with what I discovered 20 years ago, a lower pH works better.

[WallyM3]

I did. It shows up as Post #34, p.2 on my computer. Thanks for repeating it. At that price, why look further.

[Doc Highwall]

I tried the Lemi Shine and it worked great. So yesterday I went to the Home Depot and bought a 5gal paint bucket with lid and a 2 1/2 gal paint bucket with a wire handle that fit inside the 5gal bucket. When I got home I drilled a bunch of 5/16holes in the bottom and on the sides at the very bottom for drainage in the 2 1/2gal bucket to act like a strainer and it worked great. I mixed up 3gal of water with 12 table spoons of the Lemi Shine and let the cases soak for 4 hours and then washed them with a small squirt of dish soap with a good rinse and then put them in the tumbler filled with the lizard litter for about 1/2 hour and they look like new cases now. I would like to know what some body here suggested to put in with the lizard litter to get ride of the dust, I think it was a dryer sheet.

[WallyM3]

Drier sheets have anti-static stuff that I don't want on my cases. I suspect, but don't know that it's silicone based.

I found that if I cut one sheet of paper toweling into 4 roughly equal squares, the toweling picks up an awful lot of "dirt" and the bowl walls (Dillon 2000) are clean.

I got that tip recently and I believe on this Forum, but can't remember who offered it. It was a great suggestion. I wish I could give credit.

[Doc Highwall]

Thanks WallyM3, I have the same tumbler.

[WallyM3]

This one's the old FL-2000B model, still going strong.

[cheese1566]

Went to Wally world and found one can of LemiShine on the shelf.
Next to it, I found a liquid cleaner for dishwashers called Dishwasher Magic. It is a liquid and states ingredients are "Active ingredients (citric acid), 25%; other ingredients, 75%". The MSDS sheet only lists citric acid on the data ingredients. It is 12 ounces for $3.97.
http://www.summitbrands.com/brands/Dishwashermagic.aspx

[Murphy]

I haven't gone back thru and read the entire thread yet, but has anyone given any thoughts to trying this on nickle plated brass?

I've got a pretty good size batch of nickle .38's and wonder how it'd work with either the citric acid or Lemi Shine?

Murphy

[JesseCJC]

yes, nickle works fine and citric acid is what lemishine is so they are interchangeable

[runfiverun]

i went the lemishine and lemon juice with a touch of liquid dish soap route followed with the vibrator for about an hour on some dead mili 308 brass.
this does work well.
i wasn't sure about proportions so i just threw some of each in till the water turned a bit green.
hot water works much better than cold,
and this does clean the gunk from inside the case.

[madsenshooter]

For those of you thinking about going the ultrasonic cleaner route, Harbor Freight has the 2.5L model on sale, $20 off. http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...asonic+cleaner

[Doc Highwall]

I am getting ready for the next precision rifle match and seating gas checks that I annealed and I was thinking about putting the gas checks into the Lemi Shine to clean the oxidation off from them. I think I will find a small strainer that will hold 1000 gas checks and try it out.

[a.squibload]

Group buy on citric acid?

There is a Fleabay seller offering a pallet full, 1000 lbs, works out to about 11¢/oz.

I settled for 2lb/$11.25 w/free shipping, about 35¢/oz.

I got a Dietz lantern yesterday for $4, a little rusty. Might dunk the whole thing in a citric solution.
If that works I think I'll give it a try on my Blazer roof, sand a little, blow off dust, then swab on the citric for a while.
After rinse & dry I don't suppose that would keep paint from sticking?

By this time the Blazer might be allergic to paint anyhow.

[WallyM3]

I think we got to diminishing marginal utility on my idea pretty quickly. (LOL)

[sagacious]

I haven't gone back thru and read the entire thread yet, but has anyone given any thoughts to trying this on nickle plated brass?

I've got a pretty good size batch of nickle .38's and wonder how it'd work with either the citric acid or Lemi Shine?

Murphy

I tried the citric on nickle cases, it works fine. Safe for nickel.

I also tried the citric on some nickel-plated brass parts (not cartridge cases), and it worked fine. No discoloration or other problems, just cleaned the nickel nicely.

[sagacious]

...
After rinse & dry I don't suppose that would keep paint from sticking?

By this time the Blazer might be allergic to paint anyhow.

As far as I am aware, the citric should wash off completely. Should make the primer adhere well. Always best to confirm something like this with a specialist who does auto painting/refinishing. Good luck.