Brass Cleaning Method

[.357MAN]

I use this recipe I found on 6mmbr.com with a ultrasonic cleaner.

"CHEAP and CLEAN
24 minutes - 50% Vinegar + 1 Drop Dish Soap per 8 ounces water
480 seconds - Baking Soda (BS) in water (1 grain BS per ounce of water)
480 seconds - Hot Water
480 seconds - Distilled Water
Total: 48 minutes
Cost: Less than $2.00 per gallon".

I shortened the first stage to 8 minutes and I exclude the distilled water stage.
I found the whole process impractical with small batches of 20-60 38 spl cases.
After cleaning I dry the cases with a hair drier for two or three minutes.
If I was a mass reloader I would definitely make a rotary tumbler and use SS pins.

I like to see the clean insides of my cases, although this process will not remove the gunpowder tarnishing on the outside of most cases, but at least their squeaky clean inside and out.

This is the address to the webpage: http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
It's really informative.

.357MAN

[zomby woof]

Every time I get my brass wet, I regret it. Dry media for me.

[catmasher]

Just started using SS won't go back to any other methed.

I use a square plastic bottle and nut attaching it and use my Mimi lathe on low speed for about 1hour. I only do small amounts at a time.

Saw this methed on utube, works great with lemon juice and Dawn....

[catmasher]

Just wondering out load so don,t laugh too soon...I have 4 years of spent primers in a container and was wondering if they have enf sharp edges to work like the SS does with water and Dawn maybe lemon juice. Crazier things have happened.

I said don't .....LOL

Catmasher

[edsmith]

try it, you never know what that it won't work, I would think the cleaning water will be really dirty the first couple of times, also leave the anvils in. try it, you have nothing to lose but time, some of the things I suggest here get negative replys, don't pay any attention to the nay-sayers, they would'nt know a good idea if it bit them on the a--nkle.

[Mossy Nugget]

Probably clean just as good as the ss pins everywhere except inside the primer pockets!

[Sonnypie]

There were nay-sayers when the first vibratory tumblers hit the scene.
There were nay-sayers when folks began using ultrasonic cleaners.
And of course there are nay-sayers to SST media cleaning.

It's a fenomininamenah known as resistance to change.

Just enjoy your reloading.

[btroj]

It isn't resistance to change for some, it is the lack of a compelling reason to change.
My brass gets plenty clean with my tumbler. It costs me no money to stick with what I have. It doesn't make my brass wet. It doesn't take time for my brass to dry.
Why fix what isn't broken?
You call it resistance to change, I call it not reinventing the wheel.

[edsmith]

what was being refered to, is the nay-sayers, there are some who say any change is bad, I just got my wet tumbler, the differance in the cleaning is awesome, I will be using it from now on. I am sure I will use my vib. tumbler at times, if some one don't want to use a wet tumbler, thats good, I would'nt put down any one doing things differant than myself. there are things some here do, that I would not even consider doing. it's not reinventing the wheel, it is going from iron treads to rubber treads.

[btroj]

Your brass is shiny, mine isn't. Big deal. Mine is clean. The idea that it must be shiny to be clean is BS, pure and simple.
A tumbler gets the brass clean, what more is required?

Does the SS media wet method shine brass really well? Yes it does. Is it required? No it isn't. I don't clean primer pockets on handgun loads so that isn't relevant. The insides of the case are blackened. Big deal.

You guys seem to not understand that some of us want brass free of dirt that can scratch our dies. We are not after a high luster. We are only after clean.

[Sonnypie]

It isn't resistance to change for some, it is the lack of a compelling reason to change.
My brass gets plenty clean with my tumbler. It costs me no money to stick with what I have. It doesn't make my brass wet. It doesn't take time for my brass to dry.
Why fix what isn't broken?
You call it resistance to change, I call it not reinventing the wheel.

My goodness!
If you had been following along, my Lyman 3200 was dying. Darn thang only lasted for 25-30 years.
So since I was looking at replacing it anyway...
And since I had already tried Ultrasonic...
My next best step is the newest method.

I really don't care about what you use. You can put it in a sack and tie it to a tree beside the creek for a few days and let it tumble in the current.
Put it in a cement mixer fulla sand to tumble.
Or stick it where it's familiar and let it vibrate.
Why do you use a vibratory tumbler? Why not just brush out the neck and reload it? Dad and I started off with brushes and a rag with Stoddard solvent.

Because the vibratory tumbler is better than hand cleaning, like we use to do.
And ultrasonic was faster than that.
SST media is better than they were.
Last time I checked, metal (brass) is still waterproof.

Do you drive a car from the 1960's or early 1970's?

Now then, what part of "Just enjoy your reloading" did you NOT understand?

[trench]

I've always used a cement mixer, ground corn cobs, and jeweler's rouge. 1/2 an hour normally suffices to make 5000 rds of .45 look clean enough for me.

[btroj]

Did I single you out Sonnypie?

A cement mixer I have heard of before. For extremely high volume use it would make sense.

I don't care what you guys use either but don't try to tell me I am "archaic" because I don't use your method. Just because something is newer doesn't mean it is better. If it ain't broke, why fix it?

[Ickisrulz]

There were nay-sayers when the first vibratory tumblers hit the scene.
There were nay-sayers when folks began using ultrasonic cleaners.
And of course there are nay-sayers to SST media cleaning.

It's a fenomininamenah known as resistance to change.

Just enjoy your reloading.

I love the results of the SS. I won't do it though. It's not the cost or resistance to change. It's the wetness and time consuming mess.

[catmasher]

The other day I was day dreaming and was thinking about the SS pins for cleaning, well I had 4 years of spent primers in a container and was wondering if the primers had enouh sharp edges to clean brass like the SS pin....

Well I had some left over 40-65 cases from last years shooting and I having very little to do today, I threw in the cases with a goodly amount of dirty large and small used primers.....Dawn soap, some H2O and after and hour the water was like BLACK, mostly from the primers. So dumped that out and this time water, soap, and lemon juice for and other hour in the tumbler they where like new...Just like the SS pins......

I think if you cleaned the primers up real good before, the process would clean up better....

Just call me CHEAP...


CATMASHER

[Sonnypie]

Just call me CHEAP...


CATMASHER

I'd call you a Recycler.

And I bet if you tried it, you could even leave out the used primers.
(Maybe use just the anvils out of the primers.)

A Marine Sargent friend of mine told me he believed the media did nothing, it was the brass itself against the brass that cleaned the brass.
He used only enough media to make stuff move around.
I thought he was pretty brash talking about the brass like that.

Enjoy your reloading.

[Sonnypie]

I love the results of the SS. I won't do it though. It's not the cost or resistance to change. It's the wetness and time consuming mess.

I could change your mind in a few hours.
All the poop just washes away. I do that with the hose on low in my driveway. (So I don't have to clean the sink. )
Then dump the brass in a towel and tumble it back and forth a bit, and fan dry.

But it's not for everybody....
We may all be back to hand cleaning if society breaks down.

Enjoy your reloading.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I was on the verge of converting to ultra sonic when a friend who organised a group buy of corn cob media some time ago (I had forgotten about it), arrived on my doorstep with 2x35pound bags of media (oops!). The guys I was going to share with have bought ultrasonic cleaners and backed out of the deal, obviously their word is not the absolute bond that mine is. So it looks like I will be dry tumbling for awhile yet.

I bought a small jewellery ultrasonic at ALDI for $30 which holds a large handful of brass to experiment with. It suggests using water and detergent added for serious cleaning, but it doesn't seem to be cutting the mustard. I will have to check out the Lyman chemical or similar.

I fancy getting an ultrasonic cleaner that I can immerse my 5.5" Bbl'd Ruger Old Armys in after removing the grips. I think this little one will at least do the cylinders and nipples which is better than a kick in the bum. In the meantime I will use this midget cleaner to learn about ultrasonics.

I can't say I've seen ceramic or SS media in Australia.

One thng that is interesting is the fact that brass cleaners didn't exist not that long ago and we didn't realise the bind we were in, blithly reloading dirty cases, that got a wipe with a rag every now and then whether they needed it or not. I used to reload for one guy that loved shiny brass and took some Winchester factory back to the shop because it wasn't shiny enough. Ised to place the loaded round in a Lee trimming die and give it a spin with Mag Wheel Cleaner Wool and finish off with a soft rag. They really gleamed and sparkled and he loved it.

[buck1]

I bought some .45 acp from someone here. I honestly could not tell them from new. I should have asked how he cleaned them. I suspect SS media.

[Sonnypie]

Here's (maybe) a good deal for you:

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.co...ku=00038502022

(And the rest of you fellows as well.)



$46.97