MakeMineA10mm
01-19-2011, 01:49 PM
About 10-15 years ago, I ordered 1000 pieces of pull-down brass from Jeff Bartlett for the 30-06. I finally dug it out earlier this month, because I've started getting on a kick of shooting my Springfields, Garands, 1917, etc. Got it out and forgot how terribly grungy it was!! This was new, unfired brass, but apparently in the pull-down process it gets filthy!!!
So, first step was the citric acid bath as described here: http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572 (Thanks sagacious and molly!!
After that, they went into the tumbler and got polished. The citric acid passivates the brass, which apparently discourages new corrosion and gets the alloyed metals back into a better condition. (I'm not a chemist, so don't ask me how!) The tumbler (with corn cob and Dillon polish) got them very shiney and looking like new brass.
Next, I made sure there were no primers in them by de-crimping the primer pocket with a deburring tool chucked in a drill. (I did find about 5 primed cases out of the thousand, and didn't want one going off while doing the next step.) When getting rid of the crimp this way, set the drill to turn slowly and just touch the primer pocket on for a couple seconds, tops. A small radius is enough.
Then, I used ammosmith's method for annealing the brass. (See his great vidoe here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgD5D0Wzu-c) I didn't spin my brass as fast, and I rarely had the neck just barely turn orange as I was pulling it out of the flame. I found that counting to seven seconds was about perfect. All the annealing machines I've seen kept the brass in the flame between 6 and 8 seconds, so I just split the difference.
Here's how they turned out:
http://glocktalk.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1066&pictureid=4032
On the left is the way they came from Barlett; in middle is after citric acid bath and tumbling; and on right is after annealing.
All 1000 have been citric acid bathed and tumbled. I've gotten 350 of them through the primer pocket crimp removal and annealing. Still working... :groner:
http://glocktalk.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1066&pictureid=4034
So, first step was the citric acid bath as described here: http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572 (Thanks sagacious and molly!!
After that, they went into the tumbler and got polished. The citric acid passivates the brass, which apparently discourages new corrosion and gets the alloyed metals back into a better condition. (I'm not a chemist, so don't ask me how!) The tumbler (with corn cob and Dillon polish) got them very shiney and looking like new brass.
Next, I made sure there were no primers in them by de-crimping the primer pocket with a deburring tool chucked in a drill. (I did find about 5 primed cases out of the thousand, and didn't want one going off while doing the next step.) When getting rid of the crimp this way, set the drill to turn slowly and just touch the primer pocket on for a couple seconds, tops. A small radius is enough.
Then, I used ammosmith's method for annealing the brass. (See his great vidoe here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgD5D0Wzu-c) I didn't spin my brass as fast, and I rarely had the neck just barely turn orange as I was pulling it out of the flame. I found that counting to seven seconds was about perfect. All the annealing machines I've seen kept the brass in the flame between 6 and 8 seconds, so I just split the difference.
Here's how they turned out:
http://glocktalk.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1066&pictureid=4032
On the left is the way they came from Barlett; in middle is after citric acid bath and tumbling; and on right is after annealing.
All 1000 have been citric acid bathed and tumbled. I've gotten 350 of them through the primer pocket crimp removal and annealing. Still working... :groner:
http://glocktalk.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=1066&pictureid=4034