Brass Cleaning Method

[Ickisrulz]

I keep seeing posts concerning SS media. I'm wondering if this is really starting to catch on or if it's just a few very vocal advocates.

[edsmith]

I hav to vote dry media, but the wife knows I wanted to try ss media, so for xmas she ordered me a lortone tumbler and 5 lb. of media. great wife.

[jbm614]

Dry media and a cap or two of nue finish wax and 1-2 hrs and I am good to go. Would like to try stainless media someday.

[btroj]

I use a tumbler to CLEAN my brass, don't care if it is shiny or not.

Don't mistake tarnished for dirty. As long as the case is free from dirt, grit, and other garbage they are clean.

[riorider]

Been using a tumbler for years be home made or store bought, in fact have killed a few along the way!

[Jammer Six]

http://www.oz.net/~jammer/Brass/index.html

[LUBEDUDE]

Would love to try the SS media. But I am out of room. Just can not set up space for drying out.

[kshock]

I dry my stainless tumbled brass (and the stainless pins) by simply putting them in a collander and set them in front of a fan for a little while (use an old t shirt in the collander of pins to keep them from falling through).

[Dave C.]

I use the big Dillon. It does 700 45 ACP at a time, it will do more
but 700 cases an hour is faster than I can load. I load at a rate
that is slow enough to have 100% confidence that each and every
round is safe and able to group inside the 50yd X-ring.

[jonk]

Sometimes I tumble in dry media.

Sometimes I soak in citric acid, which isn't an option on your poll.

Sometimes I use an ultrasonic cleaner, also not an option.

Sometimes I just hand wash small batches and use the rag and toothbrush approach.

So I won't vote. The answer is "Yes"

[cigarman454]

Dry media and a cap or two of nue finish wax and 1-2 hrs and I am good to go. Would like to try stainless media someday.

Same here.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Sometimes I tumble in dry media.

Sometimes I soak in citric acid, which isn't an option on your poll.

Sometimes I use an ultrasonic cleaner, also not an option.

Sometimes I just hand wash small batches and use the rag and toothbrush approach.

So I won't vote. The answer is "Yes"

Sam ting...except I don't have an ultrasonic unit yet.
Jon

[bbqncigars]

SS in my Thumler. The vibe is still used to get the case lube off finished rounds.

[bobthenailer]

Heres what i do ! I use a Lorton Lapadiary / rock tumbler , I have the QT-6 and a QT-12 .
To clean my brass i use water with a two second squirt of Joy dish washing detergent and BB gun BBS and tumble for 1 hour . If there is some tarnshing on the brass i also add a ounce or two of lemon juce to the mix. You would be amazed how dirty the water is after doing this as it also cleanes the inside of the brass throughly. if i need my casings soon i use a old toster oven to dry them ! if not i let them air dry for a few days.

Ive tried corn cob & walnut in the lortons but this works better. and yes i have a Dillon vibrating case cleaner but ony use it for cases that are going to be stored for awhile as i load in batches , and want to put some protection on them to keep them like new until i get around to loading them . in the Dillon i use corn cob with flitz case polish . the dillon polish also works good ! i havent tried New Finish polish yet

[cbrick]

Sometimes I tumble in dry media.

Sometimes I soak in citric acid, which isn't an option on your poll.

Sometimes I use an ultrasonic cleaner, also not an option.

Sometimes I just hand wash small batches and use the rag and toothbrush approach.

So I won't vote. The answer is "Yes"

Diddo, depends on the brass as to how or why I clean it. Differences are, I don't use dry corn cob media, I use Iosso brass polish in it and the ultra sonic is the citric acid cleaner.

I didn't vote either, not enough options listed to make a vote accurate.

Rick

[noylj]

I can not imagine using SS rods to clean brass. Seems far to expensive, provides no benefits other "looks nice," and I am not sure if the rods would come out as easily as corn media.
Everything you need to do to make accurate ammunition that will not damage your dies is to wipe off the exterior.
I put my brass in tumbler for 30-minutes with 20/40 corn, since my arthritis does like wiping off cases. The only thing left is a fine layer of carbon soot in the case and primer pocket. This layer is too fine to be of any consequence to primer seating or powder capacity.
I have tried my wife's jewelry ultrasonic cleaner. With water and Dawn, it does an admirable job of getting the carbon out, but it sure doesn't shine the brass. After 30 minutes, almost all carbon is gone. If that is desirable, then I see a simply clean in water/Dawn and then just let dry to be sufficient, though I am sure that many will want to rinse off with distilled or DI water. If you use acid (vinegar or citric acid) in the mix, then you should at least rinse off in a tub of tap water.
I see on the forums that several people have whole rituals they use to clean brass and make cleaning brass more time consuming than loading ammunition.

[btroj]

Exactly, clean and shiny are not the same. I want clean, shine is optional.
I refuse to use wet methods unless absolutely required. I clean in a tumbler to get dirt and lube off the cases. It is quick, clean, and the cases are ready right away.

[GT27]

I wonder if BB's would work,their made of zinc if I'm not mistaken,just thinking about if It has been tried?:Bright idea:

[sparky45]

One of the greatest benefits of SS Media tumbling of brass is the fact that all that lead laden dirt and dust isn't in the air anymore. I tend to look at those sorts of benefits these days. It's my way of decreasing pollution in MY work area. Plus the brass is mighty pretty inside and outside. So, I voted SS Media.

[dromia]

Concur with previous posters that the poll is too simplistic to reflect my actual brass cleaning processes.

Life is rarely an either/or situation.

I use walnut and car polish in a rotary tumbler (dry) for my smokeless brass and ceramic media in a rotary tumbler (wet) for my BP brass. Tried SS and it worked well but no better than ceramic and found it fiddlier to separate.

I also use the ultrasonic from time to time for the odd brass that needs that deep clean, usually BP cartridges that I've forgotten about.

For ease of use I would go dry tumbling everytime if I could, I do find wet a chew on but cermaic is the best way I know to clean BP brass so I'll use that 'till an effective dry method comes along.

[.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. [smilie=p:

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.:drinks:

[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. :roll:
And ultrasonic was faster than that. :)
SST media is better than they were. :-D
Last time I checked, metal (brass) is still waterproof. [smilie=1:

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? :veryconfu

[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. [smilie=p:

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.[smilie=l:

And I bet if you tried it, you could even leave out the used primers. :razz:
(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. :veryconfu
I thought he was pretty brash talking about the brass like that. :holysheep

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. :-o

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.com/item.asp?sku=00038502022

(And the rest of you fellows as well.)

http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/product_images/038-502022/038-502022.jpg

$46.97

[mstrausbough]

Due to my OCD I like shiny brass. :-) I use a Smartreloader vib tumbler with Lizard bedding (walnuts) and 4 small dabs of Flitz. couple hours later nice shiny brass that is very clean. Each load gets 50% new media and 50% reuse media.

[Alchemist]

I voted dry media....but I use an ultrasonic cleaner and/or Iosso solution occassionally on really cruddy brass. But the brass goes through the Turbo tumbler after it's dry to get bright. Not that I'm shiny brass obcessed, but they're easier to find at the range if they're bright.

[30CAL-TEXAN]

None of the above as far as the poll goes.

Ultrasonic cleaner and Citric Acid all the way. It gets them as clean as they can be with a little shine as well.

I am curious about the SS media, one of these days I will gather all the necessities and give it a try.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I've got a Lyman vibratory cleaner, Sonnypie, it was the cheapest cleaner that was available, close to 20 years ago.

I have only used straight media in it. I hear you guys use car polish or other cleaner as well. I have several bottles of old car polish (I can't figure out how a guy that only washes his ride every three or four years, ends up with spare car polish, lol). I might try some now that I have a huge supply of bulk media. I have always been worried about spoiling my media as it is around $10=15 a bag here.

[btroj]

I use clean walnut shells in my vibratory tumbler. It gets the dirt and grunge off the cases, rarely sticks in a flash hole, and is cheap. The polish will make for shiny brass but I just don't think it is required.

[40Super]

Here is my method and results in 30 min. S.S.pins in a vibratory

[Four Fingers of Death]

What do these SS pins look like and how are they used?

[mentalbreakdown]

I use a frankford vibrator, and crushed walnut shells from harbor frieght, works pretty well, will not remove tarnish sometimes, but hey, they are clean

[RobS]

dry media (corncob or walnut) and some additive.

[John Boy]

Cost: Less than $2.00 per gallon".
Maybe you ought to try the Strat-O-Sheen burnishing solutution - IMO, the best on the market.
Five lb box is $26.00. Solution mix is 3 oz of the powder to one gallon water. That equates to $1.00 per gallon ... plus one doesn't have to mix up that 'Witch's Brew' concoction
http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Strat-O-Sheen-Powder-Burnishing-Compound-5-lbs/3390175

[edsmith]

40Super, what vib. tumbler are you using ? amount of pins? do you usr soap and lemishine like in the rotary tumbler. thanks

[40Super]

The pins are about .045 in dia x .325 or so long

I use about 1.5lbs of pins , put just enough water in to cover pins, Dawn dish soap works good (probably 2-4tbsp worth) lots of soap is the key to it working good , I also add another 2-4tbsp of cheap laundry detergant, and just a sprinkle of lemonshine (not much is needed, too much changes how it cleans and turns the brass darker).

I can put maybe 100 45 ACP or 130-150 9mm,it can't handle the big quantity a tumbler can, but once you get amounts of everythnig optimized , you can do the batch in as little as 15min (20 to 30 min is normal)depending how clean you want or how dirty the brass is. If you keep up with changing out the brass as soon as it is clean , you can do the same amount of brass as the tumblers can in the same time period , it just takes more messing with(but I didn't have to spend $200 on a tumbler).

Oh ya , It is a Lyman Twin tumbler,the small bowl works best. I don't know how other brands do, but I would think they would work , just have to play with amounts. Always watch the weight, it can burn out the motor (mine is 15yrs old,1year with pins)

[ErikO]

I only reload for handguns at the mement so I don't bother cleaning.

[Recluse]

One of the greatest benefits of SS Media tumbling of brass is the fact that all that lead laden dirt and dust isn't in the air anymore. I tend to look at those sorts of benefits these days. It's my way of decreasing pollution in MY work area.

That's my rationale.

I'm going all SS in 2012 since I already have plumbing and a sink in the reloading shop. It will also save me money since the SS never wears out, water is cheap, and a bottle of dishwashing soap is both cheap and will last probably as long as a bottle of Bullshop's Bullplate sprue lube.

:coffee:

[rasto]

The easiest way (the cheapest as well) how to clean big amount of cases is to put them into an ordinary wash machine.
I had cleaned this way 50kg a brass a day with a great success.

Step by step:
put the brass into a washing bag large enough susceptible movement of the cases
add scour but not too much because of foaming plus add citric acid as well to have shiny brass;
after main washing program rinse the brass at least 2 times otherwise it would become spotted;
be carefull to avoid centrifuging which could cause malfancion of the wash machine!

And the last step is to place them onto a shiny place to dry up.

[edsmith]

you are not married are you.:bigsmyl2:

[rasto]

I was before that :-)
I have a new appliance so I conduct it in my grand mothers while being on a holiday :-)
The used one ,second hand, would be less expensive in comparison with the cheapest tumbler and the result is better together with time save.

[Four Fingers of Death]

A) add scour but not too much because of foaming plus add citric acid as well to have shiny brass;

B) be carefull to avoid centrifuging which could cause malfancion of the wash machine!

A) What's scour? Also, what quantities are you talking about?

B) Not if you put in two bags to balance the spin! lol

[Sonnypie]

What do these SS pins look like and how are they used?



Lots of video and pictures here (http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/?gclid=CIWqzcPGga0CFcNo4AodIVF54g). Upper right has a good close up picture of the pins.

I just went the easy way and ordered my stuff (http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/stm-complete-package-2.html) from that web site. I used the separators I already have. But wound up getting one of these new rotary types any way. The rotary type separators (http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_214213_999_01?rgn=0,0,1870,1781&scl=4.921052631578948&fmt=jpeg&id=0BEa0sJTCAZE9k2YycRP1o) work very well, for any media type.
(Also noteworthy, STM can provide 220 volt units for Europe and Australia)

The pins themselves are approximately: .240-250" long X .040" diameter American.
Easier to understand:
6.35mm X 1mm (1.01600mm) :wink: Converter (http://www.worldwidemetric.com/measurements.html)

For ease of retrieval if you drop a few, you want magnetic type SS media. I seem to find a few errant get-aways on the concrete driveway where I do my rinsing. I have a magnet I keep on my tumblers lid for just such occasions.

I would suggest to anyone using a sink that a finer mesh screen be laid in the bottom so pins don't get-away down the drain.

It's not inexpensive by any means. But, buy once - cry once. The more you use it, the more it returns for the cost.

If you want just the media itself, this Company (http://www.pelletsllc.com/) can provide at about 1/2 the price of others.
It has been posted here at Cast Boolits, and elsewhere, that they know exactly what to send if you tell them what you want to do with it. Magnetic and all.
Then you could get, or make, your own tumbler.

Hope that helps. :wink:

[rasto]

four fingers I meant ordinary washing powder.
The amount used by me wasn't weighted ask your laundry lady for further details :-)
I do not think so that it could be balanced but never tried.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/album.php?albumid=640

[prs]

My method was not listed. I use water and citric acid and the cases in a Thumblers B for 1 hour. They look new when done and even the pockets are clean. Its easy, no dust, and lubing the cases is as simple as spritzing on some Lee water based lube onto the wet hulls before drying in an orange sack.

prs

[Four Fingers of Death]

My method was not listed. I use water and citric acid and the cases in a Thumblers B for 1 hour. They look new when done and even the pockets are clean. Its easy, no dust, and lubing the cases is as simple as spritzing on some Lee water based lube onto the wet hulls before drying in an orange sack.

prs

What proportions roughly do you use?

[rasto]

50g of acid per liter of destilled water should be good enough.

[Four Fingers of Death]

50g of acid per liter of destilled water should be good enough.

Thanks.

[Gillie Dog]

50g/L gives you a 5% solution which might be on the high end of the scale.

A 1% works well so you might experiment and keep the citric only as high as needed because to strong for to long of a period of time will make the brass a little dull in color. Not a use problem just an aesthetic one. Shorter time with higher concentration will also work. Time versus concentration is the issue.

GD

[rasto]

Gillie as you wrote it depends on the time being the brass in the solution.
I used a small ultrasonic cleaner and cleaned 300 22LRs (after annealing) in 5 minutes preheated at 60 Celsius.
After that were rinsed under flowing water.

[Gillie Dog]

rasto,

That is exactly my program also, but 60C (140F) is to hot for me, I stay at about 48C (120F) at the hottest.

Once fired 22-250 brass in 1% citric by weight at 45C for 8 minutes in US cleaner is the program I use and they are spotless and shiny. Primer pockets some times have a couple little pin head size spots but that is it. Rinsing well is the key to no white haze or discoloration.

Have fun.......... That is what this hobby is all about....

GD

[Bullwolf]

I used to just tumble my dirty brass in corn cob, or walnut shell media. I found that I really prefer corn cob to walnut, but I blame my dislike of walnut media on a batch of walnut I bought that was fortified with a reddish jewelers rouge that stuck to everything. That kind of turned me off of walnut media completely.

I also used to wash and dry my corn cob media when it got really funky, and run it through an old kitchen colander strainer, and then dry it. The walnut stuff would leak through the colander. Now that I know I can buy new inexpensive corn cob media from the pet store as cheap pet bedding, I don't bother washing it anymore.

At some point I started rinsing my all plastic shotgun hulls in hot water, and Dawn dish soap. The 12 gauge hulls I pick up at home, and off the range often end up in the dirt before getting gathered up, and they get pretty gritty.

I guess it was just a matter of time before I tried rinsing my brass as well.

I few years ago, I had started rinsing brass with just hot water and Dawn dish soap if it was really dirty or gritty. I would oven dry, or sun dry it before tumbling.

Of course after reading the Citric Acid thread here, I just had to try it myself.

Citric Acid really cleans brass extremely easily and efficiently. Frankly it surprised me just how well it will clean up really nasty tarnished brass.

Now that I have discovered Citric Acid baths, I have been soaking all my brass in a very hot mix water and either powdered Citric Acid, or Lemi Shine with a squirt of Dawn dish soap added.

I soak it all in a large 2 quart Pyrex measuring container, and I stir it with a long handled plastic spoon.
(Don't use a metal container or a metallic stirring implement)
Between batches, I will just microwave the solution for a couple of minutes so it stays extremely hot, actually pretty close to boiling. I wear rubber dish washing gloves during the whole process. The hotter the citric acid bath is, the faster it will clean up your brass.

When my brass is all clean, I rinse the citric acid solution off a few times with clean hot water, and then let them dry. They are often so clean at this point that I don't really need to tumble them at all, but I still do.

My tumbling media stays lots cleaner now, and lasts for a much longer time since I started doing this.

I add a couple of used fabric softener sheets from the clothes dryer to my tumbler. I also put a cap full of Nu finish, or Meguiar's carnuba car wax into the corn cob media. My brass comes out incredibly clean, slick, and it stays shiny and tarnish free for a long time.

I store the brass in convenient zip lock bags, labeled with a permanent marker until I am ready to use it.

All tips I have picked up here on Cast Boolits.

1. Using Citric Acid as a case cleaner
2. Buying inexpensive corn cob, or walnut pet bedding media from the pet store.
3. Adding Nu Finish car wax to the tumbling media
4. Adding used dryer fabric softener sheets to your tumbler to keep dust and static down, and to also keep the media clean for a longer time.

It sure beats just tumbling in corn cob by itself!

- Bullwolf

[pricedo]

None of the above.

I use the Lee case trimmer to trim my brass and mount the case holder in a variable speed electric drill when I'm trimming brass.

While the case is in the drill & spinning I wipe the outside off with coarse cloth like denim & use a dry oversize copper or nylon bristle cleaning brush to clean the inside of the neck and the inside walls.

I find a little case lube on the rag I clean the outside of my brass with to be a good cleaning agent. Don't get any case lube inside the case neck.

Works great and clean inside necks means more consistent neck tension and when you make things more consistent accuracy improves.

[Mohillbilly]

I use 2 big Dillons and corncob with dillons or new finish .

[rasto]

Well, guys if you want to do it in mass production forget about tumblers.
They are loud, time consuming and require other processing.
Here is my last (yesterdays) cleaning:
5kg of .223s
25kg of lugers
10kg of 22LRs

Divided to 6 rations and cleaned by ordinary wash mashine as described by me in previous posts.

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/9564/imag0343r.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/imag0343r.jpg/)

Merry Christmas :-)

[edsmith]

the majority of us cleans our cases for shooting, not for selling.

[rasto]

Where dit you get it, that I am processing it for selling?
I am an ordinary ,prepared, shooter which wants to make things easier and spend saved time with family.

22LR for my swaging
223 and lugers to feed my hungry barrels

[Four Fingers of Death]

Well, guys if you want to do it in mass production forget about tumblers.
They are loud, time consuming and require other processing.
Here is my last (yesterdays) cleaning:
5kg of .223s
25kg of lugers
10kg of 22LRs

Divided to 6 rations and cleaned by ordinary wash mashine as described by me in previous posts.

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/9564/imag0343r.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/imag0343r.jpg/)

Merry Christmas :-)

I'm keen to try this, but so far the only citric acid I can find is in the supermarkets and it is $4.50 per 75Gms. My mate works in a food factory, I will ask him where I can get some bigger packs.

[rasto]

In my country 100g of citric acid costs something above 0.5$ so not a big worry.
Use your ordinary washing machine, place the brass into washing bag, fill the empty space with inactive laundry (to eliminate noise) put a half ration of washing powder together with two table spoons of citric acid (other non foam chemistry optional) and let it wash for around 1 1/2 hour.
Be aware about centrifuge usage.
After that no neutralization is needed because all chemistry is wash out by the last washing machine process.

[Gillie Dog]

Check home brew and winemaking stores. You should be able to get a pound of food grade citric for about $5 American.

"Health" food stores have it also but it usually is more expensive.

Check here: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/shops-au.asp

GD

[Four Fingers of Death]

Check home brew and winemaking stores.
GD

Thanks for the heads up! We have a good home brew shop in town and I'm headed that way this afternoon!

Do you add the citric acid to the final rise or to the distilled water in a bucket when finished?

[noylj]

I think some shoot just so they can clean brass.
Seems to be the fastest growing shooting sport--like new cases that shine like gold.

PS: citric acid goes in the wash water.
Have no idea why some worry about a little (and I do mean a LITTLE) Dawn and citric acid remaining on the cases. Now, a 50% mixture of acetic acid (vinegar) should be washed off (and it also could leach out zinc if you soak your brass for long in the vinegar), but using an acid neutralizing wash and a distilled water wash exceeds the requirements for adequately.

[rasto]

Do not make the process more complicated as it is.
No distilled water needed.
The acid place together with powder before washing it self.

[ShinyPartsUp]

Ultrasonic with Hornady's commercial cleaning solution and a smidge of liquid clothes detergentfloats my boat.

[Bullet Caster]

I was trying to find citric acid. Looked on fleabay and internet. Found what I needed under my kitchen sink. Wifey & I bought a water distiller 'cause I have to drink distilled water for my liver. The distiller came with about 8oz. of citric acid for cleaning. But I use vinegar to clean the deposits out of the ss water distiller. All the citric acid is now mine and I use it to clean my brass. I had some 1952 berdan primed 9mm cases that were almost black. Dumped them in my citric acid bath and set my metal container on the kerosene heater and left them for about an hour. Stirred batch every 15min. and they came out very, very clean. Almost looked like new brass. Did this as an experiment after reading about citric acid here on Cast Boolits. Works very well. BC

[Gillie Dog]

I was trying to find citric acid. Looked on fleabay and internet. BC

Guys, do not forget "Sour Salt" spice is pure citric. Look in the spice aisle of food markets and "Health" food stores.

Amazon has 5 pounds for $20 with free shipping if you buy a reloading tool to bring total up to $25.

GD

[BDJ]

Zilla Desert blend -- Meguiar's cleaner wax, liquid in a Lyman 1200 or Iosso.

[DODGEM250]

I just ordered a new dry tumbler a few days ago. Should be here any day. I just want to clean the brass and remove most of the tarnish, not looking to present it to a judge.

[DODGEM250]

Guys, do not forget "Sour Salt" spice is pure citric. Look in the spice aisle of food markets and "Health" food stores.

Amazon has 5 pounds for $20 with free shipping if you buy a reloading tool to bring total up to $25.

GD


I was thinking about adding a few v i a g r a to the next batch of .38 and see if it will come out as .300 Win Mag...

[Newtire]

I use the old Midway vibrating bowl and Lizard bedding (walnut shells) from PetCo.

[pmn]

C'mon - how many of you have an old treadmill sitting around that is used as a spare clothes closet? Clear that thing off and put it to good use!

My first time around I went the dry vibrator route. I really didn't care for the dust and mess but that is just me. I also liked the idea of stainless steel media that 'never' wears out and has to be replaced. I put the media in, added the brass, filled to about 3/4 full of water and put a shot of lemon dish soap in. Brass was CLEAN in under 20 minutes and SHINY like new in 90 minutes.

I put a couple of my kid's 'super magnets' around the drain in my wash tub to catch the few errant pins that got away from me as I rinsed the whole shebang in a 2 gallon bucket.


- 2 gallon wet tumbling container: about $30, plus $5 for the 4" atrium grate to sift the media / brass into bucket

- 10 lbs of tumbling media from pelletsllc.com (talk to Dee at dpieri@pelletsllc.com , tell her you want SCW-41/.255 ): $70 shipped

- putting underutilized treadmill to good use: free

- having your wife call you a genius: priceless!


I have about $105 in my setup; could have used 5lb of media instead of 10lb though and saved $30. Instead I am going to make a second tumbler and split the media between the two. I also bought a full 10' of 6" drain pipe too so I have enough to make several more tumblers. Could have just bought a small 2' section instead which is why I said $30 for parts instead of $46.

I replaced the 1 1/2" PVC pipe you see in the video with a 2x2 which worked much better with the clamps. I'm going to put two small casters on the riding face to reduce friction a little though it is truly unnecessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wyKXst_O0E

Atrium grate at Menard's

http://www.menards.com/main/plumbing/water-systems/landscape-draining/catch-basins-grates/grates/4-atrium-grate-green/p-1454418-c-8636.htm

[cbrick]

I put a couple of my kid's 'super magnets' around the drain in my wash tub to catch the few errant pins that got away from me as I rinsed the whole shebang in a 2 gallon bucket.

Welcome to CastBoolits pmn,

I'm not against learning something new so is this a new invention? Magnetic stainless steel?

Rick

[edsmith]

some stainless is magnetic, also there is a magnet that will pick up non ferris metal, copper,brass, ect. now I wait for all the " you moron " :bigsmyl2:

[Moonman]

Stainless Steel alloys are manufactured and some are MAGNETIC and some are NON-MAGNETIC alloys.:killingpc

[Reload3006]

400 series stainless is slightly magnetic. 300 series are not. then there are the exotics some are some arent.

[DODGEM250]

Since it falls under this thread I will post here as well, so, sorry fr the double post.

I just ran a test on a new cleaner in my new vibratory with corn cob and a few brass and nickle .357 cases. This product is awesome to say the least. I am very very familiar with this stuff with many years of experience with it on many different surfaces, I have used it for everything, so, I know what's in it and I know what it is capable of. I just didn't expect the brass to come out so shiny.

It's called Gel Gloss (http://gel-gloss.com/index.php?pageId=351) and is mainly used for cleaning marble counter tops and stainless steel, BUT, I dropped about a half ounce in my corn cob and let it go for about 30 minutes. The outcome was excellent. Much better than my vinegar/water bath then tumble test.

[pmn]

> Welcome to CastBoolits pmn

Thank you!


> I'm not against learning something new so is this a new invention? Magnetic stainless steel?

As a couple others have posted, yes there are stainless alloys that are magnetic. I meant to ask Dee at pelletsllc.com what alloy the pins are but forgot to do so. They are so small that I watched a couple trapped in some bubbles just 'float' out of my bucket and get caught on the magnets around my washtub drain. Very few though.

[Reload3006]

lol no 416 17-4ph stainless is magnetic and its been around all my life.

[noylj]

From MSDS for gel-gloss:
SECTION I .. INGREDIENTS
PRODUCT CAS NUMBER TLV PERCENTAGES
MINERAL SPIRITS 64741-41-9 197ppm 45-50%
(Stoddard Solvents)

CRYSTALLINE SILICA 14808-60-7 0.05mg/m3 33-38%

D-LIMONENE 5989-27-5 N/E 5%

ALCOHOL 67-63-0 400ppm 5%

MORPHOLINE 1109-1-8 20ppm .75%

So, it is an mild, I trust, abrasive with solvents. The morpholine is probably in there for pH buffering since the d-Limonene has a shelf life of just about 9 months before it starts to break down or form a "varnish"
Always check the MSDS before using a chemical product outside its recommended application. At least there was no ammonia mentioned.

[Markbo]

I feel like the only one that has found that clean, dull brass shoots just as good as clean shiney brass. :grin:

[KCcactus]

I've been using a small amount of laundry detergent with water in my tumbler. Sometimes I add small pieces of cloth. I tried adding a little Barkeeper's Friend to the mix the other day. It shines the brass a lot more.