brass cleaner

[willy3]

Has anyone had success with commercial liquid brass cleaners? I've used some home brews which are OK for average tarnish but I have some heavily tarnished brass that I would like to see shiny again.. Many years ago I used a product that is no longer available that turned nasty stuff nice after soaking for about 10 minutes.. Anyone???

[MtGun44]

Buy some Lemishine at the grocery store near the dishwasher soap. Mix with water, soak and
tarnish is removed by reversing the oxidation reaction. The active material is citric acid which
is entirely harmless to you and brass. Many cleaners damage brass, especially ones with
ammonia or ammonia compounds. You can drink citric acid without harm, although Lemishine has
some other stuff, so probably not good to drink, the basic chemical is safe.

Look up citric acid threads, it has been discussed to death.

Bill

[41 mag fan]

I went to the local farm store that had canning supplies and bought some citris acid.
Only thing i don't like about using it, is the baking in the oven part to dry the cases out. It's just a PIA to me.

[David2011]

A drop or two (more is NOT better) of dishwashing detergent will reduce the surface tension in the citric acid solution, helping it flow out to a thinner layer than beaded up water. If you don't like drying in the oven, just let the brass lay in thin layers and stir every day or two until the solution evaporates. In the warmer months, it can lay in the sun and it will dry very quickly. Brass out of my .40 and .45 is hotter after laying in the sun than straight out of the gun.

David

[Shiloh]

Tried Brasso once, but stopped as I was told tha it weakened the brass. Buttons are one thing, cartridge brass is another. My method for heavily tarnished brass if the following.
Fill a utility sink or bucket with warm water to cover the brass. I usuall do this in larger batches. Add one or two teaspoons of muriatic acid. I stir with a wooden spoon dedicated to this.
Rinse well and repeat. Dry thoroughly in a warm place or the sun if in the summer.

The tarnish is eliminated. Heavy tarnish turns sort of pinkish. Dry thoroughly and run through the tumbler with the media of your choice.
I use corncob.

Shiloh

[blackthorn]

See the "sticky" on Citric acid in the "Kit Room" forum.

[jonas302]

I have used a birchwood casey brass cleaner it was pretty cheap and seems to work ok I use a food dehydrator to dry

[Jailer]

I went to the local farm store that had canning supplies and bought some citris acid.
Only thing i don't like about using it, is the baking in the oven part to dry the cases out. It's just a PIA to me.

I use an old food dehydrator to dry my wet tumbled brass. It's a model with a fan and it dries the brass in around 15 or 20 minutes.

[blixen]

I've cleaned my brass with citric acid, but the best results were with a piece of steel wool or green scouring pad while spinning the case after trimming.

Here's my question what's the point? Beyond aesthetics, does it matter if the case is not shiny?

[runfiverun]

not really, but the citric acid also passivates the brass [kind of like a gentle summers breeze,, Ok i made up the summers breeze part]
i just wash in the citric acid and soap mix and then dump the damp brass out on a an old tee shirt and swing the excess water out, then throw it in the tumbler to dry takes about 45 minutes total.
lemishine is 96% citric acid and a couple of anti caking agents and something else you could drink it and not die, it's pretty much kool-aid without the coloring and flavor.

[Sasquatch-1]

I use the citric acid in an old crock pot and cook the brass for an hour or two. If you are in a bit of a hurry you can use a compressor to dry the brass. I will usually get as much water as possible out of the brass, throw it in the tumbler(vibratory) for about an hour, remove it and shake in a small bucket to remove the clumped media and put in back in the tumbler over night with a couple of capsful of IOSSO case bright. Makes the outside of even the dirtiest cases look new.

Also, get a bag of lizzard litter desert mix from the local pet store. It is very finely crushed walnut mixed with sand. It is small enough not to get stuck in primer pockets.

[wiljen]

The stainless steel media works better than anything else I've ever tried.

[willy3]

Thanks for the ideas, gentlemen...

[Mumblypeg]

I used to dry my cases in the oven but now I use a hair dryer if the batch of brass is not too big. I put the brass in a bucket and brop the dryer in on top of them. It heats them up real fast and blow drys them faster.

[willy3]

mumblypeg, do you find that brass will tarnish quickly in the oven even with low heat level?

[Jailer]

Here's my question what's the point? Beyond aesthetics, does it matter if the case is not shiny?

After I scratched my second 223 sizing die I started wet tumbling. The result is perfectly clean brass with no chance of scratching another sizing die.


mumblypeg, do you find that brass will tarnish quickly in the oven even with low heat level?

Leaving them out in the hot sun will do the same thing.

[RED BEAR]

I have used one table spoon of salt to a quart of vinegar. Soak for twenty minutes then rinse in running water for twenty minutes. It cleans really good but does not make them shine. I got this out of an old nra reloading manual. After cleaning I tumble to make em shiney. This has worked for me for over thirty years.

[popadopa]

Isso makes a good brass cleaner. Comes in quarts and gallons I've used it for years works great. Midway has a kit comes with a quart of the liquid a nylon net bag for holding the brass and the pail can be used to do the cleaning in. Midway USA has it all you might try the kit first to see how you like it.

pop

[Sasquatch-1]

Isso makes a good brass cleaner.

Not trying to be the spelling police (anyone who has read my post will not that's not happening) but for clearity you left out an "O" IOSSO.

I am in complete agreement. The stuff really gets the brass shiney and last for several months after cleaning.

Here is a link to their home page: http://www.iosso.com/

[sig2009]

NuFinish car polish is all you need!

[prs]

I wet tumble with citric acid plus a dib of detergent. I let it run as long as I want or until I remember its running; but an hour is good. Then I rinse with cool water. While still wet in the sink I add little dab of Lee case lube to my hands and work my hands through the brass like a miser with his gold. Then the wet brass goes into a netted bag, like an orange bag. Let it hang as long as it takes to dry, a day or two inside the house. Even the primer pockets are clean when deprimed. Even with carbide dies, the brass goes much easier with the residue of lube on them.

prs