Cleaning brass with muratic acid or concrete etch solutions?

[bigjake]

Has anyone tried cleaning their brass with diluted acid solutions? If so, how did they turn out? seems it would be quick and effective.

[Bmi48219]

It would work but it cleans by removing a layer of surface brass. The amount removed will vary with the duration of contact and strength of the acid. Then too it’s really difficult to remove all the acid from the pores of the brass, so over time the brass would get weaker. I’m all for a better way to clean brass as I process a lot. Think I’d take a mulligan on the acid method.

[samari46]

Think it was Birchwood Casey who used to sell a product Zinc Chromate to clean brass. Left a flat brass color to the cases. Lowe's sells a Phosphouric acid that is used to clean off rust from iron and steel. Forget what they called it. Blue liquid in a gallon jug. Used it very diluted to clean brass. Worked good but don't dump it in the sink drain as it will sit there in the trap and older houses had brass plumbing off the sink. And would eat the brass. If and when tumbling brass Flitz does sell a brass cleaner that comes in a 8oz bottle. Dump in a soup spoon's worth and run the tumbler for about 30 minutes to distribute the polish. Then add your brass and tumble for however you normally do. Never tried the citric acid and stainless steel pins. Frank

[kevin c]

I tried it with muriatic acid, back in the day. It works, but you have to be careful.

Muriatic acid is a lot stronger than vinegar or citric acid solutions: adding an unmeasured splash or two in a bucket of brass is likely going to give you pink brass in minutes like you'd get from a day long soak in diluted vinegar or citric acid. I calculated that an eye dropper or two is all you'd need for two to four gallons of water, and even then I didn't leave the brass in the solution for long (less than hour IIRC).

It also eats holes in clothes, can burn wet human tissues (eyes, nose and the rest of the respiratory tract) from the fumes, and is great for instantly rusting any nearby unprotected steel tools.

No, I don't use it now. I didn't try it but the one time because I was out of white vinegar, and didn't know back then about citric acid.

ETA: I have a reference (an NRA publication on ammunition production) that states that cartridge case manufacturers use acid wash "pickling" to clean the brass of the surface oxides that form from the repeated heating of the metal needed in the various drawing and annealing steps. "Diluted sulfuric acid" was used.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Lemishine works just fine.

[Burnt Fingers]

Why?

There are plenty of ways to clean brass without involving strong acid.

[waksupi]

I personally wouldn't do it. I use it to strip bluing from guns, and need to wash the metal immediately to prevent micro pitting.

[lightman]

I would stay away from the stronger acids. Citric acid works well as do several of the different polishes and waxes.

[rbuck351]

I use Birchwood Casey brass cleaner mixed by instructions. It is very fast, usually 15 to 30 seconds and can be reused for years depending on how much brass you clean. Takes a bit longer as the solution gets more used or you can add a bit more cleaner to stiffen it up.

[fredj338]

This is one of those why? Citric acid is pretty cheap & economical to use & wont hurt brass used properly.

[GSP7]

get a gallon of orange juice at the grocery store

[Iowa Fox]

Lemishine works just fine.

It sure does. Its all I use anymore, no more tumbling or polishing.

[WRideout]

Strong mineral acids, HCl, H2SO4, etc, are likely to attack the brass and weaken it if not neutralized immediately. Organic acids such as citric or acetic (lemon juice and vinegar) do just fine, and give you a lot more leeway for how long the cases can be left in. I am planning to experiment with malic acid; it is the stuff that makes green apples sour, and is also found abundantly in the red berries of staghorn sumac, which grows everywhere around here.

Wayne

[tankgunner59]

I have a product made by Birchwood Casey that has Phosphoric and Sulfuric acid in it. You mix a small amount with water and soak the brass in it for a short time. I don't recall the exact amounts or time frame but it works very well. You do have to rinse very well with cold water after soaking thee brass.

[mehavey]

Why?^^^^ THIS ^^^^

There is absolutely NO reason to subject smokeless brass to anything more stressful than walnut shells and a teaspoon of autopolish cream. None.

In stretch, steel pins and a coupla drops of dishsoap/water in a rotary tumbler

BP ... plain old soap and water.






(other than the above, I have no strong opinion)

[bedbugbilly]

A word of caution on using muriatic acid - many years ago, I had a job come through my custom woodworking shop which, after much study and talking with paint oroduct manufactures required the use of muriatic acid in order to bleach and try and remove stains from the finish stripping process on some very old church pews. The church was to have them stripped and I was reproducing new ones to match and refinishing the old ones for their sanitary expansion. Even using the acid outside and letting the pews dry out - in nice sunny warm weather - I put them in the shop overnight. The next morning when I got to work and walked into the shop, any steel tool laying out on the bench had a fine layer of rust - and this was just off of the residue of the acid in the wood of the pews. I ended up having to neutralize the wood - long story short - muriatic acid or similar could raise holy heck with dies, etc. if any is left on the brass where it would be in the area of your reloading tools.

I just recently finally purchased a brass tumbler - andI swear by either citric acid or lemishine. Strong enough to do the job but mild enough not to do harm to other things.

[GregLaROCHE]

I use citric acid. I just bought five pounds of it from the internet. It was cheap in that quality and will probably last me for the rest of my life. I wash brass with dish detergent, rinse and then put it in the acid, agitating for three minutes, then a good rinse. If the acid is not completely removed, It will leave streaks.

[RKJ]

Someone here (I don't recall who) posted that they use lemon use from the Dollar stores, it comes in 1 quart bottles, (just a buck) and works like a charm in a HF tumbler with pins.

[osteodoc08]

Citric acid has worked for so long and with safe and proven results, I’d see no reason to change that now. If you want super shiny brass, get a wet tumbler, use the Lyman case cleaning solution with a capful of whatever wash and wax product you have and it’ll be blindingly shiny

[catboat]

Keep it safe, simple and cheap.

Use vinegar (acetic acid), and a squirt of dish detergent (Dawn) as a surfactant (removes/separates small particles).


you don't even have to use vinegar full strength. 25/75 to 50/50 vinegar/Hot water with a squirt of Dawn to a bowl the size you need for your batch of brass. Put the detergent in first, then liquids-to get good mixing.

I have an old plastic coffee "can" with lid I use. Hold < 2 quarts total. I also use a used/cleaned (duh) large peanut butter jar with lid for different batch sizes of brass. Brass in. detergent in. Liquids in. Screw on top. Shake a bit. Let soak a couple of hours. Dump out liquid (save it , if you have another brass load to clean), then rinse the brass well in hot water. Let dry. (stand brass upright on paper towel). I've read that some people use thinks like finish nails in a board to place the cleaned brass, and allow them to dry. I'm sure it works great. I just haven't done that. "standing them upright" works fine for me. I let them dry overnight. No need to heat them (may alter brass hardness).

"K.I.S.S" ( it had me in mind)., safe, cheap and effective.

[WRideout]

I retrieved a basket style salad spinner that had a broken spin mechanism, from the trash. When I am ready to remove the brass from the solution, I just pour everything into the strainer basket, inside the bowl that goes with it. Wash solution goes back in a plastic coffee can, and brass gets rinsed in the sink. Clean and rinsed brass goes in an aluminum pie plate and then warms in the warmest place I can find; either in the sunshine, or on top of the house heating boiler.

Wayne

[Rcmaveric]

After playing with muriatic acid in my fish tanks to control PH, I personally would rather not play with the stuff (long story that ended horribly for the fish, wife did it not me). I wanted phosphoric acid but couldn't find it pure locally.

Limishine is safer and smells better. It's cheap too and that little bottle last a long time.

Really any acid will work. You just dont want to chemically burn or weaken the metal. I dont personally like playing with harsh chemicals, but it happens sometimes.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[a danl]

i would think it wouldn't do the primer pockets any good, maybe enlarge them?

[GregLaROCHE]

Most citric acid you buy in powder form is safe for human consumption. I’ve put a little of it in my iced tea when I was out of lemon. It tasted great.

[WRideout]

[QUOTE=Rcmaveric;4846503]After playing with muriatic acid in my fish tanks to control PH, I personally would rather not play with the stuff (long story that ended horribly for the fish, wife did it not me). I wanted phosphoric acid but couldn't find it pure locally.

phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in some auto wheel cleaners.

Wayne

[Taterhead]

I use several gallons of muriatic acid per season to regulate my pool water pH. Strong nasty stuff. An errant droplet instantly etches concrete.

Likely the correct dilution could be made to work for brass, but I wouldn't mess with it.

[catboat]

[QUOTE=Rcmaveric;4846503]After playing with muriatic acid in my fish tanks to control PH, I personally would rather not play with the stuff (long story that ended horribly for the fish, wife did it not me). I wanted phosphoric acid but couldn't find it pure locally.

phosphoric acid is the active ingredient in some auto wheel cleaners.

Wayne



Phosphoric acid is also in most soda soft drinks. I would bet you could use generic ( low cost) 7-up as a brass cleaner ( could use darker soda such as cola, but it may stain the brass, so use "clear" soda). Soda has a pH of about 3.5-3.8, which is very acidic.

[charlie b]

I will say it again. WHY?

If you aren't going to tumble or vibrate the cases then just use Citric Acid. You can get it cheap at any Walmart.

Put some water and acid in a bucket. Add cases and swish around a bit. Rinse and dry. Takes 30 minutes at most. No harm to the cases.

Most other acids you are just asking for trouble. Most will weaken the brass and many are harmful in many ways. Just don't do it.

PS yes, if you are a chemist and know what you are doing, then other ways exist. It takes a LOT more knowledge about solutions and chemical interactions to do this and DO NOT rely on internet stories.

[abunaitoo]

In the past I've used Phosphoric acid.
You can find it in bathroom tub and tile cleaner.
I like the Zep brand.
Cheaper that muriatic acid.
It does a great job.
Mild enough that you don't have to worry about how long you leave the brass in it.
Also don't have to worry about it burning clothes or hands.
Don't use it much, now that I wet tumble.
Coca cola has it in it.

[deltaenterprizes]

I mixed a gallon of muriatic acid to 40 gallons of water in a plastic garbage can to clean about 10,000 223 cases one time. Once the brass turned bright, about 30-45 seconds I dumped it out and rinsed the brass off and then tumbled them in a cement mixer with dish washing liquid. They looked great!