Brass Cleaning Solution

[Circuit Rider]

Has anyone used the solution from isonic ? Curious to know if it is worth ordering. Thanks, Circuit Rider

[Kevin Rohrer]

If you do a search here, you should find lots of references. I believe people who use it like the stuff. I was thinking of trying it myself.

[mold maker]

Citric acid is much cheaper and does the same or better.

[Shiloh]

Muriatic acid from the hardware store will clean really tarnished brass. A few capfuls in a bucket of water to cover the brass and you can watch the tarnish come off. Rinse well, dry, tumble as usual and nasty brass looks new.

I have used the Iosso brand brass tarnish remover/cleaner. This works very well also. The muriatic acid method gives the same results at a fraction of the cost.

Iosso brass polish works very well, but it is spendy. $10 for 8 oz. Nu-Finish car polish from Wal-Mart does the same thing. Again, at a fraction of the cost.

Shiloh

[starreloader]

Citric Acid is the only way to go... Very easy to use, 3 tablespoons to a gallon of water, dump in your brass.. Depending on how cruddy the brass is you only have to let the brass sit in the solution for a few minutes to maybe a half hour at the most... Just got another 50lbs of Citric Acid today.

[7of7]

Definitely the citric acid... I found a small crock pot and lettuce container that had a plastic basket... fit perfectly in the crockpot, so it is now part of my setup... I just turn the crock pot on and when it gets hot.... put the basket of brass in it... eventually I will remember it is in there, take it out, rinse it off and let it dry.. Throw it in treated corn cob for polishing...
Wish I would have known about this years ago!!!

[shagg]

Where can you get citric acid?

[7of7]

Most beer/wine making stores will have it, as it is used to increase the tangyness of the beverage.
I picked mine up from a local homebrew shop...
You might try Scotzin Bros. http://www.scotzinbros.com/directions.php

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

best price I've found.
10 lbs for $31.95 shipping included.
http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=citric

[abunaitoo]

I use phosporic acid I get from HD.
Cost $5.00 for a gallon.
Even when it get black, it still works.

[shagg]

i tried a few capfulls of muratic acid in about 2 gal of water on 2 VERY dirty 30 06 cases and it turned them pink. I regularly use the iosso liquid and occasionally get red or pink spots on some cases. Anyone know what causes that?

[geargnasher]

i tried a few capfulls of muratic acid in about 2 gal of water on 2 VERY dirty 30 06 cases and it turned them pink. I regularly use the iosso liquid and occasionally get red or pink spots on some cases. Anyone know what causes that?

The red or pink spots on cartridge brass is pure copper which has been depleted of the zink by oxidation. Often, you'll find black spots on oxidized brass and the acids you mention will react with the oxides and dissolve them, leaving the copper behind. This can be dangerous if the pink spots show any pitting or don't polish away in a tumbler, as they are weak, pure copper and not nearly as strong as brass.

This brings me to another point no one has mentioned so far, and that is the only acid I know of that is safe for cartridge brass is CITRIC. Acetic, phosphoric, hydrochloric (muriatic), etc. all have a tendency to deplete the brass of zink, making it weak on a microscopic level. This causes the same very dangerous conditions that annealing a case head/web will. Be carefull with your vinegar and commercial brass polishes. Ammonia, a strong base, will also react with zink and deplete it from the brass, and ammonia is in most commercial brass cleaners. Read the label. I know everyone has their pet solution they've been using for umpteen years with nary a failure, but the chemistry speaks for itself. There is a sticky or two on using citric acid as a cleaner, and Sagacious (who knows what he's talking about) explains over and over the chemistry of why citric acid is the best safe and effective acid cleaner we can use. If you go dig up the stickies and read them, and I would recommend everyone on posting so far do so, pay particular attention to the term "passivate", as citric acid does this to brass, and it's a good thing.

Gear

[azjohn]

Here's the link. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572