I quit using lemi shine after I started using lemon juice. It's much less picky as far as how much or how little you use. Two cap fulls does a great job.
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Dear Sagacious; I too use Citric Acid + drop of Dawn, however I left a batch of brass in the 'soup' for 1.5 days & brass finish was permanently 'damaged'; didn't have the patience to do a 'load eval'. They jes looked terrible. I can send a pic if yu like.
Wally
Trying not to be wasteful I tried to continue using the same batch of citric acid solution for several days. I knew I would have many small groups of brass in various states of preparation and different calibers/cartridges. It turns out that the solution doesn’t keep well. It grew at least three different kinds of laboratory experiments. There was clear slimy growth, green/white mold and some bright orange stuff. I hadn’t seen anything like that since deliberately growing molds in high school biology class.
I didn't know that would harm the brass?
Still some LHD's that are steam powered as well as diesel MCM's, LSD's and LPD's.
I have had FAIR results with Citric Acid cleaner on Smokeless brass. but poor results on Black Powder residue removal. I am using two tablespoons per Qt. in almost boiling water and leaving the brass in there for about three minutes then I fresh wash it completely. I then have to tumble it in Corn media and the inside is still crusted. What am I doing wrong?
Good Post! I have to agree...it works a treat!8-) Like Brassmonkey said: it needs a little watching, and a bit'll do ya!
Does cleaning with citric acid do away with the need to tumble?
Sorry I haven't gone through all 47 pages of this thread but I'm wondering.....
I use 2 teaspoons of the FA brass cleaner per pint of water and drop my fired cases in the jug after at the range. It seems to get the BP fouling out quicker with this presoak. Then I wet tumble. If you don’t wet tumble, you need to brush out the cases while still wet, then rinse.
I have been using this lately with great success. 1/4 cup or so with a pinch of Lemmishine!
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In the UK we have a product called Cilitbang. I’m sure your have an equivalent….it’s a general bathroom/ kitchen cleaner and no big deal. It shines brass instantly but I add hot water and liquid soap to control it.
I am dealing with an issue currently
I put in about 200 30-30 brass that was fairly clean, 1F, and dull colored, into my Lyman liquid tumbler, with 1 tsp citric acid + 1 tsp Nu Finish + 1/2 tsp dawn + hot water to cover by half, tumbled for a couple hours
now I have this BLACK GOO on EVERYTHING
it washes off my hands OK, but ALL the cases are BLACK like soot
So.... in the machine again, this time with more dawn, more CA, and no NF. SAME BLACK GOO on everything. stuck my hand in during the rinse, and my fingers came out totally BLACK
So.... in the machine again, this time with MORE dawn, MORE CA, and MORE NF.... set for 2 hours.... Ima hitting the sack. will check tomo!
anyone have an idea where that black goo is coming from? it is literally acting like soot, and the water is not black like it usually is.
Not enough soap?
I'm not a chemist but I'd have to question what chemical reaction is taking place with all that stuff.
I use an ultrasonic cleaner with the citric acid. Only citric acid. I don't have any problems and all my cases come out clean, including primer pockets. They're not mirror shinny, but who is gonna see 'em?
The citric acid powder is mixed 2 teaspoons to a quart of water, plus 2 drops of Dawn. Tap water, not hot. Fully cleaned in 30 minutes.
I don’t tumble brass. I size and decap with a carbide die, then wash with lemon juice+water+dawn, let dry for 24 hours, then reload.
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I only shoot pistols and I don’t compete. YMMV
Did you clean out the tumbler before trying something new? You may have residual goo in it. I also cleaned 200 30wcf cases in my tumbler. They were in for 2 hours with a quarter teaspoon of lemishine and FA cleaner, ceramic balls. Came out great. I have found that more cleaning agents is not better. I used to use a teaspoon of each and was disappointed with the result.
My wife scored a bunch of Emergen-C powdered Vitamin C and I used the less tasty flavor in the tumbler.
It foams up the dish soap and really does seem to help get the wet tumbled brass shiny.
I first got hooked on the idea of this after discovering Iosso case cleaner. It would take the blackest sun-tarnished brass I could find scrounging at desert shooting locations and turn it all shiny again. I mean, stuff that has been out in the weather for years and looked like wrought iron would brighten up, usually pink, because the zinc is what had turned black, and with the corroded zinc removed, the surface copper within the brass was more evident. A few hours in the walnut media and they polished up all yellowish again and ready to use.
But the Iosso stuff is kind of expensive, and degrades over time as you use and reuse it. But powdered citric acid in bulk is pretty cheap, so I tried that. I was very disappointed. The performance just didn't compare and the wait time for it to do it's limited results just took too damned long. So I gave away my stash of citric acid powder and returned to using the Iosso. Fortunately, it is rare to come across brass so badly corroded that it requires bathing in the Iosso product. But I keep it on hand specifically for brass like that.
I've been using citric acid to clean brass for about a year now. I soak the cases in citric solution for 10 minutes then rinse. I lay the brass out in the sun on a towel to dry. I mix the CA in a strong solution hence the short soak time.
I agree. Iosso is great stuff for cleaning heavily stained brass. I have been using it for many years and get it from Brownell's. Not cheap but really does a great job. james
I use more citric acid than most: 2 teaspoons (10 ml) per load in my large FART, just over an ounce in a cement mixer that holds a five gallon bucket of brass. I also have started using stainless steel pins along with ArmorAll Wash n’ Wax. My brass looks basically factory new except for the fired primers that I’m too lazy to decap in another step before actually running them through my progressive press.
I’ve used Iosso before. It worked well, but, as pointed out, eventually needs replacing. I’ve heard the same with Brass Juice. CA and ArmorAll Wash ‘n Wax is a lot cheaper.
I recently did a load of 5.56 and some .308 and some of the cases had areas where it was tarnished dark brown to purple-ish color, but only on a few cases, and some were just a spot or two.
I have noticed that brass that’s been sitting with caked on mud or in puddles on our range (gravel base, sand berms) will often get purple areas in a pattern matching the mud covering or partial submersion after being tumbled two hours in SS pins, citric acid and ArmorAll wash’nwax. I’m guessing the rain leaches or dissolves something chemically active out of the minerals.
To follow up a bit
I used less dawn, less CA and NO polish
After two more trips through, all look good
My tumbler is a Lyman, so I assume it is designed for this
I have several batches getting ready to go so we shall see
Ima try 1/2tsp CA and just a few drops of dawn with hot water
And hope for the best
Try just 1 drop of dawn if you can do that. Too much suds is self-defeating. One quarter teaspoon of citric acid would be more like it. Actually, you'd be better off to check the ph level of your water after adding brass & before adding anything else. Put in enough citric acid to bring up the ph to 5 to 6. Then let 'er rip. After the cleaning cycle, allow your tumbler to fill up again & again check the ph of the rinse water as above. Rinse and you should be good to go. Big Boomer
I just did a batch of 44 Mag last night. I have an old A series thumler but it didn't have the can (I got it for $30)....I just use replacement Quart paint cans from HD or Lowes as my can and add a broken paint stirrer at an angle inside so the brass must tumble...I wrap several layers of electrical tape around the outside of the cans so the can itself doesn't ride on the rollers but rolls on the tape......anyway....
I put 20-50 rifle or 100-200 pistol cases inside the can, add SS pins and 1 tsp of Citric Acid. Then I use HOT water and a 2 drops of dish soap (whatever the wife uses)...tap down the lid and let it tumble for 2-3 hours....My brass looks like it came directly from the factory....primer pockets are clean with no residues and even the inside of the cases look shiny clean.
It's pretty hard to beat this combination of ingredients....so I don't bother trying anything else.
redhawk
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