Brass Cleaning Problem

[Theditchman]

I took everyones advice and put ss pins 22lr cases after annealing and de rimming and wet tumbled with dawn and Lemishine for 6 hours...The result was fabulous..brilliant shine and clean.....I gave them a thorough rinse with fresh water and laid them out in the sun to dry (I live in the sunshine state) an hour later I went to check on them and they had lost all there shine...a cpl of hours later they looked like they had never been polished...I tried drying the next lot in a low oven but they looked as bad ...so....where am I going wrong? Have I missed a step?....What do you think??

[BT Sniper]

Did you rinse in hot or cold water?

I have found that if I rinse in cold water I get better results.

I don't know if there is a difference between tumbling in hot or cold water though, I have had good luck tumbling in hot water and rinse in cold.

BT

[M Hicks]

When I first tried SS pin tumbling I air dried the cases. I had what sounds like the same results as you mentioned. Now I run them in my vibratory tumbler for 30 minutes with a little bit of Nu-Finish. They come out looking as good or better than new brass and I think the additive helps keep them that way for longer.

I use the garden hose to fill my tumbler with water and for rinsing. So for the most part it is cold water for both steps.

[Theditchman]

I will try the hot and cold method although I did everything in cold water....I just cant believe it changed so fast ..I wonder if its something in the air

[M Hicks]

Getting them dry as quickly as possible is key in my experience.

[w5pv]

You may try a table spoon of baking soda in a quart of water,I don't know about lemishine but it seems to help with citric acid,

[Theditchman]

you may be right about neutralizing the acid...I'll try it and report back

[DCM]

I try to rinse mine in Hot water then Roll them on a old large bath towel before spreading them out to try to get them to dry as fast as possible.
Tumbled hot and cold with little difference, but found that getting them dry quickly was key.
Do you have hard water there?? The minerals or chemical treatment may be messing with you too, a batch or 2 with distilled may answer that.

[elginrunner]

I put mine in a dehydrator for half hour or so, It seems to work nicely.

[MrWolf]

^^ what he said on food dehydrator. Mine never worked well for food but works great on brass.

[kweidner]

^. what they said. I use a little wax in rugular tumble after ss. Brass oxidizes pretty quick when it is that clean. I use dehydrator too.

[kweidner]

Here are some once I figured it out. Closing the hp more these days but these shoot fantastic.

[Zymurgy50]

Distilled water for the wash and final rinse, never had a problem.

[Utah Shooter]

Here are some once I figured it out. Closing the hp more these days but these shoot fantastic.

Those look fantastic!

OP! If you are looking for a good shine I have not found SS Media to fit the bill. It sure does clean it well though.

If you want them shiny I would suggest going with a less abrasive method. Think of it like sand paper. Sure the 120 grit works good for stripping but 600 works better to create a nice smooth surface.

[John Allen]

I rinse mine in super hot water than I put them back in the my RCBS media separator and give them a good spin back and forth for a minute or two. I then dump them in a plastic pan so they are only one layer thick. I have two of the Utility fans on them on each side. I usually let them dry for about ten minutes then shake the pan and give it another ten. I then throw them in the vibratory tumbler with some nu finish and I am good to go.

[MOcaster]

Mine have always worked well by rinsing them a lot with out well water then towel drying as much as possible then setting them out to dry but old hair dryers are my best friend. I heat up lube in the lam, heat up bullets to tumble lube, dry stuff, melt wax, the list is endless. But reading this I guess I am lucky how easy it has been for me for with citric acid polishing.

[RP]

I also rinse with well water lots of it even filling the sink up with water after rinsing and dipping the brass basket in and out a few times then rinsing under running water. I air dry out side in the sun on a table with a cloth to help dry up water rolling them around a little. I do have my brass change from a bright white yellow to a more golden yellow over a few days but that's it,

[hawgfan]

I have heard to add Armorall wash and wax soap to the mix. I have never tried it so I'm not sure if it works or not.

[kweidner]

Those look fantastic!

OP! If you are looking for a good shine I have not found SS Media to fit the bill. It sure does clean it well though.

If you want them shiny I would suggest going with a less abrasive method. Think of it like sand paper. Sure the 120 grit works good for stripping but 600 works better to create a nice smooth surface.

Thank you sir. I have about 2000 ready for cores. I have the cores cast. Now to squirt em, stuff em, and point em. That is what I am working on this weekend. Well that and watching some college football!

[Racenviper]

I have heard to add Armorall wash and wax soap to the mix. I have never tried it so I'm not sure if it works or not.

Just tried it this past weekend, works great. I'm on a well and distilled water is not an option, not going to spend money on that. My brass turns in a matter of minutes after rinse. Did not mater if I wash hot or cold and the rinse hot or cold, they turned. Used the wash and wax and they came out yellow not the tarnished gold.