Cleaning brass |
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Bear43
Special Member Donating Member Joined: August 11 2010 Location: Doland, SD Status: Offline Points: 3059 |
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Posted: May 05 2020 at 2:52pm |
I have almost everything I need to start loading up some .303 but in all of this I found another question for you all. How do you clean your brass? I see all sorts of stuff and was just wondering what you all do.
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Honkytonk
Senior Member Joined: December 30 2017 Location: Brandon Mb Status: Offline Points: 4770 |
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I'm old school. I stole my kids Thumbler Tumbler once she outgrew it. I put a couple of cups of "Iguana Cage lining" (crushed walnuts) in it, and add a dollop of Brasso. Prior to this, I have a little old broken down flat head screw driver that cleans the primer pockets out perfect. About 1-2 hours on slow tumble, remove. Make sure you have a round tooth pick to get any residue out of the primer whole. My brass turns out pretty nice...
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Marco1010
Senior Member Joined: February 04 2020 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 400 |
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Hi Bear
If you don't have a tumber or an ultrasonic cleaner, try this method that works well for me. 4 litres warm water, small amount of dishwashing detergent (few drops) 1 teaspoon of tartaric acid. mix together, makes a very weak acid solution, dump in brass for about 10 minutes, longer if really dirty. swirl around by hand a bit every few minutes, when clean , drain out and flush with fresh clean water, lay out on a towel to dry in the sun. Look just like new and the primer pockets are real clean as well. I use this on range pick up brass, and did some old 80 year old military brass (was real tarnished). any shoulder or neck defects & cracks will be obvious on inspection. Just did 300 x .308 win cases that had essentially rotted in their boxes at the bottom of someones gun safe, had to ditch about 10% as pitted with corrosion. Don't dry the cases in an oven as this discolours / tarnishes the cases. |
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Stumpkiller
Senior Member Joined: April 03 2020 Location: Port Crane, NY Status: Offline Points: 254 |
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I use an old rock tumbler with BC Precision stainless steel pins and a product called Lemi Shine Booster (we have hard water - it's basically powdered citric acid) and a bit of Dawn detergent with a cup of water. Two hours and 20 or 30 cartridges are bright and clean.
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Charlie P.
Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. |
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Bear43
Special Member Donating Member Joined: August 11 2010 Location: Doland, SD Status: Offline Points: 3059 |
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Eventually I would like to get a tumbler but for now I will probably give Marco's method a shot. Getting a bit excited now that I am close to starting on loading my own ammo.
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Marco1010
Senior Member Joined: February 04 2020 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 400 |
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Hi Bear
Don't be afraid to increase the acid content if necessary, if brass is really bad add a teaspoon of citric acid. Both acids might be already in the kitchen as used for baking etc. otherwise easily got from the grocery for a couple of dollars. good to make up seperate batches of brass, that way you don't have to sort later. I use 2 litre plastic icecream tubs, but any plastic container will work. |
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Stanforth
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2017 Location: Oxford England Status: Offline Points: 773 |
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Wash the cases in warm water with washing up liquid. For stained brass use a mixture of water an a week acid, I muse vinegar, leave it overnight then use the water/washing up wash liquids.
To polish cases I use a tumbler but (as a cheapstake) I use dried rice as a cleaning media.
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Life.. a sexually transmitted condition that is invariably fatal.
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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Hows about this:
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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shiloh
Senior Member Joined: January 08 2019 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 2369 |
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I use k spinner made up to friction fit any given neck.
It chucks into your drill press. On a medium speed slip a brass on to it use 0000 steel wool, cleaned and polished one step. Been doing it like this for ever. |
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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...
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paddyofurniture
Senior Member Joined: December 26 2011 Location: NC Status: Offline Points: 5255 |
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I like it.
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Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.
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RogueAussie
Groupie Joined: February 25 2020 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 20 |
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1. Full Length Resize and Deprime
2. Primer Pocket Ream and Uniform 3. Chamfer and Debur the neck (2 and 3 done on a Lee Case Prep Station) 4. Tumbled in Walnut Husk overnight
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Stumpkiller
Senior Member Joined: April 03 2020 Location: Port Crane, NY Status: Offline Points: 254 |
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Mine's like a $30 Harbor Freight "Chicago" (the one just down the road from WuHan) rubber drum version for polishing rocks. Works great for the small batches I clean.
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Charlie P.
Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. |
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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My cleaning recipe appears similar to Marco's.
I use the Lyman Ultrasound bath, with warm water, a cap full of Citric acid, a squirt of dish wash liquid and a splash of dish washer rinsing fluid. When the brass is clean enough (usually 2 x 8 minute cycles) I put the cases in a salad spinner with warm water and rinsing fluid. Then drain off the water and spin to extract more of the water, then roll them around in a dry cloth. Let them dry fully inside before reloading. I've found the rinsing fluid helps to prevent water staining the cases as they dry. There are photos of this and the results on the PDF file in the "Case Prep" post posted a few days ago.
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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britrifles
Senior Member Joined: February 03 2018 Location: Atlanta, GA Status: Offline Points: 6539 |
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Lyman tumbler, corn media (50 lb bag from Amazon, last me a lifetime), cap full of Nu Finish. Tumble for about 30 mins to an hour. Shiny and clean brass comes out.
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Marco1010
Senior Member Joined: February 04 2020 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 400 |
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I think that using the ultrasonic cleaner if you have one hurries up the process and probably cleans the internal case areas better. But then again its another tool you need to she!! out for. Time sometimes not being such a problem, but money yes. the acid wash works well. Just don't force dry the cases ! then end up looking all spotty !!! but then again some might like that look.
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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Marco, try the dishwasher rinsing fluid when rinsing the cases; it does help with the drying spotless.
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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