Best method for "minimum" cleaning brass cases.

[Grim Peeper]

I've read that water and dawn dish soap is a great minimalist way of cleaning and eliminating powder residue on brass but I've also heard vinegar does the same and shines them up a bit. Also I'm looking for a cheap easy way just to basically once over clean for the sake of the dies and removing bulk of residue.

 

[z7]

I used to use a milk jug, about 1/3 full of brass, 3/4 full of water, some dawn and a pinch of lemishine, let it sit for about an hour and occasionally shake it up, it seemed to get it clean enough to resize rifle, for pistol I have done the same thing, I have also just resized pistol if the brass was dirt/sand free. Now I ss tumble and finish in corn cob and nufinish

 

[30Cal]

I used a piece of cloth for years.

 

[chris in va]

I started with hot water, white vinegar and agitation. Rinse them off, shake as much water out as possible then spread on a cookie sheet and dry in a 300 degree oven for an hour.

Then I wized up and bought a Harbor Freight vibratory tumbler.

 

[TexasDon]

Depends on what the brass was shot in and how dirty it is.

Sometimes I only used a "Damp" cloth...not wet, to wipe the brass of all grime.
If it was shot in a pistol and hit the ground/dirt, I usually cleaned it with compressed air then a damp rag.

My revolver brass is usually shot, then put in my pocket or range bag and reloaded...nothing done. ( maybe a shot or two of air)

I hate saving all the brass and sitting down loading for hours..!!!
I do small batches these days, these are mainly plinking/target rounds.

After several reloads they tend to get "scruffy" so I do the tumbler thing.

It's all good as long as you get anything abrasive off the brass so as not to harm ur dies or chamber.

Everyone has their level of cleanliness, this is just the basics you need.
I like my brass to shine as much as the other guy.

TxD

 

[Rule3]

5 gal bucket

Put in 1 gal of water

2 cups of White Vinegar (or a few tespoons Lem Shine)

2 tbls salt

Few drops of dish soap.

Dump in brass, shake stir let sit 15 minutes.

Drain through colander into another bucket , drain several times.

Rinse and soak in plain water a few times

Dump brass on large towel , let dry overnight or in the Sun.

Save solution to reuse several times

Cleaning really dirty Range brass (I used a tumbler with corn media)

 

[g.willikers]

You have a good tumbler.
The washing machine.
Put the brass in a mesh bag, along with your range clothes, garage rags and other stuff to quiet the procedure.
Add your favorite cleaning solution and set the machine for gentle.
The brass will come out surprisingly clean and bright, with no harm to the washing machine.

 

[Jlr2267]

You clean your brass?

Soap/water in a coffee can works, so does a dry shop towel. I reload brass sometimes 5/6 times w/out a cleaning.

 

[fallout mike]

Guess I'm doing the opposite of what you are looking for. Really dirty brass I dry tumble in walnut for an hour then move it to stainless pins.

 

[ironworkerwill]

If they never hit the ground I don't clean them. If they do they get wiped off with a rag. That's pretty minimal.

If they get tarnished I use a weak acid bath like citric acid then a little baking soda to neutralize the acid. This produces very shiny new looking brass.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Throw as much as 500 brass in a thumblers (sp) tumbler with Lyman brown walnut shelll and what ever they use for polish.

Run overnight in the garage.

Repeat with another calibre or what ever brass is ready to tumble today.

Have been doing this for 30 years with the same tumbler. Change drive belt when needed about every 2 or three years, lube motor monthly.

About 6000 brass each year.

 

[g.willikers]

Some high volume reloaders use a cement mixer.
No foolin.'

 

[mdi]

I reloaded for about 12 years before I got a "tumbler" to clean my brass. I merely wiped each case with a mineral spirits dampened rag as I inspected it. No, I didn't wear out or scratch any dies, and yes, I could spot any defects. I was only reloading/cleaning handgun brass, but the method works with any case. I don't think there is enough "powder residue" to make a difference in fired cases, and never saw a need for "ultra shiny, high gloss" cases, except for my 30-06 and 45 ACP brass. I shoot at a local "range" which is just a unimproved gully up in the hills outside of town, and it's much easier to find my brass that's flung from my Garand and 1911 in the dirt...

 

[crackshot258]

Go light on using vinegar to clean brass. Vinegar has acid in it and will eat the copper out of the brass alloy in time. Tarnished brass works just as well as shiny brass and will last much longer.

 

[Elkins45]

Birchwood Casey sells a brass cleaning solution that is concentrated phosphoric acid you mix with water. It's really good stuff, as is Lemi Shine (citric acid).

 

[lightman]

A good minimum for me is a plastic coffee can filled with hot water, a squirt of Dawn and a pinch if Lemi-shine. I put the dirty brass in and shake it some, let it sit for a 1/2 hour, dump and rinse. This will get the dirt and dust off enough to size and trim, then they go into the tumbler.

 

[Dudedog]

When I was soaking in buckets before I got my tumbler I but in a dollop of the Pink rust remover.

Birchwood Casey sells a brass cleaning solution that is concentrated phosphoric acid

It is phosphoric acid.
Can't swear that it helped but iit didn't seem to hurt.

Most $1 stores have some kind of bucket you could soak in for a for a buck.

 

[Kaldor]

bucket with lid
dish soap
hot water

Put all three together, shake, and let soak. Rinse with cold water. Dry

I still tumble my brass in SSTL media, but any range pickups I find, get this before they are sized because I dont want dirt in my sizing dies. Honestly, I could probably load these cases unless they are really filthy.