How much mineral spirits?

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I'm sold!

Ran my first batch yesterday with some mineral spirits and it looks better than any batch I have ever done.

Thanks for the thread guys. It's always good picking up nifty little tips like this from the guys who went before.
 
jaysouth said:
Nordeste,

1. I am cheap. A couple of tablespoons of white vinegar is pennies. The equivalent amount of citric acid is dimes.

2. You are correct about a slight amount of patina that the vinegar may sometimes leave behind. This always goes away in the tumbler with lizard litter, mineral spirits/car polish, and a dryer sheet.

If I were not going to tumble, the citric acid would be a better solution.

Search youtube for the video of noted pistol shooter Jerry Miculec using a concrete mixer for a tumbler.

For EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about citric acid solution for cleaning brass, follow this link: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?83572-Citric-acid-brass-cleaner
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Well, there's not much to say. You're right that vinegar is cheaper, but the other day I got a kilo of citric acid (that's over two pounds) for less than 8€, and I'm sure that'll do for a couple of years.

Thanks for the link, though ;)
 
question if I may?
mineral spirits renews media indefinitely.
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When do you consider your media done/dead?
The last I had and finally tossed after it's 3rd season( I was only loading for hunting past 2 yrs) was doing it's job but the dust was unbearable. For a while tossed a rag over the top of the Lyman to keep it down. Even with Nu-Finish there was still a bit of dust. Noticed the fresh stuff was a bit bigger. ;)
 
You will notice it takes longer to clean / polish your brass. Try a few dryer sheets every time you tumble and after a few go arounds you will start to see less dirty dryer sheets. Also, try putting in a splash of mineral spriits to help the cleaning process
 
Ran my first batch yesterday with some mineral spirits and it looks better than any batch I have ever done.
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Glad it works for ya- thats why I like it, anyway :D


If dust buildup ever bothers ya, you can run the tumbler, cover off, for a few hours somewhere away from anything that matters, and it'll get most of the dust out.
 
I add 2 caps full of Odorless Mineral Spirits before tumbling with a cut up dryer sheet. It's been my recipe for years. :)
 
uglysteve said:
Every time you tumble?
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Don't know about gahunter, but I use mineral spirits EVERY time.

Bob4-I'm still using some corn cob media that came with my old small Midway tumbler that came packed in a 5 gallon bucket. That was bought in the late 80's. I use it for the tumble after sizing to clean off lube. Again, using min spirits every time.
 
I've never tried it. And I got rid of a 50 lb bag of walnut shell because of the dust. Are you saying the mineral spirits will fix the walnut dust issue?
 
How hard is it to believe that mineral spirits will cure cancer and cause you to live happily everafter when used to tumble brass? :D
 
I'm not sure about curing cancer, but the happily ever after part..........

I use 2 glugs out of a gallon can for my tumbler which is a cement mixer. The MS really softens and cuts carbon off the brass, and the dryer sheets remove the dirt and carbon. I have one batch of cob I use for initial cleaning.

I use another batch of cleaner cob with Nufinish if I want to polish the brass. Still add MS to the mix.
 
I'm only about six months into reloading but I tried the mineral spirits add in three tumbler loads ago and have been pleased with less tumbler time and no dust. Just one of a ka-zillion ways to clean brass, but like many others, it works.
 
If you put to much mineral spirits in the media don't worry as it will evaporate out a short time later. I started using it 15 years ago with walnut media and would never give it up.
 
+1. A couple tablespoons? A couple capfuls?

The OP states his tumbler holds 7 lbs of corncob. I think I'd be a little less stingy.

Also, plain WATER will get your cases cleaner. I put my brass in the tumbler, wet. It takes about 40 minutes to dry with the lid off, which is fine. That's about how long it takes to clean. No more 3 hour, 6 hour, or even overnight tumbling sessions for me. It makes a big difference. The corncob won't be bone dry for several more hours, probably not until the next day. But that's fine. The trapped moisture also helps cut down on the dust. If I run multiple loads, I make sure to strain the subsequent batches of cases better before putting them in.
 
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The OP states his tumbler holds 7 lbs of corncob. I think I'd be a little less stingy.
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Right! I just kinda splash it in there with it running until I see some small clumps rolling around. I'd say around 2-3 oz. That usually does it.
 
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