Using a cleaner with bleach on brass?

[TomJ]

I use a case lube when resizing brass. I prefer to reload without the case lube on it and have been using a degreaser to give it a quick cleaning. I used a cleaner containing bleach, which discolored the brass somewhat. I don’t care about it being discolored but was wondering if anyone knew whether it would weaken the brass in any way. I did a couple of internet searches and read that it could be corrosive on copper but don’t know if it will weaken the brass enough to where I should discard it.

 

[LiveLife]

I thought anything acid could leach zinc out of brass to make remaining alloy more brittle and weaken the brass.

If yellow brass turns pink, you are leaching zinc to show copper color.

BTW, Hoppes #9 is a good cleaner for dies and won't leach zinc from brass.

 

[TomJ]

It didn't turn it pink, but it did turn them a cloudy white color in quite a few areas.

 

[dobedo]

I use a case lube when resizing brass. I prefer to reload without the case lube on it and have been using a degreaser to give it a quick cleaning. I used a cleaner containing bleach, which discolored the brass somewhat. I don’t care about it being discolored but was wondering if anyone knew whether it would weaken the brass in any way. I did a couple of internet searches and read that it could be corrosive on copper but don’t know if it will weaken the brass enough to where I should discard it.

Bleach can blacken brass due to the copper content in brass, it also can cause a rough surface on the case and make it difficult to resize.

 

[Thomasss]

I've been reloading for a very long time and the only thing I use on brass is wiping them with a paper towel. If it were me, I would scrap them for a little money since getting brass these days is not all that difficult, but not knowing what caliber you shoot. What does concern me a lot would be if you might get something inside a case. Bleach could really screw up your powder or primer.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I use a case lube when resizing brass. I prefer to reload without the case lube on it and have been using a degreaser to give it a quick cleaning. I used a cleaner containing bleach, which discolored the brass somewhat. I don’t care about it being discolored but was wondering if anyone knew whether it would weaken the brass in any way. I did a couple of internet searches and read that it could be corrosive on copper but don’t know if it will weaken the brass enough to where I should discard it.

No, plain laundry bleach won’t hurt brass. Consumer grade laundry bleach is 3-6% sodium hypochlorite and pool chlorine is 10-12% hypochlorite with a variety of binding minerals: sodium, lithium, calcium… it varies. Delute household bleach to 1% and it makes a decent brass black for cheap but the Birchwood-Casey stuff is better.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Chlorine attacks zinc to form zinc chloride which forms as white chrystals.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Here’s a different question:

Why WOULD you use a cleaner containing bleach?

Plenty of other cleaners are available for your purposes.

Some are really cheap—try diluted simple green for example. Or mix your own really weak solution of Dawn. Or just put a drop on a clean wet cloth, squeeze it in, and wipe away.

What cleaner are you using?

 

[thump_rrr]

I use isopropyl alcohol.
I put a bit on a microfiber towel and wipe the brass with it.
I use a sharpie to mark the powder charge on each piece of brass during load development.
The isopropyl alcohol also removes that.

If you are washing the cases then I would go with Simple Green or Dawn dish washing detergent and some Lemishine (citric acid) like we use with stainless pins.

 

[CQB45ACP]

I use isopropyl alcohol.
I put a bit on a microfiber towel and wipe the brass with it.
I use a sharpie to mark the powder charge on each piece of brass during load development.
The isopropyl alcohol also removes that.

If you are washing the cases then I would go with Simple Green or Dawn dish washing detergent and some Lemishine (citric acid) like we use with stainless pins.

I use alcohol too to remove sharpie writing on my magazines—that’s where I ident what the rounds are. I’m sure it’d work great removing lube too. I use cotton balls though so I can just pitch em.

 

[TomJ]

Here’s a different question:

Why WOULD you use a cleaner containing bleach?

Plenty of other cleaners are available for your purposes.

Some are really cheap—try diluted simple green for example. Or mix your own really weak solution of Dawn. Or just put a drop on a clean wet cloth, squeeze it in, and wipe away.

What cleaner are you using?

It was a one time thing. It was handy so I gave it a try, but won't be using it going forward. I used it on 300 pieces of brass and given that I have plenty of brass on hand will play it safe and discard them.

 

[IWAC]

I use a case lube when resizing brass. I prefer to reload without the case lube on it and have been using a degreaser to give it a quick cleaning. I used a cleaner containing bleach, which discolored the brass somewhat. I don’t care about it being discolored but was wondering if anyone knew whether it would weaken the brass in any way. I did a couple of internet searches and read that it could be corrosive on copper but don’t know if it will weaken the brass enough to where I should discard it.

Not sure, but it seems to me there must be better ways of cleaning brass. Some acids will dissolve the copper in brass, leaving it pink, and weakened. So, whatever you do, do it quick!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Wet tumblers soak brass in citric acid for hours. Are y'all saying that's damaging the brass?

 

[LiveLife]

Wet tumblers soak brass in citric acid for hours. Are y'all saying that's damaging the brass?

Yes, but it's level of exposure and time.

Kinda like exposure and time to sunlight ... A little sunshine is fine to make you warm up on cold morning but too much sunlight and you get sunburn.

Low concentration of acid to help with cleaning may not harm brass (copper/zinc alloy) enough to affect alloy strength and malleability, but leach too much zinc and you end up with weakened brittle pink case.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Yes, but it's level of exposure and time.

Kinda like exposure and time to sunlight ... A little sunshine is fine to make you warm up on cold morning but too much sunlight and you get sunburn.

Low concentration of acid to help with cleaning may not harm brass (copper/zinc alloy) to affect alloy strength and malleability, but leach too much zinc and you end up with weakened brittle pink case.

Wouldn't the same be true of household bleach? It's already an extremely low concentration, 3-6% sodium hypochlorite, add water to dilute further - and the OP did say it was a brief exposure, certainly far less than a wet tumbler - I would think he will be fine. When I was 15 I worked as a dishwasher in a high-end restaurant and we were instructed to use 1/2-1/2 cold water and bleach to clean cookware - including copper pans. It didn't even change the color after an overnight soak.

I'm pretty sure the hype and hysteria over household bleach on cartridge brass is overblown.

 

[LiveLife]

1/2-1/2 cold water and bleach to clean cookware - including copper pans. It didn't even change the color after an overnight soak.

Of course, because it was copper, not an alloy and acid will leach/bind with zinc to pull away from copper.

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. You remove enough zinc and it is no longer brass with qualities/characteristics of brass rather copper. And why don't we make cases out of copper? Copper doesn't have the strength and durability of brass.

Brass also has "memory" that allows the expansion of case mouth/neck to seal gas with the chamber but when pressure drops, pull away from chamber walls so brass case can be extracted without getting stuck in chamber. This "memory" is also what gives us neck tension when seating bullets ... Brass sized to a smaller diameter will "remember" and shrink down on bullet to prevent movement/bullet setback. Copper case won't do either.

You leach enough zinc from brass and you start losing these characteristics of brass.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Of course, because it was copper, not an alloy and acid will leach/bind with zinc to pull away from copper.

Bleach is a base. Specifically, it is a solution of sodium hypochlorite, which is a strong base.

 

[LiveLife]

Bleach is a base. Specifically, it is a solution of sodium hypochlorite, which is a strong base.

I stand corrected, thank you.

But my statement on leaching zinc from brass to weaken the case still applies and I would not use products that could leach zinc from brass.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I stand corrected, thank you.

But my statement on leaching zinc from brass to weaken the case still applies to OP and I would not use products that could leach zinc from brass.

Like citric acid. Ideally, one would only use a weak acid in water to neutralize "hard water" - calcium chlorate sediments, for example - bringing the water to a 7pH. If a person already has "soft water" of a neutral pH then adding acid or base solutions is counterproductive. But it seems to be dogma to wet tumble using citric acid. Moral of the story is, test your water before deciding what to add to it.

 

[CQB45ACP]

Like citric acid. Ideally, one would only use a weak acid in water to neutralize "hard water" - calcium chlorate sediments, for example - bringing the water to a 7pH. If a person already has "soft water" of a neutral pH then adding acid or base solutions is counterproductive. But it seems to be dogma to wet tumble using citric acid. Moral of the story is, test your water before deciding what to add to it.

Same good advice applies to margaritas so I hear.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Same good advice applies to margaritas so I hear.

As a 35 year recovering alcoholic, I am horrified someone would ruin a perfectly good Margarita by adding water. Scotch is best with a wee dram of fresh branch water and Irish Whiskey is best with a splash of soda water. Not tonic or seltzer but soda.
But it’s also acceptable to drink each principle liquor from a glass. Fortunately, they come in one.

My FiL uses the water from his well which is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and other minerals. He uses litmus sticks to test the water after adding acetic acid to neutralize them. Usually about two tablespoons of vinegar does the trick.

 

[CQB45ACP]

As a 35 year recovering alcoholic, I am horrified someone would ruin a perfectly good Margarita by adding water. Scotch is best with a wee dram of fresh branch water and Irish Whiskey is best with a splash of soda water. Not tonic or seltzer but soda.
But it’s also acceptable to drink each principle liquor from a glass. Fortunately, they come in one.

My FiL uses the water from his well which is rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and other minerals. He uses litmus sticks to test the water after adding acetic acid to neutralize them. Usually about two tablespoons of vinegar does the trick.

Sorry, I didn’t know. That’s a tougher battle than heart problems in my view.

I’ve drunk well water only a few times—not my cup of tea

 

[Soonerpesek]

Scotch is best with a wee dram of fresh branch water

The only water for scotch or bourbon is the ice it's poured over.....................................................17 years here..................

 

[Soonerpesek]

Sorry, I didn’t know. That’s a tougher battle than heart problems in my view.

No need to be sorry................you didn't make any of us the way we are..............
Battles are battles, brother....................Hope everyone that wants to, can win theirs........

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

The only water for scotch or bourbon is the ice it's poured over.....................................................17 years here..................

Way to go! 17 years is impressive.
Some people can drink a beer and not need another. I’m not one of those people. God Bless, man!