Polishing up brass

I mix up walnut shell and corn cob about 50/50 and then add some NuFinish. The mix get's used in a Cabela's 400 vibe tumbler. I tumble brass before resizing for as long as necessary, and then for a short time after prep operations to remove lube.
 
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Good thread here.
I may be getting back into vibratory tumbling myself, because my acquaintance who wet tumbles with the stainless rods for me...is currently MIA and radio silent.
 
After wet tumbling I retired my dry tumblers.
Just picked up another complete reloading set up yesterday from someone who is relocating. There is a dry tumbler in the mix that will sit with the other dry tumblers I have acquired over the years.
 
9mmepiphany said:
This was my default before moving onto wet tumbling.

Since I now use it so seldom, my vib tumble is filled with roasted buckwheat groats
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Never saw the point in wet tumbling, except for rocks, which is also something I do. I live in a desert so dust isn't an issue, it's everywhere anyway, plus the tumbler is out in my shop. Dry tumble means I don't have to dry out my brass or figure out what to do with the waste water. I enquired with one gentleman about that and he told me he poured it down the drain, metal contamination and all.
 
HowieG said:
Never saw the point in wet tumbling, except for rocks, which is also something I do. I live in a desert so dust isn't an issue, it's everywhere anyway, plus the tumbler is out in my shop. Dry tumble means I don't have to dry out my brass or figure out what to do with the waste water. I enquired with one gentleman about that and he told me he poured it down the drain, metal contamination and all.
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Wet or dry the contamination exists…if dry though, and you live in the desert, you can pretend the metal contamination doesn’t exist and you’re not polluting as it blows with the wind.
So there is that.
 
HowieG said:
Never saw the point in wet tumbling, except for rocks, which is also something I do. I live in a desert so dust isn't an issue, it's everywhere anyway, plus the tumbler is out in my shop. Dry tumble means I don't have to dry out my brass or figure out what to do with the waste water. I enquired with one gentleman about that and he told me he poured it down the drain, metal contamination and all.
Click to expand...

If you used Citric Acid in your water to wet clean your cases, dumping it down a city sewer drain is acceptable. In fact Citric Acid is what the sewer companies want you to treat your waste water from your tumblers with before dumping it.
Citric acid will change the heavy metals to something much less dangerous. One of our members worked for a city sewer system and told us this.

If treated with citric acid and you dump it in your own sewer system it will have the same effect as far as the lead goes but may upset the enzymes and bacteria in your septic tank that's doing the work, and do harm to your system. I've not seen any studies on the effect that waste water would have on a home septic system.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
If you used Citric Acid in your water to wet clean your cases, dumping it down a city sewer drain is acceptable. In fact Citric Acid is what the sewer companies want you to treat your waste water from your tumblers with before dumping it.
Citric acid will change the heavy metals to something much less dangerous. One of our members worked for a city sewer system and told us this.

If treated with citric acid and you dump it in your own sewer system it will have the same effect as far as the lead goes but may upset the enzymes and bacteria in your septic tank that's doing the work, and do harm to your system. I've not seen any studies on the effect that waste water would have on a home septic system.
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No offense but I’ll need something in writing from an authoritative source before I accept this. I sneak out after dark and pour my tumbler water on @HowieG ’s yard.
 
tightgroup tiger said:
If you used Citric Acid in your water to wet clean your cases, dumping it down a city sewer drain is acceptable. In fact Citric Acid is what the sewer companies want you to treat your waste water from your tumblers with before dumping it.
Citric acid will change the heavy metals to something much less dangerous. One of our members worked for a city sewer system and told us this.

If treated with citric acid and you dump it in your own sewer system it will have the same effect as far as the lead goes but may upset the enzymes and bacteria in your septic tank that's doing the work, and do harm to your system. I've not seen any studies on the effect that waste water would have on a home septic system.
Click to expand...

I am not a chemistry professor, but I don't see how citric acid changes lead.
 
Like most things wet tumbling has advantages and disadvantages. I wet wet tumble for 2 hours and my brass comes our cleaner than 12 hours of dry tumbling. I can tumble a lot more per day by wet tumbling. Plus it gets the carbon off of the neck and case mouth and cleans the primer pocket where dry tumbling sometimes doesn't. As far as the dirty water goes, I just pour it down the drain. By the time it travels several miles to the treatment plant it has a lot more nasty stuff in it than the few gallons that I pour into it.
 
lightman said:
Like most things wet tumbling has advantages and disadvantages. I wet wet tumble for 2 hours and my brass comes our cleaner than 12 hours of dry tumbling. I can tumble a lot more per day by wet tumbling. Plus it gets the carbon off of the neck and case mouth and cleans the primer pocket where dry tumbling sometimes doesn't. As far as the dirty water goes, I just pour it down the drain. By the time it travels several miles to the treatment plant it has a lot more nasty stuff in it than the few gallons that I pour into it.
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Ah, the everybody else does it too principle. There is a certain beauty to it.
 
Otto said:
Nevr Dull contains ammonia.
I wouldn’t use it on fired casings. http://www.nevrdull.com/nevrdull_polish_SDS.pdf
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Just because a product contains ammonia (or some other substance) doesn't automatically make it a hazard to brass. All components depend on the strength , and amount. The ammonia in Never Dull is less than 2.5 % of the entire product. The strength of it is unknown. It is wiped on, and not left on for a long time like dipping a case into liquid ammonia

Much like the use of ammonia solvents on Nickel plated guns. They can be used but not soaked or left on for a long period of time.
 
lightman said:
Like most things wet tumbling has advantages and disadvantages. I wet wet tumble for 2 hours and my brass comes our cleaner than 12 hours of dry tumbling. I can tumble a lot more per day by wet tumbling. Plus it gets the carbon off of the neck and case mouth and cleans the primer pocket where dry tumbling sometimes doesn't. As far as the dirty water goes, I just pour it down the drain. By the time it travels several miles to the treatment plant it has a lot more nasty stuff in it than the few gallons that I pour into it.
Click to expand...

Same here. Its all about volume for me. 2000 pieces of 9mm done in 2 hours? Sounds like a win to me. Spread it out, let it dry for a day or 2 with a fan pointed at it. Call it done.
I only process brass once a year. Being able to just take a day and bulk out the years pistol brass is easier for me. I take a second day to do all my bulk 223 and 308 brass.

Doesnt matter what method you use though. Wet or dry, it has an element of contamination in it. I just prefer to keep mine in the water, instead of in the air.
 
HowieG said:
I mix up walnut shell and corn cob about 50/50 and then add some NuFinish. The mix get's used in a Cabela's 400 vibe tumbler. I tumble brass before resizing for as long as necessary, and then for a short time after prep operations to remove lube.
Click to expand...

Have done same for 40+ years.

I dump brass in FA tumbler, in garage and turn it on. It goes 2 hours or whenever I think to turn it off, then seperate.

I fill the bowl when I come in from range. All brass, shot or pick up, is in range bag.

Nu-Finish has froze many times. Doesn't seem to matter.

Looked into wet, not seeing any advantage, for me. YMMV
 
Goal = clean brass or is it Goal = bright shinny brass?
You have to decide.
My goal is to have clean brass that does not damage my reloading equipment. I do not recall anyone at the range or any animal while hunting say....."oh, that brass is not pretty". I dry tumble until any tranish is removed. Dillon trumbler, walnut, Dillon polishing media.
Just saying.
deer-eats-popcorn_64.gif
 
Rule3 said:
Just because a product contains ammonia (or some other substance) doesn't automatically make it a hazard to brass. All components depend on the strength , and amount. The ammonia in Never Dull is less than 2.5 % of the entire product. The strength of it is unknown. It is wiped on, and not left on for a long time like dipping a case into liquid ammonia

Much like the use of ammonia solvents on Nickel plated guns. They can be used but not soaked or left on for a long period of time.
Click to expand...
Using ammonia on fired cases (even in small amounts) is a bad idea because you cannot accurately control or predict the long term effects. That’s why commercial cartridge case cleaners like Flitz advertise their product as ammonia free.
 
Otto said:
Using ammonia on fired cases (even in small amounts) is a bad idea because you cannot accurately control or predict the long term effects. That’s why commercial cartridge case cleaners like Flitz advertise their product as ammonia free.
Click to expand...

Gee why is Brasso and Never Dull listed for use on brass? You didn't read what I wrote.

I agree you should not dump your brass in straight ammonia, which can be 5 to 10%actual ammonia So when diluted in more and more water it is less potent.

Hoppes #9 has ammonia, people take that to mean never use on Nickel plated guns. BUT what the directions say is DO NOT SOAK NICKEL PLATED GUNS. WIPE NICKEL SURFACES DRY
So that goes to how long it is exposed to it. Same with lead and all the other hazards, depends on concentration and how often.

How about acids?? Acids are used to clean brass, but in the wrong percentage or how long it will destroy it. People think Lemi Shine(citric acid)is so safe because it is natural or green, You can use other acids like oxalic or phosphoric and get the same results (depends on the strength)

Did you know that salt and potassium are essential for the human body health, but to much will kill you?
 
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