Does brass remain shiny

AJC1 · May 11, 2021

Dudedog said:
If you use Auto wash and wax (as opposed to dishwashing liguid) when wet tumbling it helps prevent tarnishing.

Other than wash and wax I wouldn't put auto wax in the wet tumbler. I tried it once, bad idea, everything came out covered with grey slime.
Lots of 409 to clean the pins and cases...major mess.

This was my exact experience with range pickups that were nasty. I lessened my batch size and went back to the regular soap. I haven't tried small batch with the wax soap. I'm guessing that brass that did not start completely disgusting may give a better result. I submit that the wax soap reaches dirt and carbon saturation faster and then leaves waxy carbonized brass when done. I have yet to come full circle on testing this theory so I wont submit it as fact. Maybe my rainx soap is the issue.

WeekendReloader · May 11, 2021

AJC1 said:
This was my exact experience with range pickups that were nasty. I lessened my batch size and went back to the regular soap. I haven't tried small batch with the wax soap. I'm guessing that brass that did not start completely disgusting may give a better result. I submit that the wax soap reaches dirt and carbon saturation faster and then leaves waxy carbonized brass when done. I have yet to come full circle on testing this theory so I wont submit it as fact. Maybe my rainx soap is the issue.

It could be the RainX soap, or too much soap.
Put less soap in. Only put enough so that you still have foam on top when you open it up. It does not take a lot.

AK Hunter · May 11, 2021

Brass doesn't need to be real shiny to reload, it just needs to be clean to keep from causing premature wear on your sizing dies.
Cleaning brass can be done as easy as chucking the brass in a drill & using 0000 steel wool to burnish the out side. Lee makes a good lock stud for trimming brass that can hold the brass to spin it.

GBExpat · May 11, 2021

deputy bruce said:
Does brass remain shiny when you use a hot water bath with Lemonshine ? ...

No. Lemi-shine (or citric acid, phosphoric acid, etc) only provides BLING.

ArmorAll Wash&Wax (or the like) adds tarnish resistance ... and a bit smoother movement thru the resizing die.

Dudedog · May 11, 2021

Put less soap in

Hmm,
I have always been generous with the wash and wax, my thinking is more "soap" can deal with more dirt.
I never measure but I give it a dollop. (=couple oz) Wash and wax is cheap so I figure no reason to skimp on it.

Rule3 · May 11, 2021

If re-loaders are not caressing each and every case by hand and polishing with FLITZ, Micro Fiber cloth and Q tip then they just are not doing it right!

Blue68f100 · May 11, 2021

If your left with a carbon coating on every thing your not using enough soap. You have to have enough surfactant to suspend all the dirt. When it reaches saturation it will start coating every thing. I'm like Dudedog, I just pour a blob in from the bottle and never measure. Better to be over than under.

reddog81 · May 11, 2021

Mark_Mark said:
How can I get the Aged look for brass? I like the Vintage look

Hot water is all my brass see's anymore. This makes is easy to identify my brass from all the other brass at the range. When I get home I can sort out any of the range pick-ups with ease. A little carbon on the brass doesn't hurt anything and it makes sizing and flaring the case easier. I've bought once fired brass that was cleaned to the Nth degree before and it just causes more issues.

reddog81 · May 11, 2021

Rule3 said:
If re-loaders are not caressing each and every case by hand and polishing with FLITZ, Micro Fiber cloth and Q tip then they just are not doing it right!

Make sure you go through the hassle of knocking out the primer first so you can give that primer pocket a good scrubbing!

AJC1 · May 11, 2021

reddog81 said:
Make sure you go through the hassle of knocking out the primer first so you can give that primer pocket a good scrubbing!

Who doesn't love a shiny primer pocket. That's like washing your car and leaving the windows dirty.

Rule3 · May 11, 2021

reddog81 said:
Make sure you go through the hassle of knocking out the primer first so you can give that primer pocket a good scrubbing!

The Q TIP

FROGO207 · May 12, 2021

I may have been known to clean primer pockets with valve grinding compound on a Q-tip in the past! :uhoh:

Thank goodnes for wet tumbling and SS pins.

Dudedog · May 12, 2021

Clean pockets may not make the ammo shoot any better but they make me

Austin Albright · May 13, 2021

Demi-human said:
Like this? Yes, with a wash and wax coating applied as I clean them.
They stay that way for a long time. They even seem easier to clean after I’ve got them the first time.
(I save orphaned brass from life on the streets.)

After spotlessly cleaning the brass, put in the oven at 250 degrees for four hours. Artificial aging.

Or turn on the oven to make cookies, after forgetting some cases left in there to cool. When the oven dings that it’s pre-heated to 400, instantly remember the brass and burn my hands, I mean your hands, pulling them out.
That ding? It’s to tell you that everything in the oven is already at 400 degrees...

They will look like this.

But will be renewed again at the next cleaning cycle into perfect pieces of glinting gold!(Two new cases for contrast.)

They will also be easier to lose. Resulting in one more expensive case added to the slew.

Oh, hey Babe. You new here?

I love it. A man with my kind of humor.

Austin Albright · May 13, 2021

FROGO207 said:
I may have been known to clean primer pockets with valve grinding compound on a Q-tip in the past! Thank goodnes for wet tumbling and SS pins.

Man...you got way to much time on you hand.

Does brass remain shiny

AJC1

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AK Hunter

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Dudedog

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Rule3

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