Best way to clean brass?
- Thread starter TheReeves
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Grizzly Adams said:
Well, I got bored last night and ran this idea by my wife. She okay'd it and I tried it out with a small amount of laundry detergent and a bit of vinegar. Turned out perfect, some of the brass isn't as clean inside (ala .38 special), but it worked excellent for what I needed. It's clean enough that I decided to start stockpiling it until I'm ready to reload. Thanks for all the suggestions!
jmorris
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I’m not extremely particular about having my brass looking like a mirror; however, if it hits our black land soil and gets wet once it does get discolored quite a bit. After reading about the vinegar solution I decided to give it a try. I have a bucket of brass that is heavily tarnished (too far gone for even me) that I keep for recycling. I used a handful for this test.
I used the solution of :
1 pint water
1 cup vinegar
1 table spoon salt
1 tea spoon detergent
After shaking for 10 minutes I rinsed them off in the sink.
The solution did clean almost all of the tarnish of the brass, in the process, it turned many a pretty pink color (not sure if that’s any better than black). I’d say it works, sort of, but with the time spent you could chunk them into the recycle bucket and pick up 10 times the amount from the range.
I used the solution of :
1 pint water
1 cup vinegar
1 table spoon salt
1 tea spoon detergent
After shaking for 10 minutes I rinsed them off in the sink.
The solution did clean almost all of the tarnish of the brass, in the process, it turned many a pretty pink color (not sure if that’s any better than black). I’d say it works, sort of, but with the time spent you could chunk them into the recycle bucket and pick up 10 times the amount from the range.
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Wibb
Member
If you have a steady supply of brass at your range you should reload it yourself. You can save yourself a good deal of money and enjoy the art of reloading. 
To those who have suggested me keeping the brass and reloading myself - The friend who reloads is trying to get me set up and help me understand the process, so I'll be keeping the brass until I am ready to go. I look forward to getting into it!
Sport45
Member
If you clean these using solid media in a tumbler or vibratory cleaner you will need to do some sorting. The .38 and 9mm can be cleaned together, but the others should be done seperately. Otherwise you'll wind up with small cases stuck inside large ones. (The .32acp could be completely hidden inside a .45acp.)
zxcvbob
Member
Try it without the salt. It won't work as fast, but it will be a lot easier on your brass. Salt + vinegar --> hydrochloric acid, which is not good for brass. (might as well use water with detergent and a tiny amount of muriatic acid and a lot shorter soak.)
I wash my brass inside an old plastic kitty litter container. Plenty big enough to do the job. Nothing else is going in there either. I use a little soap and a little washing soda. Swish around and let it soak an hour or so. Not too long or it will tarnish. Then rinse a few times and hit it with some vinegar in the water. The vinegar will brighten it back up from the soda washing. Then rinse again good. The vinegar wash only takes a few seconds, it almost changes before your eyes! Then I dry an hour or so in a 170 or so oven. You don't want the oven too hot or it can anneal the brass (soften). They come out clean enough to reload then. I still tumble though.
zxcvbob
Member
I know that. What's your point?
Shell Shucker
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A tumbler is $40-50 bucks. Buy one and be done with it! The other methods are not worth the hassle.
deerjackie
Member
get some crushed cob pul in a 2 liter coke bottle tighten lid and put in clothes dryer on toss with other clothes for a cushion,what i did b4 i got a tumbler. cob can be bought at pet store
tiger rag
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TheRevees,
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