Brass cleaning questions

[dryfly]

I have used walnut media for some time, and have additionally used corn media afterwards as it seems to give a better shine to the brass. I'm I just imagining the use of corn does better?

Also, I've read of those adding kerosene to the corn media to prevent the brass from tarnishing in storage. Does it work? How much kerosene to the tumbler load of corn?

Lastly, is it good practice to clean the primer pocket on handgun loads every reload? It's time consuming and the walnut particles hang in the primer pocket. I always remove the primer before tumbling thinking the tumbling will do some cleaning on the pocket.

Jerry

 

[rcmodel]

Walnut is courser and works much faster to remove dirt.
But it certainly doesn't leave as high a shine as corncob.

No clue on kerosene, as it would stink up the whole house, and I wouldn't be caught dead using it.

I use commercial case cleaning polish and it leaves a slight protective film on my brass.
I also seal clean brass in zip-lock bags, in GI ammo cans, which helps prevent long-term oxidation.

Tumbling will do next to no good as far as cleaning inside the case or cleaning the primer pockets.

The only way to clean primer pockets is with a primer pocket cleaning tool to break up the crust crud.

I use a fine Dremel steel wire brush in a cordless screw-driver to clean pockets.

rcmodel

 

[SASS#23149]

decapping before tumbling is an extra step that has little use,imho.No use in fact.
If you're using the sizing die to do it,ur running dirty cases into the die.ugh
A LOT of reloaders,myself included,don't bother with pocket cleaning unless reallllllly bored.lol
When I clean them,I put a Lee pocket cleaner in my cordless drill and give them about a 2 second zap.works great.

 

[WayneConrad]

Nu Finish Car Polish (the liquid). Just a capfull of this in your walnut. Run it for 20 minutes or so to get it distributed, then add your brass. It'll keep the dust down, and your brass will come out nice and shiny.

It's cheaper than anything sold in a gun store, and doesn't stink like kerosene. Great stuff.

Tumbling will clean primer pockets fairly well if you deprime first, use walnut and give it a few hours in the tumbler, but it's an extra step and isn't necessary. Do it if you want.

However, if you do chose to tumble to clean the primer pocket, don't be worried about walnut in the flash hole. You don't have to poke it out with a pin. It won't cause overpressure or inaccuracy. Old wive's tale, proven false by, if I recall, BluesBear.

 

[USSR]

rcmodel is correct; use walnut shell to clean, and corncob to polish. Forget about thinking that the primer pocket will get cleaned when tumbling. Use a primer pocket uniformer; it cleans and gives you the proper depth to help avoid high primers.

Don

 

[dryfly]

Thanks for the replys. When I've deprimed before tumbling I've always used a universal decapping die, never my sizing die. However, think I'll just start tumbling first.

What is it about NU Finish that's different than other car polishes for using with brass?

I think I'll continue with the walnut, deprime and size, and come back with the corn media with Nu finish and see what it does just for fun.

 

[WayneConrad]

What's different about Nu finish, is that no reloader ever recommend any other polish.

Well, that's pretty much it. Tradition, I guess you'd say. Reloaders told me to use Nu finish. They never told me to use, say, Turtle Wax. That's the only reason I know.

 

[GLOCK45GUY]

I believe you can use any polish you want as long as it doesn't have ammonia that would brittle the brass. leaves room for possible case failure.

 

[Otto]

Lastly, is it good practice to clean the primer pocket on handgun loads every reload? It's time consuming and the walnut particles hang in the primer pocket. I always remove the primer before tumbling thinking the tumbling will do some cleaning on the pocket.

Tumbling with walnut or corncob does little to remove the carbon out of the primer pockets.
If you want clean pockets, you'll have to use a rotary tumbler with ceramic media.
The alternative is to use a wire brush or a pocket cleaning tool...both of which are labor intensive.
I do clean out my primer pockets but only if they're really bad.

 

[rcmodel]

I think I'll continue with the walnut, deprime and size, and come back with the corn media with Nu finish

You want to use tumbler polish added to your walnut as well. Whatever kind it is.

It will take forever to clean cases with just walnut & no polish added.

rcmodel

 

[WayneConrad]

Tumbling with walnut or corncob does little to remove the carbon out of the primer pockets.

I gotta wonder what's different in what I was doing. If I don't mind letting the cases vibrate around for, say, four hours, I can tumble the carbon out of primer pockets pretty well. Not perfectly, but most of it. Decap first, some NU finish, tumble with pet store walnut.

Maybe my primer pockets just weren't that dirty.

But I stopped cleaning primer pockets. Turned out not to be so important.

 

[dryfly]

Well, one other question. I see the mention of adding an ounce of mineral spirits and a few pieces of paper towel to keep the media clean. What's the difference between mineral spirits and paint thinner you buy at Home Depot?

Sounds like it might be just as good as dryer sheets.

 

[ChuckB]

"Odorless" paint thinner is mineral spirits.

Chuck

 

[evan price]

I just tear up a used dryer sheet into quarter sized chunks and drop in the running tumbler. Traps all the dust. Never used mineral spirits, kerosene, naptha, any of that stuff in my brass. A little Nufinish (Because the polymer based wax does not leave an oily film that could maybe interfere with the powder) sometimes. Usually not. Just walnut with no polish gets my brass clean in a few hours.

I Always deprime after tumbling- so the deprimer pushes out any crumbs in the primer flash hole.
I don't care about some carbon discoloration in the primer pocket. Never caused a problem for my blasting ammo.