katastrof0
Member
Would it be safe to use this brass? And what is happened to it? Too long exposure to the elements?
BB John
BB John
Brass rat question
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katastrof0
Member
They are tumbled.. Tumbled for 7 hours straight (Forgot to turn it off when i went to bed last night) My theory is that this is the state brass gets in before it starts turning chocolate brown?
BB John
BB John
Chief-7700
Member
From the looks of them they were on the ground for sometime.
Chief-7700
Chief-7700
Shoney
Member
Cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. When brass stays in contact with wet ground, an electrolytic cell is created between the chemicals in the ground and the brass. Tin can be leached out of the brass, and other ssubstances plated onto the brass. Tin reduction areas usually looks slightly red (copper red) in the centers of the dark areas. The longer the contact, the more that is leeched. The case which is 3rd from left on the bottom in the picture appears to be a classic example.
A small reduction in the % zinc can cause the brass to be brittle and can cause catastrophic rupture of the case. Examine them closely, inside and out.
How many cases are you talking about here???? If you have only this small number in the picture, recycle em.
A small reduction in the % zinc can cause the brass to be brittle and can cause catastrophic rupture of the case. Examine them closely, inside and out.
How many cases are you talking about here???? If you have only this small number in the picture, recycle em.
katastrof0
Member
Oki doki!
Well its more than those in the picture. alot more. But im in no danger for running out of good used brass so i guess ill throw them away. Thanks for the description, been wondering quite awhile why they get like that.
BB John
Well its more than those in the picture. alot more. But im in no danger for running out of good used brass so i guess ill throw them away. Thanks for the description, been wondering quite awhile why they get like that.
BB John
GearHead_1
Member
Did you tumble using a polish of some type? If you did and your media is fresh and charged with polish I say pitch them.
Shoney
Member
If you have time, you can use a Brillo pad (lightly) or steel wool (lightly) to remove the dark spots for inspection.
Don't throw the brass away, RECYCLE!
Don't throw the brass away, RECYCLE!
Smokey Joe
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Scrap metal...
Katastrofo--If you have plenty of "good" brass then don't use this stuff. But
Katastrofo--If you have plenty of "good" brass then don't use this stuff. But
EEK! Don't do that! With China gobbling up as much copper as they can get their hands on, the price for scrap brass has gone through the roof. Take the cases to yr local scrap yard and they should pay you a nice price for 'em. Last bunch of brass I recycled fetched $1.65/lb. That buys me more powder, primers, and bullets!
jcwit
member
I've shot brass that looks alot worse than that. I usually use my brass till they split, after all they are enclosed in a chamber if in a revolver or most auto's. There is one "but" here though, I load on the mid to lite side because of arthritis in my hands and wrists. Wouldn't try it in the type of auto that isn't locked breech.
rhubarb
Member
The only problem I see with that brass is that it'll be hard to find 'cause it ain't shiny.
I've had brass that looked like that or worse (chocolate) that I shined up with steel wool out of curiosity to see if it would shine up. It shines up like new.
I've had brass that looked like that or worse (chocolate) that I shined up with steel wool out of curiosity to see if it would shine up. It shines up like new.
Dksimon
Member
hahaha ants why did you pee on your brass?
Greetings,
I got very "dirty" and oxidized 357mag and 44mag brass. Even after tumbling them, they looked nasty. Some of them were so brown than they were almost black.
I used brasso to perform a first cleaning of the brass after the tumble. If it was coming back shiny, I kept it. If not, I tossed it.
Did I do good?
Thank you
I got very "dirty" and oxidized 357mag and 44mag brass. Even after tumbling them, they looked nasty. Some of them were so brown than they were almost black.
I used brasso to perform a first cleaning of the brass after the tumble. If it was coming back shiny, I kept it. If not, I tossed it.
Did I do good?
Thank you
LotI
Member
Reload it. It's fine as long as you're not loading to & over max.
jsconnelly
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kestak,
I've always heard that Brasso is NOT good for cartridges because it contains ammonia which causes brass to become brittle.
I've always heard that Brasso is NOT good for cartridges because it contains ammonia which causes brass to become brittle.
Shoney
Member
As I stated above, cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Ammonia leeches the zinc from the brass at a rapid rate, the longer the contact, the more that is leeched. If the Brasso is applied and immediately rubbed off, there will be little danger of zinc leeching, unless it is done many times.
Try this experiment: put a dab of Brasso on a three different case that are trashed. Rub it off the first case immediately; let it sit for an hour, then remove from the second; and on the third, let it sit for 2 hours and rub.
Now compare the color of your Brassoed brass with new. If zinc has leached, you will see the reddish copper color showing on the brass that has lost zinc. The more zinc lost, the redder in color the brass will be indicating that more zinc that has been leeched.
Try this experiment: put a dab of Brasso on a three different case that are trashed. Rub it off the first case immediately; let it sit for an hour, then remove from the second; and on the third, let it sit for 2 hours and rub.
Now compare the color of your Brassoed brass with new. If zinc has leached, you will see the reddish copper color showing on the brass that has lost zinc. The more zinc lost, the redder in color the brass will be indicating that more zinc that has been leeched.
Greetings,
oh!!!! So, if I understand well here, I can deduct two things of what you just wrote:
1 - When I polished my brass with brasso, I put a drop on it and used immediately a piece of cloth to polish it. So, I did not "damage much" the brass.
2 - There are some reddish cases in the lot I discovered after my polishing procedure. That means they are weak and I am better to toss them out. Right?
Thank you
oh!!!! So, if I understand well here, I can deduct two things of what you just wrote:
1 - When I polished my brass with brasso, I put a drop on it and used immediately a piece of cloth to polish it. So, I did not "damage much" the brass.
2 - There are some reddish cases in the lot I discovered after my polishing procedure. That means they are weak and I am better to toss them out. Right?
Thank you
jsconnelly
Member
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kestak,
IMHO, I would just stay away from Brasso and any other ammonia based product.
Personally, I put a cap full of Nu-Finish and a strip of dryer sheet in my walnut media. I have used the same batch for a couple thousand cases (without adding more Nu-Finish just a fresh piece of dryer sheet each time) and it's still working well.
IMHO, I would just stay away from Brasso and any other ammonia based product.
Personally, I put a cap full of Nu-Finish and a strip of dryer sheet in my walnut media. I have used the same batch for a couple thousand cases (without adding more Nu-Finish just a fresh piece of dryer sheet each time) and it's still working well.
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