Brass Shining Made Easy!

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I dry tumble cases first to remove crud (approx 1 hr) then deprime and resize cases, next ultrsonic clean for approx 20 min, they come out very clean. Load shell then touch-up in tumbler with plain dry medium (30 min). Works for me.
 
I wet tumble with dawn dishwashing liquid and pins only. I think the key is that the stainless pins need to outweigh the brass. I use seven lbs. of pins per 500 rounds of 223 brass. Pins do the cleaning and dawn removes any oil.
 
Tumbling/polishing brass is prolly one of the most talked about aspects of reloading and most likely the least important. I started reloading pre-web so I didn't know high gloss brass (and primer pockets) were necessary. For the first 12-14 years I reloaded I just wiped each case with a solvent dampened rag (mineral spirits), as I inspected it. No, no ruined dies, and yes I could spot any case defects. If I wanted BBQ brass I'd stick the case on a hardwood mandrel chucked in my drill, spin it on some extra fine steel wool and car wax.

As a machinist/mechanic I've been around commercial tumbling/deburring/finishing and as a reloader I experimented with various tumbling media and methods. I even wet tumbled brass with a couple pounds of SS cotter pins and plain water (couldn't tell the tumbled brass from new), but settled on corn cob blast media in a rotary tumble as the best for me...
 
mdi wrote:
I started reloading pre-web so I didn't know high gloss brass (and primer pockets) were necessary.
Click to expand...

Really?

You mean nobody told you that a primer pockets will deactivate primers? Or that if you could look at the brass without sunglasses the head would separate upon firing? Who taught you how to reload? For having left gaps like that in your education, he should be tarred & feathered and run out of town on a rail. Imagine that! ;););)

Seriously, you're absolutely right. The shininess of the brass has negligible, if any, impact on how it performs.

For some people, I think the shiny cases are like chome-plated valve covers on a small-block V-8; they don't really do anything, but they suggest to the world that if the owner spent that much time getting the brass clean, then the rest of the reloading process must be equally meticulous.

Nobody sees my reloaded rounds other than my father, wife, sons, my former re-loading partner (and best friend), and Oh, Yeah, the guy my father gave two boxes of my reloads back in the 1980's, and they've all known me at least 17 years, so they're likely to judge me for a whole lot of things, but none will have anything to do with reflectivity of my brass.
 
dgod wrote:
I absolutely quit using Brasso based on advice received here
Click to expand...

Depending on what you're doing with Brasso, that might not have been good advice.

It is frequently asserted that Brasso, because it contains ammonia, will "weaken" the brass or "cause it to crack".

This is extrapolated from the experience of the British Army in the late-19th and early-20th Centuries when ammunition manufactured with un-annealed brass cases was stored for months in stables was found to have deteriorated (i.e. "season cracking"). The cracking was later found to be caused by the copious amounts of ammonia - from decaying manure - in the the stables.

First, all modern (i.e. post 1921 - when the phenomenon was explained - or thereabouts) brass cases are properly annealed at the factory to remove the residual stresses that the ammonia exacerbated. So, it is doubtful if any modern brass could suffer "season cracking".

Second, even if modern brass - which is annealed - is subject to "season cracking" due to ammonia exposure, the:
  • Concentration of ammonia in Brasso is less than that of a British horse stable in India in the summer, and
  • The exposure time to the ammonia is much less (minutes versus months).
Brasso, when used as a polish brass in accordance with the directions on the container poses no danger to your brass. Anyone who says differently should be prepared to back it up with either:
  1. A mechanism of action that will demonstrate how minutes of exposure to the tiny quantities of ammonia in Brasso can weaken brass, and
  2. A study - even an empirical one - demonstrating this mechanism of action weakening brass and establishing the degree of weakening.
And before anyone tries to "turn the tables" and ask me to cite the studies showing the Brasso deterioration is a myth, I will point out that it is not up to me to prove that a myth is, in fact, a myth. It is up to those who assert the myth is real to offer the proof. But for those whom that reasoning is not satisfactory, I will cite my own empirical experiences of having loaded more than 700 rounds of .223 Remington that was polished with Brasso between 1980 and 1983. None of it has experienced any degradation and none of it has cracked upon firing - even 30+ years later.
 
Wildfire said:
But then I did say there are many ways to do this.
I still use the Vinegar, salt and a few drops of dish soap. With Hot water in a clear bottle I can see what they look like and when they are done enough. This all takes about 15 minutes at the most. Shake and rinse until the soap suds stop. Then I rinse with a spoon of baking soda to kill any acids left.
Sometimes I just let them dry over night or sometimes I blow them dry with an air hose. Then tumble in my Dillon for about 2 to 4 hours. I pretty much so use any metal polish that does not have ammonia in it. Ammonia will harden that brass. I use corn cob for a very smooth shiny finish that walnut cannot match.
The picture shows a batch that I did and I am very happy with how they turn out. I use Unique and that always leaves a blacken inside to the cases. Yes, I have used other powders but always end up back with Unique for accuracy.
Click to expand...

I also use a wash, dry and tumble process, but mine doesn't come out this clean. How much Vinegar and salt do you add for the wash cycle?
 
Just before I started reloading, in 1969, I was hanging out at a police rang and was watching a couple fellers that were shooting a lot. I came closer and saw one of their retrieved targets, one hole about 2"-3" in diameter, shooting 1911s. I also saw their ammo, a tub of 45 ACPs and it was brown! They started a conversation with me (they saw me watching) and it turned out they were reloaders, . I guess no body told them brass needed to be blinding to shoot straight.

Today about the only time I polish my brass to a shine in for y 45 ACP and 30-06 brass as these are shot through my semi-autos and brass that's dull can be very hard to find in the dirt, rocks and junk at my "range"...
 
For myself, shining brass is purely aesthetic. And I do it religiously for that purpose. I was told long ago by my Grandfather that " Half of doing a good job is looking the part". No one should trust a carpenter that wears sandals, hair gel and Dockers.

It may not allow it to shoot any better, but it will make me fell better about it, this might help me to shoot better. Confidence is a mental state, not empirical evidence.
 
the Black Spot said:
Question: does tumbling with media to get brass shiny remove small layers of brass and eventually weaken the case?
Click to expand...
I do not have the data to support my opinion but the black substance removed from brass is mostly carbon residue and while prolonged and repeated polishing of brass may remove minute amount of tarnishing/brass, this hasn't been an issue for me. I have batches of brass that have been repeatedly dry polished with walnut media treated with Nu Finish polish and haven't experienced contributing case wall failure.

I think greater concern exists with acid leaching out zinc from wet tumbling/soaking brass to weaken the case.
 
Last edited:
Hello,

I'm still around.

Photobucket suddenly and without proper warning (or any that I can find) discontinued remote photo hosting for all those who pay less than $399.99 per year.

This has effected me and many others.

I'm moving all my pictures from Photobucket to another host. I'm happy to pay for photo hosting, but not $400/yr, and I definitely will not pay them in answer to a Rasomware-esque move like this.

I'm still here... and heads-up to all you other Photobucket users!

Regards,

Josh
 
the Black Spot asked:
Question: does tumbling with media to get brass shiny remove small layers of brass and eventually weaken the case?
Click to expand...

Good question.

The tumbling media does remove oxides of copper, and to a lesser extent zinc, from the surface of the case. Once the metals in the case have oxidized they pretty much cease to be structural members of the case so their removal doesn't weaken the case. The oxidation layer is very shallow; only a few layers of atoms deep, so even repeated cycles of tarnishing and tumbling will not appreciably weaken the case. Brass cases will fail from work hardening of the brass leading to neck and shoulder splits or stretching of the case wall near the head leading to separation, or simply getting lost in the weeds long before the removal of surface material becomes a concern.
 
boom boom said:
I've found the NuCar Finish with the walnut tumbling media to be pretty good and the brass stays untarnished for several years at least. I do dilute the NuCar stuff with odor free mineral oil. The mineral oil has the side benefit of tamping down dust from media. I find that resizing handgun brass such as the 9mm after doing so also seems to be easier so I suspect it lubes it a bit.
Click to expand...
I add about 1/8 cup of kerosene to a gallon of walnut media (lizard bedding from pet store), it keeps the dust down and leaves a shiny finish on the brass and slightly oily. Not oily to feel but easier on resizing dies. I've used the same batch of walnut mix for at least a thousand rounds and it still works. I keep the media covered in an ice cream bucket when not in use because the kerosene will slowly evaporate.
 
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the Black Spot said:
Question: does tumbling with media to get brass shiny remove small layers of brass and eventually weaken the case?
Click to expand...
I have tumbled nickle brass so much it looked like regular brass, but still shot fine. I don't know how much tumbling it would take to weaken a case, but I doubt we could tumble it long enough. Well, maybe if we left it in the tumbler for say....5 years straight...maybe.
 
hdwhit said:
Depending on what you're doing with Brasso, that might not have been good advice.

It is frequently asserted that Brasso, because it contains ammonia, will "weaken" the brass or "cause it to crack".

This is extrapolated from the experience of the British Army in the late-19th and early-20th Centuries when ammunition manufactured with un-annealed brass cases was stored for months in stables was found to have deteriorated (i.e. "season cracking"). The cracking was later found to be caused by the copious amounts of ammonia - from decaying manure - in the the stables.

First, all modern (i.e. post 1921 - when the phenomenon was explained - or thereabouts) brass cases are properly annealed at the factory to remove the residual stresses that the ammonia exacerbated. So, it is doubtful if any modern brass could suffer "season cracking".

Second, even if modern brass - which is annealed - is subject to "season cracking" due to ammonia exposure, the:
  • Concentration of ammonia in Brasso is less than that of a British horse stable in India in the summer, and
  • The exposure time to the ammonia is much less (minutes versus months).
Brasso, when used as a polish brass in accordance with the directions on the container poses no danger to your brass. Anyone who says differently should be prepared to back it up with either:
  1. A mechanism of action that will demonstrate how minutes of exposure to the tiny quantities of ammonia in Brasso can weaken brass, and
  2. A study - even an empirical one - demonstrating this mechanism of action weakening brass and establishing the degree of weakening.
And before anyone tries to "turn the tables" and ask me to cite the studies showing the Brasso deterioration is a myth, I will point out that it is not up to me to prove that a myth is, in fact, a myth. It is up to those who assert the myth is real to offer the proof. But for those whom that reasoning is not satisfactory, I will cite my own empirical experiences of having loaded more than 700 rounds of .223 Remington that was polished with Brasso between 1980 and 1983. None of it has experienced any degradation and none of it has cracked upon firing - even 30+ years later.
Click to expand...

Folks also need to understand that the percentage of "ammonia" in brass is 2-3% by weight of the total. So lets say someone puts a few tablespoons of it in a full tumbler. How much ammonia is actually involved? Pretty much ZILCH!

There is also flawed logic (chemistry) on using a diluted vinegar solution. Folks claim it leaches out the metals in brass.

Again say two cups of 5% acetic acid in a gal of water. is not going to harm the brass. But then folks jump all over the citric acid in wet tumbling? As far as brass goes, they are both mild acid dilutions.

Brass cleaning and brass lube should have it's own sub forum!

https://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/offices/ehs/envhealthdocs/Brasso_-Polish_-MSDS.pdf
 
crackshot258 said:
I add about 1/8 cup of kerosene to a gallon of walnut media (lizard bedding from pet store), it keeps the dust down and leaves a shiny finish on the brass and slightly oily. Not oily to feel but easier on resizing dies. I've used the same batch of walnut mix for at least a thousand rounds and it still works. I keep the media covered in an ice cream bucket when not in use because the kerosene will slowly evaporate.
Click to expand...

Argh, I was using Grammarly which did autocorrect on my posts--should be odorless mineral spirits but kerosene should also work quite well. I have also found that it makes the resizing easier.
 
GBExpat said:
Grammarly auto-"corrects" odorless mineral spirits to kerosene? :what:
Click to expand...
mineral spirits to mineral oil--the reply was to someone using kerosene. The solvent whether kerosene or mineral spirits thins the NuCar finish to adhere more easily to the brass and keeps the dust down from tumbling with walnut shell granules. I did get some weird stuff using Grammarly though as it was very susceptible to jumping randomly through the post dispersing words and phrases if I tried to edit my draft postings. I de-installed it. I got similar problems with Tapatalk which is why I rarely post using my phone or tablet anymore--just fast short ones.
 
mdi said:
Brass that's dull can be very hard to find in the dirt, rocks and junk at my "range"...
Click to expand...

This is one of the main reasons I try to make my brass "shiny" -- makes it a lot easier for my older eyes to spot them among all the other stuff lying on the ground at the range.
 
Having the brass SHINY sure does help me see the little buggers in the grass* of my drainfield. I end-up re-walking the area from different directions so that varying lighting conditions help to highlight the brass.

O'course, my primary reason for making my brass so bright is because it is pretty. :)

*grass - not necessarily "grass" but multiple different kinds of green plants. My position is that if it is green, it is LAWN. ;)
 
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