Brass storage

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Mogas

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HAte to be on two different threads but thought it is best to post this here since it pertains to reloaded and storage of brass.. Since moving from a dry climate to northern Arkansas I noticed that my excess brass is starting to turn blue/green or the color brass turns when it is being eaten by rust. I have an insulated outbuilding where I store my brass in metal lockers.. Seems I need to find a better way to store brass or bring it all into the house. Besides bringing a lot brass into the house does anyone here have this problem and how you dealing with it? I do not think freezer storage bag would be a long term solution. I think I would need large airtight containers. The amount of brass and loaded bullets would amount to 2500 pieces of empty brass and about 600 loaded bullets. I also store my primers and powder in this same building . So I am thinking I need large airtight containers for those two items also.. If you are using airtight containers please let me know what you are using and where I can get them ... Thanks
 
Mogas said:
frogfurr, is your garage heated? any type of temp. control ?
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My garage is not heated. I reload in my garage. In the winter I heat the garage with a kerosene torpedo heater. This warms the garage up so quickly that I have to keep my Dillon tool head with powder measure in the house until the garage heats up. If I don't the tool head with the powder measure will sweat causing the powder to clump.

When I started reloading 57 years ago I learned to reload in a corn crib from a very dear neighbor. Certainly no tumblers or desiccant in those days. We got by.
 
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Mogas said:
HAte to be on two different see threads but thought it is best to post this here since it pertains to reloaded and storage of brass.. Since moving from a dry climate to northern Arkansas I noticed that my excess brass is starting to turn blue/green or the color brass turns when it is being eaten by rust. I have an insulated outbuilding where I store my brass in metal lockers.. Seems I need to find a better way to store brass or bring it all into the house. Besides bringing a lot brass into the house does anyone here have this problem and how you dealing with it? I do not think freezer storage bag would be a long term solution. I think I would need large airtight containers. The amount of brass and loaded bullets would amount to 2500 pieces of empty brass and about 600 loaded bullets. I also store my primers and powder in this same building . So I am thinking I need large airtight containers for those two items also.. If you are using airtight containers please let me know what you are using and where I can get them ... Thanks
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NW-Florida near the Gulf here. I use the cheap dollar store zipper close plastic bags and a combo of USPS priority boxes, plastic craft bins and old shipping boxes. No problem with verdigris, tarnish or anything like it. But I’m only on a peninsula in the tropics surrounded by salt water, not the kind of humid environment found up north in the mountains of Arkansas. I got kin up there who say rubber will rust if you leave it outside overnight.

I also tumble my brass in walnut with brass polish. I don’t wet tumble or use chemicals to make the brass super shiny.
 
Any container with a good seal and rechargeable desiccant packs. Metal or plastic ammo cans are ideal. I use both. The plastic are better for empty brass based on weight an the steel deals with the heavy loaded and banging around being taken to the range. The plastic latch plastic containers are not good as there is no positive closure and I have dumped those. Left terrible, right gooder 16454037040227361884470872315608.jpg
 
I used to tumble my brass in walnut with nufinish and never had any tarnish, but all mine are stored in the living room. Been like that for 30 years. Now I’m wet tumbling and so far in the 2 years I’ve been doing it I haven’t seen any tarnish. If wet tumbling use turtle wax wash and wax instead of dawn for the protection it provides on the brass. All my brass is stored in 30 harbor freight plastic ammo cans and a few kitty litter buckets.

If you have to store it outside, try a good wax/polish when tumbling, either nufinish if dry or turtle wax if wet and when the brass is don’t store in freezer ziplocks with desiccant in whatever containers you have.
 
Lots of good suggestions so far.

We moved to the south (New Orleans) in 1978 and have not been any where near the Mason-Dixon line since. Every move (LA, SC, GA, TN) down south, I always made sure I had a space for doing my hobbies that was temperature and humidity controlled.

Besides keeping corrosion under control it makes a much more comfort environment for working. I do take some measures to prevent corrosion like dessicant packs, coating with light oil and so forth.
 
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I lived south of houston, 15 miles from the beach, for 25 years. Never had a problem with green, fuzzy brass.

I think that heater is your problem.

Walnut tumble with NuFinish and store in a tight container

I like these, I have 25 of them

0125221047.jpg
 
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One over looked thing, is do not touch/handle the clean brass with your bare hands. The acid from your hands can cause corrosion. Wear some clean Nitrile or Latex gloves when dealing with ultra clean brass. The wax normally prevents this but it a good habit to be in to get maximum protection.
 
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So my loading area is climate controlled now, But at one time all my reloading stuff was in a none climate controlled garage. We have high humidity often. So much so my dies and tool heads would get surface rust on them pretty fast if I didn't wipe them down with oil on a regular basis. Copper bullets would start to tarnish if left in the cardboard box that wasn't wrapped in tape. I diffentily had some issues with humidity in the summer. Was a pretty easy fix. For loading components. I kept them all in sealed containers with desiccant packets. I use to buy a large bag of packets and just toss one or two in each container. Brass typically went in heavy poly ziplocks. You can buy thick mill bags on Amazon or ebay pretty cheap in just about any size and quantity you want. Even now with my loading room being climate controlled. I still keep my clean brass in those type bags just because I find it works well for me. They take up less space then hard containers and I can stack them with no wasted space. Primers I kept in ammo type boxes with desiccant packets also. My larger jugs of powder that were 8lbs I would also toss a desiccant packet in those. Smaller ones I didn't worry about. Never had any problems with any components doing all that. Just don't leave anything in the open air for long and keep a bag or two of desiccant packs on hand and toss them in containers like they were free lol.
 
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