Case Cleaner

[Atroxus]

This thread is only about chemical case cleaners. If you use a tumbler I am not interested in hearing about it in this particular thread. What I *am* curious about is chemical cleaners, how they work etc. I had read in a thread somewhere else that tumbling brass with fired primers could increase your exposure to lead as the dust from the primer can be tossed into the air during the tumbling process unless you moisten your media, add fabric softener sheet, or seal the tumbler to prevent dust leaks. This got me wondering if chemical cleaner is a good alternative since it was mentioned briefly in ABCs of reloading.

So my questions are for anyone that uses chemical solvents/cleaners on your brass cases.(if anyone here does)

If you do, why do you use chemical cleaner and what brand(s) do you prefer? Do you deprime your brass before soaking it? If so, or if not why? How long do you soak it for? How many times can you reuse a batch of chemical cleaner? I am guessing that cleaning brass with the primers in would shorten the number of reuses since you are cleaning the primers as well, or am I guessing totally off base? Also if you left the primers in would the primer pockets get cleaned during the soak or would you then have to clean the primer pockets after depriming?

 

[twice barrel]

I've had tumblers before and may again but presently my routine is:

Soak the cases in vinegar for 15 +/- minutes.

Drain, soak in hot soapy water shaking vigorously from time to time for about 5 minutes.

Drain, rinse in hot soapy water shaking vigorously. Exchange for clean hot water one more time. Drain

I use an old coffee can to do this and an old mesh bag to cover and shake/drain between stages.

Spread out an old towel on the deck, garage, etc. and drop the cases on it to dry laying on their sides. I let them dry a couple of days and occassionally roll them slightly on the towel to shift position.

Store the cleaned cases in bucket, coffee can, peanut butter jar, etc. sorted by caliber and by headstamp until ready to hit the press. Presently these are handgun cases so I don't resize/decap before cleaning.

But I would prefer to decap bottleneck cases before cleaning this way to facilitate faster drying.

Regards,

TB

 

[243winxb]

Read this. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=417310 Here is more. http://www.benchrest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58344 I now use ALL free & clear laundry detergent with hot water.

 

[rcmodel]

I gave up on liquid cleaning about 1965.

To much of a PITA to dry them and insure every last single one is totally dry inside.

I even made drying racks out of boards and nails to hold rifle cases mouth down with a fan running on them all the time.

rc

 

[Maj Dad]

I used to use Herter's Case Cleaner for black powder cases (44-40 & 45-70) to get the corrosive residue off, but it's not time/effort effective with smokeless loaded cases. rcmodel sent me on a little trip down memory lane thinking about trying to get the damn things to dry in less than a week without putting them in the oven (and getting reamed by the wife for the nasty smell).

 

[rondog]

I got this from Midway. Works pretty good, kinda pricey. Don't believe the BS about making 'em shiny though.

 

[50 Shooter]

I like Iosso but mainly for use on surplus brass, it will remove the tarnish off of them when soaked for about 1 min. All you have to do then is dry them, if your wife doesn't catch you you can throw them in the oven set on warm. This will dry them out in a couple minutes, don't use a higher setting.

Iosso will leave the brass with a satin type of shine, if you want them to really shine you'll need to run them thru a tumbler with some polish.

Here's how I do my 50 BMG brass.

 

[woods]

I gave my tumbler to a kid starting to reload. I prefer to Flitz my cases or use Scotchbrite



I prefer the Flitz as it makes the cases chamber easier and does a better job of preventing tarnish and stains. After sizing I can trim, chamfer inside and out, clean the outside of the case, clean the inside of the case and mica 50 cases in about an hour


You don't have to Flitz everytime since the finish will last through 2 or 3 loadings. Before anyone says I am doing it to have the prettiest case on the line, that is not why I do it, it is for function and consistancy.

 

[Atroxus]

Now you got me considering soap and water. If I was to use water and dish soap or laundry soap in a sealed container with a batch of brass, would shaking it around for awhile get the cases pretty clean? I don't think I need perfect clean job as I just reload target ammo. I go with factory loads for defense ammo since I am still new to reloading. Also for drying how long do you figure it would take to dry a batch of 200 9mm luger cases in the oven, and what temp would you reccomend for that?

 

[ranger335v]

An over night soak in 50:50 white vinegar, rinse and dry does all that's needed.

"Lead dust' from primers and tumblers are on par with Chicken Little warnings of global warming; both can sound plausable IF you really don't know anything about it.

 

[1SOW]

I clean pistol range brass before depriming using:

A gallon jug with lid, mix about 1/3 cup of liquid laundry soap (the blue stuff) , 1/3 cup of white vinegar and a 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix above with about 1/2 gallon of water.

I toss in about 300-400 9mm (less as caliber goes up) and shake it vigorously until I'm tired of shaking it; then I let it sit for about 20 mins.

I pour off the cleaning liquid into a container, and take the jug with brass out back and blast the brass (still in the jug) with a garden hose until the water runs clear. I dump that water out and dump the brass on to a towel outside if its warm or in the garage with a very small fan on it if its cold out. With these small cases, Usually two hours +/- to dry. (South TX sun will dry your bladder in two hours)

The hose helps clean the cases and the jug. Dump the cleaning solution back into to gallon jug for the next load or storage.

The cases come out amazingly clean inside and out--even the primer holes.

I then spray an ultra-diluted with alcohol wax based lube on the outside of the cases and deprime.
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DON'T READ BELOW IF NOT INTERESTED IN TUMBLING

I tumble the brass (with a little polish in the media) for brilliant shine and to remove the slight bit of wax-based lube, but it's not necessary, I just like the looks, and it goes through my press and semi-auto as smooth as glass.

Works well for me.

 

[243winxb]

Atroxus, Soap and warm water is good. Shake for 5 minutes. Rinse well. My last rinse is with water and juice from a lemon to stop any chemical reaction.My brass dries over a heat vent at 120 degrees for a day or two. No water in primer pocket when decapping. As for oven drying, keep the temperature low and brass away from the heating element. Using vinegar will not give problems on brass till after years in storage is my guess. I store 223 ammo in metal GI ammo cans. The brass turns dark and may become brittle if using the NRA type cleaner. Ammo loaded in 1993 has now turned brown after being washed. Ammo loaded in 1997 and not washed is still bright and shiny as new, both stored the same. Never use vinegar or ammonia. IMO A tumbler just might be the safe choice.

 

[Canuck-IL]

Halfway down this link - several chem cleaner solutions ... lots of good data in general.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm
/Bryan

 

[dd in MA]

I used to use a vibrator cleaner but was also concerned with the amount of *dust* that covered everything in that end of my cellar. I switched to a Thumlers Model B (carried by Cabelas and others) which is a little pricey at around $160 now. This is a rock polisher rotary drum tumbler.

Fill half full of .45 acps, cover with water, add four drops of dishwashing liquid and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Put on cover and let run for an hour or more. Drain liquid, rinse cases with clean water, and dry. Left on a towel near my furnace in the winter with a fan blowing over them.

You CAN also substitute a large plastic jug and shake it now and then as you go past it, which will do the job.

This method is good for high volume pistol cases, hundreds at a time. As I have several 5 gal buckets of cases, there is plenty of time for cases to dry before I "need" to reload them.