CLEANING THAT GRUNGY BRASS
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I HAD AN IN WITH A GUNSMITH AT H&K- I STARTED GETTING A WHOLE LOT OF BRASS, MOST OF IT FIRED IN MACHINE GUNS. TUMBLERS WOULD NOT TOUCH IT. TRIED SEVERAL IDEAS, SOME WORKING BETTER THAN OTHERS. ONE FINE DAY MY WIFE READ A HINT ON CLEANING BRASS JEWLERY. I SAID LAY-IT-ON-ME. ONCE SHE READ IT, I WAS OFF TO WALLEY WORLD. I MADE IT UP AS PER DIRECTIONS, EXCEPT I USED TWO PACKAGES AT A TIME. I PUT SEVERAL HUNDERED ROUNDS IN A OLD PLASTIC TUB WE USED TO USE WHEN CAMPING. COVERED THE BRASS WITH MY LIQUID, AND ONCE A DAY FOR A COUPLE DAYS, I STIRED IT WITH MY HAND. THEN AFTER A COUPLE DAYS,I DRAINED IT OFF THE BRASS. PUT IN BACK IN THE TUB, TOOK THE BRASS UPSTAIRS, PUT SOME WATER IN A BUCKET($1.00) AT WALLEY WORLD, PUT IN A DASH OF DAWN, SWISHED IT AROUND A MINUTE OR SO, RINSED IT TWO OR THREE TIME TILL ALL THE SOAP WAS GONE. DRAINED OFF ALL THE WATER I COULD, BACK TO THE SHOP, SPREAD THE BRASS OUT ON A TOWEL, ON A BIG TRAY AND LET AIR DRY FOR AS LONG AS IT NEEDED. A COUPLE DAYS OR SO. IN THE MEANTIME, I STARTED THE NEXT BATCH. AND CONTUINED ALONG AT THAT PACE FOR QUITE AWHILE.I STORE MY BRASS IN 4 1/2 GALLON CAT LITTER BUCKETS,INSIDE A TRASH BAG. THE BRASS WAS C LE A N- NOT POLISHED,BUT C L E A N. THEN WORKING RIGHT ALONG, I HAVE 3 LYMN TUMBLERS, #1-RED ROUGE, #2 GREEN TREATED CORN COB, #3- UNTREATED WALNUT. AND SO IT WENT ON. WHAT IS THAT MAGIC STUFF YOU ASK??? ORANGE KOOL-AID. THAT'S IT. A COUPLE YEARS INTO THIS, I RAN ACROSS A FIRST EDITION "NRA" RELOADING MANUAL, AND IN THERE THEY TALKED ABOUT USING CRTIC ACID , TO CLEAN BRASS. WELL THE KOOL-AID IS CHEAPER, LAST THROUGH SEVERAL BATCHES, AND IS CHEAP. YOU KEEP WORKING AHEAD AND YOU ALWAYS HAVE BRASS. AFTER THE RED ROUGE, I PUT IT AWAY UN TIL NEEDED. I MUST HAVE AT LEAST THIRTY BUCKETS SET UP THE LATEST ONE HOLDS A 1000 PIECES OF 500 MAG BRASS FROM JAMISION. IN THE BUCKETS ALL MANNER OF CRITTERS ARE KEPT OUT, IT STAYS CLEAN AND READY. SORRY FOR THE LONG POST AND READING THIS IT SOUNDS A LOT HARDER THAN IT IS. YOU STAY AHEAD MOST OF THE TIME AND EVEN NOW WHEN I FIRE A BOX, IT GETS PUT ASIDE UNTIL I CAN MAKE UP A BATCH. ONE MORE THING, AFTER SCRATCHING 3 SETS OF CARBIDE DIES IN ONE WEEK, I DEPRIME EVERY THING BEFORE CLEANING STARTS. THERE YOU HAVE IT.