cleaning brass

[mejeepnut]

Just picked up my first reloading outfit,a Lee anniversary kit.I bought the kit,Dies for .223 and 30-06,2 kinds of powder the salesmen recomended,brass for the .223(they were out of new 06 brass) and bullets for both.I have started reloading the 223(and now realize I also need a bullet puller) but with deer season coming I need to work on the 06.I don't have the money for a tumbler at the moment so what is the best way to clean brass without one?I have read that putting brass in a pillow case and putting it in the clothes washing machine with dish soap works and just read on another post that soaking in vineager over night may also work.
I have the pillow case,dish soap,vineagar and a washing machine.What do you people think is my best bet?

 

[snuffy]

What makes you think you need to clean new brass? You don't even HAVE to clean fired brass. Since you just started loading, don't get too complicated right at first.

If you insist, then use some steel wool to polish the brass by hand. The vinegar contains citric acid, which removes the tarnish from the brass. Problem is, it involves getting it wet. Then you have to make darn sure it's dry!

 

[mejeepnut]

As I think I said I could not get any new brass for the 06!

I will be using once fired brass that I have collected over the years.Some of it looks realy nasty after sitting in a bucket since whenever i fired it(could be up to 6 years old).I am not even shure most of it is still good enough to reload,lots of green corrosion.I will have to clean it and take a good look at it after.

I never thought about drying being a problem.I figured air dry but then corrosion would probably set in again.I probably should not use my compressor for drying because of oil in the tank and lines.I guess if I did small batches I could use the clothes drier and tell the wife its my wet sneakers and I must have left change in a pocket or something.Do you think the residue from drier sheets would work like case lube or should I just avoid drier sheets?

 

[eliphalet]

Some water with an industrial cleaner, Simple Green, 409 or I use the cheaper no name brand stuff from home dept or the like. Dish soap will work but it suds too much. Add some lemon concentrate 1/4 cup or so and stir in a bucket, rinse well. Dry in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 or 170 degrees. Over a heater vent in the winter or in the hot sun in the summer will work good too. I decap first, and yes make sure all is dry.

Lots of great information here.

http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

 

[mejeepnut]

Thanks,that link just hit my favorites!It never even crossed my mind to stay away from ammonia,good info on that site.

 

[zxcvbob]

Dirt and grit will mess up your dies; tarnish doesn't really hurt anything.

A little bit of muretic acid water plus a drop of detergent will remove most of the corrosion very quickly and get it looking decent. Slosh it around to remove any dirt. Do not soak it very long. Then rinse with tap water, and dry in a 200 degree oven or in the hot sun. Make sure the brass is totally dry before you put it away.

Look for a vibrating tumbler on eBay, but wait until you get a good price.

Bob

 

[SilentArmy]

I know Brass!

I have been reloading for 17 yrs and selling Brass online for 2! I recommend buying a small vibratory tumbler (Frankford arsenal, midway, Lyman) and using Untreated corn cob FINE to clean and polish. If it is green and corroded then put it in a bag with other corroded or badly tarnished/split/smashed cases and save them till the bag is full. Next, take the bag to your local metal recycler and get about $1.40/pound for them! It is not worth the trouble to clean trashed cases, trust me on this! I take over 100 pounds a week to the scrap yard! The Lyman Tufnut product has RED jewelers rouge in it and will DESTROY your sizing die!!! If you use this product to clean really dirty brass, you must then tumble in untreated media to clean the rouge off!
Flitz polish will produce a shine brighter than the sun! However, it is EXPENSIVE! I use a product from Berry's that produces a similar shine and costs less.
Stay away from acids (even mild) and ammonia as it weakens brass!
Happy loading and be safe! Get comfortable with light loads as handloading can be dangerous especially if you start playing with "HOT" loads. Your eyesight or weapon is worth too much to lose over a bad load!

 

[mejeepnut]

Thanks silentArmy and zxcvbob.I am not looking to explore the limitations of anything.I dug out my 5 gal. bucket of brass that I have collected over the years and got a good look at it and most if not all is toast.I had it in the back of a an old pick-up with a cap but no rear door so the local feral cats have been in there and pissed on everything.I wiped off a few cases and they are etched under the green stuff so they are junk as far as I know.
SilentArmy-I don't need shiney cases and I am hoping to work with the minimum loads in the Lee reloader book I have.I hope that by playing with over all length I can get the accuracy I want for Maine deer hunting with the minimum charge of powder.Extra time is in short supply this time of year for me but if I get under 2" at a hundred then no problem,if not then I know a trip to wally world and $13.50 will get me an inch on average for 20 rounds and another year to get it right.And another 20 cases to play with!

 

[stubbicatt]

Iosso case cleaning system is a good alternative, assuming the brass isn't already trashed, which it sounds like yours might be.

 

[RustyFN]

If you are going to clean them in a liquid then you want to decap them first. You will have trouble drying them with the primers in.
Rusty

 

[Mark whiz]

The Iosso system may well be a good solution for your needs.

I've used the cidar vinegar with good results myself - but you don't need to soak them overnight, usually about 30 minutes does the job. I like to brush them out with a corect size bore brush for each caliber after they have soaked, drop them into a bucket of clean water for rinsing, and then lay them out to dry. Just make sure the brass is completely covered by the vinegar while soaking, otherwise they will stain where they stick out in the air.

 

[BigSlick]

vinegar contains citric acid,

Vinegar contains Acetic Acid, a much stronger form of acid, but it is diluted down to 8% or so content in store bought vinegar.

Vinegar will work OK, somewhat, just make sure you don't leave the brass in it too long (max of about 15 minutes) or the Acetic Acid will cause the zinc to leech out of the brass.

You will know if/when this happens when you see a pink tinge on the brass after soaking. Brass is made up of copper and zinc, leech out too much zinc and it will affect the strength of the brass.

As far as cleaning the brass, all you really need is to wipe it down with a damp cloth to make sure no dirt, grit or other nasties remain so your size die isn't scratched.

Lyman tufnut does contain jewelers rouge. It will not affect your size die unless you let it build up to the point your brass looks dusty with it. And then, only if you do so repeatedly, over many years. Steel, carbide and nitride are all exponentially harder than the rouge powder. The rouge is a polish, it doesn't contain any cutting agent. Of course you can easily avoid the issue altogether by adding a used dryer sheet, or pieces of cut up paper towel to your tumbler while it polishes the brass. Zero dust, zero problem.

If you're worried about any dirt inside the brass (range pickups), just dump the brass in a bucket and add some hot tap water and dish washing soap, shampoo, hand soap, car washing soap etc.. to remove the dirt. Rinse thoroughly and dry completely before storing or loading.

As Rusty indicated, remove the primer first. Otherwise, if you happen to be blessed with 'hard' water, you may experience a primer that is dried into the pocket with traces of minerals from your water. This will cause a PITA deluxe getting the primers out, then getting the pocket clean.

Brass doesn't have to shine, clean from grit, dirt (especially sand) etc.. is all you need.

Good luck with it.

'Slick