Do I have to use polish to clean my brass?

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mwsenoj

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I am new to reloading and I tried to search this topic already but couldn't find a clear cut answer.

Do I have to use any kind of chemical when I tumble my brass? I dont have any expectations of the brass being shiny, for now, at least.
 
Need more info. Do you plan to buy a tumbler to clean/polish your brass? Do you plan to do it by hand? What you up to?

Wait I see you mention tumbling, missed that. Plain media will clean your brass, but I bet you have some opened liquid auto polish in the garage or even a paste, as long as its a cleaner wax/polish. A teaspoon or 2 in the media and allowing it to dry before using will work wonders on the finish. Try a teaspoon first, this is a case where more does not necessarly mean better.

Course you can go buy the high priced polishes made just for tumbling, but WHY?

BTW Nu-Finish is one of the more preferred ones, available at all auto parts stores and WalMart.
 
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My experience is that untreated media will clean brass, just not as quickly.
 
Clean? Yes. Will it be as shiny as you may desire? Maybe not.
 
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Do you want clean brass or shiney brass ?????

A tumbler will get it clean in minutes but may take hrs. to polish it !

I use plain walnut to clean with & plain corncob to polish .

If the brass just needs "touching up" I use a 50/50 mix of walnut/corncob.

The more ya add to the media the qwiker it becomes saturated with polish & carbon/dirt& need changing , I do use dryer sheets to capture dust & grime every so often.

I get all my media from pet shops , just tell em ya need the finer stuff
 
The advantage of case polish, whether it be already on the media like the corn cob or walnut shell you buy from Lyman and others or that you add like the products you can get from Dillon or Midway, is that it makes the job go quicker, and leaves less dust. Difference in run time is an hour or so vrs 8 or more.

Polish with a wax provides a coating that seems to make sizing easier.

I prefer to use case polish with walnut shell media bought from the pet store. I like the brass to get clean quickly so I don't have to listed to the tumbler buzzing for hours on end.

While you can use substitutes for prepared case polish, some like Nu Finish car wax, the products made for case polishing have some cleaners as well as polishers. I never saw much cost savings using Ne Finish over Midways product. You really don't need to use much polish and a small bottle should last you a long time unless you are one of those 1,000 rounds a week relaoders and then if may only last for a year.
 
mwsenoj said:
I am new to reloading and I tried to search this topic already but couldn't find a clear cut answer.

Do I have to use any kind of chemical when I tumble my brass? I dont have any expectations of the brass being shiny, for now, at least.
Click to expand...

No. You don't have to add anything.

Seedtick

:)
 
When I get home from a shooting session I throw all the brass in the polisher. It contains straightRCBS walnut media and nothing else. After a couple of hours my brass is nice and clean and shiny enough for me.
 
No you do not HAVE to use any polish, but as with many things in life using an additive will make things better or give better results. If one uses the afore mentioned auto polish not only dones one get shinney brass but the wac/polymers in the polish retards or prevents tarnish. Also makes the resizing operation easier.

Hey, nothing wrong with making life easier.
 
Thanks to all posters! I now know enough to answer some basic questions about brass cleaning and polishing.
 
I use pretty much walnut hulls......... I used to use Fritz and other polishing compounds..

Lately, found the tip on this forum actually... I use a bit of dish-washing soap (dawn )in the media... cuts down on dust, does a GREAT job, and the media seems to live a bit longer.. cases come out really nice... Clean and slick...

Do you have to use an additive... no... but it speeds things up a bit, improves the overall finished product..
 
I use a teaspoon of nu- finish and a teaspoon of mineral spirits, it takes an hour for my 30-06 brass to come out nice and shiny


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