Homebrew Brass preservative?

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OilyPablo

OilyPablo

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I'm pretty decent at wet tumbling, cleaning, etc - refined my process steps some this AM and can get my bright brass nice and dry rapidly with very low heat using a NEW food dehydrator (garage sale).

I will be saving certain calibers until I get the dies and get set up. Maybe some won't be for 3-5 years.

I see STM sells a quart of Tarnish Inhibitor for $39.95. I'm pretty sure I have smelled it and for sure it smells of IPA, and when that evaporates I smell glycol. Definite new engine coolant smell. I don't want to steal their recipe or anything, but has anyone done a homebrew?

Or should I just bag the brass with a desicant? Or?

Thanks and YES I LOVE THIS SUB-FORUM of THR!!
 
Tarnish Inhibitor for $39.95 is theft.
You don't need anything as long as the brass is kept dry. No need to tumble again either. A regular plastic shopping bag will do. Not as good as a shoe box or coffee can though. Those stack better.
 
shouldnt one be able to simply grab a tumbler, fill it with some corn cob and something cheap like nu finish and give the clean brass a spin for an hour or so to get them nice and shiny?

and keep them that way by repacking into plastic bags while wearing rubbr gloves
 
The best inhibitor of further tarnish is a passivated layer of oxides on the surface of the cases. I.e. tarnish.

Cleaning off tarnish just introduces fresh brass that will tarnish, again. Tarnish is good. If you can acquire the taste for tarnished brass, you will save a lot of time and work. :) This will also protect the brass a bit from damaging corrosion, "fingerprinting" from oily/sweaty fingers, and such.
 
What GLOOB stated above^^^^

Just leave it alone.:):) Put in some Zip lock bags or a plastic food container with a snap on lid.
 
The brass itself is the best protection for itself. There is no need to add anything. For storage I put brass in 3lb plastic coffee containers, snap on the cover and call it good.
 
Try not to over-think this. I have tubs of brass that was tumbled in corncob and Nu-finish over 3 years ago that is still as-tumbled. Just clean it and put it in a convenient container and forget about it. Convenient means anything you don't have to run to wallyword to buy.
 
For new brass my employer gets lots of cardboard boxes for supplies I rescue before they reach the trash dumpster. They are the perfect size for 500 rounds of large cases such as rifle and large pistol 44's and 45's, 1,000 rounds of medium cases such as 38 and 357 magnum and 2,000 small ones like 9mm.

They are a little over 11" long x 6" wide x 4" tall which makes them perfect for stacking on multi shelving units. I write what each box contains with a marker on the end of the box. Keeps everything off the floor, neatly arranged and I can tell at a glance what and how many I have on hand.

For the brass I am currently reloading I store them in large plastic coffee cans (containers). After they are cleaned from tumbling I put them in the coffee containers and closed it with the plastic lid. They hold about 300 - 350 large pistol cases such as 45's and 1,000 small 9mm's.

Both storage methods keeps my brass looking shiny.
 
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My employer gets lots of cardboard boxes for supplies I rescue before they reach the trash dumpster. They are the perfect size for 500 rounds of large cases such as rifle and large pistol 44's and 45's, 1,000 rounds of medium cases such as 38 and 357 magnum and 2,000 small ones like 9mm.
Click to expand...

BSA1, for years I have used 4"X4"X4" boxes, the 4" squared box holds 100 30/06 cases, for shorter cases the boxes can be cut to hold 308 W and or pistol cases. Protecting the brass from the elements has always been a matter of placing the boxes in a drawer.

In the early days of preserving cases there was a process that turned the cases black, at the time the process was referred to as 'pickling',

F. Guffey
 
I don't worry about cleaning brass for a caliber I don't have. I just put it away until I need it. No need to build a bridge just to cross it.
 
jcwit said:
Greg Mercurio said:
tubs of brass that was tumbled in corncob and Nu-finish over 3 years ago that is still as-tumbled.
Click to expand...
Dry tumble in corn cob or walnut with a small amount of auto polish.
Click to expand...
+1

The residual coating on the brass will prevent tarnish and protect the brass. I tumble brass in walnut/NuFinish and toss them in 5 gallon buckets.
 
bds said:
+1

The residual coating on the brass will prevent tarnish and protect the brass. I tumble brass in walnut/NuFinish and toss them in 5 gallon buckets.
Click to expand...

I 2nd and 3rd this. I use Turtle wax metal polish or nufinish to tumble and toss them in zip lock bags for a couple years. Still bright and shiny.
 
I have been known to over think things. (sometimes I have a bright idea that actually works). I will just dry well and bag it.

On a positive note, I have lots of nice brass, so I ordered two new die sets.
 
One of the reasons I don't care for SS wet tumbling; bare nekkid brass that "tarnishes" quickly. So for any long term reloads I'll just tumble in cob media with a bit of auto polish...
 
Brass

I have brass that was cleaned using wet process, at least 3 years ago and it is still bright and shiny.

You don't need brass preservative unless you live next to the ocean.

Gary
 
mdi said:
One of the reasons I don't care for SS wet tumbling; bare nekkid brass that "tarnishes" quickly. So for any long term reloads I'll just tumble in cob media with a bit of auto polish...
Click to expand...

That is why I switched to Armorall Wash and Wax instead of Dawn for my wet tumbling.
 
I researched this a while ago and it turns out that one of my film photography chemicals is used for treating brass museum pieces. IIRC the solution strength recommended was 3% benzotriazole/water at 140 F for about three minutes or so.

I've found this stuff as cheap as $20/lb. which would go a VERY long way as I do believe the solution could be reused a number of times. The one drawback with benzotriazole is that it is very stubborn to dissolve- a magnetic stirrer is quite helpful.
 
With wet tumbling using lemishine, vinegar, or some other acid, if a good neutralizing alkaline bath isn't the last step before drying it will quickly turn "weathered range pickup brown" - at least that was my experience just rinsing with tap water as a last step.
 
Quickly? How quickly?

I rinse really well in the tumbler, run through the separator (wow does that work well, BTW), and then I soak and rinse a couple times in a plastic bin. I'm wondering with a 1/4 teaspoon of Lemishine in a gallon of water how much acid is left?

So what are people using for a neutralizer?
 
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