Oh no, not another wet tumbling thread

[lightman]

That was my post on the other wet tumbler thread.
The amount of beer depends on how many it takes to get inebriated.
I generally down about twelve or so.

View attachment 1092573


As far as the wet tumbler additives I add
A 1/2 teaspoon of Lemi-shine
a cap full of ArmorAll Wash n Wax
A cap of Finnish Jet Dry
A small squirt ofDawn.

I alway use HOT tap water
I always tumble for close to an hour.
Drain & fill up tumbler again with warm tap water, shake it drum then dump the water.

Fill back up with warm water and add another cap of ArmorAll Wash n Wax. Run for ten to fifteen minutes.
Drain & put the brass on my drying racks.

View attachment 1092576

Um, Bro your picture is blurry!

 

[vaalpens]

Following is a recap of al the recipes that were posted. I have included the recipe I decided to go with for now. Some of these recipes will include multiple runtimes, so the best will be to read the THR member's post to see exactly what is included in the first and second duration:


Today I did a test run with the recipe I picked. I decided that if everything works out, but maybe I see some tarnishing after a while, then I'll probably add a cap of wash and wax for my next clean to coat the cases.

This is what the case looked like before I started the wet tumbling. Normally I would fill the container to the top before cleaning, but since I am running short on 45acp cases, I decided to do the 45acp container as a test case:


After the 2 hour run in the FART, this is what they looked like when I dumped them after rinsing. I am happy with the results:


There was one case that was still tarnished, but it is probably the one I dug out of the ground last time I went shooting in the National Forest. Who knows how long it has been in the ground. I just threw it in the container for brass to be cleaned, so it will go through the cleaning process again next time. Sorry for the bad focus:

 

[Bayou52]

Great recap! Thanks!

Bayou52

 

[vaalpens]

Great recap! Thanks!

Bayou52

Thanks!

 

[Dudedog]

Looking good your batch turned out well.

For your sheet
My Tumbler - Lyman Cyclone , 7L, call it 4.5 lbs of pins, some have escaped CA to go tumble in a free state.
Normal run time is 1 hour but if cases are really nasty I will do 1/2 hour, change cleaning solution then run an 1 hour.

Wash and Wax does not seem to be as concentrated as some dish liquids so it takes more.
Lately I have been using Turtle Wash and Wax because that's what seems to be on sale so if you want to say Turtle in my recipe go for it. (I used bout the same amount with other kinds as well)
I may be using more than is necessary but extra does not hurt. (other than wasting it), and not enough doesn't work as well.

 

[vaalpens]

Looking good your batch turned out well.

For your sheet
My Tumbler - Lyman Cyclone , 7L, call it 4.5 lbs of pins, some have escaped CA to go tumble in a free state.
Normal run time is 1 hour but if cases are really nasty I will do 1/2 hour, change cleaning solution then run an 1 hour.

Wash and Wax does not seem to be as concentrated as some dish liquids so it takes more.
Lately I have been using Turtle Wash and Wax because that's what seems to be on sale so if you want to say Turtle in my recipe go for it. (I used bout the same amount with other kinds as well)
I may be using more than is necessary but extra does not hurt. (other than wasting it), and not enough doesn't work as well.

Thanks Dudedog. I have updated the above image with your Tumbler information.

I have a feeling I'll maybe add a cap of wash and wax next time since it seems the consensus is that the wax help prevent the brass from tarnishing.

 

[Dudedog]

Opps, add fill water to neck.
Unless it's winter and cold, I just use water out of the garden hose.

I agree that the wash and wax helps prevent tarnishing.

 

[kalielkslayer]

Not an expert by any means but this works for me, but may be too much work for others.

Dirtiest brass, extremely hot water, maybe a tablespoon of Dawn (I’ve never measured it. 1 hour. I use a FA. I put the screen on and shake out the dirty water. Refill will extremely hot water and repeat. I may do this 4-6 times until the water runs clean. Then extremely hot water and either the Franklin Arsenal “Tide pods” or their cleaning solution for another hour.

My brass is as shiny as any but I don’t use a wax to coat it so it may tarnish over time but I’ve never seen that.

 

[BushMaster-15]

Pick Your concoction : Tide Borax Dawn Alconox Citronox Nothing works better which is water soluble . The Key is proportion properly a little goes a LOOOOONG way in a SS wet tumbler . I clean filthy OLD Military brass in Minutes ,if one requires jewelry grade cases then they require POLISHING and that's another step .
Photo 3.5 minutes it's that quick .
https://www.iisusa.com/mobile/citronox-liquid-cleaner/productinfo/CITRI1801/

 

[westernrover]

I encourage anyone who wet tumbles to pull a case out at 10 minute intervals, rinse it off and examine it and see how long it actually takes to get clean brass.

 

[vaalpens]

Pick Your concoction : Tide Borax Dawn Alconox Citronox Nothing works better which is water soluble . The Key is proportion properly a little goes a LOOOOONG way in a SS wet tumbler . I clean filthy OLD Military brass in Minutes ,if one requires jewelry grade cases then they require POLISHING and that's another step . View attachment 1093723
Photo 3.5 minutes it's that quick .
https://www.iisusa.com/mobile/citronox-liquid-cleaner/productinfo/CITRI1801/

Interesting, and thanks for sharing. Please provide the detailed recipe and I'll add it to the above recap.

 

[vaalpens]

I encourage anyone who wet tumbles to pull a case out at 10 minute intervals, rinse it off and examine it and see how long it actually takes to get clean brass.

Excellent point. There is no need to tumble it with the ss pins more that it needs, so I'll verify the results in 10/15 minute intervals next time.

 

[vaalpens]

Opps, add fill water to neck.
Unless it's winter and cold, I just use water out of the garden hose.

I agree that the wash and wax helps prevent tarnishing.

The updates have been made.

 

[BushMaster-15]

Per volume ; Dawn 1 Tsp. Tide laundry detergent 1 Tsp. Borax 2 O/z . The Citronox is dicey ,as to the length of time one tumbles cases ,it's POWERFUL !. So perhaps 1/2 Tsp. and check your tumble in 5-10 minutes . People get carried away with it and it WILL turn your cases PINK from it's acid base . They will polish back but unnecessary to over use it . You can actually use it as a prewash ,put it in a pail put your cases in allow them to stand a short while , Then swirl the bucket around a few times every so often . You can filter the presoak with a coffee or paint filter
pour it into and old clean plastic bottle replace the lid until next time . Most of the old carbon and residue is filtered out and it will work over and over ,until it doesn't . IF it foams excessively ( shouldn't but ? ) put 2-3 Tbl. White vinegar in . The Citronox is acidic and should act as a defoamer .

One note of caution to persons who POLISH cases excessively ; Think of Your cases as Your cars paint finish ,the more you polish the less paint you have . Even waxing removes microns ,so eventually you've got NO Paint to polish . Polishing Media SS pins or ceramic's will wear brass faster than the media used , it's the law of physics or at least taber testing . Now will continually polishing brass cases wear appreciably or enough ,to give you problems before You shoot the life out of them ?. ; Probably Not but do know someone who was anal retentive about SPARKLING BRASS . He lost some necks while shooting ,he stopped polishing as much ,problem went away . So MY take MAYBE .

Having worked in the Marine Industry for a spell . I had to laugh when I saw folks with High $$$$$ Fiberglass off shore or Jet boats ( trailer-able rigs ) running down the freeways with their cover tarps ,abrading their tarps and anchor points away . Used to make real Good money matching gelcoat colors and retouching them . After tarps dirt sand and wind power wore 25 mils off their pristine boats . River Brat Rats was their nicknames .

 

[westernrover]

Primer pockets wear out before polishing will erode the brass enough to matter. Case mouths can be delicate though. Benchrest shooters aren't going to take carefully prepared necks and toss them in a rotary tumbler.

 

[vaalpens]

Following is an update re

Per volume ; Dawn 1 Tsp. Tide laundry detergent 1 Tsp. Borax 2 O/z . The Citronox is dicey ,as to the length of time one tumbles cases ,it's POWERFUL !. So perhaps 1/2 Tsp. and check your tumble in 5-10 minutes . People get carried away with it and it WILL turn your cases PINK from it's acid base . They will polish back but unnecessary to over use it . You can actually use it as a prewash ,put it in a pail put your cases in allow them to stand a short while , Then swirl the bucket around a few times every so often . You can filter the presoak with a coffee or paint filter
pour it into and old clean plastic bottle replace the lid until next time . Most of the old carbon and residue is filtered out and it will work over and over ,until it doesn't . IF it foams excessively ( shouldn't but ? ) put 2-3 Tbl. White vinegar in . The Citronox is acidic and should act as a defoamer .

One note of caution to persons who POLISH cases excessively ; Think of Your cases as Your cars paint finish ,the more you polish the less paint you have . Even waxing removes microns ,so eventually you've got NO Paint to polish . Polishing Media SS pins or ceramic's will wear brass faster than the media used , it's the law of physics or at least taber testing . Now will continually polishing brass cases wear appreciably or enough ,to give you problems before You shoot the life out of them ?. ; Probably Not but do know someone who was anal retentive about SPARKLING BRASS . He lost some necks while shooting ,he stopped polishing as much ,problem went away . So MY take MAYBE .

Having worked in the Marine Industry for a spell . I had to laugh when I saw folks with High $$$$$ Fiberglass off shore or Jet boats ( trailer-able rigs ) running down the freeways with their cover tarps ,abrading their tarps and anchor points away . Used to make real Good money matching gelcoat colors and retouching them . After tarps dirt sand and wind power wore 25 mils off their pristine boats . River Brat Rats was their nicknames .

Thanks for all the detail. I wonder who is going to be brave enough to try using Citronox. The tumble time of 5-10 minutes are very short, so whoever is going to try it, don't forget to set your timer.

 

[vaalpens]

Primer pockets wear out before polishing will erode the brass enough to matter. Case mouths can be delicate though. Benchrest shooters aren't going to take carefully prepared necks and toss them in a rotary tumbler.

Thanks for the reminder of what ss pins can do to a case.

 

[vaalpens]

Following is an updated recap of all the wet tumbling recipe contributions. Please make sure you read the THR member posts to verify the recipe before blindly following my recap.

 

[BushMaster-15]

Primer pockets wear out before polishing will erode the brass enough to matter. Case mouths can be delicate though. Benchrest shooters aren't going to take carefully prepared necks and toss them in a rotary tumbler.

Preferably one does critical BR Prep work AFTER cleaning and polishing cases .

Info : 7L capacity ,Appx. 1.0" down from neck 5-7 lb. SS pins .

I've been running Citranox for decades ,even in the Ultrasonic with a concoction mixture and have NEVER had issues . Key is LIMITING run time ,No matter which venue one chooses to use for cleaning . I'm old school ,pre clean dirty filthy cases ,rinse toss either into Rotary or Ultrasonic concoction run for a few minutes . Why over clean something ?.
As I've said jewelry cases require polishing and as far as I'm concerned , I Don't care if the sparkle . Just as long as they're CLEAN I've done MY part and NONE of MY firearms chambers have ever indicated ,they would only operate with sparkle bling ammo .

I had to laugh when I saw the old used cement mixer , Jerry Miculek uses to clean his brass in and his shooting doesn't appear to suffer from that method .

MY Motto is IF it can be done better and quicker ,than I'M ON BOARD !. Life is short why waste precious time fussing ,when one can be squeezing the trigger .

 

[BushMaster-15]

Following is an update re


Thanks for all the detail. I wonder who is going to be brave enough to try using Citronox. The tumble time of 5-10 minutes are very short, so whoever is going to try it, don't forget to set your timer.

Remember tumble time is dependent upon degree of soiled cases . IF someone is bent on making sparkle bling cases then tumbling , ISN'T IMO the way to achieve that . Opinions vary some people will continue doing the same procedures they've always done ,regardless of others results . If for no other reason ,it's the way their setup and see No reason to change . I'm certainly Not going to say their wrong or I'm right , I use QUICK methods which work for MY purposes ,nothing more nothing less . I have plastic shapes with Walnut and Corn Cob in MY Big Dillon vibratory and it makes Pretty Bling . Unfortunately they DON'T shoot any better but putting a couple on my shooting pad ,might just distract the fellow next to me and cause him or her to MISS that X thus improving MY score

When polishing ,there's cutting and Buffing involved : Cut Buffing and Color Buffing before " Fixing " the finish from tarnishing . I borrowed the below exerts ,with their link .

Importance of the Right Tumbling Media

To the outsider, all tumbling media might look the same; however, the type of material in question and type of finishing required play a part in choosing the best media for the job.

For example, plastic or synthetic is often the best choice for deburring soft metals like aluminum and brass. When the job calls for general metal removal, descaling, or fast and heavy cutting, ceramic may be the media of choice. Porcelain media, when combined with burnishing compounds in tumble polishing, has the unique ability of providing the final finish to many metal products. For those products requiring the ultimate luster and sheen, processing the parts in our custom blend of corn cob and additives is the proven solution.



The purpose of polishing is to smooth out a surface and remove any visual imperfections. Buffing goes even further towards a perfect surface by using less abrasive products that will smooth out the surface to remove any scratches or uneven patches that you won’t be able to see with the naked eye.

Buffing vs Polishing
We just wanted to add a quick side note to compare buffing vs polishing here. Many people think polishing is the final step that leaves a bright mirror finish, but it actually comes before buffing.

Polishing a metal uses a more abrasive product than buffing. The entire sanding process can technically be considered “polishing” the brass, but usually the later stages of sanding with finer grit abrasives is where real polishing comes into play.

The purpose of polishing is to smooth out a surface and remove any visual imperfections. Buffing goes even further towards a perfect surface by using less abrasive products that will smooth out the surface to remove any scratches or uneven patches that you won’t be able to see with the naked eye.

Step 3 - Buffing Brass
Once you’ve successfully sanded your brass, it is time to buff it out. This is the step that can get you a mirror finish which includes cut buffing and color buffing.

Cut buffing removes the fine scratches remaining after the sanding and polishing steps. Cut buffing brass is best done with either a sisal buffing wheel or a firm airway buff along with an abrasive buffing compound.

Color buffing is used for final polish buffing to bring out the luster and brilliance of the metal. This step is where you’ll see your reflection in the metal, if you took your time to do the entire buffing and polishing process correctly. At this point, you’ll use a looser buffing wheel along with buffing compounds that have little to no abrasive materials in them.

https://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/product-category/tumbling-media/

https://www.empireabrasives.com/blog/how-to-buff-and-polish-brass-like-a-pro/

 

[westernrover]

If I was shooting BR, I would start with new brass, and after I had carefully prepared the cases and fired them, I still wouldn't toss them in a rotary tumbler. The tumbler would undo too much of the prep work.

Jerry uses a cement mixer for 5.56, most of which is probably shot practicing for 3-gun. It's definitely not for BR, or even for something like 44 Magnum -- which he might shoot in 5-gallon bucket quantities (probably in the past), but not 55-gallon drum quantities. He uses a Hornady tumbler, but part of that is the sponsorship deal. For all I know, he poses with the Hornady as much as he actually uses it.

The other thing Jerry uses is Southern Shine brand stainless steel chips instead of pins. He doesn't like the way pins can lodge in the case or primer pocket and break decapper pins. I've not had that problem, but have had pins lodge in the case neck. I tried the chips and found they are much more abrasive than the pins. They cut the cases and leave a rough matte surface. The chips might need to be tumbled for a long time before the sharp edges are rounded off. I also found them hard to corral. I don't have any trouble separating pins and getting them all back in the bucket or tumbler. The chips make a sticky grit when they're wet and that grit gets everywhere. A magnet helps but the chip grit still makes a mess and the pins are so much neater. I hardly ever need a magnet with the pins. To be clear, I have the Southern Shine brand chips -- I'm sure they are waste chips from some machine shop. My pins came from STM and I don't know their source.

I would not buff brass cartridge cases. I do use nickel-plated cases for carry. For all other purposes, clean brass is sufficient, but I do polish it with corncob media in a vibratory. I don't do this so that it will have a mirror finish or shine, but because it seems to make the brass smoother and slicker. There's something about wet tumbling that leaves the brass feeling rough and sticky. I also use corncob to ensure dry brass. The only thing that contends with wet tumbling threads for length are brass drying threads. I have other methods for drying brass, but afterward, corncob guarantees I don't miss a blob of water or any dampness in a primer pocket.

 

[vaalpens]

I have made some updates to the recap of the recipes. Added more detail to the BushMaster-15 recipe.

 

[vaalpens]

The other thing Jerry uses is Southern Shine brand stainless steel chips instead of pins. He doesn't like the way pins can lodge in the case or primer pocket and break decapper pins.

With the pins it can happen, but based on your process, it could be an issue or not. If you don't inspect your cases and probably load with a progressive, then I can see where it could be an issue.

For all other purposes, clean brass is sufficient, but I do polish it with corncob media in a vibratory. I don't do this so that it will have a mirror finish or shine, but because it seems to make the brass smoother and slicker.

I think this is true, but I prefer the clean feel of the wet tumbled brass. For me, corn cob and case lube gets kind of messy.