chris93555
Member
I just got a 5 gal bucket of old dirty brass from my buddy, whats the best my to get them looking good? Its been in the bucket for years, is it safe to reload?
Old dirty brass
- Thread starter chris93555
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rcmodel
Member in memoriam
I agree if it isn't deep bubbling green corrosion, tumble it with Walnut media & some brand of case polish.
I would also inspect each one for Spider nests, rocks, dirt, and Berdan primers & steel cases before bothering to tumble clean it.
rc
I would also inspect each one for Spider nests, rocks, dirt, and Berdan primers & steel cases before bothering to tumble clean it.
rc
chris93555
Member
ok cool, I thought I was going to have to soak them or something, I just check the load I put in the trumber and they can out great (4 hour run). I use half walnut/corn cob, will this give me the best of both worlds?
orionengnr
Member
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Don't agree.
I've been using a 50/50 mix of corn cob and walnut for several years. Works great.
chris93555
Member
what is stainless media? I've never heard of it, where can I buy it?
bigedp51
member
$229.95 to get started
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/
http://www.stainlesstumblingmedia.com/
Chris,
I use a Thumblers tumbler with stainless media and love it. The brass comes out looking factory new or better.
Check the brass you got to make sure it isn't brittle too. Squeeze a donor with a pair of pliers.
Keep your head low and your powder dry.
I use a Thumblers tumbler with stainless media and love it. The brass comes out looking factory new or better.
Check the brass you got to make sure it isn't brittle too. Squeeze a donor with a pair of pliers.
Keep your head low and your powder dry.
LBEE
Member
I would say after the Brass has been sitting around that long it is also brittle & should be Annealed after you polish. If you would like to Buy some SS pins try calling Kathy Reitz Their Price is $5 pound 899-336-6017 or Kevin $1 pound 716-693-1750. I have a Thumbler Tumbler & 5 Pounds is Plenty, also a Good Mechanic Magnet is a very Handy Item to have working with that stuff.
JohnM
Member
Care to explain where that idea comes from? The molecules magically rearrange them selves when no one is watching?
LBEE
Member
I have had Neck Split on old Brass that I have Reloaded & it will happen.
JohnM
Member
Age didn't cause the split neck.
it was already work hardened before it got tossed in a bucket and sat for so and so many years or it was exposed to an environment that attacked the brass.
Ammonia fumes, mercury, or tarnishing so bad it actually went into the brass at some depth, like a sea air exposure.
it was already work hardened before it got tossed in a bucket and sat for so and so many years or it was exposed to an environment that attacked the brass.
Ammonia fumes, mercury, or tarnishing so bad it actually went into the brass at some depth, like a sea air exposure.
LiveLife
Member
I tried the 50/50 mix and don't do it anymore. Walnut cleans faster and corn cob polishes better. I use fine grain walnut media with NuFinish car polish to clean range brass with light polish (about 30 minutes for indoor range brass) and if I want brilliant shine, next tumble in corn cob with NuFinish for about 1+ hour.chris93555 said:
For me, brass don't need to have brilliant shine to reload, just clean on the outside so it will keep the dies cleaner and the residual polish on the surface makes resizing them easier (kinda works like case lube). Also, residual polish on the case keeps them from tarnishing.
I say it would depend on the condition of the brass when it was stored and how it was stored. I store brass in 5 gallon plastic buckets with lids in the garage. I have some 15-20 year old brass that's been in 5 gallon buckets and they have not become brittle due to storage.LBEE said:
OldmanFCSA
Member
Stainless Steel Pin Processing
You decide - cost up front for SS PIns, or continue to buy walnut shell/corn cob media which wears out and creates dust without cleaning insides of cases, primer pockets, and plugs flash holes?
I used walnut/corcob for 34+ years and have totaly switched to SS Pins now.
You decide what's best for you.
Deavis
Member
Sure, and you have to factor in the time spent tumbling. I can tumble 1200 pieces at a pop in a CV-2001 and have them looking great in 4 hours with walnut and mineral spirits. Dump, separate, and they are ready to load. No water, no soap, no rinsing, no drying, etc.
The decapping pin will knock out media in the flashole but proper selection of the walnut will do that as well. I've used the same walnut for over 500k pieces of brass and it still cleans them, it is ugly but it works. Further, I have yet to see a study correlating accuracy to pretty casings yet, maybe someone can share those data?
Chris, just wanted to give the other side of the tumbling story before you go one way or the other.
chris93555
Member
I watched a video about ss, and it looks like a pain, using water and then waiting for it to dry or putting it in the oven, I will stick to walnut and corn cob for now, I set a load of the 10+ year old brass in the tumbler overnight and came out great, thanks for the info
USSR
Member
This fetish for shiny brass is beyond me. As long as the brass is clean and doesn't damage my expensive dies, it's good enough for me.
Don
Don
1KPerDay
Member
Same here... many many batches tumbled in 50/50 with a bit of Nu-finish. Works great.
beatledog7
Member
For me, shiny brass is just more pleasant to work with. It's not rational, I know.
bigedp51
member
chris93555
Soak/wash the dirty brass in some home made brass cleaner, dry the brass and inspect each case for defects. If you want to then use a case tumbler to polish the cases.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm
I use the following home made mix for cleaning dirty cases and cases that have sat uncleaned for long periods.
A solution of 1 quart of water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup laundry or dishwashing detergent, 1/8 cup salt. Soak with some agitation for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a rinse of soapy hot water and allow to dry. This may leave brass with a slight pinkish cast which will disappear with a short tumble in media.
I also have a case tumbler/vibrator and have the rock tumbler with the stainless steel pins. The stainless steel pins will get your cases 100% clean and make visual inspection of the cases much easier.
"ANYTIME" you have wet cases you must plan ahead and make sure your cases are completely dry before reloading.
Below cases cleaned with stainless steel pin media and a rock tumbler.
Soak/wash the dirty brass in some home made brass cleaner, dry the brass and inspect each case for defects. If you want to then use a case tumbler to polish the cases.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm
I use the following home made mix for cleaning dirty cases and cases that have sat uncleaned for long periods.
A solution of 1 quart of water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup laundry or dishwashing detergent, 1/8 cup salt. Soak with some agitation for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a rinse of soapy hot water and allow to dry. This may leave brass with a slight pinkish cast which will disappear with a short tumble in media.
I also have a case tumbler/vibrator and have the rock tumbler with the stainless steel pins. The stainless steel pins will get your cases 100% clean and make visual inspection of the cases much easier.
"ANYTIME" you have wet cases you must plan ahead and make sure your cases are completely dry before reloading.
Below cases cleaned with stainless steel pin media and a rock tumbler.
nitesite
Member
If I want really impressive looking brass, I tumble in walnut. Then soak 45-minutes in Lemi-Shine and water, rinse really well and dry, and then re-tumble in corn cob with Nu-Finish.
Lemi-Shine is fantastic with range pickup brass that is heavily tarnished.
This is only done when I have lots of time on my hands for something so silly as extremely "gleaming bright" brass. But it's impressive!
Lemi-Shine is fantastic with range pickup brass that is heavily tarnished.
This is only done when I have lots of time on my hands for something so silly as extremely "gleaming bright" brass. But it's impressive!
Blue68f100
Member
I normally use corncob in a vibrator tumbler. My 9mm brass has gotten so dirty over the years I decided to use a liquid cleaner this time around. My research lead me to using Citric Acid, 3-4 tbs/gal. The water must be HOT >150F for this to work fast and good. Takes less than 2 min if your water is hot enough. Some suggested using a old crock pot for this to keep the solution hot, which is a very good idea. This mix removes all of the carbon built up inside and out. Leaving it longer does not hurt any thing. What it will do is passivate the surface prevent any more oxidation/tarnish , great for storage. I then run them through my tumbler with corncob and NuFinish car polish, short cycle since the brass was clean already.
This worked so well I will be ordering citric acid to have on hand. I may do away with my tumbler all together.
I used a universal decapping die to unprime the brass. With my LNL-AP w/brass feeder it only took <9min to decap 200 rounds.
For your reading here is where I found the info, 22pages long but a very good read.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=621558
This worked so well I will be ordering citric acid to have on hand. I may do away with my tumbler all together.
I used a universal decapping die to unprime the brass. With my LNL-AP w/brass feeder it only took <9min to decap 200 rounds.
For your reading here is where I found the info, 22pages long but a very good read.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=621558
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