Q to Rembrant and others who vacuum seal their brass

[lykoris]

I'm curious to know if it prevents oxidation and what type of machine you use to seal them? I quite liked the picture you posted in another thread of all your bags and all the brass seemed like they just came out of the tumbler.

I find tumbled brass seems to tarnish over weeks/months of storage and lose their shine.

I'd like to keep the shine(easier to find at the range afterwards) and storing them in air tight containers with selica gel doesn't seem to work all that well.

Just wondering if there is any merit in buying a vacuum sealing machine that sucks all the air out of the bag for storing brass.

This isn't an aesthetic thing but shiny brass in long grass is a lot easier to find than dull cases.

I'm curious to know more about the pros/cons of doing it.

 

[HOWARD J]

I polish mine on a drill press---helps them to stay polished longer.
Then I store them in a dark place in freezer bags.....................

I could ask why so many people have so much brass that is not rerloaded----but I won't.................................

 

[lykoris]

I rotate 6k of 9/357/45 cases.

I load 3k of each to shoot over x months and store the other 3k until the first batch is used up.

By the time I get around to it though they have lot their shine. Same with .223/308.

I think I will order one all the same and see if it makes a difference

 

[rcmodel]

Just clean & prep the brass and store it in GI ammo cans.

It does lose its shine slightly over a long period of time.
But I tumble 30 minutes or so after loading anyway so it matters not.

rc

 

[mongoose33]

If you tumble with a polish like NuFinish, it helps to seal the brass away from the air.

I store mine in ziplog bags in plastic bins. I haven't noticed any oxidation problems doing it this way.

 

[MulticalinMO]

While you MAY suck out a bit of air, there is still quite a bit in empty cases. If i wanted to go for a long-term storage, I would consider using Oxygen absorbers. I make my own and will share if anyone is interested in learning how.

My goal is just not allow the exchange of oxygen and hope for the best. Seems I open the ammo cans / gamma seals too often to have oxygen absorbers last very long.

 

[ambidextrous1]

I recall that silver switches & connectors for the electronics industry were frequently packaged in a sealed plastic bag with a mothball inside, to prevent tarnish (silver oxide & silver sulphate); has anyone tried this with polished brass?

 

[lykoris]

is Nu-Finish a silicone based car polishing wax?

It isn't available in Europe but I suppose I could try a substitute with similar properties.

I realize there is well documented thread here that shows it's harmless to tumble loaded ammunition but I don't feel comfortable trying it.

I'd be interested in knowing more about your 'oxygen absorbers' MulitcalinMO

 

[HOWARD J]

Let's hear it for Tupperware---stored since 1987-no corr....................

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[Rembrandt]

Using the Foodsaver Professional II, but I don't use the vacuum feature.....just use it to heat seal the bags. Seems to retain the same shine and luster, no oxidation

Also use it to bag and store loaded ammo...

 

[GW Staar]

Just so you know I'd like to quickly relate an experience a good friend of mine had.

He finally got his dream trip to Africa and thought he'd vacuum pack the big game ammo he bought for the trip and stick it into his stowed luggage. When he went through customs they confiscated ALL his carefully stowed ammo...because it wasn't in original boxes or approved containers. He was The ammo he had to buy in Africa was slightly more money.:banghead:

Whatever "sealed" container you use, seal it almost completely up, then spray CO2 into the container for a few seconds then immediately seal it. It will replace moisture & oxygen, with dry CO2.

 

[Lee Roder]

I recently shot up the last of some reloads I purchased from a local supplier, LoadX back in Santa Rosa, which I've had since 1999. They were sealed in polyethylene bags, not vacuum packageds, and looked very much like those in Rembrandt's pic above except not so "tight".

Polyethylene doesn't have a very high permeability to oxygen. It easily suffocates. I store all my cleaned brass in zip-locked bags.

Case lube also helps to retard oxidation

 

[Sport45]

While you MAY suck out a bit of air, there is still quite a bit in empty cases.

If you've pulled a vacuum on the bag there's not much air in the empty cases. If you pull a perfect vacuum there's no air at all in the empty cases. The food storage type vacuum bags don't get anywhere near a perfect vacuum. If they did they would boil all the moisture out of the food you were trying to store. Not good or their business...

 

[Sommerled]

I use a product called Bloxygen. Available mailorder from woodworking finish suppliers. It is meant to preserve half empty containers of varnish from hardening during storage. A pressurized bottle costs $9 and lasts a looong time. Being an inert, heavier than air gas, (argon) I fill a freezer baggie up with nicely polished brass, give it a shot of the Bloxygen to displace all the oxygen and everything stays nice and shiny. Works great!

Sommerled