Rinse brass without tumble OK?

[HankC]

I use brass catcher and my brass do not even touch the ground. Is it OK if I only clean the brass with soapy water, rinse off and dry? I've done it a few times when only a small quantity brass, no ill effect, but I like to ask! I don't really care if shining, a few drops of vinegar does help to shine the brass though!

 

[ilbob]

polishing your brass is really about Aesthetics. Your dies and your gun are not going to care how pretty the brass is. I think it's a good idea to get the grit and dirt off but making it look pretty just doesn't do anything functional as far as I'm concerned.

 

[rocirish]

You will be fine, doing it the way you describe. I loaded more years without a tumbler than I have since I got one. You can just wipe them with a soft cloth and make sure that nothing got inside. You will probably have to brush the necks to get rid of the carbon The brass will not look as pretty, but it will shoot the same.

 

[Blue68f100]

No problem just using wet cleaning as you describe. For years I only just wipe the brass prior to sizing. With wet cleaning you should remove the primer prior to cleaning to prevent trapping water. If not you need to make sure you run the drying cycle long enough to remove it. Then if the brass sits a long time and there was water present it's possible to get corrosion in the primer pocket where depriming/sizing only removes the top part of the cap leaving a ring in the pocket. This is a royal pain to deal with. This only happens on very rare occasions, not the normal.

Yes to adding acetic acid to the water to enhance cleaning. Just don't let it set over night.

 

[GBExpat]

Is it OK if I only clean the brass with soaping water, rinse off and dry?

Many of us here did it that way for decades.

 

[Sunray]

Polishing your brass is totally unnecessary. Needs to be clean, not polished.
Anyway, soapy water won't take off all the carbon. However, if you opt for wet cleaning, dry 'em on a cookie sheet in your oven set on 'Warm' for 15 minutes. Give 'em another 15 minutes to cool.

 

[ants]

Many of us here did it that way for decades.

Yes, he's right.

Folks have been reloading brass cartridges using steel dies for over 100 years.

I don't know when the first drum type rotary cleaner was used,
best I remember the benchrest guys started using rock tumblers in the 1980's.
The rest of us just wiped with a clean cloth or used soap and water,
as long as the brass has no grit or dirt harmful to the die, we're good.
Some time in the 1990's we saw vibratory cleaners being used.
Most of us got a vibratory cleaner some time in the late 1990's or early 2000's.

The point: For over 100 years handloaders DIDN'T tumble brass.
As long as the brass gets clean, you choose your own method. Personal choice.

 

[reddog81]

Wash, rinse, reload, fire, repeat.

I'm pretty sure the people manufacturing and selling the tumblers, and media are the biggest beneficiaries of the spotless and shiny brass craze.

 

[Walkalong]

Perfectly fine to do that. Before I got a tumbler all I did was wash it off to make sure any grit was removed. many people started that way, most end up getting a tumbler eventually.

 

[wally]

When I first started reloading I just washed my brass and let it dry. But I quickly discovered that dry tumbling (vibratory in my case) was actually faster/easier and adding some shine made it generally easier to find them next time.

 

[Axis II]

I have been rinsing in soap water and lemi shine overnight but only do a 9mm case of lemi or the brass turns pink. I put it in a coffee creamer jug with a lid and shake it around a few times before bed and then when I get home from work give it a few more shakes and dump into a spaghetti strainer and rinse in water several times and then leave on a towel in the back yard to sun dry. inside comes out pretty clean. I use an old 223 or 30 cal bore brush and give the necks a scrub real quick when doing brass prep and all is good.

I also have a harbor freight tumbler that I use too. Tuesday they have a 25% off coupon if you want a tumbler.

 

[crankyoldlady]

Good old soap and water were used decades before tumblers were invented.

 

[Dudedog]

I did it that way when I started before I bought a tumbler. I tossed them in a 5 gallon bucket with dish washing soap and let them soak for a couple days.
I would swish them around every now and then. Rinse, dry and load.

 

[CptnAwesome]

Most replies have it covers but here's mine.

For about 40 prices of large rifle brass.
3 cups warm water
1 cup vinegar
2tbsp dish liquid
1-2 tbsp lemi-shine
*mix to dilute*
Toss around every hour or so for at least 3 hours.

Works great for me. If there's stubborn carbon around the neck I give a quick swipe with scotch brite.
Rinse, dry, and you're set.

 

[RealGun]

I stopped using any liquid cleaning, because I wasn't interested in decapping first and because spent primers were often stuck after drying, requiring extra attempts to drop them. I just put the dirty brass in walnut shell media, cleaned periodically with a chopped up dryer sheet. However, I am referring to revolver brass, which rarely hits the ground, no sand or grit. If I did rinse brass, I would need to decap as a separate operation (extra handling), rather than have my reloading rhythm be uneven with stuck primers.

 

[CptnAwesome]

I stopped using any liquid cleaning, because I wasn't interested in decapping first and because spent primers were often stuck after drying, requiring extra attempts to drop them. I just put the dirty brass in walnut shell media, cleaned periodically with a chopped up dryer sheet. However, I am referring to revolver brass, which rarely hits the ground, no sand or grit. If I did rinse brass, I would need to decap as a separate operation (extra handling), rather than have my reloading rhythm be uneven with stuck primers.

True. I always resize/decap before cleaning.

 

[RealGun]

True. I always resize/decap before cleaning.

Don't misunderstand...I never decap before cleaning, because 1) I don't want to handle dirty brass to that extent, and 2) it would abuse my sizing die and scratch brass.

 

[Walkalong]

I just put the dirty brass in walnut shell media, cleaned periodically with a chopped up dryer sheet.

I do the same thing with all cases. Bring them home from the range, dump them in the correct fired brass bin, and when it is time dump them in the tumbler. If I clean primer pockets I do it after tumbling and sizing. I have everything to wet tumble, but haven't done it.

 

[GBExpat]

2) it would abuse my sizing die and scratch brass.

Many/most of us decap_before_cleaning folks use a depriming die

 

[.308 Norma]

Wash, rinse, reload, fire, repeat.

Wash, rinse, DRY, reload, fire, repeat.

 

[RealGun]

Many/most of us decap_before_cleaning folks use a depriming die

Thanks for reminding me, and I have one. However, I don't want that extra operation and always prime on the press. I do 223 rifle differently though.