Sorry, another "How to polish brass?" question

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yhtomit

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Hi there!

Since the brass I've tumbled so far has come out obviously clean, free and grit etc, but not bright and shiny (as I'd really prefer), I picked up yesterday a small tub --10.5 oz --of polishing stuff called Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover. (The description on the label seemed very similar to that on the more-expensive stuff called NuFinish, which I know many people here recommend as a polishing agent.)

However, I feel like I might at a Martian buffet: not sure what stuff of which consistency to put where or in what quantities. Do I just plop a glob (a teaspoon? as much as will fit on a putty knife? Three cubic centimeters?) in with the corncobs / walnut media and deprimed cases, and turn on the tumbler? Do I smear it on individual cases? Just not sure how to join in holy matrimony brass cases (solid, smooth), polish stuff (waxy, pasty) and polishing medium (granular, dry, loose) in a way that the goodness gets spread around the correct way.

Or did I buy the wrong sort of polish, like the time my dad put handwashing liquid into the dishwasher? (Imagine a large kitchen knee-deep in meringue.)

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Tim
 
I use NuFinish. Before I put the brass in the media, I "dribble" two or three capfulls over the media, and turn it on for 15 minutes or so, so that the polish gets distributed throughout the media. Then I drop in the brass.
 
You have such a way with words!! I love it.

I don't use any of the wax/car polish products. I tried it and didn't care for it.

With any brass polish, the key is to add the polish to the media first and let it run long enough for the polish to mix thoroughly with the media, whether it's walnut hulls or corn cob. Then when it's thoroughly mixed, you add the brass to be polished. If you don't take this minor step, you'll end up with a mess stuck inside your cases and have to pick it out, accompanied by some pretty colorful language.

Since the product you purchased contains scratch remover, that means it has some grit in it. My suggestion would be to tumble the polished brass for about half an hour in untreated corn cob before sizing them. This will remove the grit from the cases and reduce the real fine scratching of the brass. If you're using steel dies, the grit can also scratch your dies, if not removed first.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
I haven't tried the Nu-Finish method, but having followed Fred's posts, he seems to represent a wealth of sound advice. I use conventional prepared Lyman "Tufnut" & either wipe the cases down if I'm in a hurry (an old sock on each hand speeds the wiping process immensely) or rinse them in hot water & dry on low heat in the oven if I'm not so pressed for time (one of the advantages of being a confirmed bachelor & I can keep salmon bait in the fridge, too!).
 
I use crushed walnut shell media, and spray the brass and media quite liberally with non-ammonia Glass Plus glass cleaner. Does not shine the brass, but cuts down substantially with the length of time required to get the cases clean.

Don
 
Tim, you're going to have a tough time getting a paste type polishing compound to incorporate into tumbling media. My advice would be to dissolve some of it in alcohol, or other solvent that would evaporate while it coats the media granuals. Mineral spirits would probably work, but I can't stand the smell of the stuff.:uhoh:
 
snuffy, baz: From what you're saying, I suspect I bought the wrong kind of stuff completely :)

Is there a *liquid* NuFinish? Talk about "adding two or three capfuls" leaves me back at the Martian buffet -- the thing I got (which appears to be the same thing as the only "NuFinish" product I found, but you're probably getting a good idea of just how aware I am of any product relating to car cleaning) is a little tub of pasty, waxy stuff, rather than a liquid.

Sounds like I should be looking for a liquid instead :)

At least it was only a couple of dollars!

timothy
 
Excuse me, please...Where have I gone wrong here. I've been using plain ol' ground up corncob (Lyman) in a 1200 Lyman vibrater tumbler for 20 years and my brass comes out quite clean AND shinny. And that's without all those additives...I have gone (recently) to a very finely gound corncob with chromium oxide. It doesn't get the brass any shinnier, but it's fine enough that it does not hang up in the primer pocket or the flash hole. Goes through the case like the sand in an hour glass. Why all the additives? Just baffles me. Like ReloaderFred. I tried Nu-Finish and pretty much found it to be no better except it was much harder to hang on to the cases because the wax made them slickery...
 
Where have I gone wrong here.

Doesn't appear that you have . . . I'm using that next after the Lyman stuff I have is gone. Clean is clean!
 
Use some Brasso
Click to expand...

Guys,

DO NOT use Brasso or any other ammonia based product on brass cases. Ammonia weakens brass, and you don't want to weaken something your putting under 1,000's of pounds per square inch pressure right in front of your face.

Don
 
However, I feel like I might at a Martian buffet
Click to expand...

LMAO! Great expression.

I do the 70/30 vinegar/water with a tbsp. of salt solution for a few hours, then tumble in walnut for several hours. This gets most of the crud out of the case and leaves the outside presentable. If I wanted it shiny, another couple of hours tumbled in corncob.
 
I decided that my 45 LC cases were looking pretty dirty, so I got some Hornady One Shot polish, and some ground walnuts bedding from the pet store on Friday. I put one teaspoon per pound of the walnuts in the tumbler with the walnuts, and they cases came out looking very nice.

Mike
 
Nu finish has worked rather well for me, and compared to Flitz and the like, very economical. Dryer sheets will help clean to crud out of your media also. Amazingly so actually.

If they are very stubborn to clean, I took one of Fred's suggestions and used Turbo Polish media (think it was Lyman brand, not sure, but it's the red stuff and I got it at Sportsman's warehouse)
 
"...at a Martian buffet..." Been to one have you? snicker.
Brass needs to be clean. It doesn't need to be shiny. It doesn't work any better shined.
 
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