Tarnished brass

[halfded]

Ok I don't reload, but I do save my empties. I keep a 5 gallon bucket in the basement and when I get home, I just empty my pockets in the bucket, and sort when it gets full.

My wife cleaned out the basement a while ago and rearranged everything. I thought that my bucket of brass got thrown out, but I found it (almost a year later) the other day whilst scrounging around down there.

Most of the brass is still in fine shape. However, some of it, doing what brass does in a damp basement, have gotten some tarnish on them. That bluish-green stuff. My question is this: Are they still reloadable? Can I throw them in with the clean ones and sell them all together or keep them separate and sell them cheaper? How bad is too bad?

Don't wanna throw out all this brass if I can help it, lots of .45 and some .223.

Did I mention that when my wife moved everything around, she dunped the rimfire brass bucket in with the centerfire brass bucket? :banghead: I'm still sorting them out.

 

[loadedround]

You should purchase a cartridge tumbler from one of the reloading suppliers here online or at local store. Fill it with ground walnut media and add brass cleaner and tumble until clean(1-2 hours unless excessively corroded).
Second suggestion is to use a plastic bucket and liquid brass cleaner, it will do the job but can etch your beass if solution too strong or in the solution too long. Last suggestion is your dishwasher on "pot scrub" best done when your better half is not around...unless you enjoy sleeping on the couch! LOL

 

[ranger335v]

Removeing tarnish and corrosion takes a night's soaking in a mix of vinegar and water, 50:50. Rinse, dry and tumble afterwards if you wish but the brass will be ready to use without tumbling.

 

[jcwit]

Quick suggestion, If you should purchase a tumbler use a little auto polish instead of brass cleaner. It will polish your brass just as good if not better and deposit a light layer of wax on the cases which will help to keep it from tarnishing. Plus if youre like me you already have a few cans/bottles of polish sitting around.

IMPORTANT TIP--DO NOT use the dishwasher to clean your cases. Primers contains a lead compound "I have no idea how to spell it" that will not be good for you at all if injested from residue left after cleaning the brass in the dishwasher. Even removing the primers there is still a deposit inside the case.
Please heed this advice.

 

[Walkalong]

When brass has that blueish green crud developed it is corroded, not just tarnished. Unless the corrosion is very light, I toss that brass in the scrap bucket. If it is very light, tumbling will make it serviceable, but I only try that if it is very, very light.

Hey, the good news is you have a lot of brass you thought was lost.

 

[pmeisel]

Had something similar recently. Tumbling saved most. A few just look so bad I threw them away, but that was maybe a dozen out of a couple hundred.