Tumbled Brass Polisher??

[SgtRock04]

Anyone know what additive products are out there to polish/brighten/clean the brass better than just the plain tumble media?(corn cob/walnut shell etc) I'm even open to some unconventional suggestions that seem to work.I can't seem to get the damn brass clean even with new media.I use a combination of corn cob,fine walnut shell & fine glass bead,but looking for a non-evasive additive that won't affect powder burn? SgtRock04

 

[arizona98tj]

I've read of people using the NuFinish car product. I use Dillon's case polish myself.

 

[Chuck Perry]

I use NuFinish car wax; works great!

 

[qajaq59]

Lizard litter (crushed walnut) with NuFinish car wax seems to work ok.

 

[Walkalong]

I am using Midways polish right now. Works just like Dillons or Berrys etc. Buy whatever is cheaper.

 

[ARTinCT]

Over the years I have used Dillon's Case Polish, Flitz Tumbler/Media Additive (Green Eco Safe), Iosso Case Polish and Nu Finish (The Once a Year Car Polish).

Of the four products they all work about the same. I let my RCBS sidewinder run about 5 hours with brass and walnut shell media and before turning the tumbler on I add a cap full or squirt of one of these polishes.

I have found that the pistol brass that was cleaned in the Iosso Case Polish does for some reason seem to full length size somewhat easier in my Star progressive reloaders. This may be that the Iosso is somehow imparting a small amount of something to the exterior of the cases which results in less effort to cycle the Star.

If you are trying to save money then the Nu Finish may be the less costly alternative. Some folks I hear thin NuFinish down with some mineral spirits but I do not do that.

Presently, I am using Flitz Tumbler/Media Additive. It cleans really well and just a small cap full does a great job.

 

[rcmodel]

Flitz is the best there is.
I have Lymans right now, but have also used Midway and Dillon's polish with good results in the past.

If I might offer you one suggestion, it would be to dump your mixture of media containing glass beads in the trash and start over with walnut and/or corn cob media & polish additive.
It is benign and hamless.

Even one glass bead stuck in or on a case can scratch a die, or even your gun barrel!!!

rc

 

[jcwit]

Any cleaner wax/polish for auto finishes work just great. Not only do they polish but they add a finish "wax?" that protects the brass case and copper bullet.
Nu-Finish
Turtle Wax
Meguirers
and many many more

 

[rondog]

#1 Don't mix stuff together, and don't use glass beads.
#2 Use dry walnut bird litter from PetSmart for case cleaning.
#3 Use the smallest corncob you can find (Grainger's 20/40 is excellent), and mix in a capful of NuFinish car polish, for case polishing.

I do the 2-step cleaning/polishing routine with walnut then corncob, and get excellent results.

 

[snuffy]

After reading the op's post, I immediately said to self, that guy should get rid of the glass beads! RC model beat me to it. That alone is why your cases are dull, it's MUCH to abrasive to be used on brass! And as RC said, it can and will damage dies and gun barrels.

I remember a discussion once back a couple years, some dolt was trying SAND in a tumbler for brass cleaning!!! He was convinced it would work and not do any damage!

As for polish additives, I've used Flitz, midway/FA polish, and just recently tried Nu-Finish. The flitz is the best, but also the most expensive. Oh, all with corn cob, I tried walnut, it's good if you don't want a high shine.

 

[dubble07]

rondog, that picture is worth a thousand words !

 

[SgtRock04]

Ok, I picked up Nu Finish polish & an MSDS sheet on the said product.Here's whats in it:
1.Petroleum Distillates 6-12% 100ppm
2.Ceramic Micropheres 3-10% 100ppm
3.Oleic Diethanol Amide 1-5% 200ppm

Will this stuff leave an residue that will alter the powder burn? Any Chemists out there?(Ha,ha).

The reason I paired the fine glass bead with the extra fine walnut shell is I found the walnut was sticking to the inside of the cases which I was pretty sure wasn't good for ignition,it actually worked in knocking walnut off of cases,however, I'm not sure if it scratches caes.It can't get to the gun & do damage because I tap & sort brass from Tumbler before proceeding to next step of reloading. Thanks for the input everyone! SgtRock04

 

[snuffy]

Oh, ya want pics? Ummmm, okay!

Midway/FA tumbler media separator, flitz and corncob, about 3 hours on those 40's.



Loaded before tumbling.



In process---I do put the lid on, just removed it to show.



.223 all done tumbling, ready for lube & sizing.

 

[Lee Roder]

sgt rock - your glass spheres weren't "microspheres"

 

[SgtRock04]

Ceramic microsperes

These were in the Nu Finish car wax,not my tumble media.Thanks just the same

 

[The Varmint Guy]

Hello Gents;
New to this forum.
From the looks of the photos you might profit by placing your tumbler into a plastic bin...with the top off so you don't heat up the motor. The plastic bin will catch the mess and spills and make the storage super easy.
Just a thought.

 

[45ACPUSER]

Iosso and corn cob is better then Flitz, in my experiece....but not by much. The upside to Iosso is that it seems to me that it aids in running the brass in the sizing die, some how?

 

[Randy1911]

I know I will get flamed for saying this, but I have been using Brasso for over 20 years and corn cob. I let it run for about 30 minutes to let the ammonia evaporate. I then put in the brass and let run for usually 2 hours and it comes as shinny as those in the pictures posted above. I know they say ammonia is bad, but I get 25+ reloads on my brass before it cracks. I mean it is a brass polish. So I don't see it hurting anything.

 

[tom357mag]

I know I will get flamed for saying this, but I have been using Brasso for over 20 years and corn cob. I let it run for about 30 minutes to let the ammonia evaporate. I then put in the brass and let run for usually 2 hours and it comes as shinny as those in the pictures posted above. I know they say ammonia is bad, but I get 25+ reloads on my brass before it cracks. I mean it is a brass polish. So I don't see it hurting anything.
__________________
NRA Member
26 year Reloader

+1 on the brasso

 

[jcwit]

but I get 25+ reloads on my brass before it cracks.

Wouldn't call that phenomenal, I got 45 acp brass that has been fired so many times its getting hard to read the headstamp and rifle brass that has been reloaded now over 100 times. Yes the primer pockets are still tight.

Why use Brasso and let the ammonia evaporate, why not just use a polish that doesn't have ammonia in it? Metal polish is not rocket science, no more than oils and greases for firearms. But many folks seem to think there is some super secret magical ingrediant
in it that makes it super duper. Notice how close duper is to dupe?

 

[1SOW]

Randy1911: I have a coincidental 26 yrs in the military and retired a long time ago. That D@^^3> Brasso is good stuff.

The amount your using (unles your corncob media looks like pancake batter) and letting the Brasso/ammonia disperse/evaporate, shouldn't be any problem for brass cases.

I'm using range brass plus my cases if I find them. My pistol cases look very good using the Cabellas polish that came with my tumbler, but for that new look mine take 4 or more hours.. I'll probably go to Nu-Finish or one of the car polishes after I run out.

I don't know how the Brasso feels after the polishing, but my cases DO run through my turret press much smoother than not having polish in the media.

 

[fourdollarbill]

I use a cap full of Nu-Finish about every third tumble and it works great. It has no residue left on the case and they are shiny. If I have a bad batch of really ugly brass I will give it a shot of Brasso and I never had a problem with my cases. (yet ??)

 

[jjohnson]

Nu-Finish +1

I've tried a bunch of different methods over the last 40 years of reloading.

Nu-Finish is what I'm using these days with the Grainger corncob stuff - together, they're the "low cost solution."

Nu-Finish is "polish," if I recall right - there's a difference between products sold as auto "polish" or "buffing compound" and "wax." Nu-Finish has a fine abrasive in it which cleans the brass (very well, indeed). You could Turtle Wax your brass, but you'd be doing more waxing than polishing - any polishing action you'd get would be from the media itself. It'll still work - but the Nu-Finish will surprise you how fast it'll do the job.

 

[USSR]

As far as I know, I'm the only guy who has tried this: scouring powder (Comet, Ajax, etc.). You only need about a half a teaspoon, and it works quite well.

Don

 

[Walkalong]

Range brass, Grainger Corncob & Midway polish. Dillon, Berrys, etc, do just as well.