Your favorite SOAP for washing brass cases?

[NoAlibi]

I found over three hundred threads that had some mention of cleaning brass cases, but very little info on what soap reloaders use to wash their brass. I just want to wash the dirt off and remove most of the carbon before putting them into my vibratory tumbler.

I’m only interested in using soap and nothing involving acids like vinegar, etc.. Tide was suggested, but no mention whether liquid or powder was used and so on.

So if you have a favorite I’d appreciate you steering me in the right direction - thanks.....Doc

 

[WNTFW]

I would test a small batch with the soap & water first.

In the past I tried out different methods. My rule of thumb is don't handle brass any more than you have to. That includes never wetting it with water.

Pistol brass or rifle brass?

 

[NVMM]

Use only laundry detergent. I use a liquid in hot water.

 

[Jim Watson]

Before I got my ceramic media tumbler set up, I washed BPCR brass with Dawn dish detergent. I still use it for soaking. I decap on the range and carry brass home in a jug of soapy water.

 

[1SOW]

ERA Liquid is my fav, because that's what my wife uses to wash clothes.

It works fine.

 

[Hondo 60]

Like WNTFW I handle it as little as possible, including never getting it wet.

 

[fireman 9731]

Why only laundry detergent?

I usually use Dawn.

 

[jmorris]

lemi-shine dish washing detergent does a good job

 

[Publius1688]

I use whatever the wife has in the laundry room. I don't think it really matters, so long as it's soap, and you rinse it well.
After a very thorough rinse, I let the cases sit in a weak water/vinegar solution for about ten minutes. Really shines them up.

 

[soloban]

I've used oxyclean and hot water before. Worked pretty good.

 

[Muttt]

Simple Green. 1 part SG with 10 parts water.

 

[RhinoDefense]

Citric acid.

 

[rbernie]

Simple Green or any citric-based house cleaner.

 

[NoAlibi]

WNTFW: "Pistol brass or rifle brass?"

Pistol for now. Does it make a difference?

I should have mentioned that I've use Cascade Electric Dishwashing detergent, but the stuff never dissolved and really only got the dirt off and left plenty of carbon. After thoroughly rinsing the brass I spread it on a very large cookie sheet (Stained it the first time I used it and it became mine after Mamma-san made me replace it.) and then bake it at 250F for 30 minutes. At that temperature the cases are dry and it has never shortened case life for me.

Jim Watson: "I decap on the range and carry brass home in a jug of soapy water."

I'm going to do that too, so case prep doesn't seem so grueling since it's not done all at one time.

 

[Greg Mercurio]

Dawn.

 

[Tilos]

I little Tide concentrated liquid, water, and a few small rags in a plastic container.
Shaken everytime I walk by during the day/night.

This soak/wash/rinse/dry often allows me to skip the tumbling.

With "help" picking up brass at matches, I once discovered a fully loaded 9mm round while RINSING brass after a 2 day soak.
The next trip to the range I put that soaked round, alone in a mag, and it went bang.

I'm not sure why some have a never get wet rule

For me, the dry cycle is just a few minutes in the sun and I have enough brass that it's a long time after cleaning, before actually reloading.

 

[Orange Boy]

+1 on the Simple Green

 

[P51D]

Dawn (or whatever dish soap is under the sink) in very hot water, let soak for 30 mins or so, stirring occasionally. Rinse super-well, shaking all the water out from inside the cases. Dry in the sun.

For those who don't like to get them wet, why so?

P51D

 

[rcmodel]

My favorite is just throw right in the tumbler dirty and clean them.
Thats what I bought it for.

Drying a couple hundred wet cases before you can use them is a real PITA.

I washed cases many years ago before I made my first tumbler.
I used a board with about two hundred nails driven in it as a "drying rack".
It was a PITA to use it then too.

rc

 

[Tilos]

rcmodel:
Wow, a drying rack, a pita for sure.
The drying time in the high desert sun...minutes

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

I agree with rcmodel. Toss 'em in the tumbler. The most I would do before that is put 'em in a plastic bucket and give it a few shakes to get rid of the dirt that will fall right off. Corncob and other media just isn't that expensive to worry about getting some of it dirty.

 

[Runningman]

Joy liquid dish detergent or just about any liquid dish detergent.

 

[flashhole]

Any of the dish washing liquids is good. The secret, if you want to call it that, is using hot water. I use as hot water as I can stand to put my hands in to wash and even hotter to rinse. They practically dry themselves after the rinse when they are really hot. I also put them in a low temp oven (>150 degrees F <200 degrees F) for 15 minutes to dry. It takes a temp just over 150F to evaporate loosely coupled water molecules. No use in putting them in a hotter oven.

 

[WNTFW]

NoAlibi,

Reason I asked:
Pistol drains way easier than bottleneck rifle. .223 tend to not want to drain.

 

[flashhole]

That's true if you don't decap the brass first. I never have problems with water staying in the cases when I decap them prior to washing them.