Birchwood Casey Brass Cartridge Cleaner

[horseman2]

It must be 20 years old and the instructions were corroded but the info on the internet sufficed.
Mixed up what little was in the bottle with a liter of water. Instruction would suggest 16 oz. to two gallons of water.
There was lots of crud in the bottom of the bottle after 12 hours.
Rinsed and cleaned the primer pockets. Then into the tumbler with crushed walnut shells.
It looks better than new.
Anyone else tried it?

 

[Alpheus]

I probably will. My ultrasonic cleaner died the other day, and I need something to tide me over until I either fix it or go stainless pins. How did the inside of the cases look?

Sigh, liking shiny brass sucks sometimes.

 

[Arctic]

It's done the basic job for years, still use it for competition brass before the tumbler, and cleans any staining and crud quickly.

 

[Auggie Doggie]

You left it 12 hours!? I only soak the brass for maybe 5 minutes at most and it works fine. Birchwood Casey lists three minutes in the instructions.

Auggie D.

 

[bigedp51]

You gave your brass the "acid test"

MSDS contents for BIRCHWOOD CASEY BRASS CARTRIDGE CASE CLEANER

Dodecylbenzenesulfonic Acid-24%
Phosphoric Acid-20%
Glycolic Acid-7%
Dipropylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-7%
Benzotriazole-1%

 

[horseman2]

So is it still safe . . .
When I got 51's message I took it out after 4 hours, rinsed it off and into the tumbler.

 

[bigedp51]

Homemade Firearm Cleaners & Lubricants
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm

Read 3/4 of the way down under "Chemical Case Cleaning Solutions".

I made the one below, "BUT" do not over do the soak time. (pinker is not better)

A solution of 1 quart of water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup laundry or dishwashing detergent, 1/8 cup salt. Soak with some agitation for 15 to 20 minutes and follow with a rinse of soapy hot water and allow to dry. This may leave brass with a slight pinkish cast which will disappear with a short tumble in media.

So is it still safe . . .
When I got 51's message I took it out after 4 hours, rinsed it off and into the tumbler.

Below is what happens when you forget and leave your brass in too long when wet tumbling with stainless steel media and it worked fine. I think having your brass turn pink would do more damage, but none of us has the means to test the cases. Look at the brass with a strong magnifying glass and look for deep pitting and etching. If the brass is smooth without any deep pitting or discoloration the brass should be just fine.

The first time I used a chemical cartridge case cleaner I was using my parents kitchen sink and I forgot to flush out the copper drain trap. The next day the sink trap was leaking and liquid case cleaners were banned from my parents house.
There after as long as I lived at home it was steel wool and sore fingers to get shiny brass.

 

[horseman2]

On the Sinclair international site they list a new product . . . Iosso


Iosso makes a non-toxic, environmentally-safe chemical case cleaning solution. After a short soak, rinse the cases in hot water, and dry them, either by letting them sit overnight, or using the low-heat oven method. The cleaning solution itself can be reused several times until it gets too dirty, when it can be simply poured down the sink.

The kit with a Quart is about $20 USD, and the gallon is about $25 USD

 

[KODIAK BEAR]

Has anyone got a lead on where to purchase the Birchwood Casey solution. I used to get mine at Wholesale Sports but they do not appear to carry it anymore.