Bleached Casings: Doh!

gregb

gregb

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I don't even have a press yet but I thought, what the hell, I may as well clean
my empty casings so they will be ready when the day comes.

I used some water, soap, vinegar and a little bit of bleach. The bleach ended up
taking off pretty much all of the shiny brass finish. They are clean now but are they usable for reloading? There are about 500 rounds.

Thanks.
 
I have found that vinegar will etch cases if you aren't careful but unless they start to feel rough they still work fine. If they are too bad they start to get tough to size.

Not sure what the bleach will do but a little surface discolouration should not be a big deal. Polish them back up in the tumbler if you have one.
 
I think it was both the vinegar and the bleach that etched the brass finish...the vinegar and the bleach are acidic. It should not harm the reloading at all. I do not tumble any of mine. Why do it? to impress the neighbors? Does it really matter if the brass shines or the holes in the target shine?
 
Tumbling cases is about more than making them bright and shiny(though that is a good thing,why not make em purty?),it is about cleaning them to be able to inspect for incipient head separations,split case mouths and other defects that dirt may conceal.It also helps to get grit and stones,twigs etc out of the cases,in case they were picked up off gravel or what have you.I tumble before I deprime and sometimes after as well,depending upon how dirty or dull the cases are.

I don't think vinegar would do more than dull a bright finish,but the bleach may very well have created some premature corrosion.Not a good idea to use the 2 together!!Soap is probably OK,and another water soluble mild chemical will restore the shine,bismuth of something or other?

However,I doubt that a brief exposure to a small quantity of bleach would harm the metal.I suggest you reload away,but watch them for signs of "breaking bad",that is,segregate them and watch them as a batch.
 
Thanks for the info guys. I like the shininess as well, but I'm sure they will reload
just fine. They are once fired only so the integrity of the casings are good.
 
Guys, Vinegar is an acid (acetic acid), and bleach is a base (sodium hypochlorate), when you mix them the reaction release chlorine gas. This is not good!

From Wikipedia...
For example, mixing an acid cleaner with sodium hypochlorite bleach generates chlorine gas.

Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At high concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation.

Thankfully vinegar is a weak acid so not much chlorine was released, but still....
 
gregb said:
Thanks for the info guys. I like the shininess as well, but I'm sure they will reload
just fine. They are once fired only so the integrity of the casings are good.
Click to expand...

roberti11 said:
Guys, Vinegar is an acid (acetic acid), and bleach is a base (sodium hypochlorate), when you mix them the reaction release chlorine gas. This is not good!

From Wikipedia...
For example, mixing an acid cleaner with sodium hypochlorite bleach generates chlorine gas.

Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At high concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation.

Thankfully vinegar is a weak acid so not much chlorine was released, but still....
Click to expand...

Get yourself a tumbler and some polishing compound (Nu-Finish, Lyman Polish, Etc...) and don't muck about mixing chemicals.

Many a housewife in the 40's/50's asphyxiated due to mixing bleach and ammonia.
 
Last edited:
roberti11 said:
Guys, Vinegar is an acid (acetic acid), and bleach is a base (sodium hypochlorate), when you mix them the reaction release chlorine gas. This is not good!

From Wikipedia...
For example, mixing an acid cleaner with sodium hypochlorite bleach generates chlorine gas.

Chlorine is a powerful irritant that can inflict damage to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. At high concentrations and prolonged exposure it can cause death by asphyxiation.

Thankfully vinegar is a weak acid so not much chlorine was released, but still....
Click to expand...

Yes indeed, Chlorine gas = not cool. Luckily I did the bleach seperate from the vinegar, it was shortly after I had them in the Vinegar and water solution. But yes, a tumbler would not be such a bad idea!
 
Winnipeg Toymaker said:
I think it was both the vinegar and the bleach that etched the brass finish...the vinegar and the bleach are acidic. It should not harm the reloading at all.
Click to expand...

Bleach is not acidic, it's basic (the total opposite of acidic)

Vinegar is a mild acid, yes.

Mixing them results in salt water and pure, unbastardized, unadulterated chlorine gas.

Be extremely careful mixing these and do it outside. It will generate heat and chlorine gas. Use either one or the other, folks; not both together :O
 
....cleaning brass....

...some brands of brass tumblers make a lot of noise and can annoy other family members or neighbors as well...I settled on a Black & Decker battery operated electric drill with a Lee case trimmer (shell holder)...you can use steel wool or 3M sanding sponge (320 grit) and spin clean your casings (one at a time) with very little noise and no obnoxious chemical smell....it is a time consuming process but it does keep the "family peace".....
 
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