chemically cleaning brass????

tactical870

tactical870

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I've got some really old 577 snider brass that is in need of some serious cleaning. Is there any reason I can't dip it in a mild chemical cleaner to remove the tarnishing and crud? I'm a mechanic and thinking about using combustion chamber cleaner or something similar for a few hours.... It's basically a mild acid solution which I use on brass carburetor parts all the time with no adverse effects.....
 
Birchwood Casey makes a solution just for that purpose. I have used it and it works well. Your mild acid solution would probably be ok but if it is to harsh it could weaken the brass a bit.
 
Last week I tryed something new. I poured about a tablespoon of Brasso into the medium in my tumbler and it did a great job. Cleaned my cases up in no time. My only concern is that the Brasso residue, as slight as it may be, may have some sort of reaction with powder. So I'm going to give them another run through some clean medium to minimize the possibility.
 
Been using brasso for years, as in many,many years. If there is any residue, which I've seen no sign of, it will not affect your powder.
 
Brass should be pretty much immune to treatment in almost any mild acid solution. The thing to avoid is ammonia, which has a hellacious corrosion effect on brass and also induces cracking.
 
Friend of mine uses steel shot, does a very nice job just by itself.

Acetic acid (vinegar) is another option.
 
SIGP2101 said:
Opps sorry... brain fart CLR Calcium Lime Rust Remover.
I was thinking something else... cameras
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Every kitchen in Canada has a jug.

I am leary about using chemicals on old and brittle metals. The little voice in my head says the chemicals will eat the corrosion and tarnish, but how will you neutralize them? The other little voice says, unless the brass is grossly deformed and won't cycle through the dies, why bother? That is the lazy side of my paranoia talking.
 
browning said:
I just seen a show today that when you soak a dirty penny in lemon juice it comes out just like new. Anybody ever try this on brass.
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There is a popular recipe using lemon juice, vinegar, dishwashing liquid and salt. I've tried it, didn't work too well for me. It doesn't remove the gunpowder residue which is my primary concern and it certainly does not shine the brass at all.
 
Old dirty BRASS

Two issues, cleaning the outside and cleaning the inside.
1. First Clean the outside and inside in a tumbler or vibrator.
2. Clean the outside using a drill press or hand drill using a LEE adapter, spin the brass and use 000 or 0000 steel wool and a bit of WD40, this will clean up the most tarnished brass to a nice shiney finish.

It takes a bit of time but the finished product is worth it.
Bill
 
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