Cleaning Brass HELP Options????

hemidart

hemidart

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Finally am getting into reloading. Need help making the right choice on purchasing a brass cleaning system. What is going to be the best set up I would like to clean everything from .223 to .50BMG.
TUMBLER? VIBRATORY? ULTRASONIC? What is the BEST out there?
THANKS
Pete......:)
 
I wash my brass in hot soapy water, gets rid of a lot of crud, use a scrub brush to give it a 2 minute scrub, rinse and dry, then I tumble. My medium gives us a fair bit of dust, so I empty the tumbler outside with a mask on. I went to the dollar store bought 1 big plastic bowel, 2 plastic baskets with holes in it, put the plastic basket in the bowl, dump in the brass and medium, pour it into the other basket over the bowel, repeat as required, not as nifty as the nice seperators, but also about $35 cheaper. I dump the brass into an old blanket and rub it to get any dust off and give it a shine.
 
I bought a Frankford Arsenel tumbler ($50) and a Lyman separator tray ($12). Buy a bag of crushed walnut shells at petland (lizard litter) for $15, and you're set for less than $80!

I usually plop some car polish in the media every 10 tumbles or so - makes the brass nice and shiney! A little bit of rubbing compound gives the media some bite too. No dust - I separate in my loading room with no issues.
 
Get the biggest tumbler you can find. You won't regret having the larger capacity. Dillon offers a separator and tub that works really well. A cap full of NuFinish liquid car wax speeds the process and I think is the same stuff Dillon and others sell as an additive.

Take Care

Bob
 
dishwasher!

Seriously.. a media tumbler... ultrasonic is great for cleaning guns and gun parts.... not so for 1000's of brass...
 
...Tumbler?...no!, no!, no!....

...tumblers tend to make a lot of noise and cause "friction" with other family members and neighbors.....better to use a Lee Precision "case spinner" system with an electric drill/screwdriver......
 
Colin said:
I wash my brass in hot soapy water, gets rid of a lot of crud, use a scrub brush to give it a 2 minute scrub, rinse and dry, then I tumble. My medium gives us a fair bit of dust, so I empty the tumbler outside with a mask on. I went to the dollar store bought 1 big plastic bowel, 2 plastic baskets with holes in it, put the plastic basket in the bowl, dump in the brass and medium, pour it into the other basket over the bowel, repeat as required, not as nifty as the nice seperators, but also about $35 cheaper. I dump the brass into an old blanket and rub it to get any dust off and give it a shine.
Click to expand...

:confused: You wash/scrub your brass before you put it in the tumbler to clean it?:confused:


Walnut in a tumbler, period. Doesn't get any easier.
 
Whatever you do, do not use sand and rocks to tumble brass like someone I just bought .40 brass from on the exchange forum. :rolleyes:

Glad I noticed the sand and rocks in the cases before I put them through my dies.
 
Get one of those mesh laundry bags ("lingerie" or "baby bag"?), a good one, not a flimsy one, fill bag with brass, throw in washing mashine with a load of towels and some detergent. They come out looking beautiful and shiny! You just gotta make sure your wife doesnt crucify you for it. And also make sure that it's a sturdy mesh bag because if it's not, you'll have to scoop a lot of brass out of the bottom of your washing machine.
 
Tumbler

I use a Lyman and love it. I tried walnut for the media and did not like it as it left dust on the cases. Switched to treated corn cob and never looked back. If you are really thrifty (cheap :) ) you can buy bulk corn cob and add a bit of brass cleaner to it.
 
joe-nwt said:
:confused: You wash/scrub your brass before you put it in the tumbler to clean it?:confused:


Walnut in a tumbler, period. Doesn't get any easier.
Click to expand...


I started out without a tumbler and got into the habit, the washing gets rid of a huge amout of crap and takes all of about 10 minutes. Plus it gets me out of the house and away from the wife and kids. :)
 
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