Cleaning brass without a tumbler

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Kyler

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I have just started cleaning brass havent ever bothered with it before and i was wanting to start. I want to clean for a while before i get a tumbler. So i was wondering how you clean your brass with out a tumbler? Can you just use a glass jar and put varsal or parts cleaner in the jar, and then shake it up for a while does that work? does any body else know how to do it differently? let me her it and ill giver a try. Thanks kyler.
 
Before I get hammered for not having a tumbler yet, here goes. Dump brass in an old salad bowl with hot water/ dish soap. Stir for a minute. Drain.Rinse.
Go half cup vinegar, quarter cup lemon juice, and boil a kettle of water. mix vinegar, lemon juice, dish soap, and a pack of kool-aid for great smell! in the bowl. Add water, then add brass.

Stir for a minute. Let sit for 20 minutes. Stir for a minute. Let sit 20 minutes. Stir. Drain. Rinse well. Soak in water. Rinse well. Done.

If you want to see the difference, just leave out 10 pieces of brass, and just use soap and water.

If you do this, make sure all brass is covered by water, otherwise your brass comes out funky.
 
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Cleaning Brass Without a Tumbler....

...sucks a$$.
Tumblers are pretty damn cheap...too cheap to go without one.
I'd recommend walnut blasting media from a sandblasting supply shop - 50 pound bags go for around $25
 
the problem with tumblers is dust, which can be a source of lead poisoning. don't use a tumbler in a small apartment or near food. Dump the medium and brass into a mesh over a bowl to separate it outside and wear a mask. I used to just wash mine in a bucket with hot soapy water and scrubbed it with a brush for 10 minutes.
 
I'm a newb reloader and even though I have the luxury of being able to reload/tumble in the garage, I found it dusty as well. I'm using corn media. I've got ideas on how to mod my brand new Lyman Pro Magnum 2500 with Auto-Flo media separator so as to dump the media directly into a pail thru a chute. All enclosed. No fuss or muss.
 
Colin said:
the problem with tumblers is dust, which can be a source of lead poisoning. don't use a tumbler in a small apartment or near food. Dump the medium and brass into a mesh over a bowl to separate it outside and wear a mask. I used to just wash mine in a bucket with hot soapy water and scrubbed it with a brush for 10 minutes.
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peter2772000 said:
I'm a newb reloader and even though I have the luxury of being able to reload/tumble in the garage, I found it dusty as well. I'm using corn media. I've got ideas on how to mod my brand new Lyman Pro Magnum 2500 with Auto-Flo media separator so as to dump the media directly into a pail thru a chute. All enclosed. No fuss or muss.
Click to expand...

Just add one or 2 used Bounce Dryer sheets to the mix and change them every time that you tumble. I helps keep the media clean and keeps the dust down.

I use 2 in a 2200 and the 2500.
 
I've not tried this myself but know sevear shooters that bag there brass up in fine mesh bags and throw it in the washing machine with all there dirty linen like denim jeans and other dark clothes, the cases although wet do come out very clean, you just need to dry them off for a day or two before using.
 
rtaylor1956 said:
I've not tried this myself but know sevear shooters that bag there brass up in fine mesh bags and throw it in the washing machine with all there dirty linen like denim jeans and other dark clothes, the cases although wet do come out very clean, you just need to dry them off for a day or two before using.
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Your wife will kill you.
 
I just wipe my brass with CLR. Works good.

I ve also warpped brass in a sock and put it through the washer. Works really well, but the some of the brass gets a little dented, so I usually just use CLR.
 
rtaylor1956 said:
I've not tried this myself but know sevear shooters that bag there brass up in fine mesh bags and throw it in the washing machine with all there dirty linen like denim jeans and other dark clothes, the cases although wet do come out very clean, you just need to dry them off for a day or two before using.
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You're kidding me? 'Cause I gotta tell you, I'm not all that impressed with the cleaning capabilities of my tumbler. Even 4 hrs doesn't seem to get the insides of the cartridges 100% clean.
If this really works, I've got a Lyman 2500 Pro Magnum Reloader with Auto-Flo for sale. Hardly used....:p
 
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beltfed said:
...sucks a$$.
Tumblers are pretty damn cheap...too cheap to go without one.
I'd recommend walnut blasting media from a sandblasting supply shop - 50 pound bags go for around $25
Click to expand...

I agree. I bought a bag 2 years ago, packed it all in 5 gallon buckets and am not even through a bucket yet. It lasts for a long time.
 
peter2772000 said:
You're kidding me? 'Cause I gotta tell you, I'm not all that impressed with the cleanimng capabilities of my tumbler. Even 4 hrs doesn't seem to get the insides of the cartreidges 100% clean.
If this really works, I've got a Lyman 2500 Pro Magnum Reloader with Auto-Flo for sale. Hardly used....:p
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What are you using for media?

How old is the media?

I use a 2500 without any problems.
 
RePete said:
What are you using for media?

How old is the media?

I use a 2500 without any problems.
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New tumbler, using new corn media purchased from Higginson's (everything was purchased within the last 2-weeks). Have run about 4-5 thousand casings so far. Tried 2, 3 & 4 hrs, with 4 being the most efficient (as if it could hurt LOL). Tried a capful of NuFinish for the last 15 minutes of tumbling on batch #3. I then realized that it wasn't so much a lack of shine, but just the casing colour in general that I wasn't impressed with.
Who knows, maybe I'm just being too finicky...:runaway:
 
i grabbed a Lyman turbo tumbler for $79 at Ellwood Epps and it works great the ceramic style media it came with isisnt dusty at all....

i have heard that jsut washing them in soapy water works half decent if you dont care about brand new looking apperarence....
 
I went out to Donovans Industrial Park near St. John's and got a big ass bag of walnut media for 20-25 bucks. That, with my Lyman tumbler has polished up even the crappiest looking brass.
 
Colin said:
the problem with tumblers is dust, which can be a source of lead poisoning. don't use a tumbler in a small apartment or near food. Dump the medium and brass into a mesh over a bowl to separate it outside and wear a mask. I used to just wash mine in a bucket with hot soapy water and scrubbed it with a brush for 10 minutes.
Click to expand...

Lead poisoning? Does this apply to fmj or only if your shooting cast bullets?
 
My 2500 cleans .45acp brass good with the corn cob media but doesn't seem to get the .44mag brass clean(shiny). I tried some walnut media and it wasn't any better. Maybe I need to let it run for a day instead of 4 hours:confused: I use the Dillon case polish also.
 
The lead poisoning issue is with any rounds that were fired with primers that contain lead salts. Some do and some don't.

The salts should be water soluble so a soap and water rise before tumbling should solve most of the problem if you are concerned about it. Some people also put a damp rag over the machine while tumbling to catch the dust.
 
I still give my brass a quick wash and then dry before tumbling, keeps the media cleaner and as mentioned reduces the lead issues.
 
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