Cleaning the brass

just a get a tumbler "Lyman" with media of course, and a media separator. for handguns the brass doesnt have to be very shiny or sparkling like stars in the sky. if your shooting outdoors where dirt are sticking ,maybe a 2hours max, indoor where there is no dirt just burning residue an hr is good enough. been reloading for a little while I never have a problem for this quick clean, handguns are not that sensitive, maybe for your dies it adds a little life.
 
BEARMAN said:
Until you get your tumbler try soaking them in hot water and KOOL-AID ( THE CITRIC ACID is the active ingrediant) . Wash first in soap and water to get rid of carbon and dirt, rinse, put in KOOL-AID let sit hour or so ,rinse and dry . You can dry by putting them in a nylon stocking , tying a big knot in the nylon and hanging it in the clothes dryer, the knot outside the top of the door , the bag of cases hanging inside the door but not revolving , run the dryer on hot with nothing in it.
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You gotta be single!...If I pulled a stunt like that with my wifes' new dryer...I'd be shot with one of my own guns! (That's if she knew the combination to the vault..)
 
another for kool-aid. works well. I let them soak over night and rinse them under hot water and then air-dry.

not factory-shine but clean enough to not mess up the dies
 
joe-nwt said:
To all you kool-aid guys:rolleyes: you can buy citric acid in most drugstores......
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I was at a walmart, so I stopped by the drugstore section to ask for some citric acid. The guy jokingly asked me if I wanted to make a bomb, since it is a catalyst in the synthesis of hexamethylene triperoxide diamine. Then we had a good laugh since it turned out we were both chemists. So anyhoo I bought a packet of cool-aid, and I'm giving it a try now. I mixed one packet in 200 mL of water and added a little soap, and after a little sonication it seems to be shining the brass up a significant amount, but I'm not sure if it's fully cleaning the primer pocket.

I will report back if I find a more efficient way to get the amorphous carbon off the brass.
 
joe-nwt said:
Go wash your mouth out with soap......:eek:
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For big brother's sake I'd like to state that I never have nor plan to make anything illegal.


Although I wish I'd have a little more success with the reactions I'm running for my grad work. :mad:
 
I use lemon juice, dish soap and hot water method. It shines the cases right up. In fact I use a process I read on SurplusRifle.com. Here is the link:

surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/liquidcasecleaner/index.asp

I always deprime my cases beforehand, as it gets the primer pockets nice and clean. Then after it is done washing, I pour everything into a strainer (not one you use for meals) and rinse. It is also nice because there is no dust and no media to clean out of the flash holes. Works for me, but I don't mind playing around with water either.

Logan

PS: Is there something wrong with posting links to other sites on here? I have heard there might be a problem. I read in the rules that you are not allowed to post buisnesses, but is only for buisnesses that are not sponsors? or all other websites? Hopefully I don't get any moderators mad. Thanks
 
When I decided to go for a case cleaner set-up, I opted for one that could use a dry media or a liquid.
cariboo_kid
I bought a RCBS Sidewinder and it came with some Formula I Walnut Shell Dry Media and an 8oz container of Liquid Case Cleaner.
I just finished cleaning my first batch of brass, a combination of 40 .458wm and 150 .500 S&W. I used the Walnut Shell dry media and added the packet of cleaning/polishing compound. The cases wern't too dirty and after about three hours they came out looking pretty good. Some people, I note, add a couple of used dryer sheets to keep the dust down and I'm wondering if this would also take the powder added out of the mixture? Anybody know?
I haven't tried the liquid cleaner yet, but I understand a CLR solution also works well. Again, does anyone know? If so, details?
Canuck44
Using Nu-finish, do you add it in with the dry media right from the get go, or do you use it as part of a second operation?
Bushwacker
To separate the media & cases I have an RCBS Rotary case/media separator. Actually, I also recently picked up another very similar set up at local gun show, made by Midway and it fits on to the top of a standard plastic bucket.
Why do I have two? Dammed if I know. I'll probably flog the one by Midway at the next gun show.
 
Johnn Peterson

Hi

In hte past I just added it to the mix. Since then I have received a huge batch of mdeia from a friend in the US. He is in the commercial metal tumbling cleaning business and his stuff works better than anything else I have ever tried to date.

He is a chemical engineer and he tells me once the Nu Finish wax dries in the media it will clean the brass up. Same stuff as Dillon polish at half the price for twice as much.

Tumbling brass to clean it via a case tumbler is far and away the easiest and simplist way to clean your brass...period! I know it can be done by washing but for the mess in volved I don't think it is worth it.

Used drier sheets will remove the dust and grit from your media and extend it's life. I usually take one and cut it into quarters and just toss them in with a load of brass. They usually come out black.

DON"T remove the primers before dumping your brass in the tumbler. all that does is clog the primer pocket. If you shoot rifle and want to clean primer pockets do so with a reamer or one of the power brush units RCBS sells. With pistol it is just a waste of time and adds nothing to performance, accuracy or reliablility of your reloads.

Take Care

Bob
 
IM_Lugger said:
but then you're running the dirty cases thu the resizing die. Doesn’t it kinda defeats the purpose?
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You can buy a Lee universal depriming die, it's just a pin that pops the primer out without touching the case.
 
agent_mango said:
You can buy a Lee universal depriming die, it's just a pin that pops the primer out without touching the case.
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Ya that is what I use, and it works good. The decapping pin is almost unbreakable too. Great product and good price. Everybody has a different reloading method that works for them, and there are many ways to get the same results. That is just my 2 cents.

Logan
 
agent_mango said:
You can buy a Lee universal depriming die, it's just a pin that pops the primer out without touching the case.
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Or a Collet Neck Sizing Die and just short stroke it to get the primer out.
 
Logan.Reese said:
I use lemon juice, dish soap and hot water method. It shines the cases right up. In fact I use a process I read on SurplusRifle.com. Here is the link:

surplusrifle.com/shooting2005/liquidcasecleaner/index.asp

I always deprime my cases beforehand, as it gets the primer pockets nice and clean. Then after it is done washing, I pour everything into a strainer (not one you use for meals) and rinse. It is also nice because there is no dust and no media to clean out of the flash holes. Works for me, but I don't mind playing around with water either.

Logan
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What is the ratio of lemon juice to water that you use?
 
agent_mango said:
What is the ratio of lemon juice to water that you use?
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Well I don't measure the water exactly or anything. What I do is put the cases in the tumbler (about half full), fill it up so the hot water just covers the cases and put in a 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a few drops of dish detergent. Putting in more lemon juice will not hurt the cases or anything. This seems to work good, as the water gets into the bottleneck rifle cartridges much better than dry media. The formula I use is directly off the SurplusRifle.com article I linked to previously.

Logan
 
Hey Logan,

I'm working with a sonic cleaner we bought from ebay, so I can't follow those original instructions. It would be helpful if you could just guesstimate the amount of water per 1/4 cup lemon juice, so I have an idea of where to start from.

Thanks!
 
agent_mango said:
Hey Logan,

I'm working with a sonic cleaner we bought from ebay, so I can't follow those original instructions. It would be helpful if you could just guesstimate the amount of water per 1/4 cup lemon juice, so I have an idea of where to start from.

Thanks!
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I figured out the volume of the big red tumbler to be about 4-5 liters. So, half full is about 2L The problem is when you put cases in there they take up a lot of volume, so I would say I put probably 1-1.5L of water in to cover the cases. So try a quarter cup (about 50mL) for every 1L to start with. Lemon juice is so mild, a little extra won't hurt the cases.

So how does the sonic cleaner work? I have been looking at them, but I thought they might not clean the inside of cases very well.

Logan
 
Logan.Reese said:
I figured out the volume of the big red tumbler to be about 4-5 liters. So, half full is about 2L The problem is when you put cases in there they take up a lot of volume, so I would say I put probably 1-1.5L of water in to cover the cases. So try a quarter cup (about 50mL) for every 1L to start with. Lemon juice is so mild, a little extra won't hurt the cases.

So how does the sonic cleaner work? I have been looking at them, but I thought they might not clean the inside of cases very well.

Logan
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Here is a good link for the potential of the ultrasonic method. It includes a recipe that isn't as simple as the one used for the tumbler and solution discussed here, but the results are great.

http://www.6mmbr.com/ultrasonic.html
 
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