Brass Cleaning

[starman]

Any recommendation on cleaning brass with liquids rather than a tumbler. What would be a good Mfg. product or home brew for cleaning brass.

Thanks

[Crpdeth]

Starman

In my opinion, there just is no alternative. Tumblers are economical and do a really good job in a short time. That said, I have hand washed older (range pick up) brass that was pretty bad looking. Use a mild soap and make sure you don't use anything that contains ammonia... To dry the brass, just place on a towel out in the sun or under a ceiling fan and spread them out in one layer, until they are good and dry.

This is obvious and I'm sure can go without saying, but don't hurry the drying process, I'd want to make sure it was overly dry before I sat down at the bench with it, but also, do not use an oven or anything like that to dry the brass as it may soften it.

Hope this helps.


Crpdeth

[techoca]

Iosso case cleaner is a liquid cleaner that you dip cases in and then rinse with warm water. The cleaner removes fired powder residue and tarnish from cases. I buy it from Cabelas.

[LDBennett]

starman:

The case cleaner below is suppose to do the job. If you try to use a household cleaner the brass may be compromised (??). I think it better to use a specific cleaner. This brand is available almost anywhere but the specific product may be harder to find. A Google search may reveal a source, like Midway or Cabellas or even your local dealer. When you finish you must get all the water out of the wet cases. An air compressor helps immensely with this task.

http://www.ambientweather.com/gs40199.html

LDBennett

[carver]

Never tried the liquid type cleaners, and after reading the above posts, probably never will. To much time need for the process. I just throw the brass into a tumbler, turn it on, wait a while, sift out the brass, and use. Much simpler!

[LDBennett]

carver:

I agree with you. I use the huge Dillon vibratory cleaner and have for 25 years. It is the easiest way to clean cases. I use the walnut shell media instead of the corn cob media because it is faster and cleans better. It gives the cases a dull shine whereas the corn cob media polishes the cases more, which is really not necessary. The sizing dies usually burnish the case's surface and the shine is more than adequate after sizing.

LDBennett

[bizy]

I agree with crpdeth... Just can't beat an old fashion tumbler. And besides, put'em in the tumbler and take your sweet wife out to eat. When you get home your cases are ready to go..

[starman]

Has anyone tried a combination mix of walnut & corn cob media?

[Crpdeth]

Originally Posted by starman

Has anyone tried a combination mix of walnut & corn cob media?

The only thing I have done in that respect is to go from walnut in one tumbler, to corn cob in another. A little more time consuming, but I enjoy playing with this stuff and the results are nice.

Crpdeth