Case cleaning routine...

zigliss

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Messages
46
Location
Northamptonshire, UK
I'm obsessive about clean cases - just wondered what other use as thier cleaning routine.

Mine looks like this:
- Tumble empty cases 3-4 hours
- De prime; trim; clean primer pocket and deburr
- Ultrasonic cleaner 4 x 480sec cycles
- Tumble cases 3-4hours

What is your preferred routine?
 
Me too. I put mine in a mesh bag and run them through the dishwasher. If it doesn't get it this time, it'll get it the next time.
 
I'm obsessive about clean cases - just wondered what other use as thier cleaning routine.

Mine looks like this:
- Tumble empty cases 3-4 hours
- De prime; trim; clean primer pocket and deburr
- Ultrasonic cleaner 4 x 480sec cycles
- Tumble cases 3-4hours

What is your preferred routine?

Why so long.

- I deprime so as to clean the primer pocket in the process.
- 480 seconds in 50% vinigar in the ultra sonic cleaner. This usually removes all the carbon, inside and case necks.
- Rinse with clean water
- 480 seconds in Birchwood Casey brass case cleaner. 50mls in 500mls.
- Resize now clean casses.
- 90 second in the ultrasonic cleaner with a little dish detergent to remove case lub
- 2 hrs in the tumbler with corn media with about 50mls of Brasso brass cleaner.
- Remove, wipe down, check primer hole for stuck media.

Cases look like mirrors inside and out. Same process for 270win and 300rum. I'll use about 750mls of viniger mix to do about 50 300rum cases or 75 270win cases, just fill the cleaner and keep changing cases. 10 300rum cases at one time in the cleaner and 25 at a time in the tumbler but these numbers will depend on the size of your cleaners.

Process has lots of steps but its not like I put them in the cleaner or tumbles for 5hrs.
 
Why so long.

- I deprime so as to clean the primer pocket in the process.
- 480 seconds in 50% vinigar in the ultra sonic cleaner. This usually removes all the carbon, inside and case necks.
- Rinse with clean water
- 480 seconds in Birchwood Casey brass case cleaner. 50mls in 500mls.
- Resize now clean casses.
- 90 second in the ultrasonic cleaner with a little dish detergent to remove case lub
- 2 hrs in the tumbler with corn media with about 50mls of Brasso brass cleaner.
- Remove, wipe down, check primer hole for stuck media.

Cases look like mirrors inside and out. Same process for 270win and 300rum. I'll use about 750mls of viniger mix to do about 50 300rum cases or 75 270win cases, just fill the cleaner and keep changing cases. 10 300rum cases at one time in the cleaner and 25 at a time in the tumbler but these numbers will depend on the size of your cleaners.


Process has lots of steps but its not like I put them in the cleaner or tumbles for 5hrs.

Always open to new methods - I will try this next time....
 
Viniger works great to remove carbon but just make sure you wash them well or do the birchwood casey step straight after or brass will go black overnight
 
I can trim, chamfer, clean and polish the outside, clean the inside of the necks and mica about 50 cases in an hour

DSCN1280.jpg


with either a polish finish or a brushed matte finish

DSCN0589.jpg

DSCN0628.jpg


the only place that is not cleaned is the inside of the case body and the case head, but I use the case head to mark how many loadings anyway

DSCN0233.jpg


I prefer the polished ones because they have a protective coating on them to prevent tarnish and discoloration but mainly because they chamber easier. You can tell the difference between the polished, the brushed matte or new cases when it comes to chambering.

Gave my tumbler away to a kid who was starting to reload.
 
Last edited:
woods, you make em look so pretty why would you want to fire them!?

jk, lookin nice.. do you bronze brush inside case necks? and why the mica..does it help in seating or firing/release?
 
I use a 22 caliber bronze brush with steel wool wrapped around it

DSCN0719.jpg


the trick is to get it real tight.

The mica is to make the seating smoother which in my tests makes the seating depth much more consistant. It also seems to have slightly reduced my velocity standard deviation although there are so many variables there that I can not say that is the cause.
 
Since we're showing off.

This is the primer pockets after my method. I dont use a pocket brush at all, I just leave them like this.

100_2952.jpg


This is how they look on the outside

100_2949.jpg
 
Hey joel

Those are some very clean cases, very nice. Absolutely better than mine.

Didn't know it was 08/04/2009 already though!!

Where did the time go?
 
Woods,
Thanks for the explanation of the mica. I am really impressed with all your results. Why do some people tumble the cases before depriming? It seems counter-intuitive to me.
akhnaten
 
Woods,
Thanks for the explanation of the mica. I am really impressed with all your results. Why do some people tumble the cases before depriming? It seems counter-intuitive to me.
akhnaten

Depriming isn't the issue it is more to get rid of any grit or dirt on the cases before you put them through the dies thus reduces wear on both case and die.
 
Depriming isn't the issue it is more to get rid of any grit or dirt on the cases before you put them through the dies thus reduces wear on both case and die.

If you use a simple deprimming die first it's not like you will harm your resizing dies.

I do the vinigar and birchwood casey cleaning before I resize then wash and tumble after resize to remove lube and tarnishing finger prints.

I do all my trimming and deburring etc when I resize.
 
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