Wet tumbling brass - why is my brass getting tarnished?!

Ben Keller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
195
Location
North Carolina
I've recently switched to wet tumbling and when I'm done with a lot of brass it looks great, but after a few hours out of the tumbler it already starts to tarnish and look grey.

I've been told that lemon shine is very acidic and using too much can actually cause this. I never really measured my Lemi shine but I use a small sized tumbler (it holds 30 or so cases of 7mm Rem. Mag.) and I was probably using a full tablespoon amount along with the same amount of dawn dish soap. That being said was that the problem and if so how much lemi shine should I use?

I like the wet tumbling and the brass comes out looking awesome I just want the shine to stay. Any thoughts or recommendations would be great on what you all use while wet tumbling to get great results.
 
City water may have chlorine in it, well water may have calcium, iron etc. I use well water and for rinsing I boil the water and like to use it as hot as possible, because having the brass hot after rinsing also speeds drying. I thought the instructions I got with my kit indicated a very small amount of the lemishine, like half a teaspoon. Using warm water for tumbling is much more effective than added detergent or lemishine. Don't use hot water since if it makes any vapor it may pop the lid off the tumbler and make a mess.... Dont ask how I know...
 
Its a post rinse. I think if you rinse the cases with warm or hot water and work on reducing the concentration of your cleaner to the point where you notice a difference in cleaning, you will get rid of the tarnish.

Not doing a post rinse would be like leaving your car in the sun with the soap suds sitting on it. Its not going to shine much and will probably have a ton of water marks...
 
I've recently switched to wet tumbling and when I'm done with a lot of brass it looks great, but after a few hours out of the tumbler it already starts to tarnish and look grey.

I've been told that lemon shine is very acidic and using too much can actually cause this. I never really measured my Lemi shine but I use a small sized tumbler (it holds 30 or so cases of 7mm Rem. Mag.) and I was probably using a full tablespoon amount along with the same amount of dawn dish soap. That being said was that the problem and if so how much lemi shine should I use?

I like the wet tumbling and the brass comes out looking awesome I just want the shine to stay. Any thoughts or recommendations would be great on what you all use while wet tumbling to get great results.
My Gawd, you're using way to much lime shine,.
my formula in my Thumbler Tumbler that the boys that make the SS media give you when you buy the SS pins is 3# of brass to 3 quarts of water, 2 to 3 teaspoons of Dawn, and 1/4 teaspoon of LIME SHINE!!! They tell you to use cold water. (the warm water will suds up on you) been using it for a couple of years now and have done 1000's of rounds of brass. Look on you tube. I rinse in warm water as I remove the pins then dry the brass in a big cotton towel to get most of the moisture off, then put on a cookie sheet in dry in the oven at what ever your lowest temp will go (mine is 175) to for about 45 min then let cool down in the turned off oven. Never have had a problem.
 
Sounds good! Thanks for the info. I was already doing a post wash in cool water and then I would individually wipe down each piece of brass before I let them air dry for a day prior to reloading.

I'll def start measuring and using less lemi shine which sounds like will fix my problem. I'm going to start with a new lot of brass as well in case the acidity in my old method damaged the brass I was using.

I knew someone on here would have the answer, and I knew there was a chance I jacked it up.
 
For me, it's the combination of less Lemi Shine (1/2 teaspoon) and also rinsing immediately after the tumbler stops. Not doing either can result in the tarnish you're talking about.

I take the bin directly from the tumbler and dump it all (brass and pins) into a fine colander suspended over a bucket (fine enough to catch the pins). Rinse immediately with a hose. I then rinse each piece as I'm shaking out the pins. Don't let the mucky water in the bucket fill up to the level of the brass in the colander, as it will put the muck back on your brass.
 
I use a big drop of Dawn and about 1/8 tsp of lemi shine for about 30 .280 cases or double that in 9mm. It is the Lemi Shine. Too much will discolor your brass.
 
Try this. Worked for me forever. Use a cap full of Hornady sonic clean in you tumbler. Use cold water, not hot. Make sure you pins are clean, may have to use a degreaser to get them bright and shiny silver. Rinse in cold water, air dry, not oven or case dryer. If you are in a hurry put a fan on them as they lay on a towel on the floor. Pre wash cases in a bucket of warm water and your favorite dish soap. Use your hand and swish them for a minute or two, rinse all the soap off. This gets most of the sizing lube off so it's not in your pins. When dry I bag the cases in gallon zip-lock bags. I have bags of 223 and 308 brass cleaned a year or two ago that are still pretty shiny, not as good as when they came out but still real good. I have tried all other manner of solutions and the Sonic Clean works the best by far. A quart will last forever. Really, my tumbler is pretty big and I use a tablespoon. Lots of tablespoons in a quart. Winds up costing less per load then Dawn/lemi Shine. Oh yeah, don't touch them with your bare hands, wear exam gloves as the oil from your skin causes them to tarnish. Rinse your pins when done too. If you scoop them in your hand a bit and your hand gets dirty then your pins need to be cleaned. I use the ZEP purple stuff from Home Depot. If you pre-wash they tend to stay clean far longer. I have done more than 10,000 cases this way and it never fails.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top