Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Added to Media?

[Muddyboots]

Sodium bicarbonate is chemically a salt by definition but it is not corrosive unlike sodium chloride which is highly corrosive.

 

[slickyboyboo]

This, but I only do it about every 3rd or 4th cleaning. Let it work into the media a few minutes before adding brass.

Actually you can mix it 50/50 with mineral spirits, and it incorporates into the media much quicker.

 

[Roninco]

Is anyone concerned about the abrasive component of some brass polish (i.e. rouge) getting inside the case then being expelled at high velocity down your precision custom barrel?

 

[22250imp]

I usually use the Lyman corncob media with the green rouge on it. It cleans well but gets stuck in primer pockets so I have to blow them out with compressed air. Sometimes even push them out with a pin.

Recently I have been trying reptile bedding made from crushed walnut. It's smaller in size than the stuff made for tumblers I have tried in the past. I get very few plugged flash holes with this lizard bedding. I have been using the brass polish on the walnut that came with my Berryman tumbler. I had to add quite a bit of it on multiple occasions to get it to clean well. It may take more because there is more surface area on the smaller pieces of the walnut? It does work great when loaded up with the polish.

When I get closer to changing out the media for clean stuff I may try adding some baking soda. I think the brass polish will help it stick to the media and keep it from ending up on the bottom of the tumbler. Being a mild abrasive I think it will help speed up the cleaning process. Being dirt cheap is also a plus!

I also use the reptile bedding along with a bit of the Nu finish. Works great.

 

[ElkSurgeon]

So found this thread this morning & just so happens I sized & prepped 1500 .223 rem cases yesterday on the bench. There's a CarQuest across the street from my work so grabbed some NuFinish & my wife already had the baking soda. Threw in 500 cases & went heavy on both just to try it out…..no clumps & this is results after 2hrs in walnut media, this cuts my tumbling time in half! I absolutely Love this LRH Forum!! ThankYou Guys

Note: brass in picture was purchased years ago & has never seen a tumbler or cleaner

 

[Bigiron71]

Been using BRASSO for 50 years in vibrator with walnut hulls.... NO PROBLEMS...
Before that it was used all during my volunteered enlistment of 4 years
USN...65-69...ON ALL BRASS FITTINGS.... for 100 years before aboard ships to keep brass bright.....
with zero problems.......

Basic Chemistry... leaches Sn out of the alloy which makes it brittle.

 

[SSgt G Cody]

Soda works great in dry mix for fine sandblasting. Should also work well with dry walnut hulls. Similar to 600 grit Alumina for polishing metals. Ammonia should immediately be followed with hot soapy water wash, then rinse and dry! I usually wash range brass in hot soapy water before processing!

 

[6pakzak]

Soda works great in dry mix for fine sandblasting. Should also work well with dry walnut hulls. Similar to 600 grit Alumina for polishing metals. Ammonia should immediately be followed with hot soapy water wash, then rinse and dry! I usually wash range brass in hot soapy water before processing!

I throw my brass in ultra sonic cleaner, anneal and then goes into walnut media, ultra sonic cleaner uses water and ajax, cleans al the nasty stuff off and makes my media last longer since it's not turning black right away.

 

[Old Rooster]

The things my dad polished with brasso maybe was all brass and cartridge cases are mixed.
"Brass is a metal alloy that is always made with a combination of copper and zinc. By varying the amount of copper and zinc, brass can be made harder or softer. Other metals—such as aluminum, lead, and arsenic—may be used as alloying agents to improve machinability and corrosion resistance."
Got the above online

 

[6pakzak]

The things my dad polished with brasso maybe was all brass and cartridge cases are mixed.
"Brass is a metal alloy that is always made with a combination of copper and zinc. By varying the amount of copper and zinc, brass can be made harder or softer. Other metals—such as aluminum, lead, and arsenic—may be used as alloying agents to improve machinability and corrosion resistance."
Got the above online

Must be true then, I used brasso and it worked good, stopped using it cause found out here it was bad for brass, has someone used it and had their brass have a shortened life span, if so I'll skip it, I'm skipping it now anyways cause there are other additives you can use, but I do wonder if a little brasso is so bad, just asking, not saying it's good.

 

[6pakzak]

Sorry Old Rooster I just had to say that cause you said you got it off internet, doesn't mean it's not true, lol.

 

[Old Rooster]

Sorry Old Rooster I just had to say that cause you said you got it off internet, doesn't mean it's not true, lol.

Haven't you heard EVERYTHING on the internet is true?Ha Ha

 

[Old Rooster]

6pakzak you have a good point about using brasso.
I don't know if past case problems were due to using Brasso every now and then or brass old age and hard use.
But out of abundant of caution I will not use it again.Nufinish and Mineral Spirits combination work so well I don't really feel the need for brasso now.Just my opinion and my wife will tell you I am wrong more times than right.

 

[6pakzak]

Haven't you heard EVERYTHING on the internet is true?Ha Ha

6pakzak you have a good point about using brasso.
I don't know if past case problems were due to using Brasso every now and then or brass old age and hard use.
But out of abundant of caution I will not use it again.Nufinish and Mineral Spirits combination work so well I don't really feel the need for brasso now.Just my opinion and my wife will tell you I am wrong more times than right.

Its the oath all reloaders should take, "do no harm to the brass", I agree, why use something that could make your brass worse, there is no need to, brasso was good but not head and shoulders above anything else.