Brass Cleaning....teach me the process...pro’s and can’s

[aushunter1]

Would like to know a little more about this recipe. How much citric acid to how much water? Thanks!

Hi BN, well my machine is tinny, its only does about 30 .308 cases at a time & I usually only put 300ml of water in it as by the time I add the basket with the brass the water level comes up to max.
When this one fails I will go bigger & better but it only cost me $40 & that was 10 years ago!
Its pretty much exact to this one-

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Still I can do 3x30 cases in 30 minutes which is fine for me.
If I shot a lot more I would have upgrade to a bigger machine but it does me for now.

So I put 1 teaspoon of citric acid to the 300ml water, & just 3 or 4 drops of the dish liquid.
If it was a bigger machine I would still work on that ratio.

From what I have read(and I have done a lot of reading on the subject in the past) a lot of people in the USA use Lemonshine but we don't have that here.

I have tried commercial brass cleaners like Birchwood Casey & Lyman brass cleaners & they do not work nearly as good as the plain simple citric acid powder & the powder is so much cheaper as well!

 

[nksmfamjp]

I've been working down a huge back of crushed Walnut shells I got at a pet store years ago and it has done a fine job, but yeah it doesn't really do a great polish job on the brass. I'm at the end of that bag so I may try the corn cob media next since it sounds like it may be superior.

Look on Amazon for best prices. I bought a near lifetime supply for like $20!

 

[Csafisher]

Sonic clean. I use a hornady sonic cleaner with their brass solution. Works pretty good. Let air dry if you have the time or oven. If I didn't use a sonic cleaner it would be SS pins.

 

[nksmfamjp]

If you clean by wet method....how long in the oven to dry them out?

 

[nksmfamjp]

Also, if you use SS pins, how are you 100% sure they are all out?

 

[crystalgayleguy]

I wet tumble with stainless chips and brass wash they come out shining like jewelry then separate rinse then vibrate tumble with corn media to dry

 

[mnshortdraw]

I use a medium size $100 heated ultrasonic tank with water and a pinch of citric acid. Removes all carbon and tarnish without etching the brass. After they're clean, they get a hot water rinse, another rinse in isopropyl alcohol, then go right into the annealer. The alcohol rinse soaks up any water droplets stuck inside or in the primer pockets and evaporates in minutes leaving the brass clean and free of water spots, ready to prime and load.

 

[kiwikid]

If you clean by wet method....how long in the oven to dry them out?

When I asked AMP they told me to heat the oven to 110 C or 230 F and leave the brass in the oven for 10-15 minutes. I leave them for 10 min and then turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven.
I use the Lyman 2500 sonic cleaner with the Lyman Turbo Case Cleaner liquid. For batches of 25 6.5x284 brass I do 2 cycles of 8 min each once the liquid is heated to 65 C and they are spotless. I rinse in hot water twice and towel dry. If I am in a hurry I dry them in the oven otherwise I sit them out in the sun.

 

[Dosh]

Also, if you use SS pins, how are you 100% sure they are all out?

Quite simply use a bright flashlight and look inside. I've found a few in certain calibers, but very few. I always look inside my cases by habit even when I use the vibratory years ago. Compressed air drys wet cases quickly and no rainbow look on the brass. Compressed air will clear the dry tumble media from flash holes easily as well.

 

[nksmfamjp]

If you use sonic...what happens to nickel plated stuff?

 

[338 dude]

Wet tumble With stainless steel pins when they come out they are dried with a heat gun approximately three minutes then they go into a vibratory Tumblr with walnut media and a little bit of white diamond metal polish after the vibrating Tumblr they Are blown out with compressed air

 

[marchboom]

There is only one way to properly clean brass. MY WAY! But, MY WAY has been modified MANY times over the years due to the info I learned from firearms forums such as this one.

The proper way is the way that satisfies YOUR requirements.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

There is only one way to properly clean brass. MY WAY! But, MY WAY has been modified MANY times over the years due to the info I learned from firearms forums such as this one.

The proper way is the way that satisfies YOUR requirements.

BOOM!

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

The proper way is the way that satisfies YOUR requirements.

That is what it takes many pages of this thread to say..........A lot of different ways to reach the same result. Well said marchboom