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Rifles, Reloading, Optics, Equipment
Reloading
Can brass be damaged from over cleaning with stainless pins?
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<blockquote data-quote="7Footer" data-source="post: 2109149" data-attributes="member: 74079"><p>I switched to SS tumbling a while ago because I am in the fortunate postition to have access to a lot of range brass, almost all of it .223, 9mm and .45. This stuff is often really rough stuff that's been in the snow and mud for a while, so I was looking for a cleaning sytem to clean them up before running them through my dies. Since this brass is pretty much free to me, I have experimented with different recipes and processes for the tumbler to see what works and also what can ruin brass.</p><p></p><p>First I have found that decapping first (I only decap the .223- I don't bother with the pistol cases,) while an extra step, this allows the water to fully drain from the inside of the cases. Once they are decapped, I tumble them for an hour to an hour and 1/2 using 1/4 cup of car wash soap and a teaspoon of Lemishine with 3 gallons of warm water and 15 lbs of SS media. This will clean about 1500 pieces of .223 or a whole bunch of 9mm. With this technique and recipe, I end up with batches of beautiful bright shiny brass with pristine primer pockets. Also, I think the carwash soap may have some wax or something that provides a bit of protection to the surface of the brass, because it seems to stay shiny longer.</p><p></p><p>When I have used dish soap or dishwasher detergent or Simple Green, I have issues with the brass turning pink or even red in color. The same thing happens when I use too much Lemishine, or go too long on time. If I just use dishsoap, the brass gets clean, but it never gets shiny and pretty. I have read that the chemicals in the detergents and Lemishine strip the zinc from the surface of the brass causing it to turn pink. I have also noticed that the pink brass quickly tarnishes to a nasty brown, espeacially if I don't do a great job drying them right away. I don't think that this has any real negative effect on the quality of the brass though, because I have been able to restore the brass color to pink brass by using walnut media in a vibratory cleaner. Since I just use this stuff for thinning out the prairie dogs or plinking with the kids, if I do end up with pink brass now, I just shoot it. As far as peening or flaring the case mouths, I clean the cases before I size them, then I trim them, so I haven't had any issues there.</p><p></p><p>So, to answer the original post question- In my experience with SS tumbling, I have tried to ruin brass, but so far, I haven't been able to do so.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="7Footer, post: 2109149, member: 74079"] I switched to SS tumbling a while ago because I am in the fortunate postition to have access to a lot of range brass, almost all of it .223, 9mm and .45. This stuff is often really rough stuff that's been in the snow and mud for a while, so I was looking for a cleaning sytem to clean them up before running them through my dies. Since this brass is pretty much free to me, I have experimented with different recipes and processes for the tumbler to see what works and also what can ruin brass. First I have found that decapping first (I only decap the .223- I don't bother with the pistol cases,) while an extra step, this allows the water to fully drain from the inside of the cases. Once they are decapped, I tumble them for an hour to an hour and 1/2 using 1/4 cup of car wash soap and a teaspoon of Lemishine with 3 gallons of warm water and 15 lbs of SS media. This will clean about 1500 pieces of .223 or a whole bunch of 9mm. With this technique and recipe, I end up with batches of beautiful bright shiny brass with pristine primer pockets. Also, I think the carwash soap may have some wax or something that provides a bit of protection to the surface of the brass, because it seems to stay shiny longer. When I have used dish soap or dishwasher detergent or Simple Green, I have issues with the brass turning pink or even red in color. The same thing happens when I use too much Lemishine, or go too long on time. If I just use dishsoap, the brass gets clean, but it never gets shiny and pretty. I have read that the chemicals in the detergents and Lemishine strip the zinc from the surface of the brass causing it to turn pink. I have also noticed that the pink brass quickly tarnishes to a nasty brown, espeacially if I don't do a great job drying them right away. I don't think that this has any real negative effect on the quality of the brass though, because I have been able to restore the brass color to pink brass by using walnut media in a vibratory cleaner. Since I just use this stuff for thinning out the prairie dogs or plinking with the kids, if I do end up with pink brass now, I just shoot it. As far as peening or flaring the case mouths, I clean the cases before I size them, then I trim them, so I haven't had any issues there. So, to answer the original post question- In my experience with SS tumbling, I have tried to ruin brass, but so far, I haven't been able to do so. [/QUOTE]
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Can brass be damaged from over cleaning with stainless pins?
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