best way to clean brass cases

Spread the mixture on the brass and allow it to sit for a few minutes. In simple English, a wet tumbler is a sealed watertight drum made of plastic or metal that spins on top of a motorized base. All you will need other than a large container, is Tide detergent, salt, and vinegar. TheGoatMumbler 91K views Modern Mountain. For several years I've been using a Lee Classic Turret and just changed over to a Redding T-7 with Redding carbide dies. Part 6: Trimming Cartridge Cases Part 7: Repriming the Cartridge Case Part 8: Powder, Propellants, and Pressure Part 9: All About Primers Part 10: Projectiles: Materials, Weights, and Styles Part 11: Seating and Crimping Bullets Part 12: To Crimp or not to Crimp Part 13: Final Inspection and Packaging Tips The most important step in brass cleaning and preparation is to hoard like those people . I don't want dirt or other debris sticking to the cases. That dust is one of the drawbacks of the dry media method; its remarkably dirty and sticks to everything. For stubborn spots, you can let the ketchup sit for up to an hour or simply repeat the process. Fill the unit to the line with water. Results (from l.-r.): dry media vibratory, ultrasonic and steel pin rotary tumbler methods. Allow it to sit for a few minutes before rinsing with cold water. Here are afew tips and techniques: There are a few areas of concern that you should be awareof when it comes to polishing and cleaning brass: Regular cleaning and polishing with a microfiber cloth willhelp keep dust and dirt from accumulating and keep your brass accents lovelyand lustrous. The pins and cases go inside the drum; we add that 40:1 solution to just cover everything, twist the cap on tightly, and then walk away from it for one to three hours while it does its thing. Simply rub a thin coat onto the brass, let sit foran hour or so, and then clean the piece with hot, soapy water. Before cleaning, all cases appeared like the one on the left. Patriotic Hunter is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Posts. Let it soak for a few hours to loosen up the dirt inside the cases and shake some more. Hi, i am a Uk resident and i currently only reload 44 magnum. Make sure it is lukewarm, not very hot. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Walnut Hulls Walnut hulls work in a manner very similar to corn cob. I have tons of .556 that I want to reload. This system does it all: it cleans the outside and inside of cases, it cleans primer pockets and it polishesand it does it in way less time and with slightly less noise than dry media tumblers.After tumbling, place the two provided pin and brass sifters over a bucket or sink (to accept the liquid media) and dump the drums contents into the sifters. Refer to the directions for your particular machine to determine the quantities of media and polishing agent to add. An average ultrasonic cleaner (2500 ml capacity) can clean up to 900 9 mm cases under 15 minutes. You can use wax cleaner instead of Dawn, as the wax coating resists tarnishing longer. Donna Boyle Schwartz, Bob Vila, 11 Ways to Make the Most of Your Towns Curbside Cleanup Day, 15 Things You Should Never, Ever Clean With Vinegar, 10 Tiny Bugs in Your HouseAnd How to Get Rid of Them. There's also natural oils in stuff like walnut shells. We might instead add jewelers rouge, an abrasive like the media; in fact, we can buy dry media with the rouge already in it. Another case cleaning process that some handloaders favor is to use a chemical cleaner such as Iosso Case Cleaner. If the dry works well enough get the lizard bedding from the pet store. Don't overload the case cleaning machine. Plus, any cases that were tarnished were smooth but still tarnished. You will notice that the capacities are described as 600 9mm or 350 .223 cases. You should avoid touching your brass items asmuch as possible; oils in your skin can hasten tarnishing. Dip a clean, soft microfiber cloth into the solution. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Learn more Brass casings can be reused, but they should first be cleaned to ensure that they have no damage that could prove dangerous when reloading. Most ammunition contains lead within the bullet Be aware, however, that rouge is a very fine powder that can stick to the inner walls of cases, so use it sparingly. Moreover, it can clean my 16 inch AR upper easily. Put the rice in the tumbler and drizzle the liquid in and let it tumble for several hrs to mix it well. Alternatively, you can make a paste to clean it using equal parts vinegar, salt, and white flour. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO CLEAN BRASS WHICH INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: Tumbling is ideal if you have a large number of casings. Dry vibrateThe vibratory tumbler is the most popular cleaning method. If you don't have a tumbler, put the cases in a bucket with a lid, add water and detergent and shake it. I've shot a lot of black powder pistols and rifles and I found the best way of cleaning black powder is hot water and dish soap. Turn each case upside down and tap it to dump out the media that gets caught inside. Major manufacturers like Frankford have manufactured some good quality and affordable tumblers recently. And while it works well for cleaning, unlike dry media tumblers, ultrasonic cleaners do not polish brass, so it comes out clean but dull (perhaps some liquid solutions shine better than others). In a small bowl, combine the ingredients, stirring until the salt and baking soda has dissolved. I am new to reloading, and currently use a vibratory cleaner. I don't think either solution you have to hand is ideal for nickel plated brass. Step 1 Gather the Ingredients and Tools You'll need the following items: an ultrasonic cleaner (preferably 100 Watts power, but machines of 50 Watts will still do an acceptable job, if a bit slower to get there) vinegar solution (half water/vinegar) dishwashing detergent (any brand, but we use Morning Fresh - only a squirt will do) Try it once. But this is the most expensive cleaning solution that I have used so far. An extra long tumbler run in dry media with polish. Hard to see but the inside of these 223 brass are just as clean as the outside with the wet tumbler! Step 1: Test First. Though wet tumbling isnt something new, but the use of stainless steel media along with wet tumbling has seen a sharp increase in popularity in the last decade. As the media particles vibrate against each other they break down into dust. Allow the brass item to sit with this paste . However, like any metal, brass can become dulland tarnished over time. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Primer pockets after cleaning (l.-r.): uncleaned, dry media, ultrasonic and steel pin methods. The brass was clean on the outside and dirty on the inside. The pins are lighter and do not have enough mass to damage the brass cases. What's The Best Way To Clean Brass? One way to solve this problem is to pour some teaspoons of plain paint thinner, this helps to keep the dust down and polishes the brass as well. 7 cups of long grain rice with 1 tablespoon each of liquid car polish and paint thinner. A 7 litre capacity tumbler from Frankford can clean up to 1,000 .223 brass cases at a time. (justify your investments ;)). Clean your fixture with the salted side of the lemon rind and reapply salt as needed. Put the beaker of brass pieces in the basin of the ultrasonic cleaner. Ive loading for nearly 50 years now and this works the best in my Lyman 1200 hundred tumbler. Firstly, heat the normal tap water. Messages. Aug 18, 2014. Each has its own benefits and negatives; only you can match the method to your particular priorities and proclivities to decide which is best for you. Do you clean after very firing? Eventually we have to toss the worn-out media.We can add an ammonia-based liquid to increase the medias polishing power before each tumbling session. On account of its bright, golden color, the material has long been a favorite materialin home design. Vinegar: For this method, you'll mix two tablespoons of vinegar with one tablespoon of salt, and add this mixture to one pint of . BIG DOUBT :)RELOADING Norma 6mmBR VIDEO: https://youtu.be/RGCO9cS368gTESTING 6mmBR ammo VIDEO: https://youtu.be/jqHnqxFPx8g. Moreover, you can even clean your gun parts ( I clean my Glock in this) and your wifes jewelry! If you shoot black powder ammo it is important to clean the brass as soon as possible. Especially military surplus ammo with sealed primers. I read a recipe for a man that I tried and it worked better than any other Ive used. Cases get tumbled in dry media after firing to remove dirt & carbon. Personally, I use Hornady Case Cleaner with no more than 50-55 .308s at a time, and it works well for me. First, Parry says to dissolve one teaspoon of salt into one-half cup of vinegar, then add flour until the mixture becomes a paste. The case interior will be nigh on spotless. Im trying to stay away from buying a regular dry tumbler as Ive already got the ss and an ultrasonic . If youd ask a 100 reloaders how they clean the brass, my guess is 80% of them will tell you that they use a vibratory tumbler from manufacturers like Frankford Arsenal. The electric motor makes the tub vibrate and move in small circular motion. The tumbler is essentially a plastic tub that sits atop an electric motor that causes it to vibrate. Lyman 5-Level Case Dryer Wash off any cleaning solutions and then load brass according to type into Lyman Cyclone Case Dryer. Now we pour the tub contents into a sieve/sifter over a bucket to separate media from brass. It doesn't sound like the best of ideas but Ive tested a loaded round soaked in water for days and it was dry. Believe it or not, many effective brass-cleaning products are already in your kitchen! You can use a separate depriming die, this keeps the carbon and crap out of your resizing dies which can either scratch the brass or even the die, it can also lead to stuck cases. I don't use the stainless pins anymore because I find them to be more hassle than they . Downsides: sticky dust, and they dont clean primer pockets or case interiors. For tumblers, those limits are how many cases they can clean at a time. [6] Part 3 If your tumbler holds more than 7 cups add what you need and increase the polish and paint thinner accordingly. You want a comment? TOP TEN Ways to Dry Cartridge Brass After Wet Cleaning 1. When finished, polish the brass with a soft cloth. 9 Akron Defeats No. It cleaned the cruddy cases inside and out, but did not clean the primer pockets to any significant degree. The next fastet way would be to rinse your brass in the hottest water you can get, agitate it in the container to knock most water out of the cases, then drain the water off. The liquid media turns blacker than an overdue oil change and is not reusable.New brass from oldFor this article I ran some really nasty, corroded .308 Winchester range brass (picture at top) through all three types of cleaners, a Midway-brand vibratory, a Hornady ultrasonic and a Lyman Cyclone rotary. I use to take the barrel off my Hawken gun, stick the breech end in a bucket of hot soap water and once the cleaning patch got wet with the cleaning rod moving in and out, the motion of the water acted like a pump. tb1234. Ultrasonic cleaners can, however, clean the insides of cases.Ultrasonic cleaners come in a variety of sizes, too, with prices quickly escalating with capacity. If you don't have a brush, you can use your fingers. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Deprime, clean, resize. The organic materials rub against the brass during the tumbling process and clean residue from the exterior of the brass shell casing. Thanks for your message. Note: this test in no way compares one manufacturer against another; rather, it tests only the cleaning methods. To prevent tarnishing, a thin coating of linseed oil or mineral oil canbe applied to clean brass with a soft terry towel. A second solution allows cleaning of steel gun parts. A well-cleaned brass is important for your safety too. I would also suggest you to look into Wet Tumbling + SS Media, as thats what i have been using. A good tip is to take a container with water and dish wash soap with you to the range and drop the cases into it as soon as they have been fired. Brass brings a warm, burnished glow to household itemseverything from switch plates and door knockers to bathroomfixtures, furniture, and even kitchen utensils. I will surely try this as well. Fill tumbler 1/2 full of brass, add water to about an inch from the top. Thanks. Mind you it could be me. Almost forgot.a solution that brightens brass without weakening it is to mix 2 teaspoons of citric acid per quart of hot water (exact mix is not critical). This dirt mostly carbon will deposit itself on your dies and they have to be constantly kept clean. 2.Rinse it well in fresh water. Some prefer liquid tumbling with steel pins (my preference), some like vibratory type, some like the ultrasonic cleaners. This heat and pressure result in the cleaning of the brass casings. I went quite a while without my Lyman turbo 1200 and I know the easiest way to clean brass. Vinegar. The inside of the case contains lead compounds that are removed by the cleaning media and can become airborne when sifting during brass separation. Then I wiped each round with a wet towel and dryed with tissue. This is what I currently do to clean my brass casings. 2. Place a smallmagnet on the metal. Food Dehydrator Shake the brass in towel to get the bulk of water off. Your approach should depending on the level of dust, dirt, or tarnish that has built up. That said, my favorite method is to de-prime the brass first, throw the brass in the Hornady Ultrasonic cleaner, rinse, dry, and get to reloading. Note: The first thing you need to determine is whether the item you wish to clean is, indeed, brass. Though its a bit expensive than vibratory tumbler but the savings from not having to replenish the media surely helps in substantial long-term savings. let tumble for at least half an hour. If I use Imperial wax, Mink oil or Mobil 1, I wipe the cases with a cloth rag. The metals need to be in direct contact for this to work. Ultrasonic cleaners come with removable baskets to lift out the brass; we pour the media into a plastic container to reuse until exhausted (strain it through a cloth to remove particulates) and wipe out the inside of the cleaners tub. Yes, minutes. Here is the procedure: Pour the hot water into your bucket. Do not use detergent with ammonia added, as this can discolor the brass and if allowed to soak (or not dried out quickly) can deteriorate the brass. In my Honest Opinion, RCBS Ultrasonic/ Rotary Case Cleaning Solution is the best ultrasonic brass cleaning solution. Sometimes the pins get stuck in the case mouth (my pins are the absolutely wrong size for 6.5mm or the flash hole. Luckily, I discovered vibratory (dry) cleaning and things became better, but not much. You can clean your cartridges and brass by collecting a bucket, a cleaning solution, soap, and hot water. Add dish detergent or a cleaning product to the mix for the most effective clean possible. I have a Lyman 2500 ultrasonic cleaner. This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Hey, thanks for your comment! Take the starting average or starting + 1/10gr. The Science Behind Your Optics, Best Scope for 308: Unbiased Review and Buying Guide, Why 308 is the Best for Hunting | Comparing .308 vs .223 and .30-06, Best Scopes for 22LR: For Squirrel Hunting & Competing, How To Zero a Red Dot? by Schaumannk 2/26/2016, 10:51 pm. Many brass objects are protected with a lacquerfinish and should only be cleaned with hot, soapy water. The brass then needs to dry. While the oven is not a good way to dry the brass, many reloaders have found that an inexpensive food dehydrator, $40-50 bucks at WalMart work great as long as you recognize it can never be used for anything to do with food ever again for the same reasons you do not want to put brass in the oven. Honestly, this is the best way to clean brass casings as of today. I am concerned about the lead dust issue also. Knock the pins out of the cases and scrape the stragglers out of the drum, then spread the pins out to dry. Load small test batches, no more than 10rds. It is made of inorganic ingredients that are non-flammable and do not contain toxic elements. refill with clean water and run again for a couple min ( I do this 2x). Cases were nice and sparkling clean on the outside but the inside stayed dirty. Crumple up som aluminum foil and put it in your container. Reloaders out there use various types of media. Unlike vibratory cleaning, the wet tumbling works at a molecular level and thus removes tough stains, tarnish and corrosion. As you only have 50 cases to clean, I should be inclined to have at it with hot soapy water and a brush. Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt in 1/2 cup vinegar and add . Though not 100 percent perfectly cleaned, primer pockets are clean enough that further scraping is unnecessary.ConclusionDry media vibratory tumblers have the cost advantage, with small models starting below $60. Drying It is possible to make use of an oven or a natural method to dry : Oven Place the oven in a position to heat between 170deg to 200deg. Dirty brass ammo can be frustrating to clean, but it is important to clean your ammo in order to keep your gun in good working condition. How to clean brass cases for reloading / BEST WAY & SIMPLE CLEANING 1.Drop it into a hot water with dishwashing liquid while you work. Another type of cleaner has that advantage over dry media.Wet and quietUltrasonic cleaners work somewhat like vibratory dry media tumblers, but also nothing like them at all. 3. Plated items can be cleaned with hot soapywater, but rubbing or polishing them too aggressively can remove the brassplating, so proceed with caution. I put the ultrasonic cleaner through the recommended three eight-minute cycles. Cover your brass with this mix and stir for a few seconds. The ammonia reacts with the copper in the brass, so its polishing effect is actually chemical, not mechanical. The small pins get into the brass cases and even inside the primer pockets to get every inch of brass nice and clean. There are plenty ways to clean your brass and the all have their pros and cons. Also unlike dry media tumblers, the ultrasonics may clean primer pockets to some degree if we punch the primers out first with a universal decapper. Simply rub a thin coat onto the brass, let sit for an hour or so, and then clean the piece with hot, soapy. Ammonia makes firearm brass brittle, hence making it crack. Apply a small amount of toothpaste with a clean cloth to your brass. Shop for special cleaning products and a brass tumbler. Clean Up To 1,000 Cases Of .223 Brass At A Time Check Price Lyman Pro 1200 Tumbler (115-Volt) Cleans Up To 350 Cases Per Cycle Built In Sifter Lid For Quick And Easy Media Separation No Need For Separate Media Sifter Check Price Lyman 7631550 Cyclone Rotary Built In Timer Can Run From 0 To 3 Hours Holds Up To 1000 Pieces Of 223 Brass by Art Merrill, Field Editor posted on September 12, 2017 News DONATE We've got three basic choices in labor saving machines that clean mass quantities of cases at one go: the vibratory dry media tumbler, the ultrasonic cleaner and the stainless steel pin/liquid media rotary tumbler. Read more. Cover and run for just a few minutes. Another optionis to make a paste of equal parts salt, flour, and white, An alternative natural cleaning combination is, Commercial metal cleaners and polishes can also be effective for cleaning brass and are commonlyavailable at most home centers and supermarkets. And if the ammo is pitted from corrosion or the residue is hardened it might be best to discard. Best Brass Cleaners You Can Buy Right Away: Dont let the snowflakes fool you though, for telling a staunch fan of dry tumbling that wet tumbling with SS media is better is just like telling a Hillary voter that she didnt win. If this double duty is your intent and youve got the coinage, skip over the smallest one-quart ultrasonic cleaners and go for bigger ones that can hold an entire pistol frame. Pick up a cookie tray, or another oven-friendly tray, and arrange every brass casing on it in order. The commonly used ones are: The dry media turns into dust over multiple uses since it vibrates and hits against the brass. Rotary Tumbling (Wet Tumbling) + Stainless Steel Media: Patriotic Hunter is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! Mix the cleaning solution with soap in the bucket. Fortunately, with only a little bit of knowledgeand some elbowgrease, tooyou can learn how to clean brass and keep it clean for the long haul. For tougher cleaning jobs, pull out the ketchup,tomato sauce, or tomato paste. Allow the paste to sit for at least ten minutes. Winner. Prime the cases and expand ("bell") the case mouths to accept the new bullet; 7.) I just recently made a change in the way I clean and prep brass. I always cleaned range brass just the way it was, then ran the brass through the dies. What are those positives and negatives? All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Get What I Use To Clean the Brass Cases from Amazon! The whole point of tumbling after resizing is to remove the lube (oil) from the cases so as not to contaminate the primers and/or powder. mspingeld wrote: 3 tablespoons Dawn,1/4 teaspoon Lemishime. So when they are too weak or over pressure, you only have to pull a small handfull. Then rinse with cold water, dry well, and buff to polish. 1. Stir every once and awhile. Just use some hot water, dawn and a pinch of lemishine and youre good to go. The best thing you will like about them is the way they clean up the primings and rust. By using our site, you agree to our. 2 Quote The Rainmaker, SASS #11631 Members Though it may look like solid brass, it may in fact be brass-plated steel, zinc, or cast iron. Brass was washed in warm tap water with liquid dishwashing detergent. Electricity is cheap, corn cob and rice is cheap, brass polish is cheap. It isnt always necessary to use media pins if youre feeling lazy or the brass cases arent much dirty. STEP-1: Wash the dirty brass. Im not aware of anyone whos done a study of thatyou can be the first.Size does matterVibratory tumblers, like people, come in various sizes and have their limits. Ultrasonics are the most hassle-free regarding prep, cleanup and time consumption. For tougher cleaning jobs, pull out the ketchup, tomato sauce, or tomato paste. Unlike dry media tumblers, ultrasonic cleaners do the job in minutes rather than hours, and except for a quiet buzzing, silently, too. Put the item you want to clean on the foil. If you still want to know more ways to clean brass cases before reloading, keep reading. Also, to avoid such damage, its always recommended to check your batch every two hours rather than tumbling overnight. Negatives: doesnt polish brass, and doesnt satisfactorily clean primer pockets.Retail for the rotary tumbler/stainless steel pin systems is in the $200 neighborhood, with cleaning solution running about the same as for ultrasonic solution. Using small, circular motions, apply the paste in a thick layer onto the brass. Mix together 1/2 cup of vinegar, a teaspoon of salt, and a sprinkling of flour until it forms a paste. Current using Lymans sonic cleaner. Frankfort arsenal pin tumbler is the absolute best if you want like new brass. Start by squirting a small amount of ketchup onto the brass in an inconspicuous spot, such as the bottom. Using Ketchup Have you ever imagined that you can use your favorite topping for removing tarnish from your brass articles? What do you prefer? Chemically Cleaning. Put 1 and 1/3 grams of baking soda into the beaker. The tumbling motion loosens up the debris and the cleaning is thorough. com. Since. Well just go to your kitchen and grab your bottle of ketchup. Thanks to swampratt and others I have some ideas I . The Best Shooting Chronographs: Time to Optimize Reloading! Weve got three basic choices in labor saving machines that clean mass quantities of cases at one go: the vibratory dry media tumbler, the ultrasonic cleaner and the stainless steel pin/liquid media rotary tumbler. I load 9mm, .45 around 2K rounds a month and .223 around 5K a month. While a tumbler can be an extremely useful device for you to have to clean your brass, it is not necessary for you to properly clean. Dip your cloth into vinegar and then . The electric motor makes the tub vibrate and move in small circular motion. Citric acid doesn't harm the brass because you only let them soak for a minute or two. Use a soft brush (a toothbrush will work) to apply the paste to the non-lacquered brass surface, and work it in. it pulls the gunk out right quick and is good for the brass. % of people told us that this article helped them. 7 Best Ways to Clean Brass 1. 1/4 tsp citric acid used in canning (far cheaper than Lemi-shine) Stainless Steel pins as tumbling media hot water. I decided to give to give the stainless media a shot. These bubbles then implode and exhibit a huge amount of vacuum energy which in turn generate heat and high pressure. Yes, I clean brass after every firing. But it will cost you. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Clean-Brass-Casings-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Clean-Brass-Casings-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7a\/Clean-Brass-Casings-Step-1.jpg\/aid8613976-v4-728px-Clean-Brass-Casings-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"