How do you clean your brass?

[Striker777]

I have used the walnut/cob combination as well. I think I got the bulk walnut at Harbor Freight. It worked well but would load up in any 17 caliber cartridge.

the stuff I buy at the feed store is larger and coarse some is like powder too fine which is ok it just needs a little more time in the tumbler.
I know lots of people who wet tumble with pins or ceramic it does work great and comes out really shinny but I have no patience.

 

[HammerDown]

It's not a fashion show and I'm not making jewelry. It all ends up in the dirt eventually. The harbor Freight Walnut is pretty coarse, that's why I stopped using it. I'd have to dig it out of 17 & 20 caliber case mouths. Sometimes I'm going right out of the tumbler into the case feeder on a Dillion so, no time for drying. The coarse walnut will get jammed under the case feeder plate as well. Other than that, it cleans really well.

 

[Seeed]

Used to walnut tumble but recently got into wet with a Frankfort arsenal tub. Cleaned up about 2k of 9mm and 5k 38sp pretty easily and it came out really nice.

 

[hunterjr90]

My usual process if first deprime then throw them in a small harbor freight ultrasonic cleaner with dilliuted simple green degreaser and after that a hot water bath then laying them out on a towel.

 

[grandpapeepap]

I just take mine out back and spray them down with the hose on a tarp, then let sun dry. been working for me.

 

[Fishnbeer]

I only use ultrasonic cleaner. I primarily load 9mm but also various rifle rounds. I do a couple cleanings and I do it all in batches, typically wait until I have a good 500 or so ready to go.
After brass is sorted it goes in ultrasonic and then drying rack. Then they go through size/deprime and then back in ultrasonic (with fresh cleaning solution). They are usually pretty clean at this point and I dont even need to use the primer pocket cleaner unless it is real bad. I have loaded a good 3k rounds like this with zero issues

 

[21SF 2.0]

You guys are fancy. I used to just use a harbor freight tumbler with walnut and some car polish.

 

[BigBossman]

You guys are fancy. I used to just use a harbor freight tumbler with walnut and some car polish.

That's all I do, and they come out bright and shiny, in an hour, no pins, water, drying, etc. As an aside, I have been reloading for decades, and have never bothered to clean a primer pocket.

 

[Dooder]

You guys are fancy. I used to just use a harbor freight tumbler with walnut and some car polish.

Everyone does something different. A lot of other solutions depends on volume. I used to use a cement mixer when I was doing 5gal buckets full of brass at a time. Cleaning 5gal of 30-06 takes many sessions with a small tumbler. I don't have time for that haaha.

 

[Edgy01]

Obviously I am late to this thread but it is clear you need a little help.

I’ve been reloading since the early 1980s. As a result, I’ve tried a variety of methods but the best, fastest method has been to use metal media. I have two tumblers, identical to each other in size and function. They consist of rubber tumblers, that use little power to do the job. One of these was a rock tumbler from when I was a kid. After you have de-primered your brass, simply load it into the rubber tumbler with about of METAL MEDIA which you can buy in 1 lb quantities, online. The metal consists of short pieces of magnetized stainless steel about the diameter of a pencil lead. Easy are uniformly about 6-8 mm long. Add a bit of water, and some Dawn liquid soap, and perhaps some Lemishine and then turn it of. I can process quite a bit in a couple of hours or less. The worst brass is that stuff that has been baking in the sun for ten years. But it all comes out as virgin brass. The only problem occasionally with metal media is once in awhile a couple of pieces of the media might get stuck inside a primer hole. If I process 60 cartridges of 9mm perhaps thstvhsppens to two or three, but it’s quick to remedy. Metal media cleans out the insides obviously of the brass including the primer pockets beautifully. Being magnetized steel, it’s easy to separate after processing. If you’re in a hut, rinse it all repeatedly in a large colander, then stick it on a large cookie sheet on a Turkish towel and dry it with low heat—or as I ordinaryily do, stick it outside in the south California sunshine. Google if you like metal media. Beats the heck out of that silly walnut media, and is much faster.

Dan

 

[AR15barrels]

Obviously I am late to this thread but it is clear you need a little help.

I’ve been reloading since the early 1980s. As a result, I’ve tried a variety of methods but the best, fastest method has been to use metal media. I have two tumblers, identical to each other in size and function. They consist of rubber tumblers, that use little power to do the job. One of these was a rock tumbler from when I was a kid. After you have de-primered your brass, simply load it into the rubber tumbler with about of METAL MEDIA which you can buy in 1 lb quantities, online. The metal consists of short pieces of magnetized stainless steel about the diameter of a pencil lead. Easy are uniformly about 6-8 mm long. Add a bit of water, and some Dawn liquid soap, and perhaps some Lemishine and then turn it of. I can process quite a bit in a couple of hours or less. The worst brass is that stuff that has been baking in the sun for ten years. But it all comes out as virgin brass. The only problem occasionally with metal media is once in awhile a couple of pieces of the media might get stuck inside a primer hole. If I process 60 cartridges of 9mm perhaps thstvhsppens to two or three, but it’s quick to remedy. Metal media cleans out the insides obviously of the brass including the primer pockets beautifully. Being magnetized steel, it’s easy to separate after processing. If you’re in a hut, rinse it all repeatedly in a large colander, then stick it on a large cookie sheet on a Turkish towel and dry it with low heat—or as I ordinaryily do, stick it outside in the south California sunshine. Google if you like metal media. Beats the heck out of that silly walnut media, and is much faster.

Dan

Can you only fit 60 9mm cases in a tumbler load?
My dillon tumbler will take 2000 9mm cases in a single load.

 

[Hit Factor]

Wet tumble with tap water and some Brass Juice. That’s it, nothing else. No metal pins, or any other media of any kind. Dry the cases in the cheapest food dehydrator you can find on Amazon. That’s it. You’re done. Life is good.

BRASS JUICE CASE WASH

No Stainless Steel Media Required Designed for use with sonic cleaner and rotary tumblers Removes fouling, tarnish and oxidation from brass cases Cleans cases inside and out including primer pockets Made in the USA Brass Juice Case Wash is formulated to remove carbon buildup, tarnish and...

www.thereloadingstation.com

 

[Minus_Seven]

I keep it easy. I wet tumble with 2-3 drops of DAWN dish soap and a dash (approx .40 cal case worth) of LemiShine. Run the tumbler for approx 1.5hrs and air dry. If it's cooler out side, I will use a portable fan to get some extra air on the cases.

I don't like to de-prime prior to tumbling. It's few and far between, but I occasionally have primers fall out when tumbling because of wallowed out primer pockets. So far I have not had an primer fitment issues with "dirty" primer pockets.

I also don't need my brass to be factory clean. I'm fine with the cases being a little off colored. As long as the majority of the carbon is out on the inside, the cases have been working just fine.

 

[dontattempttoknowme]

I use an ultrasonic cleaner, it doesn’t come out perfectly shiny, but definitely clean and ready to reload.

 

[Edgy01]

Can you only fit 60 9mm cases in a tumbler load?
My dillon tumbler will take 2000 9mm cases in a single load.

I was just suggesting a number. Not being specific. It of course will take many more. I haven’t bothered to do an analysis of the number of different cartridges that can be processed. I work with 30-06 to 9mm is size varieties. To do a real analysis, you have to calculate the time you spend on each load. The more brass cartridges within the container, the less effective the cleaning process becomes. I would have to a thorough analysis to determine optimal loading. I have two identical machines, and I simply don’t do that much to invest in some bulk processor. I have so much pick-up brass (as an RSO for over a decade) that I won’t have to bend over again for the rest of my life.

 

[rumblefunk]

Wet tumbling can be cheap with no special equipment. get you a 5 gallon bucket, throw your brass in, add Dawn and maybe something like lemishine, and add hot water.. stir that gunk up about every 15 to 30 minutes and let it sit for at least an hour. pour out, rinse and dry brass.

Low tech and works well.

 

[Dooder]

My issue with wet processing is the sticky powder expander due to lack of residual carbon.

I heard that no pins helps, so I loaded up the FART with no and I'll see what happens. Its not new clean but that's fine. I need the brass to work, not to look at.

 

[Dvrjon]

I have tumbled my brass in walnut with a little polish (various brands at different times) for several hours. People comment on how my reloads look brand new. This has been my process for over 50 year. Geez, I am old.

Same.

If it’s really messed up it gets tumbled while I sleep.

 

[Dooder]

Ok update. No pins in the FART. Soad and citric acid. Cleans just as well, as shiney, leave a smoother finish, than pins. So yes eff the pins from now on. I ran it for 1.5hrs. That's my go to now!

 

[1029fd]

I switched from pins to Southern Shine Media (little chips of stainless steel) in my FART. Faster (1 hr. instead of 2 for 200 9 mm cases) and I'm not having to inspect the primer holes for pins. Prior to wet tumble, I decap with a Lee Universal decapper.