I'm new to using this wet tumbler. The first batch I did I used the sample pack of cleaner that comes with the tumbler and cleaned 950 rounds of .40 S&W for an hour and a half with excellent results. Today I cleaned 900 Starline .38 Special cases using Dawn and a teaspoon of LemiShine. I ran for 2 and a half hours. They came out clean but not at all shiny...not even close to how the first batch I did came out. Do I need more LemiShine? Any other ideas on where I might have gone wrong?
Thanks for your help.

Which Lemi Shine did you use??, there are many kinds.

You may be better off buying pure citric acid which is the active ingredient in lemi shine that actually cleans ( a mild acid)

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Still Running Against the Wind

You used way too much Lemi Shine, in a 1 gallon Thumlers Tumbler I only use 1/4 teaspoon.

BTW, my complete formula, which is used in combination with 5 lbs of stainless steel pins. One teaspoon of Dawn, two cap fulls of Turtle Wax Zip Was, and 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi Shine. For rifle and deep revolver cases I'll tumble for about 2 hours, for shallower semi auto cases I'll tumble for 1.5 hours.

The LemiShine I got is call "Detergent Booster". The ingredients listed are "real fruit acids and natural citrus oils". Is this the wrong stuff?

Use what works

I would guess that is the correct one but their MSDS does not list actual chemicals. It is all proprietary.

Mild acid such as citric or acetic (vinegar) is how those products clean. Some have Phosphoric acid pr oxalic. To much acid or left in to long and the brass will turn a purple color.

I am not in the wet tumbling crowd. so follow what ever they say. I have cleaned buckets of range brass with citric acid and detergent before using a regular media tumbler.

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Still Running Against the Wind

After I use the system to clean a batch of brass, I rinse the pins for a minute or so with hot water. It is amazing how much grey gunk is rinsed out. By the way: 1/4 teaspoon of Lemi Shine is the correct amount.

I had some rifle cases stored in the barn. Something laid eggs/larva in them when I cleaned them , a black dye type of stuff stained my pins, they don't clean as well as before!

Ivan

Thanks for all of the feedback. I can see now that I used too much Lemi Shine for sure and the brass has the discolored appearance Rule3 described above. Another lesson learned (the hard way).