Cleaning Brass Cases

[mikld]

FWIW; cleaning brass is not needed to start reloading. I reloaded for 12 years before I got a HF rotary. I just wiped my cases with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it (the first operation in reloading). I had no ruined dies, no scratched chambers, and I could spot all defects easily. Today I use a couple methods; a HF dual drum rotary with custom drums and a Lyman wobbler (whenever I choose to tumble). My media, after experimenting for a few years, is corn cob blast media 14-20, the best all around media.

Brass cleaning/tumbling is the most talked about but least important aspect of reloading. It often confuses a new reloader and causes the expenditure of money better used for other tools/equipment.

 

[rwsmith]

I used to wash mine......

In dishwater and dump them into a colander. It gets the 'dirt' off but it doesn't get rid of stains or even some crud build up unless you scrub the cruddy case.So after years I got tired of it and got a vibrator tumbler. Boy does that thing work. You just have to make sure to dump the media out of the cases. I put a media screen (big plastic Chinese hat thingy) on a bucket ad dump the tumbler into the screen and shake it a lot. To get out the media still inside some cases (bottle neck rifle cartridges hold media) as I transfer the clean cases, I make sure that I invert them.

The vibratory tumblers have a great action. You see the cases flow toward the center where they sink into the media, travel along the bottom and pop up on the outside where they repeat the cycle every 15 or so seconds.

It also makes it easier to detect weak or cracked cases to throw out. If not by sight while you are transferring, you can feel the cracks and sometimes you can hear the 'ting' noise that a broken case mekes.

I wouldn't mind doing sonic cleaning because I have a way to dry them easily. Put the cases in the colander and blow dry then until all of the brass gets too hot to handle. Come back later and heat them up again and repeat until there's no water left.

 

[Marshal Kane]

Some reloaders may not mind cleaning brass with a solvent dampened rag but I'm not one of them. Handgun bullets commonly come in boxes of 50 and I shoot a minimum of two boxes at a time. If using solvent, I'd suggest wearing gloves. I've tried it both ways and love my vibratory tumbler and brass polish. Other opinions respected.

 

[Autonomous]

If you go with dry tumbling consider the content of the dust they can produce.

 

[Marshal Kane]

Keep the lid on the vibratory tumbler while it's running. Add clothes dryer strips to help absorb the dust. Always wash hands after handling brass taken from a vibratory tumbler. Replace the used media at least annually if not sooner. Tumble in a room with good ventilation or outdoors if possible. Avoid breathing the dust that comes out of the tumbler when removing brass.

 

[dave1918a2]

I have been tumbling ( 1975 to 1980), vibrating (1980 to present) and sonic ( very seldom) cleaning brass. I have been using a Dillon 1000 vibrator for 20+ years for pistol and rifle and I have the separator also. I use media from Cabelas and three tablespoons of brasso. Works great.

 

[SMSgt]

FWIW; cleaning brass is not needed to start reloading. I reloaded for 12 years before I got a HF rotary. I just wiped my cases with a solvent dampened rag as I inspected it (the first operation in reloading).

So you did, in fact, clean your brass.

How to, and how clean a case needs to be, is speculative. Not everyone desires the same level of clean or shine. And yeah, it does seem to take up a lot of server space over much to do about nothing.

 

[mikld]

I'm kinda glad I started reloading pre-web, as there are a lot of "essential" steps in reloading I missed. For the English major, yes I did in fact "clean" my brass but as I meant and most understood, I did it by hand without wobblers or rotary tumblers, confusion about media, formula, "toxic" dust and if I was doing it right. Today when someone says "clean my brass" the intent is 99% of the time meaning using some sort of equipment, wobbler, rotary or sonic, to get the brass cleaner/shinier than new. I cleaned with a solvent dampened rag (and no, I did not get poisoned by mineral spirits/paint thinner) and the only thing I "missed" was shiny brass, but there was no one I wanted to impress...

A story; I went to a police range in the late 60s and noticed two fellers shooting a lot. I went closer and noticed their ammo was brown! They were reloaders that didn't polish their brass and let their targets speak for the quality of their handloads (shooting 1911s @ 50' and getting one hole targets of about 2"-3" for several magazines full). But that was before shiny, heavily processed brass became a necessity...

 

[cowboy4evr]

I don't clean my revolver or my rifle brass . I just size, de prime and reload . Have done it that way for my whole reloading yrs . I have bought brass that has been cleaned , they didn't shoot any better . I do watch for splits as I'm sizing and de priming . When I was given a bunch of range brass that was gritty on the outside , I used warm water , dawn detergent , a little vinegar and a touch of salt . I stirred them a bit , then let them sit for about 15 mins , rinse thoroughly and left to dry . Everyone has their own methods that they think the best . This is just what has worked for me . Good Luck , Paul

 

[rwsmith]

Vibrators are a little messy.....

There are several threads here about cleaning brass, at least one of which I started.

To summarize:

Cleaning with liquid works well but is very time consuming.

Rolling in a rotary tumbler with steel pins and fluid works great but is also a bit labor intensive.

Vibrating in walnut shells or corn cob is potentially a bit messy (I have not had this problem), doesn't clean quite as well, but is adequate and very easy.

...they give off a lot of dust. And dont wear clean clothes when dumping. You are bound to get some on you. I got 'cobbler's apron' with two pockets in front when I do messy stuff. I should wear it all the time because I attract grease and dirt. I was always real hard on clothes at work too, Run out to the pilot area to get a few quick measurements on a 1936 machine with chains and grease fitting and my clothes are now outside work clothes. I had a new jacket and went to the pilot area for a guy to show me a disassembled furnace pipe. We were standing about a foot apart and a gremlin jumped out and grabbed his elbow and shoved the threaded end with the copper pipe dope right on my jacket. I wore that jacket for years with thread stripes on the sleeve.

Off subject, but: Are you guys familiar with the copper high temperature pipe dope? You can put some on the tip of your finger and paint a barn with it.

 

[rwsmith]

Oh, noise factor....

Vibratory tumblers have a pretty loud rumble and the sound of brass hitting each other.

I don't have a roll tumbler but have seen media used that produced LOT of noise. Almost like a cement mixer.

If you use fiberboard drums instead of metal they are quieter.

 

[mikld]

If your tumblers are loud, perhaps you need more media...

 

[Wise_A]

Ehhhh, I think they're a little loud, mikld. Especially if you have it up on a bench, on a hard surface. When mine is in operation, I set it on the basement floor, which is padded by those Harbor Freight jigsaw floor mats. I can still here it on the ground floor, if the rest of the house is quiet--low background noise.

If I leave it up on the bench, it's a lot more noticeable.

Noise is one of the things that keeps me in vibratory tumbling as opposed to a roller with SS pins, which I figure would drive my dogs nuts.

 

[mikld]

I've always found that my two "tumblers" are quieter with an optimum amount of media. My Lyman wobbler sits on the floor when in use and my HF rotary (with custom drums) can sit on the bench because it's intrinsically quieter. Either tumbler is much noisier when I'm using hard resin media or when there isn't quite enough media and the brass "clinks" together...

Just my experience with tumblers for the last 21 years...

 

[gehlsurf]

As others have stated, it doesnt make that much of a difference.

If your on a budget, I use the Simple Green method, where I size the brass to knock out the primer, then put in a large tupper ware container, spray a healthy amount of Simple Green on the, swish them around and mix with water. Let sit for about 15 to 20 minutes, drain, pu on towel to dry. I live in FL, so if it's not raining, they're dry in about an hour.

It wont get your brass looking new, but hey, it does get them looking better for very cheap. And cleans out the old crusty burnt **** inside.