"Brown brass"

[Taylor3006]

Anyone have a way to get old brown colored brass, brite and shiney again? I have a handfull of assorted calibers of range brass that just won't shine up at all with cob, walnut, nufinish, or Lemishine. Some of it I keep throwing back into the tumbler, probably has spent a week being tumbled and still nadda, just brown. I have reloaded brown brass before for my own use, never had any issues but this stuff is brass I want to trade for calibers I need. Any ideas?

[ricky]

Need to try a wet tumbler with stainless steal media.

[DukeInFlorida]

Or, even without the fancy wet tumbler, you could try soaking your brown brass in a hot solution of: Lemishine (about a capful in a gallon of water. Add more if you need it.) and liquid dish washing solution (the type that you would use to wash dishes by hand).

Swish the brass around in the hot solution. You should just about watch the brown melt off of the brass. Try that in a simple dish pan, and let us know how it goes.

[Taylor3006]

That is the way I clean brass Duke, use almost boiling water, Dawn, and a bit more Lemishine than that and still nadda. I experimented leaving a couple of pieces in the solution overnite and in the morning it was still brown but had a patina of what I can only describe as rust on the cases. I tumbled them and that came right off leaving just a beautiful brown case. S/S wet tumbling is not in the cards. My little RCBS vibratory is still going strong and although I have buttloads of brass, once I get it tumbled and traded, I won't need the tumbler much so investing in a new one is out of the question. I suppose I will just scrap the most common calibers that I don't reload myself and keep the harder to find calibers and just put it in the description. Thanks for the input!

[jsmitfl]

Taylor, try toilet bowl cleaner on a couple pieces. We use to use it on old fire ext. and it would bust the hard stuff off.

[gandog56]

This is what my Thumler wet rotry tumbler does. What calibers you got? I'll consider trades.

Before:
46

After:
47


Or an alternative, you could send the brass to me, and I could do them for you.You would of course also have to pay me return postage.

[DukeInFlorida]

DO NOT use anything with an alkaline in it. That would eat into the brass, making it weak and dangerous to shoot. An old fire extinguisher is fine, when you are only looking for pretty. But for shooting brass where strength is the key factor, please don't try toilet bowl cleaner.


Taylor, try toilet bowl cleaner on a couple pieces. We use to use it on old fire ext. and it would bust the hard stuff off.

[gandog56]

I know people that put Brasso in their tumbling media.....a BAD thing to do. Brasso also weakens the brass because it has ammonia in it, and ammonia attacks the molecular structure of the brass.

[DaveL]

I use extra fine scotch brite to break through the patena, then tumble to finish. Never had a problem using this method. Cases end up nice and clean.

After reading the post below, I would add to use the gray extra fine Scotch Brite (buffing pad), not the maroon ones. It's much finer and works just as good but with less scratching.
JMHO

[MJ1]

Get a maroon 3M buffing pad. The kind they use in auto-body shops . Chuck up a bore brush in a drill motor or drill press then slip a case over the slightly larger bore brush and hold a 3"X3" section of pad to the case as it spins. Wear gloves. This will break the oxidation on the surface exposing the softer brass under the hardened surface. Don't worry about the micro scratches they will now polish out next loading.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/montereyjack/DSCF9181_zpsb91e2a88.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/montereyjack/media/DSCF9181_zpsb91e2a88.jpg.html)

[jebsca]

I finally get set up with the ss media. That is hands down the best cleaning I have been able to do. Should have done that sooner.

[gandog56]

I finally get set up with the ss media. That is hands down the best cleaning I have been able to do. Should have done that sooner.

I'm certainly a believer. Plus I got the Thumler's wet rotary tumbler at a STEAL price!

[WarEagleEd]

I'm certainly a believer. Plus I got the Thumler's wet rotary tumbler at a STEAL price!

Man, gandog56, you are a deal magnet!

I'm thinking about picking up a Harbor Freight rotary tumbler and trying the stainless steel/wet media tumbling. All the results I have seen are amazing compared to my dry tumbler. Mine clean up well enough to reload and shoot, but if I can get them as shiney as others have with ss media, then it will make them easier to pick up at the range. Besides, I often put dull cases in a citric acid bath. After they are dry I dry tumble them; it can get sort of tedious. The ss way would eliminate the need for the citric acid bath altogether and reduce time spent cleaning cases.

Ed

[gandog56]

Man, gandog56, you are a deal magnet!

I'm thinking about picking up a Harbor Freight rotary tumbler and trying the stainless steel/wet media tumbling. All the results I have seen are amazing compared to my dry tumbler. Mine clean up well enough to reload and shoot, but if I can get them as shiney as others have with ss media, then it will make them easier to pick up at the range. Besides, I often put dull cases in a citric acid bath. After they are dry I dry tumble them; it can get sort of tedious. The ss way would eliminate the need for the citric acid bath altogether and reduce time spent cleaning cases.

Ed

Jeeze, I just got some Harbor Freight coupons in an email for like 10-20% off depending on what you spend. PM me your email address I'll forward it to you.

[jebsca]

I got the harbor freight two drum setup, and it is working good for me. I did a batch tonight of 223. I ended up having 124 cases in it and they look real good after an hour. I think I could have put more in, but that was what was in the pile that still needed cleaned.

[WarEagleEd]

Thanks, gandog56. I've actually got a 25% coupon, so I might be a deal magnet this time.

jebsca, I'm going to try to get one after work today, order ss media this weekend, and hopefully be in business in a week or two.

Ed

[gandog56]

The media was almost a third of my start up costs.

But dang, that brass sure do look pretty after I use it.

[WarEagleEd]

Picked up the Harbor Freight tumbler today!

Ed

[gandog56]

Picked up the Harbor Freight tumbler today!

Ed

Make sure you put some Lemi-shine in the water! I have seen it sold at Wal-Mart.

[jebsca]

Picked up the Harbor Freight tumbler today!

Ed
Based on what I have read, I try to put a pound each of ss media, brass, and water in each drum. I add a bit of dish soap and lemi-shine. I have played with the run time, and two hours looks about as good as it gets, even with some very dirty range brass. Then I set it out to dry over night. This is afer a quick run in the walnut and then decap and resize. The run in the walnut is more to protect my dies than anything else. BTW, I go my media at midway, but at only using two pounds, I think I would have been better off to use the link that gandog had for a two pound pack.

[WarEagleEd]

Based on what I have read, I try to put a pound each of ss media, brass, and water in each drum.

This is what I read elsewhere, too.

gandog, do you use any Dawn dish detergent or just water and Lemi-Shine?

Ed

[gandog56]

Dawn and Lemi-shine. I have a 15 pound drum, use a gallon of water, 5 lbs. of media. And not a whole lot of Dawn, and like 1/2 tablespoon of Lemi-shine

[WarEagleEd]

So, is this the original, dry Lemi-Shine? I picked some up, but want to make sure before I use it. I checked the ingredients and it seemed pretty simple (i.e. not harmful to brass), just "real fruit acids and natural citrus oils."

Ed

[gandog56]

Based on what I have read, I try to put a pound each of ss media, brass, and water in each drum. I add a bit of dish soap and lemi-shine. I have played with the run time, and two hours looks about as good as it gets, even with some very dirty range brass. Then I set it out to dry over night. This is afer a quick run in the walnut and then decap and resize. The run in the walnut is more to protect my dies than anything else. BTW, I go my media at midway, but at only using two pounds, I think I would have been better off to use the link that gandog had for a two pound pack.


Whoa, I decap FIRST, then run through the rotary. I like the nice shiny non sooty primer pockets. I decap the dirty brass with a Lee universal decapping die so I don't scratch up my sizing dies.

I have the Thumler's B model with a 15 pound drum, so I use 5 pounds of media, 5 pounds of brass, and a gallon of water. 1/2 tablespoon of Lemi-shine and a squirt of Dawn.

[Mbaker78]

Whoa, I decap FIRST, then run through the rotary. I like the nice shiny non sooty primer pockets. I decap the dirty brass with a Lee universal decapping die so I don't scratch up my sizing dies.

I have the Thumler's B model with a 15 pound drum, so I use 5 pounds of media, 5 pounds of brass, and a gallon of water. 1/2 tablespoon of Lemi-shine and a squirt of Dawn.

For if I ever get a rotary tumbler, can you effectively run smaller loads through it if you want to?

[jebsca]

Whoa, I decap FIRST, then run through the rotary. I like the nice shiny non sooty primer pockets. I decap the dirty brass with a Lee universal decapping die so I don't scratch up my sizing dies.

I just toss them into the walnut media for a bit, resize, then into the ss.

[jebsca]

For if I ever get a rotary tumbler, can you effectively run smaller loads through it if you want to?

Looks good to me. I have ran just a few with good results. May have to try just one.

[gandog56]

I just toss them into the walnut media for a bit, resize, then into the ss.

I never used walnut. Corncob got them so much shinier.

[jebsca]

I never used walnut. Corncob got them so much shinier.
When I was first getting set up, the store had walnut, so I got that. Never tried the corn cob.

[jebsca]

Anyone have a way to get old brown colored brass, brite and shiney again? I have a handfull of assorted calibers of range brass that just won't shine up at all with cob, walnut, nufinish, or Lemishine. Some of it I keep throwing back into the tumbler, probably has spent a week being tumbled and still nadda, just brown. I have reloaded brown brass before for my own use, never had any issues but this stuff is brass I want to trade for calibers I need. Any ideas?

Tatlor, did you ever get your brass cleaned up?

[gandog56]

Hmm, he said brown, but I'm wondering if it could have been laquered steel cases originally. I mean even a vibratory tumbler should have cleaned them somewhat.

[jebsca]

Hmm, he said brown, but I'm wondering if it could have been laquered steel cases originally. I mean even a vibratory tumbler should have cleaned them somewhat.

You may be on to something. Some of that laquered stuff looks like dirty range brass. That is one of the reasons I have a magnet on my reloading bench, and check every case.

[ZmanWakeForest]

Based on what I have read, I try to put a pound each of ss media, brass, and water in each drum. I add a bit of dish soap and lemi-shine. I have played with the run time, and two hours looks about as good as it gets, even with some very dirty range brass. Then I set it out to dry over night. This is afer a quick run in the walnut and then decap and resize. The run in the walnut is more to protect my dies than anything else. BTW, I go my media at midway, but at only using two pounds, I think I would have been better off to use the link that gandog had for a two pound pack.

What do you mean by this?

[Mbaker78]

What do you mean by this?

Probably to get any grit off of the cases so they don't score up the dies... I have a universal depriming die that I use before they even go into the tumbler instead of using the sizing die though.

[gandog56]

Yeah, that's why I use a universal depriming die. The sides of the dirty cases do not rub against the inside of the die. But it sounds like jebsca deprimes AFTER he cleans them. I want them primer pockets squeaky, shiny clean. So they get deprimed, then cleaned.

[jebsca]

What do you mean by this?

As they pointed out, it is just to get dirt and stuff off the brass to help protect the dies. Other use a universal decapping die first, but I do not have one, so into the walnut first, resize and then into the ss.

[gandog56]

I just traded a spare decapping die to somebody here......too bad.

[jebsca]

I just traded a spare decapping die to somebody here......too bad.
I don't know about too bad. I am getting on just fine without one. Have kicked it around a few times, but always find something else I want more.

[gandog56]

But....but.....squeaky clean primer pockets!

55

[Mbaker78]

But....but.....squeaky clean primer pockets!

55

If they got into a wet tumbler after sizing then they still have the squeaky clean primer pockets...

Makes sense to do it Jebsca's way though, saves one run through the tumbler I guess. I only have a vibratory tumbler thus far so I deprime, tumble, size and trim, tumble to remove sizing lube, then they get primed/loaded or whatnot depending on what I'm loading at the time.

[gandog56]

Still sounds like an extra tumbling to me, I only tumble them once.

UNLESS they are bottle necked cases. Then I run them through the vibratory after I size them to get rid of the case lube. But If I did it his way I would have to tumble them THREE times!

And I still prefer corncob to walnut. Corncob puts on a much glossier shine.

[gandog56]

Based on what I have read, I try to put a pound each of ss media, brass, and water in each drum. I add a bit of dish soap and lemi-shine. I have played with the run time, and two hours looks about as good as it gets, even with some very dirty range brass. Then I set it out to dry over night. This is afer a quick run in the walnut and then decap and resize. The run in the walnut is more to protect my dies than anything else. BTW, I go my media at midway, but at only using two pounds, I think I would have been better off to use the link that gandog had for a two pound pack.


I have a BIG drum. Holds 5 pounds of stainless steel media.

Nyah nyah, mine is bigger than yours! :p

[jebsca]

Nyah nyah, mine is bigger than yours! :p

Wish I could say this is the first time someone has told me this. But, at 6' 1 and 250, people love to point out when theirs is bigger than mine.

[TexasPatriot]

I soak those types of cases in plain old distilled vinegar for a day. Cuts the tarnish. Then a quick rinse, pop into a low heat oven on a cookie sheet. Dry. Then tumble in walnut

[WarEagleEd]

I have been getting great results with my wet-tumbling set-up. I had to adjust the amounts of the ingredients that I use for the solution (added more Dawn, enough to make a "head" of bubbles in the tumbler barrels).

71 72

The first picture was some once-fired brass that was pretty clean to begin with. The second picture was range brass and several pieces of old Canadian military (IVI headstamp) brass that was definitely brown. When I took them out of the tumbler I had to dig around to find the IVI stuff, it was as shiny as all the others.

Ed

[jebsca]

Got to love the results. Makes me wish I had got the stuff sooner.

[gandog56]

I have been getting great results with my wet-tumbling set-up. I had to adjust the amounts of the ingredients that I use for the solution (added more Dawn, enough to make a "head" of bubbles in the tumbler barrels).

71 72



The first picture was some once-fired brass that was pretty clean to begin with. The second picture was range brass and several pieces of old Canadian military (IVI headstamp) brass that was definitely brown. When I took them out of the tumbler I had to dig around to find the IVI stuff, it was as shiny as all the others.

Ed

Welcome to the "Dark" side. Luke!

[jebsca]

Welcome to the "Dark" side. Luke!

As clean as the brass gets, I don't think that would be the dark side. The dark side would be not cleaning you brass at all. I think.

[gandog56]

Ewwww! That's would be like not wiping your butt!

[Sarge756]

New here, so Hello to everyone. Harbor freight dual tumbler with SS media ,Lemmeshine and Dawn after depriming with a Harvey Deprimer. The Harvey Deprimer is best $50 bucks I ever spent. www.harveydeprimer.com . After the cases are dry, lube , resize,trim to length and chamfer . For high gloss and lube removal run cases in vibratory tumbler with a little Nu-Finish auto polish added to the corncob.Prime and load and you will have the shiniest cases at the range.

[WarEagleEd]

Welcome to the forum, Sarge756,

I debated getting the Harvey Deprimer so I could deprime at home (my reloading set-up was at my parent's house at the time). I ended up getting the Lee Universal Decapping die.

Ed