Liquid case cleaner.

[Larry Herren]

Anyone make their own liquid case cleaner & polish for use in a tumbler? Something safe, for the tumbler, & brass.

[brotherwolf]

I have the same question. Any one out there with answers. All my experiments failed.

[grendelbane]

I use a citric acid/water solution to clean brass, and it works well.

However, I don't use it in a tumbler. I put the cases to be cleaned in a plastic jug, and shake vigorously. Maybe half an hour later I will drain them, and then add them directly to the tumbler.

Really dirty, stained cases may take a longer bath.

You can find citric acid in 5 ounce cans in the canning section of your supermarket. Its intended use is for canning tomatoes. A little goes a long way.

[impact]

I use Birchwood Casey case cleaner. You use the Birchwood just like grendelbane said but you only soak the brass for 5 to 10 minutes. The stuff is really strong and last for a long time. Then about one hour in the tumbler and the brass looks new. Birchwood is a citric acid.

[BigSlick]

Birchwood-Casey is phosphoric and glycolic acids.

Keep in mind that when you use any form of acid (say stronger than vinegar) it is imperative to make certain that the primer pockets are clean. Otherwise, the acids will dry into the remaining residue and eventually shorten brass life.

Why do you think BC and others warn about leaving the brass in the solution for too long. If you do decide to use an acid based cleaner, either clean the primer pockets very well or drop an Alka Seltzer (or bicarbonate etc..) in the rinse to neutralize the acid residue.

Also, when using a liquid cleaning method of any sort, it is best to decap first. It's pretty easy to get the case dry, inside and out (takes a few minutes to overnight depending on your method), but the moisture will definitely settle in the primer pockets if the brass is left primed.

If you load it soon after, not usually a problem, but if left to dry, primer pocket corrosion will set it. Sometimes this means primers stick during decapping, other times it affects seating.

HTH,

BigSlick

[hivel37]

When I have some really dirty/carbonized cases, the Iosso stuff works really well. Leave them in solution ONLY 20 - 30 seconds. Always decap first.

After rinsing, I put them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven for about 30 minutes. this eliminates the residue problem.

Then if they aint purty, I tumble them.

[impact]

BigSlick right after I soak then I rinse two times. Right after the rinse they go in the tumbler. The media will dry the cases. I have never had a primer problem. I don't have a bottle of Birchwood casey. I used the last of the bottle but still have a gallon made up for use.

I thought I read on the bottle that it was a concentrate critc solution. Sorry if I was wrong.

[caz223]

The polishing media is not for cleaning. It's for polishing.
If you use polish with your media, it will take forever to get 'em clean, unless you keep your clean dry media for cleaning, and your polishing media for polishing.
I believe in keeping it simple.
I use walnut, and use the tiniest shot of naptha while it's running.
This doesn't fill the pores like polish, it lets the media ABSORB the soils so it can do it's job.
Prolly heard it from this very forum, and it works, as FITZ will no doubt attest. (Thanks, FITZ.)
I believe he used kerosene, but the effect is the same.

[Rivers]

NuFinish/Mineral spirits. CC/walnut mix.

[somerled]

I've been using a quart bottle of liquid brass polish I purchased a couple of years ago from www.midwayusa.com

I put in about three teaspoons every so often in the walnut-hull media I use and let it mix in until the clumps disappear. Then I add brass. Two hours will clean the dirtiest cases. Usually 90 minutes works well. When I get done, I seal the media in an airtight container. It doesn't dry out between uses and cleans much better. The media doesn't have to be replaced as often.

I've used half white vinegar and half water to clean deprimed cartridges used in black powder cartridge rifles. I drop the cases in a half-filled plastic milk jug and shake them. I'll use a brush on the case necks afterward, rinse them, and let them air dry.

[quickshot]

I use a mixture of water/lemon juice/dishsoap

put cases in a half gallon bottle
add enough water to cover cases
add 1/4 cup lemon juice
add 3-5 drops dish soap


soak for twenty min and shake every 5 or so min. after drain and rinse
pop in the oven @ 200 degrees untill dry

work for me

YMMV

Quickshot

[Foxman]

25% vinegar and hot water in a plastic jug or container gets them clean in about 10-15 mins. I bought an ultrasonic bath eventually, gets them as good as new in ten minutes whatever the state and use a non acidic cleaner additive, but the vinegar worked for years, with a final polish in Walnut media.