Case Cleaning

ShuckersFan · December 29, 2006, 12:13 PM

I'd like some input on case cleaning. I've tried walnut shells and liquid cleaning and just can't seem to get my brass as shiny as new. Haven't tried the corn cob yet. Can someone explain what the difference is between corn cob, walnut, and liquid cleaning as far as which does the best job.

50 shooter · December 29, 2006, 02:33 PM

What liquid did you use? I've always had great results with Iosso even on old military .50 brass. It will still need to be tumbled if you want that factory new look. Even then it still depends on what kind of condition the brass was in before you started.

Walnut media will usually clean brass up fast but won't give you that just from the factory look. Fine corncob media will bring brass back to that new look with a little case polish mixed in.

The biggest thing to remember is to just make sure the brass is clean before you run it through your dies.

Nortonics · December 29, 2006, 03:47 PM

Aquarium gravel, water and a shot of Dawn dish washing liquid in a case tumbler (leak proof) for 60 minutes = better than new. Whole different thought train in cleaning involved though as compared to dry formulations in a case vibrator.

Cleaning to that level (or any level for that matter) don't do squat for functionality or reliability with handgun cartridges, but they sure do end up looking puurdy...

amamnn · December 29, 2006, 05:46 PM

Beware using liquids in your cleaning media..... Clean brass is desirable--shiny brass is not going to shoot any better and my shoot worse if you have introduced contaminants like detergents into the interior of your cases. Walnut shell with a couple dashes of scouring powder gets your brass as clean as need be and does not contaminate the powder, not contain any acids as do some polishes. Liquids may also cause media to stick to the interior of your brass, requiring an extra cleaning step to avoid gross contamination.

Also tumble before decapping and you will not be picking media out of the flash holes.

Lycanthrope · December 30, 2006, 12:05 AM

Nu Finish car wax capfulls always make my brass shiny and water resistent after 30 min of viobration.

I just use corncob pet bedding from wal Mart or Agway. Never buy treated media again.........

Stargazer · December 30, 2006, 04:15 AM

I use Walnut hull media and ever so often add an ounce or so of "Flitz" metal polish and run it a while empty to disperse the polish in the media. 3-4 hours gives them that "new" look again. Ever so often it has been suggested that a damp torn up paper towel put in the media and run a while helps take care of the "dust". It sure helps a bunch too! Another way to rid the media of dust is to pour the media back and forth into containers while you stand and let the wind blow away the majority of the dust. ( I know the subject had nothing to do with media dust, just thought I would offer some suggestions for later on down the road for ya

mjrodney · December 30, 2006, 04:21 AM

Brass only needs to be clean, not polished.

Toss 'em in a tumbler with plain old corn cob and go away for 2 to 3 hours.

Deprime after tumbling with carbide dies.

rn22723 · December 30, 2006, 07:11 AM

I get my brass clean, not necessarily sparkling clean. I have tried all methods including ultrasonic cleaning of the 308 brass. It sure does a job on the brass. Looks clean inside and out. I have been using corncob media laced with some Iosso polish. This combo seems to make the brass size easier. Just perception of course, and not scienetific in any sense. I have many polish additives, Flitz works well, NuFinish Car Wax works well, Lyman additive.

BigDog(RE) · December 30, 2006, 08:59 AM

Lyman TufNut media. Basically walnut hulls with jewellers rouge. I tumble my cases for 2 hours and they come out looking like factory new cases, bright and shiny.

tomf52 · December 30, 2006, 09:47 AM

Shuckersfan - I am surre I have posted this before, but here goes again. Dump your brass in a five gallon pail or other container suuitable to the quantity of brass your cleaning. Add really hot water, just enough to cover the brass by a couple of inches. Add a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent, I prefer Dawn. Add four tablesspoons of concentrated lemon juice. Stir thoroughly for a few minutes. Let sit a couple of hours. Stir well again and rinse really well. Brass will look like new . Haven't used my tumbler in a long time. Depriming before washing will get many of the primer pockets cleaned out real good also. Spread out on a towel to dry or dry with a heat gun or hair dryer if in a hurry. Sounds like a lot of work but is actually less work than using a tumbler and dealing with the media (something you will never have to buy again).

C17A · December 30, 2006, 07:15 PM

I echo tomf52's post. While I have a tumbler, I haven't used it in years. Since I shoot 45ACP with cast bullet loads, all the empties end up on the ground, where they pick up grit like a magnet from residual bullet lube. I also use cast bullets in 38 and 357 Mag, and the residual bullet lube and powder fouling deserves to be cleaned out.

In a 5-gallon bucket I use boiling hot water, a squirt of Dawn, and a good glug of white vinegar. Stir with a stick, and you'll be surprised at all the crud and grit that comes out. Not to mention, the cases get clean down to bright metal. Then I rinse & drain, and lay them out on an old towel in the sun. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put the cases in the oven on low (200-degrees). I forgot to mention, I decap all the cases before washing, or they'll never dry and risk corroding the primer pocket.

A clean case is your carbide dies' best friend.

**Unclenick** · December 30, 2006, 09:23 PM

Lots of interesting tips here. I'll add a few:

Use lemon juice, as Tom suggested, or a teaspoon of citric acid powder from a wine making supply store. Citric acid (the active ingredient in lemon juice), unlike acetic acid (the active ingredient in vinegar), is a passivator and will not tend to cause after-tarnishing, while vinegar cleaned cases will. Vinegar tarnish isn't harmful; the NRA recommended a vinegar, salt, and dishwasher formula for years. It just looks prettier.

Decapping first will get dry media in flashholes, but even Dillon will tell you that you have to clean flashholes from time to time or you start getting high primers when you load. The liquid with mild acid does that well because the acid reacts with carbonates in the primer residue. This actually fizzes them into solution.

Buy corncob from a sandblasting supplier. They sell four grades. The finest is very fine material used for blasting log cabins and wood siding for painting. About $20 for 50 lb bags. Not even the pet store can touch that.

Be careful of your choice of polishes for dry media. Avoid anything with chlorine (bleach) or ammonia or you will find you are getting premature neck splitting and occassional head separations. Diatomaceous earth is a good polishing medium. It is in Soft Scrub among other things. White automotive buffing compound works, too, though you need to thin it with a little mineral spirits to get it into the media. The easiest thing is to buy tumbling polish, either the liquid Flitz that states it is specfically for the purpose (some other Flitz products have ammonium oleate which has to be avoided like ammonia). Midway and Dillon both sell good tumbling polishes. Lyman used to sell recharging polish, both green and red, for their corncob and walnut media, but I don't think I've seen them for a spell. The green in corncob cleans fastest, but the rouge, being finer, leaves a more mirrored surface.

Nick

ShuckersFan · December 30, 2006, 09:44 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I think I saw tomf52's earlier post, because that is what I have been doing. I have also been using vinegar instead of lemon juice, which may be the cause of the tarnishing I've been getting. I think I'll get some citric acid or good old lemon juice, whichever looks like a better deal $$$ wise. I might try some rice too because that sounds like an interesting idea.

Thanks again!

December 29, 2006, 12:13 PM	#1
ShuckersFan Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 30	Case Cleaning I'd like some input on case cleaning. I've tried walnut shells and liquid cleaning and just can't seem to get my brass as shiny as new. Haven't tried the corn cob yet. Can someone explain what the difference is between corn cob, walnut, and liquid cleaning as far as which does the best job.

December 29, 2006, 02:33 PM	#2
50 shooter Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2002 Location: SoCal PRK Posts: 986	What liquid did you use? I've always had great results with Iosso even on old military .50 brass. It will still need to be tumbled if you want that factory new look. Even then it still depends on what kind of condition the brass was in before you started. Walnut media will usually clean brass up fast but won't give you that just from the factory look. Fine corncob media will bring brass back to that new look with a little case polish mixed in. The biggest thing to remember is to just make sure the brass is clean before you run it through your dies. __________________ I see the world thru bloodshot eyes Streets filled with blood from distant lies The dogs of war never compromise, No time for rearranging.

December 29, 2006, 03:47 PM	#3
Nortonics Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2004 Location: Murderapolis Posts: 521	Aquarium gravel, water and a shot of Dawn dish washing liquid in a case tumbler (leak proof) for 60 minutes = better than new. Whole different thought train in cleaning involved though as compared to dry formulations in a case vibrator. Cleaning to that level (or any level for that matter) don't do squat for functionality or reliability with handgun cartridges, but they sure do end up looking puurdy... __________________ Tom.

December 29, 2006, 05:46 PM	#4
amamnn Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2006 Location: WA, the left armpit of the USA Posts: 1,323	Beware using liquids in your cleaning media..... Clean brass is desirable--shiny brass is not going to shoot any better and my shoot worse if you have introduced contaminants like detergents into the interior of your cases. Walnut shell with a couple dashes of scouring powder gets your brass as clean as need be and does not contaminate the powder, not contain any acids as do some polishes. Liquids may also cause media to stick to the interior of your brass, requiring an extra cleaning step to avoid gross contamination. Also tumble before decapping and you will not be picking media out of the flash holes. __________________ "If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

December 30, 2006, 04:15 AM	#6
Stargazer Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Posts: 506	I use Walnut hull media and ever so often add an ounce or so of "Flitz" metal polish and run it a while empty to disperse the polish in the media. 3-4 hours gives them that "new" look again. Ever so often it has been suggested that a damp torn up paper towel put in the media and run a while helps take care of the "dust". It sure helps a bunch too! Another way to rid the media of dust is to pour the media back and forth into containers while you stand and let the wind blow away the majority of the dust. ( I know the subject had nothing to do with media dust, just thought I would offer some suggestions for later on down the road for ya __________________ 5.56mm, reach out and touch something. .458 SOCOM,reach out and knock something down. M70 Web Page

December 30, 2006, 12:05 AM	#5
Lycanthrope Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2001 Location: PA Posts: 1,752	Nu Finish car wax capfulls always make my brass shiny and water resistent after 30 min of viobration. I just use corncob pet bedding from wal Mart or Agway. Never buy treated media again.........

December 30, 2006, 04:21 AM	#7
mjrodney Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2006 Location: SW Florida Posts: 435	Brass only needs to be clean, not polished. Toss 'em in a tumbler with plain old corn cob and go away for 2 to 3 hours. Deprime after tumbling with carbide dies. __________________ Proud supporter of the NRA

December 30, 2006, 07:11 AM	#8
rn22723 Junior member Join Date: December 10, 2001 Location: Burbs of Minneapolis Posts: 676	I get my brass clean, not necessarily sparkling clean. I have tried all methods including ultrasonic cleaning of the 308 brass. It sure does a job on the brass. Looks clean inside and out. I have been using corncob media laced with some Iosso polish. This combo seems to make the brass size easier. Just perception of course, and not scienetific in any sense. I have many polish additives, Flitz works well, NuFinish Car Wax works well, Lyman additive.

December 30, 2006, 08:59 AM	#9
BigDog(RE) Member Join Date: January 16, 2005 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 41	Lyman TufNut media. Basically walnut hulls with jewellers rouge. I tumble my cases for 2 hours and they come out looking like factory new cases, bright and shiny.

December 30, 2006, 09:47 AM	#10
tomf52 Member Join Date: August 5, 2005 Posts: 46	Shuckersfan - I am surre I have posted this before, but here goes again. Dump your brass in a five gallon pail or other container suuitable to the quantity of brass your cleaning. Add really hot water, just enough to cover the brass by a couple of inches. Add a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent, I prefer Dawn. Add four tablesspoons of concentrated lemon juice. Stir thoroughly for a few minutes. Let sit a couple of hours. Stir well again and rinse really well. Brass will look like new . Haven't used my tumbler in a long time. Depriming before washing will get many of the primer pockets cleaned out real good also. Spread out on a towel to dry or dry with a heat gun or hair dryer if in a hurry. Sounds like a lot of work but is actually less work than using a tumbler and dealing with the media (something you will never have to buy again).

December 30, 2006, 07:15 PM	#11
C17A Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 37	I echo tomf52's post. While I have a tumbler, I haven't used it in years. Since I shoot 45ACP with cast bullet loads, all the empties end up on the ground, where they pick up grit like a magnet from residual bullet lube. I also use cast bullets in 38 and 357 Mag, and the residual bullet lube and powder fouling deserves to be cleaned out. In a 5-gallon bucket I use boiling hot water, a squirt of Dawn, and a good glug of white vinegar. Stir with a stick, and you'll be surprised at all the crud and grit that comes out. Not to mention, the cases get clean down to bright metal. Then I rinse & drain, and lay them out on an old towel in the sun. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put the cases in the oven on low (200-degrees). I forgot to mention, I decap all the cases before washing, or they'll never dry and risk corroding the primer pocket. A clean case is your carbide dies' best friend.

December 30, 2006, 09:23 PM	#12
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	Lots of interesting tips here. I'll add a few: Use lemon juice, as Tom suggested, or a teaspoon of citric acid powder from a wine making supply store. Citric acid (the active ingredient in lemon juice), unlike acetic acid (the active ingredient in vinegar), is a passivator and will not tend to cause after-tarnishing, while vinegar cleaned cases will. Vinegar tarnish isn't harmful; the NRA recommended a vinegar, salt, and dishwasher formula for years. It just looks prettier. Decapping first will get dry media in flashholes, but even Dillon will tell you that you have to clean flashholes from time to time or you start getting high primers when you load. The liquid with mild acid does that well because the acid reacts with carbonates in the primer residue. This actually fizzes them into solution. Buy corncob from a sandblasting supplier. They sell four grades. The finest is very fine material used for blasting log cabins and wood siding for painting. About $20 for 50 lb bags. Not even the pet store can touch that. Be careful of your choice of polishes for dry media. Avoid anything with chlorine (bleach) or ammonia or you will find you are getting premature neck splitting and occassional head separations. Diatomaceous earth is a good polishing medium. It is in Soft Scrub among other things. White automotive buffing compound works, too, though you need to thin it with a little mineral spirits to get it into the media. The easiest thing is to buy tumbling polish, either the liquid Flitz that states it is specfically for the purpose (some other Flitz products have ammonium oleate which has to be avoided like ammonia). Midway and Dillon both sell good tumbling polishes. Lyman used to sell recharging polish, both green and red, for their corncob and walnut media, but I don't think I've seen them for a spell. The green in corncob cleans fastest, but the rouge, being finer, leaves a more mirrored surface. Nick __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

December 30, 2006, 09:44 PM	#13
ShuckersFan Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 30	Thanks for all the replies. I think I saw tomf52's earlier post, because that is what I have been doing. I have also been using vinegar instead of lemon juice, which may be the cause of the tarnishing I've been getting. I think I'll get some citric acid or good old lemon juice, whichever looks like a better deal $$$ wise. I might try some rice too because that sounds like an interesting idea. Thanks again!