Cleaning extra dirty brass

Kilroy08 · May 12, 2012, 10:41 PM

I've been trying to clean up some really nasty, dirty brass and need help.

My buddy left it outside for the past 3 or so years in an old tin pail. Not wanting to see brass go to waste, I offered to clean it, tag it, and bag it for when he gets his reloading gear.

After sorting all the leaves and rust out, most of the brass has a heavy brown tarnish. I've got it to the point that the cases are smooth to the touch and don't have any junk stuck on them.

Any ideas for getting it to look relatively decent? I've been using walnut shell with a liberal dose of Ajax in my vibratory tumbler.

Marco Califo · May 12, 2012, 10:57 PM

and read it.

Ajax is not something I would use in a tumbler: your are introducing chemicals and grit. Car polish, or paint thinner is what we add to media.

Brass is cheap at ranges and probably in better condition. I do not think it is worth messing with a bucket of old scrap. I vote for tossing it.

Sport45 · May 12, 2012, 11:02 PM

It's still worth a fair bit per pound at your local recycler.

rebs · May 13, 2012, 04:55 AM

I would sell it for scrap and buy some once fired brass.

oldmanFCSA · May 13, 2012, 05:36 AM

Deprime first, then tumble in SS Pins

lmccrock · May 13, 2012, 07:40 AM

NuFinish and mineral spirits in the tumbler, same time, assuming you use walnut or corn cob. Not sure about rice or other media. Works REAL GOOD.

Rifleman1776 · May 13, 2012, 09:00 AM

Normal cleaning and tumbling will put it back into usable condition.
There's no beauty contests for brass.
Clean enough for visual inspection is all that, IMHO, is required.

Kilroy08 · May 13, 2012, 10:05 AM

NuFinish and fresh media sounds like it should be the ticket now that I got all the heavy funk off. I'm just trying to get it looking ok.

After this is done, the brass is going back to its owner with a stern warning about leaving it outside in a rusty bucket.

One of these days I would like to get stainless media; however, for right now what I have works well.

math teacher · May 13, 2012, 12:06 PM

It may look pretty after cleaning it up, but will the strength of the cases be compromised after that much exposure to corrosion?

Kilroy08 · May 13, 2012, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Math Teacher: It may look pretty after cleaning it up, but will the strength of the cases be compromised after that much exposure to corrosion?

That is a valid concern. I've gone through and inspected it and see no real defects in the brass. There just appears to be a brown patina on it. Will the life expectancy of the brass be affected by the environment it was left in? Possibly so.

I just got the tumbler stocked with fresh walnut media and am letting the Nu Finish mix in before I add the brass.

This is my first time dealing with something like this. I have a fair amount of brass stored up and I've even been using brass that my Dad fired back in the '80s. All of it was stored inside and after a quick trip through the tumbler, it looked like new.

thedaddycat · May 13, 2012, 11:44 PM

Rifleman 1776 said "There's no beauty contests for brass."

My wife saw that and told me "I don't care how clean it is, you had better not look at the guy next to you at the range and say to him "Nice brass".... "

zxcvbob · May 13, 2012, 11:54 PM

Deprime. Slosh it around in some hot water with a little detergent and citric acid. Rinse, dry, and then tumble it in walnut.

The reason you deprime it is to keep water from getting trapped in the old primer.

I'm using stainless steel pins and a rock tumbler (even works with nasty rusted steel .223 cases). The pins are kind of expensive.

Kilroy08 · May 14, 2012, 12:08 PM

Well, the cases that would come clean came clean. 95% were pitted and deemed non serviceable. I figured the "Would I run it through my press?" challenge was good enough.

My buddy's getting two bags back. Good stuff and scrap it.

Southboy · May 14, 2012, 01:21 PM

For cleaning all my brass i use corn cob media with a good dose of Brasso mixed in. I let it mix for about an hour before i add the brass. It has worked great for me every time.

Gerry · May 14, 2012, 04:47 PM

But Southboy, Brasso contains enough ammonia to apparently make your cases so brittle they'll disappear into dust in the tumbling media by the time you think they're clean!

Old 454 · May 14, 2012, 04:54 PM

How much mineral spirits do add to your tumbling nedia.....I am assuming a dry media ?

Kilroy08 · May 14, 2012, 05:27 PM

I did about three cap fulls of Nu Finish, and I want to say 2 to 3 ounces of mineral spirits in approximately 3 quarts of fresh dry crushed walnut media. Then I let the tumbler run for about 20 minutes to mix everything up.

I just ran some of my brass through it and it looks like it just rolled off the production line.

serf 'rett · May 14, 2012, 05:37 PM

Quote:

95% were pitted and deemed non serviceable

Now that is a crying shame.

LarryFlew · May 17, 2012, 09:45 AM

boiling them for a few minutes with a capfull of lemon juice per gallon works great.

May 12, 2012, 10:41 PM	#1
Kilroy08 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2005 Posts: 168	Cleaning extra dirty brass I've been trying to clean up some really nasty, dirty brass and need help. My buddy left it outside for the past 3 or so years in an old tin pail. Not wanting to see brass go to waste, I offered to clean it, tag it, and bag it for when he gets his reloading gear. After sorting all the leaves and rust out, most of the brass has a heavy brown tarnish. I've got it to the point that the cases are smooth to the touch and don't have any junk stuck on them. Any ideas for getting it to look relatively decent? I've been using walnut shell with a liberal dose of Ajax in my vibratory tumbler.

May 12, 2012, 10:57 PM	#2
Marco Califo Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2011 Location: LA (Greater Los Angeles Area) Posts: 2,598	Buy a book on reloading and read it. Ajax is not something I would use in a tumbler: your are introducing chemicals and grit. Car polish, or paint thinner is what we add to media. Brass is cheap at ranges and probably in better condition. I do not think it is worth messing with a bucket of old scrap. I vote for tossing it. __________________ ............

May 12, 2012, 11:02 PM	#3
Sport45 Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 1999 Location: Too close to Houston Posts: 4,196	It's still worth a fair bit per pound at your local recycler. __________________ Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.

May 13, 2012, 05:36 AM	#5
oldmanFCSA Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2010 Location: WISCONSIN Posts: 283	Cleaning Brass Deprime first, then tumble in SS Pins __________________ OldmanFCSA = "Oldman" at www.fcsa.org FCSA Member, SCSA Member, NRA Member, & AMA Member "Oldage & Treachery will overcome Youth & Skill"

May 13, 2012, 11:54 PM	#12
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	Deprime. Slosh it around in some hot water with a little detergent and citric acid. Rinse, dry, and then tumble it in walnut. The reason you deprime it is to keep water from getting trapped in the old primer. I'm using stainless steel pins and a rock tumbler (even works with nasty rusted steel .223 cases). The pins are kind of expensive. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

May 13, 2012, 04:55 AM	#4
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	I would sell it for scrap and buy some once fired brass.

May 13, 2012, 07:40 AM	#6
lmccrock Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2007 Location: Red Rock. TX Posts: 820	NuFinish and mineral spirits in the tumbler, same time, assuming you use walnut or corn cob. Not sure about rice or other media. Works REAL GOOD.

May 13, 2012, 09:00 AM	#7
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Normal cleaning and tumbling will put it back into usable condition. There's no beauty contests for brass. Clean enough for visual inspection is all that, IMHO, is required.

May 13, 2012, 10:05 AM	#8
Kilroy08 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2005 Posts: 168	NuFinish and fresh media sounds like it should be the ticket now that I got all the heavy funk off. I'm just trying to get it looking ok. After this is done, the brass is going back to its owner with a stern warning about leaving it outside in a rusty bucket. One of these days I would like to get stainless media; however, for right now what I have works well.

May 13, 2012, 12:06 PM	#9
math teacher Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2012 Location: Southwest WA Coast Posts: 558	It may look pretty after cleaning it up, but will the strength of the cases be compromised after that much exposure to corrosion?

May 13, 2012, 11:44 PM	#11
thedaddycat Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2011 Posts: 388	Rifleman 1776 said "There's no beauty contests for brass." My wife saw that and told me "I don't care how clean it is, you had better not look at the guy next to you at the range and say to him "Nice brass".... "

May 14, 2012, 12:08 PM	#13
Kilroy08 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2005 Posts: 168	Well, the cases that would come clean came clean. 95% were pitted and deemed non serviceable. I figured the "Would I run it through my press?" challenge was good enough. My buddy's getting two bags back. Good stuff and scrap it.

May 14, 2012, 01:21 PM	#14
Southboy Junior Member Join Date: October 13, 2011 Location: Central California Posts: 9	Cleaning Brass For cleaning all my brass i use corn cob media with a good dose of Brasso mixed in. I let it mix for about an hour before i add the brass. It has worked great for me every time.

May 14, 2012, 04:47 PM	#15
Gerry Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 382	But Southboy, Brasso contains enough ammonia to apparently make your cases so brittle they'll disappear into dust in the tumbling media by the time you think they're clean!

May 14, 2012, 04:54 PM	#16
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	How much mineral spirits do add to your tumbling nedia.....I am assuming a dry media ?

May 14, 2012, 05:27 PM	#17
Kilroy08 Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2005 Posts: 168	I did about three cap fulls of Nu Finish, and I want to say 2 to 3 ounces of mineral spirits in approximately 3 quarts of fresh dry crushed walnut media. Then I let the tumbler run for about 20 minutes to mix everything up. I just ran some of my brass through it and it looks like it just rolled off the production line.

May 17, 2012, 09:45 AM	#19
LarryFlew Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2009 Location: Minnesota CZ fan Posts: 902	boiling them for a few minutes with a capfull of lemon juice per gallon works great.