Will it hurt using Brasso on live ammo or brass?

BEARDEDCLAM · July 12, 2009, 10:02 PM

I just polished up some live .223 with Brasso. Will it hurt the brass or make it unsafe to use???

DiscoRacing · July 12, 2009, 10:03 PM

not good on the primer

arizona98tj · July 12, 2009, 11:01 PM

Not good on the brass either.
One of chemicals in Brasso turns the brass brittle, IIRC.
Been a while since I read about it.
I use corn cob media to polish my brass. It's safe and then some.

**Bud Helms** · July 13, 2009, 12:04 AM

Ammonia makes brass brittle. It is called stress corrosion cracking or season cracking.

bobotech · July 13, 2009, 03:04 AM

Some people have said that using Brasso sparingly like a capful in your tumbling media won't hurt the brass appreciably due to how diluted it gets.

Randy 1911 · July 13, 2009, 03:20 AM

I have been using Brasso in my tumbler for over 20 years and no problems of any kind. Makes them shine good to.

Shoney · July 13, 2009, 04:29 AM

Any time you use acids (vinegar), bases (ammonia), or salt on cartridge brass, you can get chemical reactions that alter the brass. The key element is time, how long is the substance in contact with the brass.

The scientific reason WHY NOT TO OVER USE any compounds with these substances is:

Cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Chemicals and resulting voltaic cells leeches the zinc from the brass at a rapid rate, the longer the contact time, the more that is being leeched (key words). A small reduction in the % zinc will cause the brass to be brittle and can cause catastrophic rupture of the case.---Try this experiment: put a dab of Brasso on a case that is trashed. let it sit for an hour, then remove the Brasso. You will see the brass is now redish. This is the copper showing on the brass that has lost zinc.

If you use a little Brasso in the tumbler, it is diluted thru the media, and the ammonia is probably dissipated by evaporation, causing little damage to the brass. Compare the color of the well Brasso'ed brass with new. I would wager that it will be a slight bit on the coppery side compared to new.

Over long use of chemicals is spinning the roulette wheel. And with continued over long exposure, it's only a matter of time before a case ruptures.

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · July 13, 2009, 05:19 AM

G'day. Thank you SHONEY for your explination. It is responses like this that I appreciate from the people here at TFL.

**Mike Irwin** · July 13, 2009, 06:48 AM

I've heard the arguments for years, and heard from a lot of people who have done it since dinosaurs roamed the earth and aren't missing more than 40% of their brain matter...

The brass is the only thing that keeps that 50,000 PSI genie in the bottle. If it gets out, it's normally REALLY ******.

I don't see any reason at all to use, even in small quantities, a product know to damage brass, and hope that accumulated effects are't catching up with me.

Those who do think it's worth the risk? Go nuts, but if there's ever a problem, don't sue the manufacturer of Brasso. Kinda tacky.

**Unclenick** · July 13, 2009, 09:54 AM

The old NRA brass cleaning forumula with vinegar is another acid etcher as is the sulfamic acid in the Iosso brass cleaner. Short exposures clearly do not cause a serious risk, as Shoney described. But as Mike says, why take any risk at all if you don't have to? Lots of non-ammonia polishes are out there.

It is the white soft abrasive material in Brasso which does the mechanical polishing. The ammonia is just to attack corrosion, and you don't want to try to salvage rifle cases with heavy corrosion anyway. That's another whole level of risk. The white material in Brasso feels and acts the same as the abrasive in white automotive buffing compound. It is cheaper to buy a can of buffing compound and dilute it with mineral spirits to the right consistency than to use Brasso. Putting that mix in the tumbler should work fine. The undiluted paste from the can should let you polish with a rag just fine, too.

Bud,

You have corrosion cracking right, but if I recall Hatcher correctly, season cracking is stress cracking that occurs over time in the necks of loaded rounds sitting in storage. It happens spontaneously in the necks have not been annealed. Curing that problem is how the army came to require neck annealing originally. Apparently it's not an issue with straight wall cases, but the bottlenecks get enough additional forming stress to make it happen.

Ian0351 · July 13, 2009, 07:35 PM

I think Mike's tag line is especially appropriate here... and I'm not even a reloader (yet!)...

Dr. Strangelove · July 13, 2009, 10:51 PM

Put more simply, shiny brass doesn't kill anything deader or make smaller groups at the range. Many have used Brasso for years with no ill effects, but there are many products out there in the same price range that do the job. Why use a product known to be detrimental to your cases?

ForneyRider · July 15, 2009, 01:10 PM

After much brow beating for using Brasso, I went with Flitz. They had some at a gunshow, so I picked it up.

I dump in the tumbler and lots of brass comes out clean after only an hour. It is much nicer looking than the Brasso.

Also, I will put the brass in the Lee trimmer collet attached to a cordless drill. Then I put some Flitz on a 3M pad, and spin the brass. Comes out really nice.

July 12, 2009, 10:02 PM	#1
BEARDEDCLAM Junior Member Join Date: April 10, 2009 Posts: 1	Will it hurt using Brasso on live ammo or brass? I just polished up some live .223 with Brasso. Will it hurt the brass or make it unsafe to use???

July 12, 2009, 11:01 PM	#3
arizona98tj Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 980	Not good on the brass either. One of chemicals in Brasso turns the brass brittle, IIRC. Been a while since I read about it. I use corn cob media to polish my brass. It's safe and then some. __________________ stu-offroad.com Largest Jeep TJ project site on the web! (now with guns)

July 13, 2009, 03:20 AM	#6
Randy 1911 Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2009 Location: Western Arkansas Posts: 273	I have been using Brasso in my tumbler for over 20 years and no problems of any kind. Makes them shine good to. __________________ Been Reloading 27 Years NRA Member Member Old Fort Gun Club www.ofgc.org

July 13, 2009, 04:29 AM	#7
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	Any time you use acids (vinegar), bases (ammonia), or salt on cartridge brass, you can get chemical reactions that alter the brass. The key element is time, how long is the substance in contact with the brass. The scientific reason WHY NOT TO OVER USE any compounds with these substances is: Cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. Chemicals and resulting voltaic cells leeches the zinc from the brass at a rapid rate, the longer the contact time, the more that is being leeched (key words). A small reduction in the % zinc will cause the brass to be brittle and can cause catastrophic rupture of the case.---Try this experiment: put a dab of Brasso on a case that is trashed. let it sit for an hour, then remove the Brasso. You will see the brass is now redish. This is the copper showing on the brass that has lost zinc. If you use a little Brasso in the tumbler, it is diluted thru the media, and the ammonia is probably dissipated by evaporation, causing little damage to the brass. Compare the color of the well Brasso'ed brass with new. I would wager that it will be a slight bit on the coppery side compared to new. Over long use of chemicals is spinning the roulette wheel. And with continued over long exposure, it's only a matter of time before a case ruptures. __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

July 13, 2009, 05:19 AM	#8
SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 Senior Member Join Date: August 19, 2008 Location: Far Nth Wst QLD Australia Posts: 992	G'day. Thank you SHONEY for your explination. It is responses like this that I appreciate from the people here at TFL. __________________ If you're not confused, you're not trying hard enough! When you're confused, I'll try to use smaller words!!!

July 12, 2009, 10:03 PM	#2
DiscoRacing Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2008 Location: milton, wv Posts: 3,640	not good on the primer

July 13, 2009, 12:04 AM	#4
Bud Helms Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia, USA Posts: 13,198	Ammonia makes brass brittle. It is called stress corrosion cracking or season cracking.

July 13, 2009, 03:04 AM	#5
bobotech Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Posts: 60	Some people have said that using Brasso sparingly like a capful in your tumbling media won't hurt the brass appreciably due to how diluted it gets.

July 13, 2009, 06:48 AM	#9
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	I've heard the arguments for years, and heard from a lot of people who have done it since dinosaurs roamed the earth and aren't missing more than 40% of their brain matter... The brass is the only thing that keeps that 50,000 PSI genie in the bottle. If it gets out, it's normally REALLY ******. I don't see any reason at all to use, even in small quantities, a product know to damage brass, and hope that accumulated effects are't catching up with me. Those who do think it's worth the risk? Go nuts, but if there's ever a problem, don't sue the manufacturer of Brasso. Kinda tacky. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

July 13, 2009, 09:54 AM	#10
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	The old NRA brass cleaning forumula with vinegar is another acid etcher as is the sulfamic acid in the Iosso brass cleaner. Short exposures clearly do not cause a serious risk, as Shoney described. But as Mike says, why take any risk at all if you don't have to? Lots of non-ammonia polishes are out there. It is the white soft abrasive material in Brasso which does the mechanical polishing. The ammonia is just to attack corrosion, and you don't want to try to salvage rifle cases with heavy corrosion anyway. That's another whole level of risk. The white material in Brasso feels and acts the same as the abrasive in white automotive buffing compound. It is cheaper to buy a can of buffing compound and dilute it with mineral spirits to the right consistency than to use Brasso. Putting that mix in the tumbler should work fine. The undiluted paste from the can should let you polish with a rag just fine, too. Bud, You have corrosion cracking right, but if I recall Hatcher correctly, season cracking is stress cracking that occurs over time in the necks of loaded rounds sitting in storage. It happens spontaneously in the necks have not been annealed. Curing that problem is how the army came to require neck annealing originally. Apparently it's not an issue with straight wall cases, but the bottlenecks get enough additional forming stress to make it happen. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

July 13, 2009, 07:35 PM	#11
Ian0351 Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2009 Location: Washington Posts: 414	I think Mike's tag line is especially appropriate here... and I'm not even a reloader (yet!)... __________________ You can have your churches, I'll keep my guns. Just keep your hands off my paycheck and your eyes out of my backyard. Join the Libertarian Party! http://www.lp.org Semper Fidelis

July 13, 2009, 10:51 PM	#12
Dr. Strangelove Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2008 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 1,436	Put more simply, shiny brass doesn't kill anything deader or make smaller groups at the range. Many have used Brasso for years with no ill effects, but there are many products out there in the same price range that do the job. Why use a product known to be detrimental to your cases?

July 15, 2009, 01:10 PM	#13
ForneyRider Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 2007 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 725	After much brow beating for using Brasso, I went with Flitz. They had some at a gunshow, so I picked it up. I dump in the tumbler and lots of brass comes out clean after only an hour. It is much nicer looking than the Brasso. Also, I will put the brass in the Lee trimmer collet attached to a cordless drill. Then I put some Flitz on a 3M pad, and spin the brass. Comes out really nice. __________________ When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done.