General Categories > Information Arsenal

Cleaning brass on the cheap!

(1/2) > >>

GreyGeek:
Everything to reload my 9mm casings has arrived except for the primer and bullets.  It looks like it will be a matter of luck if I get any before September or November.   

Anyway,  500 brass casings came last week.  Most were very dirty.   Some appeared to  have been  fired in worn  guns that allowed blow back between the brass and the chamber wall, darkening the cases.  Most were discolored in some way or another.  How to clean them?  I did a google search and found out about a variety of methods.   Some involved buying tumblers or ultrasonic cleaners, and all the powders and juices to go with them.  I found a couple cheap ways to clean  them.

First, was to  use those Scotch brand kitchen scratchers, "Scott  Brite" I believe they are called.   I pulled out 50 and began rubbing them.  First, I'd pinch the head grove in the scrratcher and spin the shell.  Then I'd rub the base of the shell to polish  it.  Then I stuck a pencil in  the case, laid it against my jean pant leg, and began rolling the scratcher back and forth.   In about a minute the case was nice and bright.  The pencil eraser somewhat cleaned the back of the case where the primer exhaust port is, but not too well.   This process was clearly labor intensive.  It took about 2 hours to clean 50 casing, very good on  the outside but not so good on  the inside.   There had to be a better, but equally cheap way.

I came across a video, , "Cleaning Brass for Reloading (Without a  tumbler)".   The video results, especially  the inside of the casings, were excellent, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The recipe to clean 50  brass casings calls for 1 Qt of hot water, 1 cup of vinegar, 1  Tbs of dish soap and 1 Tbs of salt.    I used a 1 gallon Breyer  Ice Cream plastic jug and filled  it with hot water, added 5 cups of vinegar, 5 Tbs of dish soap  and 5 Tbs of salt.    Then I dumped in 450 casings.   With a gloved hand I began stirring them around for about 2 or 3 minutes and then  put the lid on the jug and let them set for 30 minutes.  I found I could pick up the jug and twist it back and forth without taking the lid off and that would stir the casing.   I did that for a minute or so every 15 or twenty minutes for the next two hours.  When I examined the results I found that all the casing were bright and shiny, and the insides of the casings, especially the base around the primer exhaust port, were equally clean, just as the video shows.   I dumped out half the fluid, which was VERY dirty, and replaced it with fresh HOT water, but I didn't add any vinegar, salt or soap.  I agitated them a few more times, with  successive changes of water, then flooded them with fresh hot tap water and then cold water until I could not see any more soap bubbles.   Then I rinsed then with some reverse osmosis water from our drinking water generator, and let them air dry.

Couldn't be easier, couldn't be cheaper, and not nearly as labor intensive as using the Scotch Brite.   I do plan, however, to  get a $30 ultrasonic cleaner, which  holds about a quart, and clean them in 50 casing batches in the future.  The same mixture  in an ultrasonic cleaner does equally well in about 10 to 15 minutes, which  includes the rinse time.   And, the ultrasonic device can clean my wife's jewelry too!  :D

NE Bull:
On -The -Cheap!  I like it!

Dan W:
Lemi Shine ...Google it

GreyGeek:

--- Quote from: Dan W on February 17, 2013, 08:52:01 PM ---Lemi Shine
--- End quote ---

I did;
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lemi-shine&tag=651998669-20&index=aps&hvadid=1421082087&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1778826043704774864&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_2azj9z0z3u_e
Interesting, but which one?

00BUCK:
Be careful with how long you leave them in the vinegar and how strong it is. It will start to anneal the brass and you don't want the entire case being annealed, only the neck. Done under heat the shoulders will be softened too to some degree.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page