Cleaning Brass for Reloading (Without a Tumbler)
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Check out my other video "Reloading for Beginners on a Budget" • Reloading for Beginner...
and check out my other video "Homemade Ultrasonic Solution" a comparison between this solution, Simple Green and the Lyman Ultrasonic Solution.
• Homemade Ultrasonic So...
Hello everyone, this video shows you how to clean your brass without a tumbler. The whole process takes just a little over an hour.
Recipe:
1 qt. Water
1 cup Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Dish Soap
*Disclaimer - Reloading can be quite dangerous. Use this information for educational purposes only.
Just a short FYI for the ultrasonic cleaner users. I've been using ultrasonic cleaners for years, the best way to do any of this is to mix up the cleaning solution in a zip-lock bag, add what you're wanting to clean and close the bag. Then put the bag in the cleaner basket and add distilled water up to the fill line then start the cleaner. Saves a lot of clean up time and will make the tank last damn near forever. Works great when cleaning small parts too, you can put the parts in a small glass jar with the cleaning solution and just set it it the cleaner. Seen where a lot of people are winding up with holes in their tanks... You don't want ANY type of metal to come in contact with the tank because that's where you'll wind up eating holes in it. I guess I'm just picky as hell but as soon as the brass is cleaned in the solution I dump the brass and solution out into a plastic vegetable strainer then dump the brass into a bucket with deionized water and baking soda. I let the brass soak for a couple of minutes to neutralize the solution, dump it back into the strainer then rinse with more deionized water. Since I've got a regular brass tumbler I just shake out as much water as I can get out of the cases then dump everything in the tumbler with corn cob media and let it run for about an hour. The brass comes out dry with no water spots and looks like new. All of this just sounds like a big pain in the ass and the stainless steel rods and a watertight tumbler will clean brass cases better than anything else plus the s/s rods will last damn near forever. Don't want to spend the bucks on a watertight tumbler? Neither did I, a one gallon paint can works just as well. Just use your imagination on coming up with something to roll it with or put it on a paint shaker. The rods go for around 40 bucks for 5 pounds, not bad when you figure you'll never have to buy or mix up some kind of cleaning solution or replace the ultrasonic cleaner because it will wear out eventually... Transducers are pretty sensitive and figuring that even if you buy the ultra sonic cleaner at Harbour Freight it's still going to run you around 60 to 70 bucks...That pretty well makes the 40 dollar s/s cleaning rods a bargain. Oh yea, one more thing... People that just feel like they have to trash other peoples u-tube videos just don't have much of a life if that's all they have to do.
As someone just learning and on a budget, I think I will take the homemade paint can tumbler to heart!
thanks holeshot I been messing up my ultrasonic cleaners with rust holes from now on im gonna use the ziplock bag thanks
Thank you! That was an awsome advice!
This video you have posted is a life saver. I am an avid reloader and have had my tumbler for years. I have honestly never thought of cleaning my brass any other way. Last night it took its last shake. I was looking to just make another tumbler when I found your video. This process works amazingly well thank you so much for saving me time, money (a lot of money) and my sanity.
Thank you for the recipe - it hadn't occurred to me to create my own solution until I stumbled across this vid. The first time I used this solution it seemed to work really well in my Lyman tumbler with the cases coming out ultra shiny after only 1 hour tumbling with stainless pins, but a few tens of seconds in open air and they started turning brown, the zinc being leached from the cases by the acidity. 1 cup of vinegar seems too aggressive in my opinion - I now use 1/3 cup of vinegar with an extra cup of water, 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon of salt and a bottle cap of floor cleaner instead of dish soap (less frothy foam) and just increase the tumble time from 1 to 1.5 hours and the cases come out great without having to rush to neutralize the acid. My recipe:
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle cap of lemon scented floor cleaner
5 cups water
1/3 cup vinegar
Great video! I talked to the septic plant operator I deal with all the time. He as a masters in chemistry. He was telling me he really dosnt think this mix will weaken the brass
OMG !!! I just tried this WITHOUT the salt...and it is freakin' AMAZING. I have a generic Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner...put the cases in for 5 minutes...they look like BRAND FREAKIN' NEW cases!!! Thanks for posting! :)
made in china
In with vinegar?
@@greaper512 Most likely yes, I have seen many videos (namely one that tested vinegar vs vinegar on removing rust and vinegar+salt made things look worse than just vinegar, i will let you know when i get my ultrasonic, i am going to test things out.
TJ Kaiser so is whatever device you used to comment on this video with
@@tjkaiser6595 And it works! If you want it made in America, run for office.
Did this last night after whatching your videos. Work like a charm. 10 year old reused casings look like new.
Thanks OP
Great method! Thanks for sharing. I did what another commenter did and made a very rich baking soda bath to neutralize the acid. My brass inside and out looks EXCELLENT
I ran brass in an ultrasonic for almost an hour, using “ultrasonic jewelry cleaner”, and hardly noticeable cleaning. I then made this recipe and as soon as it hit the brass it almost immediately became clean as a whistle! Amazing!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sorry, but I would advise against using this combination. You are forming hydrochloric acid by mixing the vinegar (acetic acid) with the salt (sodium chloride). This will form insoluble copper chlorides in the brass, which will accelerate future corrosion as they are exposed to moisture and oxygen in the air. The salmon-pink color some people are seeing is copper, which means that the rest of the alloy has been stripped away, either because the acid strength was too strong, or the exposure was too long. Citric acid at about 5% concentration, possibly mixed with a little TSP or TSPP (trisodium phosphate or tetrasodium pyrophosphate, often used as wood deck cleaners) would be a safer bet, but even that should be rinsed very well. I am an industrial chemist, getting back into reloading after about 30 years.
Very very mild form of HCl, in fact so mild people eat it all the time. Salt and vinegar is in potato chips and many different types of good. The pink color is indeed the copper that has left the zinc allow and galvanized right back into the surface of the brass. It's still safe I'd say. If fact the process of shooting/expanding brass is probably 100X more detrimental to its structural integrity.
PilotWithAGun I bow to the man with the experience, especially if you are not planning to store the reloads for an extended period of time. Since some of my loads can sit around for a while, the idea of the embedded chlorides that re-form HCl made me a little nervous. Guess I'm too much the chemist, I like to see acids and bases neutralized.
Armed Alchemist Couldn't this be as simple as rinsing with a baking soda/water solution vs. straight water?
Why would a much stronger acid form from a weaker one. That doesnt even seem possible.
That would be true, but you are neutralizing the HCL with H20 and soap, which tends towards the basic end of the Ph scale.
Reloading supplies are available at Goodwill- cookie sheets (
Excellent idea.
I use a mini toaster over and this formula with an ultra sonic cleaner. Also have previously mixed baking soda water ready. Cat litter works good for extra drying and a slight polish
wow!.just tried this with my really dirty 45acp brass. the result was incredible! thanks for sharing! still cant believe how shiny my brass is now!
****I use this excellent recipe for months now, but I do not oven dry because the low heat of the oven discolors the brass. So, you are better off air drying it for 2 to 3 days for best results***
Just tried this with red wine vinegar since its all I had handy. They are bright and shiny!
Just chiming in to say thanks, the formula works! I ran a test on once fired .40 white box brass using the cheap ultrasonic cleaner from HF. Unfortunately, it's the one that shuts off every 3 minutes but after 5 cycles, the brass and primer pockets are squeaky clean. Ran a paper towel down the mouth of the brass, gave it a twist and the towel comes out clean.
Just tried this mix, roughly. Agitated for about 2 minutes. Did a pretty good job.
ok so ive read most of the comments on this video, and keep hearing about pink or orange brass after using solution. yes wrinsing with a baking soda solution does work... pretty good. however try pre-mixing the baking soda solution and keeping it close by. remove brass and immediately drop directly in the baking soda solution. after a few seconds remove from solution and wrinse with water. the trick is to neutralize the acid immediately. i work for safety-kleen and deal with aqueous parts cleaners all the time. just my 2 cents worth.
Pat Ford ii
Pat Ford Was
Many thanks! i just started reloading and i don't have a tumbler, try your recipe and it work!!! Thanks again!
Before I had a tumbler I cleaned all my brass with rubbing alcohol. Not so bright and shiny as with a tumbler but alcohol cuts the burned powder off the cases and firearms for that matter. Dries quick also. Does a good enough job if need be in a pinch.
Worked great, cleaned brass I've had laying around for years, thank you!
Thank you for the solution for brass cleaning, I will be using it on brass clock movement cases. Does it degrease as well?
I just tried this solution in a bucket sitting out in the hot Texas sun. I dumped all my range brass in to the bucket and stirred it with a paint stirrer every 20 minutes for about an hour. It is not perfect, but it is so clean that I will always clean it like this before I ever sort it or deprime it again! I plan to get an ultrasonic machine from Harbor freight next week and plan on depriming then running them through the ultrasconic machine with this solution a second time.
At first I thought "Hey, Don Made a video"
Reynold DeGuzman No, not yet... I could though now!
I had some Starline brass for 45 Colt that was nasty as all get out. This method really cleaned it up nicely. Thanks for posting. Billy Corgan is a patriot and he doesn't hide from it.
Like your solution for cleaning brass. It is similar to one I found recommended for use in an ultrasonic cleaner. I have found that it is recommended to use a baking soda neutralizing rinse after the vinegar bath to stop the effects of the acid in vinegar. It is claimed that the vinegar removes some of the nickle from the brass and may weaken it. Don't know from personal experience as I just started trying the ultrasonic.
Did this today worked great!! Oven dried the brass turned out a little discolored but still nice and shining like new brass.
I shoot at an outdoor range in central Florida. The retrieved brass picks up sand, so I do run it through a tumbler with corn cob + polish to get it mostly clean of sand and residue, to keep most foreign materials out of the die. . Decapped and sized brass. Used a large Folgers plastic coffee container in microwave to heat the solution. Used an old tootbrush to scrub the primer pockets.Used an EZfoil 9x6 aluminum small broiler pan-it is ridged, and the brass fits nicely. It seems to work well
This is great. Tried it last night and my brass are shining.
I've used white vinegar and water for a few years to clean my brass. Once I've allowed the brass to sit in the hot solution for about 15 minutes (in a bucket), I use a steel rod to stir it around for a few minutes. I then drain the solution, and refill with hot water and baking soda. The baking soda neutralizes the acidity in the brass. If you don't, the brass tends to discolor. I'm not sure if the acid in the vinegar continues to attack the brass if not neutralized. Once I've done one more rinse, I also use my toaster oven on its lowest setting to dry the brass. My brass doesn't come out perfectly shiny, but it's not bad considering I've not had to invest lots in a tumbler and media.
It doesn't come out shiny because it hasn't been polished. YOU probably know that, but that might not be apparent to some others.
How much baking soda are you using to neutralize?
It's not the worry of your dies getting dirty, it's about the scratching. Carbide is tough but it will begin to dull the finish of new looking brass after pressing dirty brass through them too many times.. Cleaning before depriming, then again after trimming is recommend. The second cleaning will remove the case lube as well which can lead to a spotty discoloration.
Thank you PilotWithAGun! I'm waiting for my birthday tumbler, and a friend is coming soon to show me how to use a big crate of Lee progressive reloading equipment a friend gave me a few years ago. In the meantime, I wanted to load some black powder cartridges for a BP conversion, and I'm gonna use my little LeeLoader kit I bought in the '80's. (Yes....the NINETEENeighties! I'm old. Ok? Ha!)
Glad you enjoyed it. Using gloves whenever dealing with lead is definitely a lot safer. In this case, I made sure to thoroughly wash my hands afterwards. I personally believe we're exposed to more lead cleaning the barrel of a gun as well as shooting them indoors. Especially if using bullets are not full metal jacket or just partly jacketed.
Thanks for this video. It works great and is very effective. Even when I want a high polish shine in the tumbler, washing them first in this solution greatly reduces the time needed in the tumbler.
Vinegar is ascorbic acid and will tarnish after a while. Lemishine is citric acid. Both clean well and should do that in 5 minutes if the right amount is in the mix. Vinegar leaches the pink zinc out of the brass quicker than citric acid. 1 teaspoon citric acid per quart of water is recommended, I have found I get the same results using 1/2 teaspoon per quart or 2 teaspoons per gallon. The advantage of citric acid is that it will not penetrate or damage the brass like ammonia-based brass cleaners will, and it works even faster. Also, citric acid passivates the brass, which means that after washing in the hot solution, the brass is actually made more corrosion-resistant. If you store brass for long periods, that's great news. I add a pinch of salt per quart because salt reacts with the citric acid to form a mild hydrochloric acid which helps the process along that's why I can reduce the needed citric acid to 1/2 teaspoon per quart. After I have clean brass I pin tumble separately using water, dawn and pins to polish them. They are bright and more consistent in color and most of the insides are bright, too. To reduce water spots I use as hot water as I can possibly get to wash my brass, cold water rinse is just fine. Dish soap is made to work in warm to hot water. EXCELLENT JOB, great video.
I've tried it and it works pretty well. I used a hair dryer to dry brass.
i use vinegar and bicarbonate of soda , 10g of bicarb, cover casings with vinegar and add a little bicarb until it reacts, starts bubbling, wait till reaction ends add a little more and repeat process until bicarb is finished , a quick rinse with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and its done!
Nice video man, I’m new to reloading and was gonna start using a media tumbler but moved from that idea to wet tumbler and now here I am I watched your previous video showing the results of using ultrasonic with the vinegar recipe definitely the route I’ll be going with. FYI just one suggestion and not to sound like a total puss but not a lot of people consider what happens to the chemicals that make direct contact with your hands. they do end up soaking thru your skin if you do it for a long time, no your not gonna get sick next month or next year but it’s the long term effects many many many years down the road could show up than so just as a safety precaution PPE man latex gloves I work with a lot of chemicals that’s why I even bring it up.
I agree, but you can spend a few bucks on a universal depriming die from Lee that will remove the primer but not resize.the brass. You can then clean the deprimed brass before sizing, and your don't gunk up your sizing dies. It does add some time, but I like getting the primer pockets cleaned up.
I use The Lyman Platinum series brass dryer to dry my brass, does a fantastic job!
Great video. I just tried this twice over and am pretty happy with the results. I first just tried one case of each make of brass I have, mainly .308 (PPU, Winchester, Remington, Federal, S&B, Magtech, Norma, and an old ass Australian .303 military case, just for curiosity's sake). I couldn't believe the difference on the milsurp .303 - went from dull brown to shiny like new.
I forgot to rinse them before drying them, and there was cloudy white stuff sort of baked to the insides of the cases (doh!). So I cleaned them again with all of my Remington .243 and Winchester 303-25 brass. Came up pretty good outside, although I think from now on I'll just run the cases into my neck sizing dies just enough to deprime them, to help the vinegar and water flow through and clean out the carbon. I noticed the 308 and 303 cases were cleaner inside (still not great though), whilst the 243 and 303-25 cases are still rather sooty internally. Must be the smaller neck being more likely to hold air inside the cases once submerged.
The one S&B .308 case that was already deprimed prior to cleaning is super shiny inside, so that definitely points to depriming bottle neck rifle cases as being pretty important, at least with my experience. Thanks for sharing this video!
Yup, there's a huge difference between contact and ingestion. None of those reagents listed will hurt you, and you'd have to have some kind of caustic "who knows what" generated in situ. If it's not eating through the brass or the plastic tub, it probably won't eat through your hand. You might get some irritation at worst. Great video- thanks!
Good thoughts. I've read a forum where they said the salt is not necessary and the soap counteracts the acid in the vinegar. After the brass had sat in the vinegar and distilled water solution to rinse with a weak solution of Clorox bleach and water to neutralize the acid in the vinegar solution so it does not turn the brass pink.
I'm going to have to try this. I have a bunch of brass that I tumbled in corn cob litter (cheap alternative to corn cob tumbling media), but I think I could clean a lot more brass quicker using this method. Have you ever used Lemishine
Thanks for sharing this video because tumblers can be expensive and im just starting out reloading.
I am not too sure little bit, but vinegar is pretty good at removing smell... Try using this recipe...
Glad to hear it worked as advertised!
I tried this recipe and got very good results. I got excellent results from manitowoc ice machine cleaner in my ultrasonic cleaner, it's water, diluted phosphoric acid and citric acid. It cleaned the inside of the cases and shined the outside of the brass. Check your local refrigeration supply houses for a manitowoc ice machine distributor.
For those that shoot the "old stuff" (black powder), this is an old recipe for removing the very nasty fouling that black leaves behind. Works like a charm!
I use this formula all the time, i swear by it, i lay my brass out on an old towel for two days and air dry it but if any of the cases turn out with a pinkish stain to them i throw them into the tumbler for 45 minutes to an hour and they come up like new. Cheers
On a AGI vhs video I was watching a while ago the instructor was using Simple Green to clean a gun. I've been using it ever since, it's the best. I just tried it in a ultarsonic cleaner with my brass and had good results.
I just tried the vinegar, salt, soap and hot water solution in my ultrasonic cleaner and it worked nicely.
Thanks for the video! I used an old plastic milk jug with the neck cut back. I'll dump the casings into a strainer and rinse there.
+Richard DiLorenzo I used your recipe. It worked well.
Thanks for the video man. I've got my first 100 pieces of brass soaking right now. I don't have any reloading stuff yet as its out everywhere, just getting ready :) You think 9mm is ok to reload considering it's not all that expensive? Am I just wasting my time trying to reload 9mm? Again, great videos! You gave me motivation to reload!
Yo. Great idea. I have a useful tip. Put this mixture in the vinegar bottle. Shake it up. Instead of just using your hand in an open container. Can be more vigorous maybe? Good video
From my understanding of it, salt (sodium chloride) combines with the acetic acid form the vinegar to form sodium acetate and hydrogen chloride.
DUDE! this worked like a charm, and cleaned up my range pickup nasty dirty 9mm brass thnx!!! BTW I used Polmolive soap and Sea salt FWIW.
I found that using hard water reduces the cleaning ability and leaves film deposits that can make the rest of the process more difficult. Gonna buy some distilled water and try again.
..When I was a kid runnin' around in bullet-belts, ( it was a thing in our neighbourhood some 40 years ago) we used the same recipe, added with white sand. Swirled around in a bucket and sparkling as sunshine they were.... More than yours, sorry to say... :))
I deprime before cleaning every other load to save me an extra step. If you're really particular about it, then yes it cleans it a lot better if you deprime first. However I have not noticed any significant difference or any performance issues with cleaning it with the primers in there.
This works well. I ended up using a. 30 cal ammo can to soak the brass in and the advantage is that you can put the cover on and agitate the brass by tossing the can back and forth . Easier than stirring!
I was given the same recipe with added 1 tlb of lemon, I tried it and it worked great.
I realise this an old clip, but once you're done with this method, or any other acidic type cleaning recipe, give the bras a quick dump in some water with Baking Soda. This neutralises the acidity off the brass. Then another plain water runner to wash off any baking soda. Then all done.
tried this on some nickle 38's and brass 9mm , they came out great, i use a steel kitchen strainer to rinse and then use a butane torch to dry them , watch the heat it will discolor the case a bit if they get to hot.
dirty to the press in 30 minutes.
This classic recipe (I add 1 cup lemon juice to 2 cups water to his other ingredients) works for me as a "prep". The next day I dry tumble 2 hours in walnut media, then 2 hours in corncob. I've found you have to use BOTH types of dry media, not either/or. This recipe will get off 90% of the gunk in a pre-wash, thus saving your expensive 'Brass Juice' cleaner or equivalent. A wet wash makes dry tumbling safe as all the nasty powders are gone. If I do it for 30 minutes and oven dry, I end up with "pinkish" cases (weakened). For me this works best as a First Step. Getting range residue off first also makes it safe to put in depriming dies. Doing your final rinse in whatever method with distilled water and a couple drops of Flitz Gun Wax (or liquid car wax) and then shook in a rolled towel eliminates water spots.
My tumbler bowl cracked. Was just looking for a cheap option to use until I get a new one. I’ll probably just still with this method. Cheap, fast, and effective.
Just did this with a bunch of .223rem. Followed the recipe loosely. Only let it sit 5 minutes before washing. Comes out pretty clean. 1 out of 100 shells turned a shade of pink. Otherwise, it's fine.
DON'T LEAVE IT IN FOR TOO LONG. 5 mins is fine.
@lynnval33 Using pure vinegar might not be a good idea. Materials used in brass cases (Zinc and Copper) are both soluble in Vinegar. The salts copper acetate and zinc acetate are also soluble. Zinc is more soluble than copper so it dissolves faster. In addition a galvanic action occurs that cause copper to be dissolved and redeposited on the surface at the expense of the zinc. When you clean the brass with vinegar, you change both the chemical and physical properties of the surfaceofthecase
This is a Great way to clean Brass. I've used this Recipe for years and glad I found it
back when I started cleaning, It has saved me from buying a tumbler and the cleaning medium. Dawn dish soap is used because it cut deep to cut the hard oil build-up
Great stuff used it on some "brown" brass took the tarnish of in minutes.
Thanks
I soaked cases in straight vinegar for a couple days with no ill effect.I will say this though,i had a lid on the bowl they were soaking in and any part of the brass that wasn't totally covered in vinegar turned green. I simply pushed the green ones back into the vinegar for a few hours and the green came off but left the brass slightly discolored.
This works great! I do this as a pre clean before tumbling!
Good vid... thanks! I'm just about setup for reloading. I have a portable stand coming for my Rock Chucker, then I'm ready to roll. Do you ever use a water/ baking soda rinse to help neutralize the acidity of the vinegar? Thanks again
Hey man, thanks for the vid. I was just wondering about this very subject and will give it a try in the very near future
I'm new to reloading and I never thought about cleaning my brass this way. All I do is clean the primer pocket and wipe off the case lube after re-sizing. I've reloaded them twice so far; going to clean them this way next time around :)
@idahomountainelk It is to my understanding that the vinegar and salt create an acid that causes a reaction with zinc and copper which of course forms the brass alloy. The process of dissolving and redepositing those metals back on the surface essentially cleans it. Of course I am not a chemist so I could totally be 100% wrong.
I've tried this solution at least on 6x fired brass (cleaned it 5x with this solution) and I have not had any problems with primer pockets. In fact in theory the primer pocket should get tighter since "extra" zinc and copper are being deposited right onto the surface of the brass.
Quick question: All perfect, except for some of the brass has white marks inside any idea whats causing that? It appears to be kind of like a paste that can be brushed out with a bore brush but it leaves behind parts of the brass removed and more silver colored. Also had some green spots on some especially down where the primer pocket is. Is it not drying enough, is it too much salt etc?
Thanks for commenting back man. I'm still paying the 13-15 per box right now. $7 per box you say? That'd be great, but components are nowhere to be found. Buying the primers and powder online hits you hard with a HazMat charge. Any tips on finding these components on the cheap? BTW, the brass came out really nice. Some of it was still "dark" but looked clean. How clean do you want the inside of the brass? There's still a little gunk in most of them, you don't get em to spotless do you?
Hey man,
Thank you for the video; but i do have a question. After following your recipe, some of my brass turned a pinkish-copper color.
1). What caused this
2). Are these cases safe to fire
3). What can i do to correct this in the future.
Thank you in advance
I used this method before I bought a tumbler. Works great.
+tankerdave So is the tumbler better?
+Jay Tee yes I like the tumbler better and the media last way longer than a jug of vinegar, and the brass is shinny. At the time I was just starting and this washing method was the best I found with out a tumbler.
tankerdave Im ordering one from midway now. Any suggestions?
+Jay Tee I bought the Frankfort arsenal kit from Amazon
Yeah ... probably too late for you -- but the Harbor Freight one is bigger and less money. I've been using my 18# capacity HF tumbler for over a year (+35,000 cases) and it's still brand new.
How to solve the PINK BRASS ISSUE. Soak in a baking soda solution for 30-45 mins. Just did and and almost every bit of pink has disappeared! :) And my brass are as clean as ever. Awesome video
I'm glad to hear that! I haven't tried the phosphoric acid myself.
@skipitxd40 if anything you made it better. Brass will never weaken/get brittle with hear. Only working/firing/shaping it will weaken it. Heat actually helps ductility hence why people anneal the mouth of their brass.
Yes, it works for me. But let the sleeves dry for about 3 days before charging, you don´t want some moisture in them! I also take the primers out before washing.
great idea. on older brass doesn't work as well. will take another polishing step to get the residue off of it
I used your recipe in my ultrasonic cleaner and it does work ,but i had some tarnishing of the cases,i just read the comments about rinsing them with some bicarb soda to nuetralise it,let you know the results.
Does it clean the inside of the case as well as an ultrasonic unit? Or just leave the cases in longer maybe? Also this solution can be used in an ultrasonic unit or no?
Usually the water rinse is plenty enough to counter act the acid.
Take a piece of pvc pipe, put a cap on one end and a screw on cap on the other end. put in your tumbling media and brass, screw on cap and put in the back of your car to roll around while youre driving. after a week or so of driving to work/ school and you have some shiny clean brass. if you have the time, its definitely the way to go cheap
great idea...I'll have to give it a shot and see how it works
I reload 9mm all the time. When it was a lot cheaper (between $13-15) per box of 50, I was still able to reload them at 50% of the cost... about $7 per box. If you're willing to bargain hunt, you can still get reloading supplies far cheaper than manufactured 9mm.
Yes, I know what brass is. But chemistry is chemistry--the reaction with either go toward solution (to a certain concentration) or deposition/precipitation. A "galvanic" reaction would require charge to somehow be applied to the brass, no?
I do know for certain that zinc metal WILL totally dissolve in acid.
figured it was excessive acid in the formulation. Just tried this recipe last night in my ultrasonic cleaner. It made the brass shine for a few minutes, bit turned a dark brown after that evenafter running water rinse for several minutes
You know, I would bet that as long as it gets the inside of the case clean--you'd be ok to use them anyway. I know, I like my brass to be shiny though too. :) I'm really pleased at how this gets the INSIDES of my .223 cases clean. for .45 and the like, a tumbler is fine for me. But this is super for rifle cases.
After the vinegar treatment what I do is run a cycle in the ultrasonic cleaner in water with dawn dish soap to neutralize the acid since rinsing can't get it all. I use cold water too. Hot water makes it turn reddish colored. the ultrasonic cleaner makes enough heat on its own. It will not match the shine of a tumbler, but the inside gets so much cleaner. What I have been using is 50% vinegar and 50% distilled water. I'm going to try this formula and see if it makes any difference.
@lynnval33 This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use acetic acid. Anything used to clean brass chemically is going to have some effect on the surface and it sure beats trying to get residue out of the flash hole of a 17 Remington with a brush.
This is an excerpt I got from the internet.
Tried this today and it works like a charm, Thanks. Inside of my rifle brass is clean.
while salt is extremely corrosive, brass is very slow to corrode which is why it is one of type of metals they use for marine/saltwater applications. Considering the amount of salt in the recipe combined with the amount of time it has with the brass, it's almost negligible. I am no chemist and I will keep researching the topic, however I have done much research and like I've said in the past, I've reloaded 5-6x fired or more brass that is still reloadable.
It's a possibility that traces of the copper jacket left in the brass by the bullet could add to the depositing of copper. The most likely source is the brass itself since brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.
thanks for the video, it really works better that the high dollar store brands,
Thank you for this video. The Hornady sonic clean is very expensive. I’m going to try this in my ultrasonic cleaner. 👍👍👍
it actually worked out real good, thanks for the video
You could save yourself the hour of media tumbling time by buying a Lee Universal Decapper die.Mine cost about $12 about a year ago. It will deprime any rifle or pistol brass without sizing.You can then clean the brass as usual.
I have always thought that depriming the brass is much better before cleaning/tumbling/using this solution because you can really clean the primer pockets. The only disadvantage to doing that is time consumption and to a lesser extent, getting your dies dirty by running your brass through them dirty, but with carbide dies that are easier to clean, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.