brass cleaning trubs

[mrgaf]

Got about 1000 7.62x39 Win cases from a friend who was cleaning out his garage. He told me he resized them bout 2 years ago but never removed the lubricant. As a result they appear to be very dirty, almost sticky. Tried cleaning them in corn cob with a couple squirts of Brasso for over 6 hours and while they are no longer sticky they still seem to be coated with crud. Used some 00 steel wool to clean off the crud. There is some discoloration left on the brass but it becomes nice and smooth. Any suggestions on getting this crud off other than my current method? My hands are killing me after about 50 cases! :lol: Any ideas would be deeply appreciated.

 

[GAR]

Brasso contains ammonia which has been known to weaken the brass.
If the cases are brass and not steel, I would use citric acid and a good hot water bath. Then let them dry.
It will remove a substantial amount of the discoloration.

Tom

 

[Tellico]

Corn cob is not very aggressive. More for final polish of clean cases. I use walnut shell with a teaspoon or so of flitz or New Finish car polish for real dirty cases. Gar is right--NO Brasso! Never-Dull will clean the real bad ones, but is used by hand.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

For really tough cleaning you can use a Lee case trimming lock-stud to chuck-up the cases in a drill and put the steel wool or polish to them.

For milder cleaning, as suggested, use crushed Walnut shells and 'case polish' to get them shinny.

 

[mrgaf]

Thanks for the tip. They are brass and being a retired squid I guess I have a Brasso fixation :lol:
Will try the soak in citric acid and hot water first, then the walnut (gotta get some) and flitz and if worse comes to worse, Never-Dull. What's a good source for citric acid? Orange glow or something like it? I have the Lee case trimmer stud on my drill. Don't really care if they shine just want to make sure they are smooth so they function well in my Mini-30. Never saw a pretty cartridge shoot better than one with a dull case! :wink: :lol:

 

[tomisu]

Go to a pet supply store and get bird cage walnut - much cheaper than treated media and a lot less messy! Walnut will not shine, but it does clean and is more aggressive than corncob. I use corncob as a final step to polish before I load after sizing.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Will try the soak in citric acid and hot water first, then the walnut (gotta get some) and flitz and if worse comes to worse, Never-Dull. What's a good source for citric acid? Orange glow or something like it?

Lemon juice is a good source for citric acid and vinegar is a good source for acetic acid, another mild acid. I sometimes add 1/4 cup of vinegar to about 2 quarts of soapy dishwater and soak the brass for bout 30 minutes. It seems to brighten them up and make the tumbling work better. Something like 'lemon' Dawn dish detergent should work well for soaking brass. 8) 8)

 

[recumbent]

Go to a pet supply store and get bird cage walnut - much cheaper than treated media and a lot less messy! Walnut will not shine, but it does clean and is more aggressive than corncob. I use corncob as a final step to polish before I load after sizing.

I mix 50/50 walnut and corncob clean and polish in just one running of the tumbler.

 

[recumbent]

Thanks for the tip. They are brass and being a retired squid I guess I have a Brasso fixation :lol:
Will try the soak in citric acid and hot water first, then the walnut (gotta get some) and flitz and if worse comes to worse, Never-Dull. What's a good source for citric acid? Orange glow or something like it? I have the Lee case trimmer stud on my drill. Don't really care if they shine just want to make sure they are smooth so they function well in my Mini-30. Never saw a pretty cartridge shoot better than one with a dull case! :wink: :lol:

Put them in a couple of mesh nylon bags and run them thru the washing machine with some old towels.

then run in the dryer on low heat with the towels.

Do this when your wife is NOT home. Works for me.

 

[M'BOGO]

You can get citric acid at a store that caters to home brewing and wine making. I got a pound for about $5.00. Also, Lemi Shine, I understand it to be scented citric acid, and you can buy it at Wally World.

Citric acid does brass good, very good. FWIW, a thread on Castboolits about this subject. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=83572

 

[mrgaf]

Went to Wally World last night and picked up some "lemon shine" dishwasher rinse, emptied about a 1/4 cup with scalding hot water and some Dawn, let sit for about 2 hours and they came out nice and clean. Some spotty discoloration on some of the brass but no pitting; nice and smooth. Gonna get some walnut media from the local pet shop after they are completely dried and give them a final cleaning. Thanks to everyone for the great tips. Appreciate the help! :mrgreen:

 

[Mobuck]

Make sure you rinse well with hot water and agitation to remove all traces of whatever chemical(natural or manmade)you used in the cleaning. A little caution can't hurt but brittle/deteriorated brass CAN.