Discolored Brass - A Question

[810wmb]

i am about to finally start reloading.

some of the brass i am planning on reloading was out in the weather for quite a while. while some has tumbled up shiny, some still has discoloration on it.

i can always tumble them more, this is after two hours in corncob


http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/i ... ecid=66748


what to do? go ahead and load them? tumble more?

 

[booneh]

if they are clean i would go ahead and load them. after they are clean the shiney is just for looks.
hope this helps.

booneh

 

[mike7mm08]

You can tumble more if you want. But as long as they are clean and smooth you can load them up. Mainly you just want them clean they don't have to be pretty.

 

[SBH4628]

If you want them shiny,Get some liquid case cleaner..Lyman makes some pretty good stuff. Be sure and check your primer pockets for packed in dirt.

 

[810wmb]

great!

thanks for the replies - they are clean, and i'm not worried about pretty, just saving a few dollars. :wink:

i had left a lot of brass on the ground at my dad's. when i finally decided to reload, i started catching brass with a tarp, but i did pick up all i could find.

 

[Old Judge Creek]

I've been a reloader for 51 years ( :shock: ) and I agree with the previous answers with one caveat:

Thoroughly scrutinize all discolorations to verify the discoloring is just that and NOT any corrosion. Brass is relatively cheap so don't be nervous about erring on the side of caution.

Enjoy.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Three words: Drill, Dowel, Steel Wool. ...oops that's four.

...Jimbo

 

[Rick Courtright]

Thoroughly scrutinize all discolorations to verify the discoloring is just that and NOT any corrosion.

Hi,

I haven't been at this game QUITE as long as the Judge, but have scrounged a bit of brass in the 40-something years I've been doing it.

I don't worry much about brass that's simply turned black out in the desert, but is otherwise "clean" and probably doesn't know what moisture is. I also pick up some at a couple of mountain shooting areas where it can be subjected to rain and snow. Sometimes there's green and/or fuzzy corrosion from that exposure, so I just toss it.

As mentioned, brass isn't THAT expensive... 'specially when one's scrounging!

Rick C

 

[Sonnytoo]

Three words: Drill, Dowel, Steel Wool. ...oops that's four.

...Jimbo

Only three if you combine the last two:
Drill, Dowel, Stool

Sonnytoo

 

[J Miller]

If this brass is desert brass, make sure the spider nests are removed from inside the cases before you load them.

Joe

 

[Rick Courtright]

If this brass is desert brass, make sure the spider nests are removed from inside the cases before you load them.

Hi,

Joe's note reminded me:

Any brass I scrounge from "the dirt" gets washed before anything else. There's a lot of stuff that can harm your dies that fits inside even the smallest case... compressed air's a good thing to have after the initial bath in soap and water.

The "world's cheapest tumbler" is a good thing to keep around for such use. Get one of those plastic coffee "cans" like Folger's uses, the ones w/ the handle molded in the side. Put a bit of dishwashing soap in, a few handfuls of brass, and cover w/ warm water. Put on the lid, hold it tight w/ your hand, and shake for a few minutes (the lid's probably gonna leak some, so do this where cleanup's not a problem!) Remove and rinse the brass, and dry it w/ the compressed air or on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 150 deg for a few minutes.

What's left in the bottom of the coffee can might amaze you!

Rick C

 

[810wmb]

If this brass is desert brass, make sure the spider nests are removed from inside the cases before you load them.

Hi,

Joe's note reminded me:

Any brass I scrounge from "the dirt" gets washed before anything else. There's a lot of stuff that can harm your dies that fits inside even the smallest case... compressed air's a good thing to have after the initial bath in soap and water.

The "world's cheapest tumbler" is a good thing to keep around for such use. Get one of those plastic coffee "cans" like Folger's uses, the ones w/ the handle molded in the side. Put a bit of dishwashing soap in, a few handfuls of brass, and cover w/ warm water. Put on the lid, hold it tight w/ your hand, and shake for a few minutes (the lid's probably gonna leak some, so do this where cleanup's not a problem!) Remove and rinse the brass, and dry it w/ the compressed air or on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 150 deg for a few minutes.

What's left in the bottom of the coffee can might amaze you!

Rick C

it's not desert brass...it's been in the ky grass and dirt


the very first ones i picked up, did get washed...i had forgotten all about it. i have a few 9mm cases that are almost black..they had been out there about a year.

it wasn't long after that, i got a big assed tarp and started catching them.

out of all i have tumbled, 90% is shiny..i just wanted to make sure the other 10% would be ok to load.

 

[Three44s]

For outside discoloration, I use a brass and other soft metal cleaner called ...... NEVER DULL .........

If I have just a couple to do ...... I do it by hand ...... more gets a drill press or cordless drill treatment.

Three 44s

 

[K. Funk]

Dunk these in a dilute solution of phosphoric acid and water, like 1 teaspoon to 1 gallon and swish them around a little. It will clean up like new. I think you can get phosporic relatively easily (lots on e-bay). It's in Coca Cola.

krf

 

[Vecco]

Well for me I would just throw them away. I am not going to ruin a good gun trying to save 3c of brass. You can justify using them "IF" this and "IF" that or just chuck them and move along.