Residue on tumbler & SS pins

[J0HN_R1]

I found 20 pcs of brass yesterday that I decided to keep & clean up. 300aac BlackOut Remington (R-P) headstamped.

Most were laying on the surface of the dirt but a couple had sunken in to the dirt/mud, likely after a recent rainfall. I tapped most of the dirt out of them.

But after throwing them into my tumbler, using a glob of degreaser / a few drops of Sunlight / & ~3 cups of near-boiling water...

I was left with a nasty grease/oil residue all over the brass & SS pins, and the inside of my tumbler after an hour of tumbling !

Never had this happen with any of my own brass, this stuff seemed super-dirty !

What is it (I'm guessing lube from a semi-auto), and how do I get it off ? I'm thinking gasoline...

[J0HN_R1]

I guess I should've rephrased the question...

What do you use to clean excess residue from your media & tumbler ?

I used some gas on a rag, took most of it right off. Rinsed with more gas, & washed a few times with Sunlight & Pinesol to dull the smell...

[gitrdun]

I don't know what to suggest John. I use a teaspoon of Lemishine, a half teaspoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid and hot water in mine. I've never seen contamination such as your. What type of degreaser did you use?

[J0HN_R1]

Originally Posted by gitrdun

What type of degreaser did you use?

Zep Cherry Bomb, mixed with a tiny bit of Sunlight...

I think it may have been fired from a semi-auto (AR-15), and may have been sub-sonic.

Would that make it any dirtier than usual ?

[gitrdun]

I don't know what Zep Cherry Bomb is. I've put some nasty dirty brass in mine and it comes out shinier than new brass in the bag. I know that many recommend using "Dawn" specifically as it is supposed to be the best grease cutting dishwashing soap. Heck, they use it to clean ducks that have landed in a oily slick after a disaster. If the brass was contaminated with grease of some type, well it just won't evaporate, it has to remain somewhere. I honestly don't know what to suggest.

[Skytop B]

I do same as gitrdun. I have stinky acreage water. If I use it hot i get black residue. I use ice cold tap water and they come out nice and shiny new. Not a chemist...

[Dean2]

I seriously doubt all that came off the brass unless there is a pretty big ground contamination at the range you were at. Being subsonic and shot out of an AR will not leave that kind of gunk. I think it is more likely something you added to the water to clean the brass. I would check the cleaner you used and see if there is something off with one of them.

[J0HN_R1]

Nothing "wrong" or "off" about the hand-cleaner. It works as advertised, and very well at that.

I'm betting it worked too well, and pulled every last bit of oil/powder residue off the brass. On top of it being overly "dirty" to start with.

Once I wiped the brass off and retumbled it with just Sunlight & hot water, it came out perfect.

And BTW, I didn't find them at a certified range. But the area I was at is occasionally used by the military for training (I find IMI brass a lot, too).

But it's more frequently used by campers/party-goers/recreational-shooters/etc, and 2 weeks ago when I came to this spot it was already occupied by 2 young males who were definitely shooting semi-autos in 10rd "bursts"...

Anyone want 20pcs of 300aac BlackOut brass ?

[6MT]

Originally Posted by J0HN_R1

I guess I should've rephrased the question...

What do you use to clean excess residue from your media & tumbler ?

I used some gas on a rag, took most of it right off. Rinsed with more gas, & washed a few times with Sunlight & Pinesol to dull the smell...

I use water only to wash the tumbler. I also rinse the pins after every use and spread them on a large cookie sheet to dry.

That residue looks like it might be hard to get out of there. Maybe spray-nine...(?).