For those cleaning with a vibratory tumbler

[AndrewM]

I was cleaning some brass the past few days and comparing some different types of cleaning agents/methods and one was by far the best. Here was the method that worked amazing:
1) Put primed or deprimed brass in tumbler
2) Fill with enough hot water to cover the brass
3) Put in half a teaspoon of lemi shine detergent booster
4) put in a squirt of dish soap
5) turn on for an hour (I had to use plastic bag under the cover to stop water from bouncing out)
6) take brass and wash thoroughly in water.
7) dry the brass and tumbler. I just used a towel and stood on end but oven at 200F is what I will use the next time with bigger batches of brass so it will dry the insides well.
8) put corn cob media into tumbler
9) Add cap full of Nufinish to the media and let run until the clumps are gone
10) put in your brass
11) let run for 3 hours
The reason for the lemi shine and dish soap was to clean the brass. The best thing it worked on was the burnt gun powder on the external case necks. They were perfectly clean. It even cleaned the inside a bit. Not near as good as a rotary with pins but it definitely cleaned some.
The reason for the Nufinish is it is a polish and protects the brass from tarnish.
At first I was convinced I needed a rotary tumbler with stainless pins. Now I am not so convinced. I will try and post a picture tonight as it is hard to compare the cleanliness of brass without natural light.

[jeprli]

Water, Vinegar, salt, dish soap works well too, no tumbler needed. Just did a batch of 30-30 cases, after an hour in solution and some stirring they came out shiny clean, rinsed in clean water with some baking soda to neutralize vinegar. Only minor deposits left were around flash hole.

2 liters of solution per 100 cases worked out great.

Recipe from ytube

1 liter of water
1 cup vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dish soap

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by jeprli

Vinegar, salt, dish soap works well too, no tumbler needed. Just did a batch of 30-30 cases, after an hour in solution and some stirring they came out shiny clean, rinsed in clean water with some baking soda to neutralize vinegar. Only minor deposits left were around flash hole.

What does the salt do?

[jeprli]

Beats me, i'm no chemist it does work though

[teledogs]

I do citric acid bath before tumbling and I really like the results. Bright shiny yellow brass with a lot less tumbling.

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by AndrewM

What does the salt do?

Quick googling to come up with this:
Looks like salt is to create a weak hydrochloric acid.
Vinegar contains acetic acid, which leaves an acetate and/or acid residue on the cases. That prevents passivation. Vinegar definitely works but it is better to use citric acid (lemi shine) as it will help protect the brass from future corrosion.

[.257Weatherby]

The reason for the walnut shell (soft media) is act as a soft abrasive.
Sounds a little time consuming to me, but thats what makes cooking great.
Everyone has a different flavor.
Rob

[elkhunter11]

Ratber than going to go to the trouble of using water, and then media, and clean twice, and still not get the insides of the cases clean, I will just use stainless pins, clean once, and have the cases clean inside and out.

[pikergolf]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Ratber than going to go to the trouble of using water, and then media, and clean twice, and still not get the insides of the cases clean, I will just use stainless pins, clean once, and have the cases clean inside and out.

I bought a stainless pin tumbler as well, good deal from Cabela's USA. The reason I went to it is that I was concerned about the abrasive residue from the media tumbler being in the cases and ending up in the barrel of my rifle. I could not get that stuff out of my cases even rinsing them in water and it bugged me to no end. I never found a satisfactory answer online, if it was a factor or not.

[whitefish]

I was cleaning some brass the past few days and comparing some different types of cleaning agents/methods and one was by far the best. Here was the method that worked amazing:

Huh, never would have thought of using a vibratory tumbler with water. Any problems with leaks?

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Ratber than going to go to the trouble of using water, and then media, and clean twice, and still not get the insides of the cases clean, I will just use stainless pins, clean once, and have the cases clean inside and out.

This insides were surprisingly clean. Not sparkly but definitely cleaner. Regardless the thread was for people without a rotary tumbler that wanted to improve their cleaning.

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by whitefish

Huh, never would have thought of using a vibratory tumbler with water. Any problems with leaks?

No not in mine as it is a sealed bowl. It is a Lyman 1200.

[360hunt]

I de-cap all my brass first.....
Then run it through a sonic cleaner. It not only cleans the primer pockets but also cleans the entire inside spotless. In fact I through my glock pistol in. Comes out looking new every time.
Once my brass is dry then I dry tumble with a 10:1 nufinish car polish and paint thinner. Results are amazing

[AndrewM]

3 on left are with Lemi Shine and Nufinish. 3 on right are only Nufinish.




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[dogslayer403]

Shiny brass is overrated lol

[Pathfinder76]

I save the most time by not doing it at all.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by dogslayer403

Shiny brass is overrated lol

Shiny brass may be overrated but clean brass may be a positive.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by covey ridge

Shiny brass may be overrated but clean brass may be a positive.

Can you show me dirty brass? Not tarnished/oxidized, but dirty.

[abhunter8]

Give the brass a quick polish with a little never dull and shiny as new. One $10 can lasts me 5 years.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by chuck

Can you show me dirty brass? Not tarnished/oxidized, but dirty.

I have never taken issue with a bit of tarnish! All of the pics posted by OP seemed clean to me.

[260 Rem]

I think as long as the exterior of the brass is clean, it will function consistently in the chamber (it’s dark in there, and shiny shouldn’t count).
The inside MAY be a different story and I am sure must have been comparison tested by top notch BR shooters. (Perhaps HW / CB / RP will weigh in?). If I was to hazard a guess, I would be comfortable guessing that “clean” (brushed) would perform as well as “shiny”...and that perhaps even a “brushed clean” neck might be preferred to a “naked” (shiny clean) neck?

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by 260 Rem

I think as long as the exterior of the brass is clean, it will function consistently in the chamber (it’s dark in there, and shiny shouldn’t count).
The inside MAY be a different story and I am sure must have been comparison tested by top notch BR shooters. (Perhaps HW / CB / RP will weigh in?). If I was to hazard a guess, I would be comfortable guessing that “clean” (brushed) would perform as well as “shiny”...and that perhaps even a “brushed clean” neck might be preferred to a “naked” (shiny clean) neck?

My guess is consistency is what matters but I look forward to the experts opinion. I’m guessing that it’s kind of like a woman. She doesn’t need to be washed and waxed but sure does look prettier that way!

[joecz858]

Hmm, I'll have to give that a try. I'll admit, I spend way too much time trying to get my brass shiny and bright. I love it...

[BuckCuller]

Quickest most efficient way to clean brass is a rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins, water and a half of a tea spoon of brass monkey no rinse required.

[Hydrant]

Some great tips here thanks.

[AndrewM]

Stainless and pins is obviously the best way to clean inside and outside your brass. The thread was started for people with a vibratory tumbler and don’t clean a pile of brass. Just a way to help clean a bit more with the tools in the toolbox!