Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Stains on brass


Recommended Posts

Is there any cleaning solution that you can dump the brass in before tumbling that will remove the stains from the brass.

If I was totlly bored, I'd use Brasso on each cartridge, but I'm not.

So my question to the multitude of reloaders is; how do you get your brass looking shiny without the black stains.

By the way, I'm not shooting black powder.

Thanks fro the info.

Happy Trails, Coyote Kid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I'll get flamed for this but, combine the two. Put a couple of caps full of Brasso in your tumbling media. Let it vibrate around for a while until it's all "disolved" into the media. Toss in yer brass as normal and it'll come out as shiney as new.

 

(The flames will come from the matalugists in the crowd that say the amonia in the Brasso will weaken your cases. I guess I'm one of those old stubborn fools who say I've been doin' it for years with no problems so I'ma gonna keep on doin' it. ;) )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Philly 'split case' Slim says it, it must be so! :D

 

I do tumble, but don't worry too much about stains, I tend to tumble for 5 hours or so as I forget about them most of the time.

 

And beside, any stains just make them look more authentic old west!

 

IMO

YMMV

IME

LMNOP

 

Grizz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a cap ful of Turtlewax liquid car wax. And I also add a used dryer sheet to each batch to reduce dust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I'll get flamed for this but, combine the two. Put a couple of caps full of Brasso in your tumbling media. Let it vibrate around for a while until it's all "disolved" into the media. Toss in yer brass as normal and it'll come out as shiney as new.

 

(The flames will come from the matalugists in the crowd that say the amonia in the Brasso will weaken your cases. I guess I'm one of those old stubborn fools who say I've been doin' it for years with no problems so I'ma gonna keep on doin' it. ;) )

 

 

Yup. Me too! ^_^

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to the tip from one of the shooters at MIMA

I soak my brass in a little Simple Green mixed with

water overnight then tumble it.

Looks almost like new brass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just add a little auto wax and a cap of paint thinner to your tumbling media and tumble till all the paint thinner is gone and the brass looks nice. No possible damage to brass, nothing expensive to buy, no chance of ticking off a metallurgist :ph34r:. Within an hour, most of your stains from the brass having picked up some soot or surface "browning" will all be gone.

 

Then you can toss out the media, if you don't like having the wax in it. The paint thinner will evaporate. You might want to let the tumbler run outside or with good ventilation.

 

Anything faster acting is not necessary with smokeless loads. In fact, shiny brass is not necessary. Just clean.

 

Good luck, GJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like to use TSP (Available at your local paint store) Buy the real stuff not the substitute.

TSP = Tri Sodium Phosphate.

 

A little bit in the water will strip off all the oil and loosen almost all the carbon from your brass.

Then tumble in your media.

When done it will be as clean as Philly Slims head! (And just as empty)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know I'll get flamed for this but, combine the two. Put a couple of caps full of Brasso in your tumbling media. Let it vibrate around for a while until it's all "disolved" into the media. Toss in yer brass as normal and it'll come out as shiney as new.

 

(The flames will come from the matalugists in the crowd that say the amonia in the Brasso will weaken your cases. I guess I'm one of those old stubborn fools who say I've been doin' it for years with no problems so I'ma gonna keep on doin' it. ;) )

 

No flaming here. I've been doing that for 9 years now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for brasso in the corn cob media and tumble a long time (all day). ;) If you prefer a satin finish, the Comet cleanser in the corn media will buff off the stains fairly quickly. B) No matter what. you basically need an strong abraisive added to the media to take off the stained metal. :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can 'wash' your brass prior to tumbling and it works pretty well. I take a large stainless steel salad bowl big enough to hold all the brass. I fill it with hot water from my tap up to a level that will cover the brass with water. Into that mixture add about 4 tablespoons each of lemon juice, white vinegar and Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent. Mix that thoroughly and then drop in the brass. I use a metal spoon with holes in it and stir up the brass in the water mixture for about 5 minutes. The brass gets real shiny and clean and the insides are clean as well. I rinse out the brass under the faucet real good and then put them in a colender let them drain well. I lay them out on a towel and let them dry for about 3 days before tumbling them. They come out real shiny from the tumbler and the insides are pretty clean too, better than if tumbling only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do shoot Black Powder, and cleaning brass is more difficult. It can get stains you won't get off with Brasso or the regular brass cleaning polishes. I've discovered Iosso Brass Cleaner. I got the kit from Cabela's then got the refill liquid in gallon containers after that. You put the brass in a mesh bag and dunk it in the Iosso liquid for 20 seconds to a minute, then rinse. Then tumble the brass in what you've been using (such as corn cob) for about half the time you've been tumbling. The result is extremely clean brass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why do you worry about a few stains on your brass?

 

 

I don't. Brass cases get washed in hot water, air dried & run through the vibratory cleaner. What stains are left after a couple hours are just patina. Nickel cases don't get stained. They're washed in hot water, air dried then reloaded.

 

Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, what actually are those stains we find on brass anyway?

After using a few times.

 

Oxide.

 

Cartridge brass is 70% copper and 30% zinc. The copper in the alloy will oxidize over time. Let it sit long enough and it will turn green. Like just about any metal oxide, the stains on brass will always start at the surface and work their way down. No different than a tarnished brass frame on a Henry or '66.

 

I shoot Black Powder too, but I don't care if my brass is shiny. Shiny brass is easier to find in the grass than stained brass, but it does not shoot any better than stained brass. The important thing is to remove any grit that the brass may have picked up if it hit the ground. Grit is tiny particles of sand and it is very hard, hard enough to scratch your dies. Tumbling brass is a good way to remove the grit, so is rinsing. Once the grit is removed, you really don't have to do anything more.

 

But most shooters like shiny brass, so have at it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.