Claening green slime brass?

[Carlos Murphy # 873]

I have 85 rnds of live .45 Colt that have been in a cartridge belt for 15 years.

How can I clean the green slime from them?

 

Thanx.

Carlos murphy

[Springfield Slim SASS #24733]

Brass polish

[Matthew Duncan]

Dry tumbler.

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097]

Do not tumble live cartridges. It will affect the powder and could cause ignition problems.

[Major E A Sterner #12916]

Flitz works great, stay  away from any brass cleaner with ammonia,it can weaken the brass

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

I've dry-vibratory cleaned every round I've loaded for the last 5 years (removing smeared bullet lube and case lube).   I find no evidence it damages either powder or cartridge.

 

If the corrosion is severe (more than just surface) - discard the cartridges or brass in question.   Severe corrosion weakens the brass and it will often split on next firing.

 

If you want to get the green corrosion (verdigris) off of fired brass, I'd suggest a cleaning solution of 1 tsp of crystallized sulfamic acid (grout cleaner, found in any home improvement store) in a quart of hot water and vinegar (half/half).   Ten seconds in the solution and almost all the copper carbonate can be scrubbed off with a green scrubbing pad.

 

For loaded cartridges, light application of a brass cleaner (like Brasso) that is immediately polished off will usually work.  But DO NOT let the brass soak in any brass cleaner, as it can weaken the brass (especially if the cleaner has ammonia in it).  Oh, Maj Sterner is on the same track, too.

 

Much safer than Brasso is to just use WD-40.   Scrub brass with a soft bristle brush soaked with WD-40.   Wipe off with paper towel.

 

If visible pitting of the cartridges is revealed by this, discard the ammo.

 

 

Good luck, GJ

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Will the rounds chamber as-is?  Then just save them for a lost brass match.  

[Matthew Duncan]

3 hours ago, Snake-eye, SASS#45097 said:

Do not tumble live cartridges. It will affect the powder and could cause ignition problems.

Are you serious about trying to fire 15 year old brass that is green?

[Carlos Murphy # 873]

No! Not planning to shoot this ammo, want to clean them up for use in my new gun belt rig.

[Marauder SASS #13056]

After you clean them up, coat with clean finger nail polish. 

 

That makes them look nice and they won't fit into your revolver.

 

That's what police used to do.

[BLACKFOOT SASS #11947]

Shoot them, put the empties in your regular reloading rotation and get some plated brass for the belt.  If you just have to put polished brass in your gun belt, polish some to a high luster, load them them spray them with clear acrylic spray.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

5 hours ago, Carlos Murphy # 873 said:

No! Not planning to shoot this ammo, want to clean them up for use in my new gun belt rig.

And another pard:

....load them...

 

Don't ever use live primers or powder in "display" ammo.   You leave the ammo in a belt, it corrodes, you or someone else takes round from belt (perhaps after you die and belt gets handed down, sorry to mention that inevitability) and ammo is fired with sad effect.  

 

Good luck, GJ