Cleaning Brass

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  • DocAitch

    Active Member
    Jun 22, 2011
    679
    North of Baltimore
    polishing brass

    I aim for the outside of the brass to be shiny and the inside is generally clean(unusual) to totally black.
    I don't think that matters since it is the carbide ring of the sizing die that I am trying to spare (plus I like shiny brass). I rarely tumble brass for more than 2 hours.
    I use Dillon case polish and some mineral spirits in the media.
    I don't like the jeweler's rouge rouge that came on the walnut media that I used one time.
    You might try to reduce the amount of brass in the tumbler but that is hard to estimate form your photo
    DocAitch
     

    lx1x

    Peanut Gallery
    Apr 19, 2009
    26,992
    Maryland
    I aim for the outside of the brass to be shiny and the inside is generally clean(unusual) to totally black.
    I don't think that matters since it is the carbide ring of the sizing die that I am trying to spare (plus I like shiny brass). I rarely tumble brass for more than 2 hours.
    I use Dillon case polish and some mineral spirits in the media.
    I don't like the jeweler's rouge rouge that came on the walnut media that I used one time.
    You might try to reduce the amount of brass in the tumbler but that is hard to estimate form your photo
    DocAitch

    i started using flitz i can get 9mm brass clean in about an hour if not a little more. im not too concern about getting it really shinny. but close enough to having no powder residue left. ive used other polisher and it takes longer. :)
     

    mstraus

    Active Member
    Jul 23, 2009
    379
    Frederick MD
    I use a Smartreloader vibratory unit with Lizard bedding from Pet store. Same as reloading walnut shells. Then I add 4 small dabs of Flitz per load. Since the shells are so cheap I mix 50 % new shells each load. It custs down on the dust and I am always getting nice coarse shells. I max out at around 300 cases per batch. I also tumble with old primers inplace to prevent pocket debris. Flitz is the bomb. Most range brass is clean if you get it before it is swept up with dirt and trash. Tumble time is about 90 mins at most
     

    Machodoc

    Old Guy
    Jun 27, 2012
    5,745
    Just South of Chuck County
    I've seen the Harbor Freight tumblers mentioned here, and I wondered what experience others have had with these? I bought one on a whim, as I passed it in the store--last one in stock. Took it home and when I used it the first time, it walked all over the place. I finally put it out on the gravel driveway, where it couldn't go far, and decided to use it even if it beat itself to death.

    I called HF tech support and they wanted me to ship it off to them, then wait until they checked it and decided whether or not to ship me another one. The process would take 2-3 weeks, so I kept calling my local store to see if they had more in stock. About three days later they said they had new ones on the shelf, so I took mine back. They exchanged it without any issues (just had to show the receipt and wait for them to do the transfer paperwork). I got the new one home and it seems to work just fine. Now I wonder if the original was returned by another customer, cleaned up, and put back on the shelf? That could explain why it was the only one. If so, the one I returned is going to be hard to pass off as new.
     

    sgt23preston

    USMC LLA. NRA Life Member
    May 19, 2011
    3,994
    Perry Hall
    THE DILLON POLISH DOES WONDERS

    Sgt Preston here...

    The idea is to clean the brass for reloading...

    I also like my brass to "look like new" but not look like a trumpet...

    I use a small Dillon Vibrating Machine CV750...

    I refill it once a year with fresh Corn Cob...

    I buy my corn cob from Dillon because they grind it to the correct size for CLEANING DIRTY BRASS...

    I add a cap full of of Dillon Rapid Polish 290 $8.95 every 2 - 3 months...

    I don't overload the machine with too much brass...

    I plug my vibrator into an electric timer & let it run for 3 hours...

    When it comes out of the vibrator the brass is clean, brass colored & ready to be inspected & reloaded...

    The inside of the case is clean but dark & NOT shiny...

    All of my finished rounds will hit the center of the dot when I make good shots...

    Hope this is helpful...

    www.bluepress.com
     

    ALBY

    Active Member
    Jan 5, 2008
    652
    i tumble and clean a lot of brass. 9mm, .40 and .223. maybe 20k a year or so.

    i place dryer sheets on the bottom and top in both my tumblers when operating. they are typoically filthy after one run and i think they help my media stay fresher, longer.

    i find overloading the tumblers leads to less than desirable results. your tumblers must be rotating the conbtents nicely for best results. if it just sits there and shakes, but you see no rotation, you have overloaded it.

    i use all corn cob media.

    dillon polish is the best, but i also have good results with cheap turtle wax.
     

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