Procedure for cleaning brass?

[Jamie D Van Roekel]

I have never cleaned brass without a shaker before. I was a little disappointed with how the primer pockets looked, and there were 30% that had walnut media in the flash hole I needed to clean out. Other than that I was really happy with how it looked. My question is. Do you have to blow the brass out to get the dust out of the inside? Or do you just have to dump the media out and call it good? Thanks.

 

[DrBob]

I have never cleaned brass without a shaker before. I was a little disappointed with how the primer pockets looked, and there were 30% that had walnut media in the flash hole I needed to clean out. Other than that I was really happy with how it looked. My question is. Do you have to blow the brass out to get the dust out of the inside? Or do you just have to dump the media out and call it good? Thanks.

No need to blow out... just be sure no residual media dust on the outside when you resize. I bought a cheap Chinese made ultrasonic cleaner and never looked back to media. Inside , outside and primer pockets cleaned. This after years of vibrator and media. Now... if I want to make the brass really shine after cleaning, then into the hopper with polish media.

 

[JimP]

I've just held the brass upside down and tapped it on something soft.

The primer pockets are a little bit different. There are times when I will clean the brass without removing the primers and then punch the primers out, but either way I will use a primer pocket brush to get it nice and clean.

 

[Albert GRANT]

I just made a wet tumbler with stuff I have at home, cost me nothing- got 2 1/2 pounds of stainless pins on sale at midway for just a few bucks, 1 long squirt of palmolive and a teaspoon of citric acid, run for 1.5hr and they come out brand new. Tap out the pins, roll around in a towel and put in the stove at 300 until dry. No spotting, no wax on the brass, no media residue to deal with. Cheaper, easier and less time than media tumbling.

 

[DrBob]

I've just held the brass upside down and tapped it on something soft.

The primer pockets are a little bit different. There are times when I will clean the brass without removing the primers and then punch the primers out, but either way I will use a primer pocket brush to get it nice and clean.

Clogging the primer pockets is a pain. What type media are you using.... walnut doesn't clog the pockets.

 

[JimP]

90% of my tumbling is with walnut. The other 10% is with corn.

I should also say that I'll put the brass into the vibrator and turn it on and leave it overnight.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Using the coarse Harbor Freight crushed walnut tumbling media helps with the primer pockets.

 

[shootist~]

Vibratory cleaner, Frankford Arsenal Corn Cob Media, Dillon case polish.

I only kick out the primers during resizing.
After resizing and a second corn cob tumble/polish to remove the case lube - primer pockets get a quick couple of turns with a K&M Uniforming Tool (mounted in an elec screwdriver) to remove carbon.

Flash holes are inspected after that second cleaning. ~5 or so get hit with air pressure to remove stuck media in the FH.

 

[Jamie D Van Roekel]

Clogging the primer pockets is a pain. What type media are you using.... walnut doesn't clog the pockets.

I am using walnut.

 

[rdog]

The stainless pin tumblers with detergent & citric acid leave all other methods for dead size & decap first, & they come out looking like new.

 

[mdwest]

I’ve been pretty lazy lately… I’ve been just running everything through two long cycles on the Lyman ultra sonic cleaner and calling it done… the cases don’t look perfectly new… but they function the same… so haven’t been putting forth the extra effort…

In the past I’ve run cases through a long cycle on the ultrasonic… then followed up with walnut media in the tumbler… they are certainly a lot prettier when I add the extra step…

 

[Lone Star Bluegrass]

Wet tumbling will change your life.