JavaScript is disabled
Our website requires JavaScript to function properly. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings before proceeding.
Messages
1,249
Reactions
972
Started my first run of .223 brass in my rock tumbler.. It's a small tumbler so it's a small run. 100 rounds with 2lbs of stainless media, a 1/2 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1/2 teaspoon of lemi-shine. Hoping for good things. I already had the tumbler so my total investment is the cost of the stainless media thus far.

Will post update when done. Hoping I need the shades on my eyes when done. Anybody with any experience here please post it.
 
I gather that the shiny freaks will again tumble them in a vibratory tumbler with a liquid car wax to keep them shiny.
I think there's something you can add to your wet mix to do the same thing.. oh, I think it's one of the various wash and waxes in one for cars.. use that instead of the detergent.. keeps fingerprints etc. from discoloring the clean brass.
 
retentive, obsessive compulsive control/neat freaks involved in our hobby than I thought , or the evil marketing MBAs who really control the world have at last brainwashed enough people to make this kind of brass cleaning overkill thread one of the currently popular favorites on all gun forums. Maybe the shade of David Eisenhower does still influence the world--woooooooooooo wooooooo as per one of the ghost hunters episodes. It seems to me to be one of the only semi-viable answers to this insane and ridiculous overcleaning of brass we see over and over and over again on forums ad infinitum ad nauseum................so, a rant: be warned.
For the newbies reading this: you need to clean brass in order to reduce wear on your dies and to insure proper seating of the bullet and that is ALL. You do not need to polish it. It does not need to shine like the seat of a a congressman's pants. There are no shiny brass matches. If you resell reloaded brass it is a different matter--a nice shiny product will inspire confidence in your potential customer, whether you knew what you were doing during the reloading process or not.

If you decide to throw away money on cleaning and/or polishing products that go beyond the necessary levels in this hobby, it is certainly your right to do so--it is also my right to call you --nevermind--a vibratory tumbler like my Franklin Armory (has lasted well over 15 years so far) and some walnut media (lasts about 8 to 10 years depending upon the type of brass used and how dirty it is) and maybe a media separator and a can of Bon Ami or Ajax or Zud is all you need to get your brass clean enough to use over and over and over and over, saving $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that can be used in much more profitable (to you, not David Eisenhower) ways. If you get into BR or other precision shooting, you might invest in a neck brush and adapt it for use with your cordless drill or screwdriver.

Speaking of BR shooting--a discipline that is undoubtedly the most persnickity and demanding of all the shooting sports---as far as case prep goes--ask a few hall of famers about their ideas on stainless steel or ceramic media or brass polish or corn cobs as used in brass cleaning and not outhouses......or even ask the also rans..like me.

Of course if you already have the tumbler and media from rock hounding--that's another story. As a reformed rock hound I will certainly agree the _____ brand tumbler is the best for rock rounding--which is not rock polishing and certainly not brass polishing, BUT if it gets it clean--that's money saved-- I cannot help thinking that bouncing a soft metal like brass around in a hard metal like steel bath is less than conducive to the useful life of the brass. Or was my Physics prof. and text wrong?
 
Started my first run of .223 brass in my rock tumbler.. It's a small tumbler so it's a small run. 100 rounds with 2lbs of stainless media, a 1/2 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1/2 teaspoon of lemi-shine. Hoping for good things. I already had the tumbler so my total investment is the cost of the stainless media thus far.

Will post update when done. Hoping I need the shades on my eyes when done. Anybody with any experience here please post it.


Read this....http://www.northwestfirearms.com/am...4445-brass-tarnishing-day-after-cleaning.html
 
Southpaw
I remember my mom using Bon Ami to clean windows.
Do you just put some of the dry powder in the media?
I have used Ajax cleanser on sinks but I am not familiar with Zud.
My wife uses something called Bartender's friend to clean our stainless sink.

Sheldon
 
426185.jpg


Plus hot water and dishwasher detergent has worked great for me since 1985. I deprime first and then rinse well after with hot water and shake em out in an old bath towel, pour into a cardboard box and let dry. They come out matte and this process requires no gun specific tumbling media
 
retentive, obsessive compulsive control/neat freaks involved in our hobby than I thought , or the evil marketing MBAs who really control the world have at last brainwashed enough people to make this kind of brass cleaning overkill thread one of the currently popular favorites on all gun forums. Maybe the shade of David Eisenhower does still influence the world--woooooooooooo wooooooo as per one of the ghost hunters episodes. It seems to me to be one of the only semi-viable answers to this insane and ridiculous overcleaning of brass we see over and over and over again on forums ad infinitum ad nauseum................so, a rant: be warned.
For the newbies reading this: you need to clean brass in order to reduce wear on your dies and to insure proper seating of the bullet and that is ALL. You do not need to polish it. It does not need to shine like the seat of a a congressman's pants. There are no shiny brass matches. If you resell reloaded brass it is a different matter--a nice shiny product will inspire confidence in your potential customer, whether you knew what you were doing during the reloading process or not.

If you decide to throw away money on cleaning and/or polishing products that go beyond the necessary levels in this hobby, it is certainly your right to do so--it is also my right to call you --nevermind--a vibratory tumbler like my Franklin Armory (has lasted well over 15 years so far) and some walnut media (lasts about 8 to 10 years depending upon the type of brass used and how dirty it is) and maybe a media separator and a can of Bon Ami or Ajax or Zud is all you need to get your brass clean enough to use over and over and over and over, saving $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that can be used in much more profitable (to you, not David Eisenhower) ways. If you get into BR or other precision shooting, you might invest in a neck brush and adapt it for use with your cordless drill or screwdriver.

Speaking of BR shooting--a discipline that is undoubtedly the most persnickity and demanding of all the shooting sports---as far as case prep goes--ask a few hall of famers about their ideas on stainless steel or ceramic media or brass polish or corn cobs as used in brass cleaning and not outhouses......or even ask the also rans..like me.

Of course if you already have the tumbler and media from rock hounding--that's another story. As a reformed rock hound I will certainly agree the _____ brand tumbler is the best for rock rounding--which is not rock polishing and certainly not brass polishing, BUT if it gets it clean--that's money saved-- I cannot help thinking that bouncing a soft metal like brass around in a hard metal like steel bath is less than conducive to the useful life of the brass. Or was my Physics prof. and text wrong?
You crazy bastard. like I like.. wha?
 
Pic is of a model B, Blitzkrieg?
I have had a model B since about 1980 or so, only have needed to replace the "belt" a couple of times, I can usually find an O ring the right size.
I have two liners for it, one for rocks, (I also tumble broken glass to make "beach glass" for various projects,) and one for media.
I too deprime brass first, but use some walnut shell with some jewelers rouge, then wash and let dry.
I don't get real carried away, though, a couple three hours of tumbling seems like enough, rarely I'll let it run overnight..
 
Yeah, I have two TTs, the old one is near worn out but a buddy gave me his new one, recently. With the hot water system 30 minutes is enough
 
Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday.....

My first batch yesterday was with primers in as I'm still waiting for the Rock Chucker to arrive. Pretty much a test run on the method of cleaning. 3 hours and brass looks good. Now all I have to do is get the brass-0 out and rub each one until Sinister's eyes pop. Next batch will be de-primed first as I'm sure it's much easier to get the water and media out after, besides I can't have dirty primer pockets, what would people say.........

I did same thing as Blitz. Wrapped in a towel and shook them but then I put them by the wood stove with a pillow and a cup of hot chocolate so they didn't get cold.
 
John :s0114: @ brasso




- yes it will screw up your brass, but you would have discarded it for other reasons long before the Brasso could ruin it.............

BTW, Blitz describes a process with several steps (some of which are cleaning up after) more than what is necessary to get a usable, clean cartridge case. Still, if it keeps you off the streets and the wife/significant other does not object...........who is to say what is done by consenting adults in the privacy of their garage is wrong? I just think that newbies should be warned that that kind of nonsense is a waste of time and money that could be put toward that ___caliber ____brand custom rifle or front rest or bulk bullet buy or 45 cases of beer or about 768 million other more useful things........as I said if you have the Thumler, why not use it? You could save money. Unless you go out and buy ss or ceramic media--a bunch of soapsuds and on and on--when you do that you buy into the martketing pukes' spiel and are hooked. The next thing will be polish and then what? Yellow food coloring for that retro brass look?

As the old gunny said: Don't overkill cleaning your brass to try to assuage your guilty conscience because you don't clean your guns like you should--as a recent survey indicated that 87.456% of non-competitive shooters do--or don't do whichever applies:confused:
 
As the old gunny said: Don't overkill cleaning your brass to try to assuage your guilty conscience because you don't clean your guns like you should--as a recent survey indicated that 87.456% of non-competitive shooters do--or don't do whichever applies:confused:




bubblegum, I'm going to have to get a bigger tumbler or a Short Barrel Rifle. No way my current setup will handle a rifle cleaning.. :s0058:
 

Upcoming Events

Tillamook Gun & Knife Show
Tillamook, OR
"The Original" Kalispell Gun Show
Kalispell, MT
Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class
Springfield, OR
Teen Rifle 1 Class
Springfield, OR

New Resource Reviews

New Classified Ads

Back Top