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I need opinions on what media gets your brass the brightest. Crushed walnut, stainless ect. I would like to get my brass as bright as possible. Thanks for the opinions.

Sandman

TIME in the tumbler..
I put mine in when I get back from the range, and take it out after I get home from work the next day.
 
Brasso has ammonia which can break down the brass.
I suspect that is probable but I cannot imagine it being too aggressive - considering the small amount I add to the walnut shell. All I do is just sprinkle several drops into the media. One thing I discovered though I threw a bunch of nickle plated brass and tumbled it for a few hours and I noticed the nickle starting to wear off. I don't know if that is being caused by the brasso or just the action of the walnut shell. Anyone ever experience this?
 
I suspect that is probable but I cannot imagine it being too aggressive - considering the small amount I add to the walnut shell. All I do is just sprinkle several drops into the media. One thing I discovered though I threw a bunch of nickle plated brass and tumbled it for a few hours and I noticed the nickle starting to wear off. I don't know if that is being caused by the brasso or just the action of the walnut shell. Anyone ever experience this?

It really depends on how long you want to use your brass. If you don't mind it splitting after a short number of loads I guess it wouldn't be a problem. For those of us that load our cases far beyond the "teens and twenties", Brasso is the last thing we use to clean/shine our brass. Pistol brass isn't that expensive but when you start paying $0.65-$1.25 per piece of rifle brass, you want all the life out of it you can get.

For those that think I'm FOS, that brass isn't that expensive, just price out some Lapua .308 and for a real eye opener, some 30-378 Weatherby brass. Of course if you're shooting a 30-378 you probably don't want to shoot it all that much due to recoil, not brass cost.
 
I use lg_brass_cartridge_case_cleaner (320x320).jpg

15 minute bath, shaken a few times during that 15 minutes. Rinse with water and air dry on a sunny day. Then 30 minutes in a tumbler with crushed walnut and nufinsh and the cases come out as close to new as you can get.

umrek

lg_brass_cartridge_case_cleaner (320x320).jpg
 
I use View attachment 42046

15 minute bath, shaken a few times during that 15 minutes. Rinse with water and air dry on a sunny day. Then 30 minutes in a tumbler with crushed walnut and nufinsh and the cases come out as close to new as you can get.

umrek

But are you just making the outside of the cases clean and shiny or are you actually cleaning the inside as well? Getting rid of all the old carbon buildup from previous loading/shooting cycles.

The only cleaning method that really does that is either ultrasonic or stainless steel pin tumbling. For me, just polishing the outside is like putting a fancy new dress on an old "hooker".
 
But are you just making the outside of the cases clean and shiny or are you actually cleaning the inside as well? Getting rid of all the old carbon buildup from previous loading/shooting cycles.

The only cleaning method that really does that is either ultrasonic or stainless steel pin tumbling. For me, just polishing the outside is like putting a fancy new dress on an old "hooker".

The Birchwood solution breaks up any tarnish/carbon buildup. Then the tumbling physically removes it a lot easier than normal. So you need a media that can get into the case in order to remove the build up inside. I use crushed walnut because its small enough to get into the primer pockets as well. So most of the time my cases are clean and shiny inside and out.
 
I do alot of brass every year and sell alot on line and I am continually asked what I use to get such a nice shine on the brass that stays nice and bright. I alway give the same answer. I use 14/20 grit corn cob in 40 lb bags from Graingers and the polishing compound is from Berry's Mfg in the quart bottles. Two hours in a vibratory cleaner and the results are very satisfactory.
223brass003.jpg
 
Brasso will destroy your media if you don't use it often it will rot walnut and corn cob it is full of ammonia your media will start to rot and go bad as for silicone in polish it (will not) contaminate your powder or primers I use dillon rapid polish with walnut or a mix of walnut and corn in fine grind if you want no chemicals go with a mix of walnut and corn in a fine grind it works very well.
 
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PS: anything harder than the brass will probably damage or shorten the life of the brass i would not use ss pins to tumble brass 25 + years experience making my own ammo.

I've been loading for considerably more years and DO use SS pins to clean my brass. As for shortening the life, how so? Work hardening? Not from the light weight pins. The pins roll with the brass burnishing it more than abrading it. The only thing the pins do is make the brass nice and clean with no carbon inside or out.

Short case life? I have a set of Winchester .308 cases that have been fired and cleaned over 22 times. Still working great. I expect them to get too thin from just firing and trimming long before the SS media damages them (if ever). Haven't had one case separation from this batch or a split neck either.

The only other process that comes even close to the cleanliness of the brass, inside, outside, and primer pockets, is the ultrasonic cleaner.


For those that don't want to use SS Pins, don't. But if you don't understand the process, it might be good to learn a little about it. You get more "beating" on your cases from other cases in your tumbler/vibrator than in the SS Pin cleaning process from the pins.

It all depends if you're satisfied with just a nice clean shiny case, outside only. I prefer to have no "leftovers" from my previous "dinner" on my plate when I sit down to eat again. Ditto for my cases when I build a fresh load.
 

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