Prepping Brass

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Prepping Brass

Postby Jim in Houston » Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:30 pm

I am about to start reloading and have gone over the internet on the question of how to prep fired brass. I am not planning on using a tumbler or media. The answers generally include a bucket of water plus a) simple green, b) tide, c) a commercial brass cleaning agent like Isso's, then stirring for 5 minutes (after removing the primers), then drying - in the air, with a blow dryer, or on the tennis shoe rack of a front loading clothes dryer. I omitted the recommendation to put your brass in a bag and throw it in the clothes washer - I am in enough trouble with the rags I use to detail my car.

Does anyone have a favorite method or can you recommend a product to use. Since I am only loading small quantities (Bushmaster 450), the amount of hand labor involved is probably not an issue.

Many thanks.
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:17 pm

The best advice I can give you is to get a small vibrating tumbler.
There really is no better way. Corn cob media.
I run my brass through the tumbler, rinse with hot water
Lube, decap and size. I dip case in some thinner to cut the lube
Then tumble again. Rinse in hot water. Brass is ready for touchup
And prepping for primers.
Dirty shells will shorten the life of your dies. I destroyed a set
Of 357 Mag dies within two years because I didn't think I needed
A tumbler.
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Mon Feb 28, 2011 2:25 pm

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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Hoot » Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:20 am

Texas Sheepdawg wrote:The best advice I can give you is to get a small vibrating tumbler.
There really is no better way. Corn cob media...snip


The dawg is right on this. Aside from an ultrasonic cleaner using a concoction of vinegar, water and dish liquid, like the one described over at 6mmbr.com, there is no substitute for a vibratory tumbler and either corn cob or my favorite, walnut media. Repeat, no substitute. You can get the house brand on sale at Midway for a very reasonable price. I've had one for many many years and it's still going strong like the Eveready bunny. Heck, I'm still working off the box of walnut media I bought for it from Harbor Freight at the same time.

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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby 45r » Tue Mar 01, 2011 2:18 pm

I've used Lemi shine mixed with water in a small bucket from wally world to clean up brass like new.After soaking and stirring every now and then for a while I put the brass in a towel and roll them back and forth till dry.You can blow dry them also if you want to get em real dry and not have to tumble them.It will make tarnished brass look lots better,like new.It has citric acid in it and works very well.It cleans inside and out.I like to deprime first,water is trapped inside primers if you deprime after soaking.Flitz works great also by hand if you are doing a few at a time.I use flitz or Nufinish car wax in my tumbler.Keeps brass looking new for a long time.
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Jim in Houston » Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:26 pm

Many thanks. I have ordered the Frankford Aresenal tumbler kit (includes corn cob media and polish, plus brass and media separator thingy) from Sportsman's Guide, which has a better price than Midway (on the kit anyway - and seemed to be marginally cheaper than buying tumbler, media, and polish separately, plus I get the thingy). I thought the kit would be a good place to start. May switch to walnut media and some other polish in the future.

Headed for the range tomorrow to generate some brass.
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:12 pm

I use the corn cob media and some sort of media rejuventor stuff I think was made by Lyman. Not sure
cuz the bottle it was in cracked so now its in a mason jar.
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Hoot » Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:03 pm

Jim in Houston wrote:Many thanks. I have ordered the Frankford Aresenal tumbler kit (includes corn cob media and polish, plus brass and media separator thingy) from Sportsman's Guide, which has a better price than Midway (on the kit anyway - and seemed to be marginally cheaper than buying tumbler, media, and polish separately, plus I get the thingy). I thought the kit would be a good place to start. May switch to walnut media and some other polish in the future.

Headed for the range tomorrow to generate some brass.


Good Call Jim;
Sportsman's Guide is here on the other side of town. Always a great destination on a day off though the store is unimpressive compared to the warehouse area where they keep everything good. Like I said,you can get Walnut media at Harbor Freight for a buck a pound. It lasts a loooong time and produces stunning results. It's also good for tumbling parts and I made an insert for mine that holds pill bottles for shot plating bullets with WS2 or HBN. An added benefit. The results are not as good as my ultrasonic cleaner with the aforementioned solution for getting the inside clean, but you don't need to dry them when you use the tumbler and I burnish the insides of my necks afterward anyway. I tumble mine as soon as I get back from the range and before depriming and decapping. I give them another short pass after I clean the primer pockets for good measure.

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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Jim in Houston » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:59 am

I have looked at one video that recommended depriming before tumbling. I can't remember the reason. I see Hoot is recommending cleaning with the primer in, then a short shot in the tumbler after depriming.

Any other opinions (not that Hoot is wrong, of course). :o
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Re: Prepping Brass

Postby Hoot » Wed Mar 02, 2011 2:29 pm

FWIW, it's not a cleanliness issue nor my usual anal insistence upon procedure. I'm cheap and I have a lot invested in my dies and don't want them scratching from contaminants either on the surface or inside the spent brass, especially if they hit the dirt. Perhaps it's a total waste of time and materials.

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