BRASS CLEANING

First topic message reminder :

Well the old vibratory cleaner has finally bit the dust.  I can't even imagine how many hours it has over the last 20+ years, but it's gotta be a gazillion.  So while I have been very careful about dust exposure (tumbling in the garage, rolling the separator outside with a breeze or using a fan to direct the dust away from me), I'm thinking this is a good time to switch over to wet.

My question for the folks that wet tumble, do you use steal pins and solution?  Also thinking a food dehydrator would work well for drying.

Appreciate any suggestions on your process, equipment, etc.

DK wrote:I use the Lortone 12# drum in a home built rotary machine and decap prior to tumbling. .... ss chip media (not pins) do the trick after a couple hours. 

DK - do you mean Southern Shine media?  If correct, did you notice any erosion on drum walls?

Roy,

I use Cascade Advance Power Dishwasher thing.  It includes citric acid, so no adding Lemishine is needed.  Two tea spoons with top per 800 cases would be plenty.  Not sure about duration - I frequently forget that tumblers are running.  I air dry brass under the ceiling fan.  Resulting cases are way shinier then I care.

AP

RoyDean wrote:Resurrecting an old thread.

I deprime/size first using One Shot to reduce effort - Lee APP fed by a Dillon case feeder - as fast as I can pull the handle! Then into a Frankford tumbler with SS pins, usually about 800 pieces of 45ACP per load. About 3 dollops of Meguires and a splash of Lemishine powder. Cold water. Tumble for an hour. Then into a Frankford dryer for an hour or so.

Now finding that whilst all of the brass is very clean - it comes out with a dull sheen - I prefer really shiny. Anysuggestions on how to achieve shiny???

Adjust the LemiShine quantity and/or tumble a bit longer.  The shininess is, like other chemical processes, is a matter if active chemical concentration and time in the bath.  Also check your water for hardness.  Most municipal systems now use “groundwater” from deep wells.  It isn’t soft AT ALL.

Phosphoric acid solution works great for a beautiful shine.  If you're wet cleaning anyway, clean, rinse, then 1 minute +/- in diluted phosphoric acid will make them pop.  Of course, rinse well. I use hot water in the garage sink as final rinse for the cases.

I quit using lemishine all together. Just 3 table spoons of dawn dish soap and hot water for an hour or two, then a cold water rinse and stand up to air dry

My process:

1. De-cap brass using universal de-capping die.
2. Using Thumbler Tumbler (15 lb capacity) tumble 2 lbs brass, 5 lbs stainless steel pins, one gallon warm water, about two teaspoons of Dawn detergent, and about a half-teaspoon of lemishine for about 30 minutes.
3. Drain dirty water and flood rinse brass in tumbler tub until no soap bubbles appear, then drain water.
4.  Separate pins from brass using Dillon media separator.
5. In vibratory cleaner filled with ground corn cob and about one capful of Nu Finish liquid car wax, tumble wet brass for about 30 minutes.

The brass comes out dry and looking like factory new, does not tarnish or water spot, and remains good looking for months.