Brass cleaning issue

[1000 yard]

Dryer sheets? This is a new trick I haven't heard before.......... so how's that work? Just throw it in the tumbler?

 

[Legionnaire]

Yes, a USED dryer sheet captures dust. I had my wife save them for me. I toss half a sheet cut into quarters into my dry tumbler. When you're done tumbling, those pieces of dryer sheet will be choked with media dust and carbon residue. Throw them away. Using the sheets will keep your media cleaner and effective longer.

 

[RugerFan]

I have my wife save them after use, cut them into quarters and just throw 4-6 quarters in the tumbler depending on how dirty the brass is.
Gets alot of the dust and dirt out.
Someone else said Zilla Desert blend walnut shells, been using that same stuff for years. It's ALOT cheaper than buying "tumbling media" it's the same stuff for a fraction of the price! never had a problem getting stuck in flash holes either.

 

[1000 yard]

Yes, a USED dryer sheet captures dust. I had my wife save them for me. I toss half a sheet cut into quarters into my dry tumbler. When you're done tumbling, those pieces of dryer sheet will be choked with media dust and carbon residue. Throw them away. Using the sheets will keep your media cleaner and effective longer.

As soon as I saw dryer sheets, my first thought was static electricity that can cause electronic scales to go haywire. Static can mess with a lot of reloading aspects, especially anything digital. Definitely gonna try this, sounds like it may be a two for one........ get rid of dust and carbon residue, and possibly cut down on static in the reloading room!

 

[Will Gray]

Looks like I am pretty much out of step with the brass cleaners. I lube with Mobil 1 on my pad, if forming 300RUM into 416 BUF, I lube the case mouth with bacon grease. Once complete, I wash fully with brake parts cleaner (5gal for $40 at auto zone), blow dry and load. I am not a bench rest shooter but I do get < 1/2" groups with most of my rifles. It is the barrel that makes the difference. I use Lilja and Shilen barrels and have begun chambering them myself with both rented and purchased reamers. I rarely clean my barrels.

 

[glockhart]

Yes, a USED dryer sheet captures dust. I had my wife save them for me. I toss half a sheet cut into quarters into my dry tumbler. When you're done tumbling, those pieces of dryer sheet will be choked with media dust and carbon residue. Throw them away. Using the sheets will keep your media cleaner and effective longer.

Been using an ultrasonic bath afterwards to get like-new looking brass. The long range guys at the range encouraged me not to clean the entire case, but just to clean the necks. Seems they have been getting better case life that way. Anyone else notice that?

 

[Knight]

Welcome to the 21 first century. Stainless media is the only way to tumble brass. Give it a try and you'll never look back..

 

[DUSTY NOGGIN]

Dryer sheets? This is a new trick I haven't heard before.......... so how's that work? Just throw it in the tumbler?

some people add things like automotive wax rubbing compounds to the media .. if you put it on the dryer sheet it wont leave clumps your media.

this was/is fairly common practice by reloaders before the stainless steel pins became the norm .. occasionally youd hear of chemical conflicts like the OP pics ..

 

[RetiredSniper]

I don't use corn o wallnut husks or anything like that! I use stainless steel pins, a few drops of Dawn dish soap and a dash of Lemi Shine (a dish washer aditive) and my brass comes out like new every time. The steel pins can be rinsed out and used forever. I have been cleaning bras like this for years with the same pins! Even my buddys ask how I get the brass so klean! They are all going to a rolling drum brall cleaner and using steel pins.

 

[cetacea]

I'll second (or 3rd) the SS media with tumbler & dryer. Cleans inside, flash holes & primer pockets and NO digging pcs of media out of flash holes after cleaning.

 

[crkckr]

I suspect the OP's staining to be from dirty media. The stuff will only absorb so much. If you're using something like Brasso as a polish, this too will stain the brass when the media is saturated. The staining should come off fairly easily with some solvent (Wally World Brake or Carb cleaner) but may leave streaks on the brass.

I have not used corn cob grit & Brasso since trying the steel pins. My brass is cleaned after decapping and before sizing, so the primer pockets and interior of the cases are also perfectly clean. However...

I recently bought a jug of Bore Tech's liquid brass cleaner. This stuff is amazing and works even faster with a few steel pins in the mix! From now on all of my brass will be cleaned this way!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[Dosh]

MT, did you add a polishing agent to your media?

 

[Dirtrax]

As soon as I saw dryer sheets, my first thought was static electricity that can cause electronic scales to go haywire. Static can mess with a lot of reloading aspects, especially anything digital. Definitely gonna try this, sounds like it may be a two for one........ get rid of dust and carbon residue, and possibly cut down on static in the reloading room!

Static Guard aerosol spray works great for keeping static electricity at bay in the loading space.

 

[338 dude]

View attachment 142994 Here is a picture of the coloration. Some cases are better than others.

Change media and u never need to tumble for than 3 or 4 hours