Brass Cleaning....teach me the process...pro’s and can’s

[nksmfamjp]

So, I have a Midway model 1292 that I bought in about 1995, we'll say! It has served me well. It was recalled and they replaced the motor about 20 years ago. Well, today old reliable stopped mid cycle and smelled like an electrical fire! It seems ok, but I'm worried that it will catch fire. So, I need something new. I could just go buy another one, but they are loud, only clean the outside and removing media can be a pain.

So, if I wanted something better, what processes are better? How is sonic? Dry in oven ok on keep warm? Faster would be good too!

Are SS pins better? Why? Seems like they get wedged in cases. How can I be 100% sure no pins are left in cases?

Also which process has the reputation for screwing with neck tension due to brass being too clean?

Last, a corn cob tumbler is $62. I gotta call $150 my upper limit.

 

[JMW67]

So, I have a Midway model 1292 that I bought in about 1995, we'll say! It has served me well. It was recalled and they replaced the motor about 20 years ago. Well, today old reliable stopped mid cycle and smelled like an electrical fire! It seems ok, but I'm worried that it will catch fire. So, I need something new. I could just go buy another one, but they are loud, only clean the outside and removing media can be a pain.

So, if I wanted something better, what processes are better? How is sonic? Dry in oven ok on keep warm? Faster would be good too!

Are SS pins better? Why? Seems like they get wedged in cases. How can I be 100% sure no pins are left in cases?

Also which process has the reputation for screwing with neck tension due to brass being too clean?

Last, a corn cob tumbler is $62. I gotta call $150 my upper limit.

I have been using a harbor freight vibratory polisher for several years they are cheap and work well

 

[LaHunter]

I am still using a vibratory / treated corn cobb media setup that works great. I have no plans to change.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

I switched to the stainless pins in the frankfort arsenal drum. I love the process and will never switch back to vibratory for primary cleaning. The amount of pins that get caught in the necks is fewer than 1 per 200 cases. If you are worried about the case mouths being too clean, use some neolube #2. The pins are the way to go, my opinion.

 

[L.Sherm]

Brush the inside of the necks load'em and shoot.

 

[rsmithsr]

really depends on how big your batches are.
for 100 or under ss pins or plain fine ground corn cob and nufinish car POLISH.
ss pins is rotary, vib/tumbler for corn cob

 

[nksmfamjp]

What do folks think about sonic? Seems easier....

Seems like drop them in sonic machine for an hour.....Pull the basket. Drop in tray, heat in oven for like 20 min at 170 deg.

 

[cdherman]

I have done three of the four basic methods over the years.

Started with a Thumbler's tumbler, but with corncob and red rouge. Got the outsides of the cases clean, but leaves a layer of rouge (polish) inside and sometime a case full of walnut or corncob bits..... Mind you, this was the only answer in 1983 or so. Very slow......

Started back reloading in 2002 after some time off (living in a part of the world not conducive to shooting). Purchased a vibratory cleaner. Faster than the tumbler, but also tended to leave the insides of the cases "dirty". And would not remove the toughest of tarnish etc...

Realized about 5 years ago that my old 30 year old Thumbler could be used with stainless pins. Wow, what a difference. Perfect inside and out. Rare stuck pins in larger calibers. Lots of them in my 25-06 (I was using 1/4 pins..... I am not a large volume reloader, and can do 30-50 large cases in a setting. Its fast, matter of hours with Dawn and Lemishine.. I then happen to have a utility sink in my loading room (basement) and can rinse off the cases and shake out the pins under running water. Hint: several magnets in the drain basket. I toss them into a bucket of RO water then drain off that water and blow them dry with my aircompressor (requires trip to garage). Finally, last step I like is dunking them in denatured ethanol, which you may know is a strong surfactant and also disolves any remaining water. Then I let them air dry, since the one room in my house I am forbidden to take my reloading is the kitchen (oven is off limits).....

Now, I was really in LOVE with the shiney pins at first. Except my reloads were not one bit more accurate, maybe less so. And got to reading more about neck tension variation, some shooters believing that the powder residue in the neck is actually beneficial at times in that aspect etc.... And so, I went back to just reloading. I neck size with Redding nitride bushings (no lube needed), bump the shoulder back a touch, lube the necks with graphite and run a mandrel into the neck. That might sound complicated, but its WAY faster then tumbling, vibrating, or pinning.....

Is there any perfect solution? No. I do still like the stainless pins a LOT for really dirty, old nasty brass, or brass that I have annealed and intend to "start over" with. I anneal with tempilaq, thus my attraction to a deep cleaning afterwards.

But I actually think that this belief that factory clean appearing brass is better is just plain WRONG......

 

[Flintlock shooter]

I sonic clean and reload thousands of rounds per year. I bought a commercial grade sonic cleaner off Ebay. It's 15 ltr and holds about 600 308 cases. The key to sonic cleaners is the number of transducers. The more, the better. I clean my brass for 40 minutes and then rinse twice. All with distilled water. Brass comes out very clean inside and out. I use Hornady One Shot, a little dish soap and Lemishine. After rinsing, I blast each primer pocket with compressed air and then spread on a large cookie sheet and put in oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. IMHO it's the most tedious part for brass prep, but must be done.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Brush the inside of the necks load'em and shoot.

^^^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^^^^

I had a Lyman vibratory system and various media but rarely used it because my brass doesn't get "dirty".
I bought a STM SS wet pin set-up. Works great and really shines brass, but I rarely use it.

99% of the time I just run a bronze brush in & out of the neck using a cordless screwdriver. This is only to remove excess crud if its there. Other than that, if the outside of the neck gets a little black I just clean it with with a quick twist of 000 steel wool.

I think many shooters are obsessed with cleaning brass. It doesn't seem to serve much purpose IMO, unless you just want polished looking brass every time.

 

[redneckdan]

My 556 and 9mm is stainless tumbled every time. I dry my brass with a food dehydrator. My precision rifle stuff is tumbled when it gets dirty. I brush the necks and use some graphite for the first loading after tumbling, this is more for bullet seating then release. The case neck should not be touching the bullet when it fires, the case neck expands to seal the chamber. Annealing every firing has done a lot to improve my consistency of neck tension.

 

[6.5-300 BEE]

Pins, Dawn and Lemishine in Thumbler tumbler. Final rinse w/ Blue Coral car shampoo. "Tried the rest ? Now try the best !"

 

[huntintoo]

I agree!
I do Steele pins to clean, Fruit dryer to dry after. Then vibrating corncob media and Brass polish to polish. Longer shine for me!

Pins, Dawn and Lemishine in Thumbler tumbler. Final rinse w/ Blue Coral car shampoo. "Tried the rest ? Now try the best !"

 

[cohunt]

there was just a thread a few weeks back about how cleaning the insides of the neck too much could cause accuracy problems, as did adding dry graphite on the inside of the necks or bullet base for seating-- it was stated that brushing the insides of the necks was the best for accuracy --its something i'm going to compare in my rifles when I get a chance to draw my own conclusion