What is everyone using in there Brass Polisher ?

[1100 Remington Man]

The reason I ask is I just polished a few hundred.223 Rem cases looked great when I took them out of vibrater, but I wiped them all off then was sizing them and putting them in a gallon bucket when I noticed green flakes all over on my sized cases.
Went from clean to greasy with green flakes.
Should I rinse cases off in hot water ? Then dry.
Then put them back into vibrator with new media ?

I don't think wiping the outsides is enough since I don't know what's inside of the cases.

Thanks

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I've always used walnut or corn cob media, but it does leave a grey residue inside the cases. I take qtips and swab the inside of the necks, and it comes out pretty black and sooty looking. Maybe I just need to change my media...But I see what you're saying. All that residue is still on the inside of the cases, which I dont like, but I'm not to use what effect t it really has, if any on anything.

 

[Divernhunter]

Treated corn cob with a dryer sheet cut into 1/4ths for each batch

 

[358 WCF]

I sold my corncob machine decades ago. Noisy, messy, & slow. I load small batches (under 50, usually around 20-25 at a time) & am still using pieces of a Krazy Kloth (the dirtier it gets the better it works) from 30 years ago to clean carbon from outside case necks & an old bore brush for the inside before resizing. It wipes off & polishes up nicely with a paper towel or an old t-shirt. Then a Hart primer uniformer or a Dewey crocagator cleans primer pockets. What else needs cleaned?

There's a pile of range pickup 45ACP & 9mm for practice rounds in a box, but with carbide dies cant see spending the $$ for a tumbler of any type.

Edited for grammar, dammit.

 

[mjcmichigan]

Maybe you are ready for stainless steel pins. They will be squeaky clean and shiny. Inside and out. Water, Lemishine and a little dawn. Affordable and fast.

I decap and size my cases, BEFORE cleaning. That way my case necks don’t have lube in them, my primer pockets are clean.

I didn’t like the dust that came off walnut shells when I used them. I thought corncob was cleaner, but didn’t last as long. My stainless pins are not wearing out, and we always have lemishine and dawn in the house.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JD338]

Frankfort Arsonel wet tumbler with the stainless steel pins. The brass comes out spotless, inside and out, looking like new brass. If you want clean brass, this is the way to go.

JD338

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Can a guy use the stainless pins in a Lyman tumbler that was used with cob/walnut media? I dont want to buy a whole new tumbler, but I would like to try these stainless pins.

 

[ShadeTree]

I sold my corncob machine decades ago. Noisy, messy, & slow. I load small batches (under 50, usually around 20-25 at a time) & am still using pieces of a Krazy Kloth (the dirtier it gets the better it works) from 30 years ago to clean carbon from outside case necks & an old bore brush for the inside before resizing. It wipes off & polishes up nicely with a paper towel or an old t-shirt. Then a Hart primer uniformer or a Dewey crocagator cleans primer pockets. What else needs is there?

There's a pile of range pickup 45ACP & 9mm for practice rounds in a box, but with carbide dies cant see spending the $$ for a tumbler of any type.

You and I are in the same boat. I got a tumbler here that gets used once in a blue moon for cleaning old tarnished used brass I pick up at times.

My day to day reloading of cases gets sizing oil wiped off with 1/4 of a paper towel folded over and rubbing alcohol on it. Cleans the oil off, cleans the outside of the neck, the inside already got cleaned prior to sizing by running a small bottle brush in them like you do.

Cases stay clean, dry, for as many rounds as I can reload them for until they wear out. Tumbling in between would just be another step.

 

[sako2]

About 2 caps full of mineral spirits. Pour it in and turn on the tumbler for awhile before adding brass. Cuts down on tumbling time and dust.

 

[diverdown]

I used dry media for a long time and when the S/S pins came along I switched to wet tumbling (same tumbler) with LemiShine and Dawn. Never had a problem switching over and the brass comes out looking like it was just manufactured. DeCap before wet tumbling and the primer pockets come out sparkly after about two hours.

 

[gbflyer]

I’ve bought once fired brass that was pin tumbled. Man it is clean! I use a vibratory Lyman rig with walnut shell lizard bedding. I put a squeeze of Brasso in too. Change the media once a year or something.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

Well good news Brass is Dry and I found in a bin some Lyman corncob media. So I dumped what I had and am back in business.
I do like the idea of Stainless steel pins and how it cleans primer pockets.

 

[1Shot]

This is my cleaning method. I have two 5 gal. buckets with lids that I store two batches of Lyman treated corn cob media in. One batch is old dirty media. When I have dirty cases like range pick up etc. I put this batch in the vibe tumbler and run them for a couple or so hours just to get the dirt off and clean them up a bit. I have a big plastic sifting pan made to sit on top while fitting down in a 5 gal bucket so you can pour your brass and media into it and sift out the media. This leaves this batch of media in that bucket which I place the lid on to keep out moisture etc.
If cases are not really dirty I skip this and go right to the next step.

I lube and size all my cases. I then pour into the tumbler out of the other bucket a batch of Lyman treated media that I have added some Nu-Finish car polish, big orange bottle, that you can get at auto parts or big box stores in auto section. As a side note, add a couple table spoons or so Nu-Finish to media while the vibe tumbler is running with the Lyman media in it and let it run for a little while to mix it well and not have it clump up. This also keeps any dust down. I add my sized cases and let them tumble for at least 3 hours and they come out looking like new on the outside. I then dump everything into the sifter sitting on the empty bucket and shake to let all the media drop into the bucket. I then inspect each case to see if there is any media in the primer pocket or flash hole and if their is I clean It out using a old Lee hammer type primer pinch that I got years ago to remove crimped in primers out of military ammo. You can use a small eye glasses screw driver also. I then use a RCBS primer pocket brush to clean each primer pocket and if doing small batches of cases I check each case's length to see if it needs trimming. If it is large batches I just put them in a coffee can or container with a lid to protect them from oxidation if it is a good while until I will load them. I will check length and trim these cases at the time of loading.

One thing this cleaning method does is that it removes any real fouling from the inside of the case but it does not leave the inside looking like new. I guess there is still what you could call a small amount of fouling left. I have heard many on other loading forum's about getting the inside of cases too clean with the liquid still pin cleaners. They say that it gives them neck tension inconsistency problems and thus worse accuracy. I don't know because I don't use this cleaning method. Only time I wash any cases is if they have been fired using black powder. I shoot 45-70 black powder loads in my Sharps copy rifle and you have to wash the residue out of the cases within a few hours or it will start working on the brass. I have a universal de-capping die in a Lee hand press that I take to the range and after shooting a few times I de-prime my cases and drop them in a plastic jug filled with water and dish soap and give it a shake for a little bit to start the cleaning process before I get home. When home I have a nylon bristle bore brush that will fit inside of the cases and use it with hot soapy water to clean each case. I then use a hair blow dryer to dry each case then size and vibe clean.

 

[lhsako]

This is my cleaning method. I have two 5 gal. buckets with lids that I store two batches of Lyman treated corn cob media in. One batch is old dirty media. When I have dirty cases like range pick up etc. I put this batch in the vibe tumbler and run them for a couple or so hours just to get the dirt off and clean them up a bit. I have a big plastic sifting pan made to sit on top while fitting down in a 5 gal bucket so you can pour your brass and media into it and sift out the media. This leaves this batch of media in that bucket which I place the lid on to keep out moisture etc.
If cases are not really dirty I skip this and go right to the next step.

I lube and size all my cases. I then pour into the tumbler out of the other bucket a batch of Lyman treated media that I have added some Nu-Finish car polish, big orange bottle, that you can get at auto parts or big box stores in auto section. As a side note, add a couple table spoons or so Nu-Finish to media while the vibe tumbler is running with the Lyman media in it and let it run for a little while to mix it well and not have it clump up. This also keeps any dust down. I add my sized cases and let them tumble for at least 3 hours and they come out looking like new on the outside. I then dump everything into the sifter sitting on the empty bucket and shake to let all the media drop into the bucket. I then inspect each case to see if there is any media in the primer pocket or flash hole and if their is I clean It out using a old Lee hammer type primer pinch that I got years ago to remove crimped in primers out of military ammo. You can use a small eye glasses screw driver also. I then use a RCBS primer pocket brush to clean each primer pocket and if doing small batches of cases I check each case's length to see if it needs trimming. If it is large batches I just put them in a coffee can or container with a lid to protect them from oxidation if it is a good while until I will load them. I will check length and trim these cases at the time of loading.

One thing this cleaning method does is that it removes any real fouling from the inside of the case but it does not leave the inside looking like new. I guess there is still what you could call a small amount of fouling left. I have heard many on other loading forum's about getting the inside of cases too clean with the liquid still pin cleaners. They say that it gives them neck tension inconsistency problems and thus worse accuracy. I don't know because I don't use this cleaning method. Only time I wash any cases is if they have been fired using black powder. I shoot 45-70 black powder loads in my Sharps copy rifle and you have to wash the residue out of the cases within a few hours or it will start working on the brass. I have a universal de-capping die in a Lee hand press that I take to the range and after shooting a few times I de-prime my cases and drop them in a plastic jug filled with water and dish soap and give it a shake for a little bit to start the cleaning process before I get home. When home I have a nylon bristle bore brush that will fit inside of the cases and use it with hot soapy water to clean each case. I then use a hair blow dryer to dry each case then size and vibe clean.

Nufinish is now on my to buy list ! great idea